Page 63 of Unveiled

“I—I need to go check on her,” she whispered.

Without a word, Jaxon grabbed her hand, and they crept out of the theater. Once in the car, she pressed one hand to her stomach as the lights of the freeway flew by and bled into the distance. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a bad feeling. Sure, her mother had a tendency to be overly dramatic, but her messages tonight were abrupt, holding a sense of urgency she didn’t know how to interpret.

Jaxon reached over and placed a hand on her thigh. “It’s okay, babe. I’m sure everything is just fine.”

She nodded and forced a smile, though doubt reigned. Following her directions, Jaxon pulled up in front of her mother’s house seventeen minutes later. She was out of the truck before the engine cut off, halfway up the stone walkway to the large brick home. Without bothering to knock, she turned the handle, thankful it was unlocked, and shoved the front door open.

“Evelyn?” she paused. “Mother!”

“No need to yell, I’m coming.”

The tap of heels across the parquet floor reached her ears and Adalyn breathed out a sigh of relief. As her racing heart began to calm, she became aware of several things at once. The first was Jaxon’s heat at her back. Placing one hand on her shoulder, he shifted her slightly to the side and closed the front door.

The second thing she noticed was the luggage. Two suitcases and an oversized tote bag stood just inside the entryway, and her brows drew together.

Evelyn rounded the corner, her handbag draped over her forearm, looking like she was ready to stride into a party.

It was ten o’clock at night. What was going on?

Before Adalyn could speak, Evelyn waved to the suitcases by her feet. “All right, I’m ready.”

Shock rooted Adalyn to the floor. “For what?”

“I need to catch the red-eye to LA.”

“Did something happen?” Did they even know anyone in Los Angeles?

She lifted an eyebrow and looked down her nose at her as if she was an idiot. “I’m going on a trip, and I need you to take me to the airport.”

Disbelief temporarily rendered Adalyn speechless. For several seconds, she floundered before finally managing to choke out words. “A trip?”

Her mother stared at her but didn’t speak. A low boil began in her stomach and curled upward. “You called me out of a movie because you decided to take a last-minute trip to the city?”

Evelyn lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t want to leave the Mercedes at the airport. Besides, the suitcases won’t fit in⁠—”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” The words ripped from Adalyn’s throat as she threw her arms wide.

“Language!” her mother admonished. “It isn’t ladylike.”

“Neither is treating your only child like a slave,” she shot back. “For years I’ve been nothing but a pawn for you to use. I’m your daughter, not your assistant.”

“Really,” Evelyn huffed, propping one hand on her hip. “It’s the least you can do.”

“Really? Because you loaned me money that I should have gotten from the bank in the first place?” Adalyn seethed. “I’m done playing your games. And after Monday, I won’t owe you a single thing.”

“What does that mean?” A faint trace of alarm entered her mother’s eyes.

“It means I’m paying off every red cent that I borrowed so I don’t have to deal with your ridiculous, selfish antics ever again.” She pointed a finger at her. “And you can forget seeing Jaclyn again until you get yourself together. We don’t need your toxic attitude in our lives.”

“But…” Her mother looked lost, and for a moment, Adalyn almost felt bad. Then Evelyn ruined it. “How am I going to get to the airport?”

“You know what, mother?” Adalyn snapped. “You can walk all the damn way to LA for all I care.”

Turning on her heel, she threw open the door and stomped down the sidewalk. She refused to look at Jaxon, but she felt him just a step behind the whole way. Before she could reach for the handle, Jaxon held the door, and she hopped up inside the cab.

Her body shook with anger from the top of her head all the way down to her toes, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She was afraid if she let go, she would lose her mind. How could one person be so selfish?

Wordlessly, Jaxon climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck. She stared out the windshield until they turned onto the main road. Then she burst into tears.