Page 88 of The Secret Mate Society

“Promise me that when this is all over… no more secrets, okay?”I placed a hand on his chest.“I want to know everything, the good and the bad.”

He swallowed hard, fear in his eyes.“We’ll… see.”

Chapter37

Ethan

The ride over to the hotel was a bit tense between Calder and I, but I chalked it up to nerves mostly.There was a lot going on with the monster and to add meeting my mother on top of it was probably not the greatest combination.But there was no way out of it now.Besides, I could do with a single night pretending things were normal, that this was just introducing my boyfriend to my mother.That sounded a lot better than being hunted by a monster on Halloween of all days.

Mom was already waiting in the lobby when we arrived, her face lighting up the moment she spotted me.She looked just the same as always.She had her blonde hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, her smile wide and welcoming.She wore a deep burgundy sweater that complemented her fair skin, and I could tell she'd put extra effort into her appearance to meet Calder.

"Ethan!"she called out, rushing toward me with open arms.

I accepted her embrace, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume.It was something floral that she'd worn for as long as I could remember.It was comforting, a small piece of home in this increasingly dangerous world I'd found myself in.

"Hi, Mom," I said, pulling back to look at her."You look great."

"Oh, stop," she laughed, waving off the compliment before her eyes locked onto Calder standing beside me.Her expression shifted instantly to one of appraisal, taking in his tall frame and handsome features with unabashed interest."And you must be Calder," she said, extending her hand."I've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," Calder replied, taking her hand in his.I could see him consciously softening his grip, trying not to appear as intimidating as he naturally was."It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs.Murphy."

"Please, call me Laura," she insisted, her eyes sparkling with approval as she gave me a quick sideways glance that clearly said, 'Well done.'

The initial awkwardness dissolved almost immediately as Mom launched into stories about her drive up from New York, the beautiful fall foliage, and her first impressions of Portland.Calder was attentive, asking all the right questions and smiling at all the right moments.If I hadn't known better, I would have thought he was completely at ease.But I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes constantly scanned our surroundings as we walked to his car.He was on high alert, even while making small talk with my mother.

Downtown Portland was alive with Halloween festivities.Costumed revelers filled the sidewalks—witches and zombies, superheroes and movie characters.Under normal circumstances, I would have enjoyed the atmosphere, maybe even joined in with a costume of my own.But tonight, every masked face made me flinch, every unexpected movement had me looking over my shoulder.

"Oh, look at all the decorations!"Mom exclaimed as we drove past a particularly elaborate display of skeletons climbing up the side of a building."Halloween was always your favorite holiday as a child, Ethan.Remember how you insisted on being a werewolf three years in a row?"

I felt Calder stiffen beside me in the driver's seat."Yeah, I remember," I said, trying to keep my voice light."Dad made me those fake claws out of cardboard."

“You were so cute,” she smiled, her gaze faraway as she visited those memories.“Those holidays were always so much fun.Your father really knew how to throw a party.”

I saw the sadness flicker across Mom's face at the mention of Dad, but it disappeared quickly behind her smile.She'd always been good at that—pushing through the pain for my sake.It was a skill I'd tried to learn from her over the years, with varying degrees of success.

"So, Calder," she said, smoothly changing the subject, "Ethan tells me you own a vehicle repair shop?That must be exciting work."

"It keeps me busy," he replied, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror for the third time in as many minutes.I wasn't sure if Mom noticed his vigilance, but I certainly did."I've always been good with my hands."

Mom laughed, and I felt my face flush."Well, I'd say that's an excellent quality in a man."

"Mom," I groaned, shooting her a warning look.

She just winked at me before turning back to Calder."And how did you two meet?Ethan's been frustratingly vague on the details."

As Calder recounted a sanitized version of our first meeting while leaving out the part about me investigating murders and him showing up mysteriously outside my apartment, I watched the streets passing by outside the window.The Halloween celebrations were in full swing now.A group of children in elaborate costumes crossed in front of us at a stoplight, chaperoned by adults carrying flashlights and candy bags.Then I saw it.Among the crowd of revelers, a tall figure stood perfectly still, wearing what looked like a wolf mask.Not the cartoonish kind sold in costume shops, but something grotesquely realistic, with matted fur and gleaming yellow eyes that seemed to follow our car as we drove past.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart hammering against my ribs.Was it really there, or was my mind playing tricks on me?The figure remained motionless while everyone around it moved, laughed, and celebrated.Only those yellow eyes seemed to follow me as we passed by.

"Ethan?Are you okay?"Mom's voice broke through my panic."You've gone white as a sheet."

"I'm fine," I lied, tearing my gaze away from the window."Just hungry, I guess."

Calder's hand found mine, squeezing gently.When I looked at him, I could see in his eyes that he'd seen it too.He gave me an almost imperceptible shake of his head.Maybe it really was just someone in a costume.

"We're almost at the restaurant," he said, his voice steady despite the tension I could feel radiating from him."Just a few more blocks."

The Italian place was packed, just as Calder had predicted.The hostess led us to a table in the center of the dining room, surrounded by other diners in various states of Halloween dress.A family at the next table had coordinated their costumes.The parents were dressed as Gomez and Morticia Addams, their children as Wednesday and Pugsley.Under different circumstances, I might have found it charming.