Page 45 of Vanessa’s Bravery

The man was Gabriel. The woman was as stunningly beautiful as Vanessa, and looked barely a few years older than her. She had the same long, dark hair as Vanessa. There was no doubt that this was Vanessa’s mother. They were carbon copies of each other.

“Cole?” Gabriel stared at him in utter surprise, his head ping-ponging between him and Vanessa.

“Gabriel,” Cole said, searching for what to say.

Gabriel turned to his wife. “Maya, this is Cole, the man I told you would make the perfect mate for Vanessa.” He looked back at Cole. “So, uhm, wanna explain to me why you’re coming out of my daughter’s bedroom, when your intended mate is a prostitute?”

“Gabriel, I’m really sorry,” Cole started. “I think I wasn’t very clear earlier this morning when we talked. I might have given you the wrong impression—”

“You were here this morning?” Vanessa interrupted, touching his arm.

“He was,” Gabriel answered in his stead. “He had some important news.”

Was Gabriel trying to suppress a smirk, or was his scar twitching?

“No wonder I went into heat,” Vanessa added.

“I think you two are making our visitor uncomfortable,” Maya said and extended her hand. “I’m Maya, Vanessa’s mother. It’s nice to meet you, Cole.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Maya.” Cole shook her hand, then addressed both her and Gabriel, sweat building on his forehead and nape. He wasn’t prepared for this meet-the-parents thing. “I uhm, I don’t want you to think badly of your daughter, because of how we met…” Fuck, this wasn’t easy.

“Vera’s?” Maya asked, addressing Vanessa.

Vanessa nodded, smiling. “Must have been fate.” She slipped her hand into Cole’s.

Maya gave them both a warm smile, and Gabriel put his arm around his wife, then offered his hand to Cole. “Welcome to the family.”

Surprised that neither Gabriel nor his wife seemed to judge Vanessa for having slept with him pretending that she was a prostitute, and him for believing that she was, he felt his worries dissipate into nothing.

He shook Gabriel’s hand. “Thank you, Gabriel, Maya. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

Gabriel chuckled. “See, I told you I had a beautiful daughter.” He exchanged a loving look with Maya. “I should have been a matchmaker.”

“A matchmaker, you, Dad? No way!”

The young man who’d spoken, came out of a room on the same floor. Cole recognized him as the driver of the Lamborghini, Vanessa’s brother.

“That’s Ethan,” Vanessa said.

“Hi, Ethan, I’m Cole.”

“Hey. What’s up?”

Gabriel looked over his shoulder. “You on patrol duty?”

Ethan nodded. “Chinatown’s mine tonight. Better get going.”

“Want us to drop you on the way?” Gabriel asked. “We’re leaving in a minute.”

“No, I have to drop the Lamborghini at the dealership on Van Ness first.”

“I’m glad you’re not keeping it,” Maya said. “It’s so impractical in the city.”

He winked at his mother and pressed a kiss to her cheek as he squeezed past her. “Yeah, but it would be a total chick magnet. See you guys.” Ethan hurried down the stairs.

“Well, we’d best be on our way too,” Maya said.

“I’m leaving too,” Vanessa said.