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“May the Lord lead you to truth, child, and away from the devil that’s taken hold of you. May you not invite your evil to our doorstep,” she hisses, and Zeke moves between us.
“Mom,” he bellows. “Living room. Now.”
He storms after her, his entire being growing in dominance and strength. I’m left gaping at the entrance to the next room, unblinking. But I’m not offended like everyone seems to think I am. I’m terrified.
The truth sat clear in her distrusting eyes. She knows why I’m here.
But how?
“Well, there’s never a dull moment at a Stryker gathering,” Cade sings, throwing an arm around my shoulder and leading me outside. Her smile is wide and fake, but I want to cry at the way she and Briggs whisk me away. Like friends would.
I’m so pathetic. What have I done with my whole life, that this is the first time I’ve felt like I had female friends—who are way older than me, and who I just met today?
“I’m so sorry about that.” Briggs covers her face with her hands for a moment. “My daughter has a natural ability to embarrass people.”
“She’s honest. It’s admirable. I wish I had even an ounce of her courage,” I mumble, and Cade shakes me slightly in a reassuring way.
Zeke moves through the door like a man on a mission, the loud bang of the frame making me jump. Everything about his commanding presence makes me dizzy, but he goes soft when he looks at me.
“Nova, are you okay?” He scoops my face in his hands, wiping at my cheeks as if he expected tears to be there. “That was fucking out of line. I’m so sorry.”
I grab his wrists, and he freezes in my touch, eyes only for me. I force a smile and a shrug. “You warned me, and I insisted we invite her anyway.”
The energy buzzes between us, and I want to throw my arms around him and put my lips to his. I see Cade elbow Briggs and mouth WOW out of the corner of my eye. I spring back from Zeke’s grip, breaking his trance. He glances at the women, but if he’s embarrassed, I’ll never know.
“We gotta go,” he says and shoves his hands in his pockets.
I turn to Briggs and Cade. “Thanks for everything. It was nice to meet you.”
Briggs takes my shoulders in her hands and smiles at me. She pulls me close to whisper in my ear. “You’re right. He’s different.” She winks at me, then slaps Zeke in the chest.
Once we’re down the steps, Zeke frowns at me. “What was that about?”
“What was what about?” He morphs through his emotions again, the tension easing and melting away into a casual smile.
“What Briggs said. You talking shit about me?” He grins, no doubt to lighten the mood, and throws an arm over my shoulder.
“They were. I have nothing but nice things to say about you.” I exaggerate my words and turn the truth into a playful joke. I’m beginning to love this about him. Taking tension and making it disappear is magic, and it’s magic I need.
“Your opinion is the only one I care about.” His voice turns serious, and it’s jarring, knocking me back with its honesty.
“Oh,” I squeak as he helps me in the vehicle and shuts the door.
I look through the window toward the house. Briggs stands with her arms crossed, and a smile touches her lips before she shakes her head and disappears. The gesture is like a proud mom watching her son step up, rather than the girlfriend of Zeke’s brother.
“That Briggs,” I say. “She seems to really know you guys.”
Zeke chuckles and reverses the truck one-handed. This is something that I shouldn’t find sexy, but I really do. Just like him going all macho protector. On him, most things are sexy, and I’m so confused as to whether it’s a Zeke thing or a hormone thing.
“She would. She and Xan practically raised Tabby and me.”
“Yeah, I see how your mom was maybe difficult. But you never talk about your dad.”
He hits me with a glowering, tight-jawed stare.
“My dad will never step foot in the same fucking room as you or this baby,” he growls, and I gasp at the sudden shift in tone. “Sorry.” His shoulders tighten, and then he pours a long breath out through his nose and relaxes.
“Jason is a worthless piece of shit. He shows up once in a while to stir up my mom, then leaves.” Zeke focuses on the road, but his shoulders are tight, and his jaw is clenched.
