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Her happiness shone outward. Royce watched her, his expression neutral but tolerant, as her excitement grew as if it might swallow all of us while she laid out the plans.
I loved this thrilling new turn for her. She certainly wouldn’t be lonely on her cruise now, so that was one less thing for me to worry about. I could remove the unwanted visions of my mother in a cabin, glass dildo clutched in her hand, from my head.
But this turn of events had Patrick written all over it. Certainly with the nameCrenshaweso firmly attached. Maybe I needed to go and investigate things for myself. Coming after Gold Moon was one thing — that was business. But meddling with my mom and plans she’d had for a long time, ones she’d made with Dad…that was something ese.
It was personal, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him inserting himself into her life as well as mine.
Still, possibly this was even better than the trip she’d had planned. The old schedule had really been an homage to Dad and the plans they’d made together. A chance to say goodbye, but also to miss his presence.
This was something else. A new start. The beginning of Mom’s new life, and her enthusiasm for it was contagious.
“I’m happy for you, Mom.” I caught her hand as I spoke. It wasn’t a lie. Iwashappy. I hugged her again, burying my face into her hair. Maybe this was the last time I’d see this version of her. It was like she was casting off a layer of skin and becoming something else. After an all-expenses paid trip, I couldn’t be sure who’d return to me.
Dad was gone, and Mom was changing and moving on. It was a lot to process on top of all the business things, and Gold Moon and Apex and…Patrick.
I swallowed another big mouthful of my drink. “Thanks for the coffee, Mom.” I nodded toward the doorway. “Wes and Charmaine are still asleep on the living room floor. I need to make a quick run out, but I should be back before they wake up.” They’d both been exhausted the previous night, and I didn’t really expect either of them to surface before mid-morning.
Mom nodded and kissed my cheek again. “See you soon, sweetheart.” She said, but she turned to Royce and picked up whatever conversation they’d been having earlier before I could reply.
I slipped from the kitchen and ran up the stairs, grateful to find the bathroom still the same, stocked with my usual shampoo and liquid soap. At least not everything was changing before I was ready.
I’d checked on my clothing options this time, and I was able to put together a suitable outfit for general daytime wear. If I was going to stay here, I’d need to bring more things over, but that was a problem for another time. It had been late after we’d gotten everything settled yesterday, and we’d all been exhausted.
Today was a better day for plans. But first, a quick excursion of my own.
Once dressed, I stepped outside. Girard stood by the SUV, talking to a couple of other guys. The sight of the armored vehicle was incongruous in my parents’ carefully manicured gardens. Mom had always leaned a little French Regency in her taste, and that delicate effect on the landscaping didn’t match the military presence that Patrick’s men brought to the space.
I walked over to them, and Girard looked at me.
“Miss Everly,” he said in greeting, and I shook my head as I pulled him into a quick hug.
“I’m Jo to my friends, or anyone who has saved my life. Thank you so much for pulling us out of that wreck yesterday.” I leaned back and studied him.
My gratitude was probably a day late and a dollar short, but I wanted to express it, anyway. Especially now, when I could finally think straight again. Some of the initial shock had worn off, anyway.
His cast was a soft one today, so his break was already well on the way to being healed.
“No time off for good behavior?” I asked. Maybe he shouldn’t even have been here.
He blushed as I stepped back from our sudden contact and cleared his throat. “Can we take you somewhere this morning? Where are you going?” His questions fell out in a rush, and I smiled at his awkwardness.
“I need to see Patrick, actually. Straight away, please.”
Girard drew his eyebrows down, but he didn’t voice whatever had caused his confusion. Instead, he simply nodded and slipped his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll make some calls and find out where he is.” He walked away, and the other man opened the car door for me. I slid into the back and breathed in the clean car scent. Something about it helped clarify my thoughts. I was going for a business meeting. Just a business meeting. I was even being driven there like I had my own personal chauffeur. I knew what I was doing. I could handle myself.
I repeated the words in my head like they were a mantra.I knew what I was doing.It didn’t matter that it was probably a lie I was telling myself.
But Patrick didn’t belong in my mom’s personal life, no matter how much I thought it would ultimately benefit her. And he didn’t just get to run around decreeing things on our behalf. He might be a pack alpha, but he wasn’tourpack alpha. I wanted to find out what he was up to.
The passenger side door opened and Girard climbed in. He turned to speak to me. “Okay. Patrick is already at the Apex offices, but we’ll take you there now. He’s happy to clear his schedule and wait for you.”
I ignored the way my stomach tipped as Girard casually mentioned Patrick clearing his schedule in order to see me. It made me feel like I might be important to him after all.
I tried to push the thought out of my head as the pack soldier started the engine and we rolled away from the house, the big engine growling under the hood.
I knew what I was doing. I could handle myself.
Despite the size of the SUV, other cars on the road seemed to move aside for us, creating more room than there should have been. Maybe that wasbecauseof the size of the SUV. It certainly felt like we could squash anything in our path.
