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.”
“Why…” She took a step away. “Not that it’s any of my business, but why do you call her Jess when everyone else calls her Jessie?”
“Because when I first met her, some part of me realized she’d be hanging around, and Jess ie reminded me of Auzz ie, and it hurt my heart to think about it. Now it’s just my special thing with her.
Only I call her Jess.”
Her eyes were big again, emotion rolling behind them. She nodded stiffly and then walked away.
Beyond her, a gnome lurked in the branches of one of the trees, eyeing everyone. Yes, no doubt about it, Kingsley was going to be furious.
“Hey, babe, sorry about that,” he said when he reached Jess, pulling her to standing so he could sit and direct her onto his lap.