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"I do." He took her hand a minute and released it to continue signing, "Let me ask one last thing—do you like him at all?"
Nora studied her son, his eyes like hers—one blue and one green—and full of intensity.
He probably wanted her to have a happy ending like Leo, but Nora wasn't sure that was possible.
And even if she couldn't outright lie as it would cause her pain, vampires were good at dancing around the truth. However, she didn't want to prevaricate with Ambrose, so she finally said, "I do like him. More than I should, and it scares me."
He took her hand again, then released it. "Then I won't threaten him too much." He stood. "Is the typewriter still in the larger parlor?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Good."
It was faster for Ambrose to use the machine than to write things out with those who didn't understand French Sign Language.
"You'll let me know how he's doing afterward?"
Ambrose raised an eyebrow. "You need to visit him yourself, Mother, so no. You always emphasized how important communication is, especially with me growing up with my challenges."
They hadn't known about French Sign Language when Ambrose was young, and they'd had to come up with their own pseudo-sign language until Leo had heard of it and hired a tutor.
Since she didn't feel comfortable revealing all her fears to her son—which was why she wasn't being forthright like she'd always told him to be as a child—Nora nodded. "Let me know when you finish and I'll check in on River. If the timing is right, I'll chat with him about the claiming and what's to come."
Ambrose signed, "Don't wait too long, Mother. The sooner you talk with him, the better."
She nodded, and Ambrose went to the door.
"I'll also stay for supper. It should be interesting with two people from the future."
Since her son had usually supped every night with her and Leo, it'd been strange with his frequent absences of late. "I look forward to it."
As Ambrose left, Nora sighed and sat back in the chair. Not only did she have to deal with River later, but she was determined to repair the relations with her son.
Since taking on two stubborn males required energy, she rang for tea and cakes and busied herself with letters until Ambrose had finished with River.
ChapterTen
Nearly two hours later, Nora stood outside the parlor where River had worked with Ambrose, took a deep breath, and entered.
She instantly spotted her fated lord on the opposite side of the room, sitting on the settee, his hair damp with sweat and faint, dark circles under his eyes.
Her son sat in a chair across from him and she frowned. "What did you do to him?"
Ambrose grinned—something she hadn't seen since his kidnapping months ago—but it was River who spoke first. "Don't give him shit, Nora. He didn't hold back, and I needed it. If I keep these exercises up, I should be walking on my own in no time."
She couldn't ignore River, of course, but she wished his cheeks weren't slightly flushed or that his heart wasn’t racing, making his pulse thump at his neck, drawing her eyes.
For the first time in her life, she wanted to lick a male's skin to see how he tasted before plunging her fangs into his neck.
She even thought about them both being damp with perspiration, naked, and together in bed while she did it.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she kept her voice as even as she could. "Still, if you regress because of pushing yourself too far too soon, I won't have any sympathy for you. None."
River shrugged and flashed a smile. "I can handle that." He raised his brows. "So, are you going to stick around to talk or are you doing a drive-by check in before hiding away again for three days?"
Bloody hell, the fae witch didn't waste time getting to the point, did he?
Ambrose stood and signed to her, "That's my cue to leave. Don't run away from him before you get to know him, Mother. Maybe fate is right and he's what you need after all."
