Page 182 of Shadowing You

“I don’t need another mommy.”

Mama stifled a smile, and Mei Lin had the feeling the two of them had had this conversation before. “Well, of course my daughter is beautiful.” Her mother’s words were harsh even as she smoothed Ethan’s collar as if he were her own boy. “She is more beautiful than anyone in the world.”

“See?” Ethan said. “We agree.” He looked at Mei Lin and rolled his eyes. “Your mother is impossible.”

Mei Lin giggled, then covered her mouth.

This was so…weird.

For six years, while Mei Lin had been trapped in that horrible place, this man had become a true son to her parents. He’d taken care of them. She’d known it, but she hadn’t realized how very full their relationship had grown.

Ethan led her parents to a couple of armchairs near the fire, got them settled, and found a footstool for Bàba. Wrights—sisters, cousins, and their partners—came over to introduce themselves.

Somehow, Mei Lin’s parents folded into this houseful of people who’d known her and Ethan for less than a week.

There were no words.

The sound of the door closing had her turning, and she saw that three more people had walked in.

A man, a woman, and a little girl with blond curls who was already running toward the other children.

The woman was tall and slender and comfortable in her own skin.

Mei Lin made her way to greet them. “Are you Delaney?” It was a guess, though not a wild one. The woman carried herself like a Wright.

She smiled, and it was as if someone had turned up the lights. “I am.” She reached out and took Mei Lin’s hands. “I’m so glad to meet you.”

“You came from Virginia?” Mei Lin was pretty sure Ethan had said they lived there.

“We flew up with your parents. This is my husband, Noah.” Delaney smiled at a broad-shouldered man. “You might have met his brother, Jaz. He’s the one dating Kenzie.”

Mei Lin had met Jaz earlier. He was around here somewhere, all grin and motion. “He was in the woods that night, I think. One of the men who came to help us.”

“Sounds like Jasper,” Noah said.

Delaney nodded toward the little girl they’d come with. “That’s Charlotte. She’s five.”

“She’s adorable.”

Ethan stepped beside Mei Lin. “I didn’t know…” He cleared his throat, sounding nervous, and started over. “Delaney. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I should’ve found a way to tell you the truth.”

“You couldn’t have.” She let go of Mei Lin’s hand to take his. “It took me a little while to get over it, but I was more mad at my dad than you. I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your texts. It just felt so…” She seemed to give up explaining, instead stepping in for a hug.

Delaney must’ve been warned about his injuries because she seemed to hold him carefully.

“For what it’s worth,” Noah said behind her, “I owe you an apology too.”

Ethan stepped back and looked at him. “For what?”

“I was pretty sure you were stalking my wife.”

Ethan laughed, then pressed a hand to his side. “Ow. Am I really that creepy?”

Noah tipped his head one way, then the other, considering it longer than strictly necessary.

Mei Lin decided she liked these two.

A spoon rang against glass. Eliza stood at the front of the room, Sam beside her, and the noise dropped by degrees until even the children were quiet.