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I stayed where I was, at the kitchen’s entrance. Though instinct told me I should probably turn and run the hell out of there, I knew Lucas would be sad if I just vanished.
And as much as I didn’t want to meet Kai’s mom, or deal with that stress, I couldn’t hurt that little boy.
So I stayed where I was, tucking my hands in my dress’s pocket and silently thanking past-Iris for gravitating toward dresses with pockets.
Kai’s mom didn’t look back at me when she scooped Lucas up, exclaiming that he was even bigger than he had been the last time she saw him. He laughed, and told her that he’d been eating lots of ice cream so he could grow.
My lips curved upward slightly at the memories of thelots of ice cream.
“Where’s your dad?” she checked, finally turning around. Her eyes landed on me, and opened wide.
Her lips parted, too.
I didn’t move. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could if I wanted to. I was too damn terrified.
What if she hated me?
What if she realized immediately that I had no idea how to interact with a female authority figure? That I’d never had a mother, or an aunt, or even a damn grandma?
“I made him let Iris bring me. She has the best toys and treats,” he said, grinning.
Ididhave good toys and treats.
But I still didn’t know what to say, or what to do.
“You’re Iris?” Kai’s mom asked me, still just holding Lucas and staring at me.
I gave her the biggest smile I could muster—it wasn’t big, at all. “Yeah. Hi.”
She put Lucas down—and then crossed the kitchen quickly, and threw her arms around me.
SEVENTEEN
I blinked quickly,not sure exactly what was happening or how I should feel about it. I did hug her back, though. I wasn’t completely oblivious as to how the whole family thing worked.
“I’m so glad he found you,” she told me, squeezing the hell out of me. “And you’re here! He told me that you two weren’t going to be together—that he didn’t want a mate.” She released me, leaning away. “What happened? You’re all okay?” She looked back at Lucas, as if making sure he was alright.
“It’s kind of a long story,” I admitted.
“I’ve got all day. Come take a seat and we can chat.” She winked at me. “I’m Celia, by the way.”
Lucas was already in the living room, pulling toys out of a bin. A man who looked about Celia’s age came out of another room, and stopped when he saw me.
He looked between me and Celia. “Is this…”
“It’s Iris, Grampa! She’s my dad’s mate, and she’s going to be my mom, after we’re friends,” Lucas told him.
His eyes widened.
I gave him a weak wave. “Hi.”
“Come hug your daughter-in-law, Lou!” Celia exclaimed.
He came over, and when he hugged me, my eyes stung a little.
I was better with dads than moms, as silly as it was.
“Welcome to the family, I guess,” he said with a chuckle.
