Magical Midlife Battle （Leveling Up, #8）(122)

Jess peeled away from the guys, her gaze finding Austin again. She sauntered toward one of the barbecue pits, her hips swaying. Someone greeted her, and she inclined her head in answer, then spoke to someone else in what was probably a pleasant way. She always sought to make everyone feel at home.

Mr. Tom appeared at her side in a flash, trying to take over her plate. He hadn’t gotten to attend to

her much during their visit, Austin getting that privilege, and the old butler was trying to make up for it at every given opportunity.

“Gnomes aren’t like those dolls at Ivy House, right?” Kingsley pressed.

Jess reached the barbecue with Mr. Tom dogging her steps and stood at the back of the line.

Everyone in front of her tried to let her go first, an honor that was customary for an alpha, but she wouldn’t hear of it.

“There are no dolls here, no,” Austin said, not lying. Truthfully, the gnomes were worse than the dolls, although at least they stayed outside. But Kingsley was already on the verge of shitting his pants

—the last thing he needed was news of a possible gnome infestation.

When Jess got to the front, she took a plate and pointed. The shifter at the barbecue placed a steak on her plate, and her glance up said she wanted to share it.

“I gotta go,” Austin said immediately.

“Hey,” Kingsley said, dragging Austin’s focus back for a moment. “If you can tear yourself away from the festivities for a minute, I have a new car to show you. Brochan, you’re welcome too, if you want. You don’t seem overly great at small talk with strangers.”

Austin watched Jess saunter to a chair Mr. Tom had pulled up for her, away from others. After Mr.

Tom had stepped away, she sat, crossing her legs. She slid her finger across the top of the seared part of the meat before sucking it into her mouth.

“Nah,” Austin said, eager to get to her. “I’m going to hang around here for a while.”

He didn’t say until she wants to go home. Then again, he clearly didn’t have to.

“I was never this bad.” Kingsley scoffed. “You might as well bring her. Just so long as she doesn’t complain about my cigar and drinking.”

She wouldn’t care less. Austin would have said so, but he’d already started walking, watching her bite into the meat.

Halfway there, he heard, “Uncle Auzzie?”

He hadn’t even seen Aurora approaching. If an enemy wanted to take him down, they just needed to set up Jess at a barbecue as bait.

With considerable effort, he dragged his gaze away from his mate.

Aurora stood with her feet planted and shoulders squared, her chin high but her confidence wavering. She noticed his distraction and followed his earlier gaze, understanding taking the place of determination on her face.

“Yes, Aurora.” He cleared his throat, not particularly eager to talk to a family member in this state. “How can I help?”

“I’ll let you get back to her in a second, I just…” She cocked her head, clearly building up her courage. “I just wanted to say sorry. About the other night. And also…I realize now it wasn’t fair for me to be so angry.”

“No, no.” He reached out to grab her shoulder but refrained. She wasn’t a little kid anymore. She had also seemed to adopt Mimi’s stance on physical touch. “Your anger was—is—definitely fair. I should’ve told you I was leaving. I should’ve sent you birthday cards. I wasn’t in a good headspace and was thinking only of myself, and I’m sorry about that. I should’ve said it before now. I need to make things up to you. I know that. Please give me that chance. When this is all over, and I have some time to do it right, I will make it up to you.”

Her eyes were so big and open, so like the kid he’d left behind. The one who’d forgiven him for what he’d nearly done to her daddy, who’d liked to pal around with him, and whom he’d left alone with all the others. He wished things were different right then, and he hadn’t been pulled in so many

directions with the coming battle that he could’ve approached her before now. That he could’ve already started to make amends.

“I see how people treat you here,” she said. “Dad says it was worse back in the day. You must’ve been miserable.”

“I deserved it.”

“For a while, maybe. Not forever. I just wanted to say…I get why you left. It took me getting older, I think, to realize—or maybe it took me seeing it to realize—why you needed to go. I forgive you for leaving like you did. Though…” Her lips twisted at the corners a little bit. “You can make it up to me, sure. How about you owe me one?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that you already know what the one thing is going to be…”

She shrugged, about to turn away, but stopped herself. “And your mate is pretty awesome. She’s life goals, right there. Except for her being so nice. That seems like too much work.”

She shrugged and then put up her hand for a high five, the same way she used to do when she was little. He hit it and then reeled her in for a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, Aurora. Truly.”

“I know,” she wheezed, and he let her go. She waved her finger in the air. “Not sure I’m into hugs.”

“They’ll probably grow on you. Jess is a hugger, and if you’re on the fence, she’s going to try to tip you over.”