“If it hadn’t been a chore for you, if you’d had passion to learn, you might’ve picked it up a bit better,” he told me, taking over the sauce application.
“Maybe you can teach me?” I sprinkled on the same cheeses he’d used on our first-round pizza.
“I’m sure you can make it fun if anyone can.”
“I’d love to,” he said softly.
We ate our fill and then went back into the kitchen area, where we took seats at the island and drank wine while Austin and I told stories of the Ivy House crew’s crazy antics. Dessert was served, a raspberry tart, and the evening ended with small or half-smiles from most of the shifters, a gleaming smile and hug from Mac, and an overall feeling of goodwill.
“My mother has no idea what to make of you,” Austin said as we drove home in the Taurus.
“She was certainly staring a good bit. But she didn’t belittle me, unlike a past mother-in-law, so I’m cool with that. At least we can be civil.”
“It’s not a like or dislike situation. It’s…” He tried turning the radio down, but the knob didn’t seem to do anything. “Oh-kay.” He left it alone. “I was so much trouble in my youth, and ever since I nearly took Kingsley down, I’ve been labeled as dangerous. I’ve always been the one to watch, the one who might unravel and take everyone with me. I think she worried she’d see herself in you—the survivor of abuse who couldn’t get help because she thought it might look weak to the pack. I think she was ready to help you get free, or help you work through the pain she was certain I’d cause.”
“Oh Austin, no, that can’t be.” I put my hand on his thigh. “She clearly loves being in your company. I could tell.”
“She loves me, yes, but I’m also a haunting reminder of my father. I was like him in my youth.
She’s blinded by trauma, I think. But you’ve shown her that you don’t need help. You’re happy to sit
on my lap and trick me into eating terrible vegetables.”
“They’re a fruit, actually. The fruit of an olive tree.” I gently squeezed his leg, trying to lighten the mood.
“Fine, whatever. The point is, I think she was looking for those little signs of wariness a victim often shows when they’re worried they’ve stepped over the line with their abuser. There weren’t any, though, and now she’s not sure what to make of us.”
“Ah.” I nodded. “Got it. Well, in time she’ll realize that you’ve changed your trajectory in life. I truly believe that, Austin. In the meantime, since she’s not the alpha anymore, maybe this is a good time for her to finally get some help? Maybe you or Mimi can give her a nudge. It’s sad and unfair that she’s had to carry that burden for so long.”
“I’ll talk to Mimi about it. Or maybe Kingsley, find a way to broach the subject.”
He parked in the garage and left the keys in the car, probably hoping someone would take it.
“You still need to patch things up with Aurora, huh?” I asked as he opened the front door.
“Yeah. I’m not sure what’ll make that better. I really screwed up.”
He ducked around the corner of the kitchen, finding the space clean and shiny. On the counter waited a plate covered in plastic wrap with a handwritten note on top of it: Tell me this isn’t better than your wildest dreams!
He snickered softly, putting the plate in the fridge. “She’s going to get a page of fixes for that dish, no matter how good it is.”
“You should do that pizza trick with her. I bet she’d be so pissed you guessed her favorites.”
“I’ll have Tristan do it.” We headed down the hall, and he turned off the lights as we went. The others were clearly tucked away in their beds or out wandering around town. Either way they’d be fine, since I doubted Sebastian would let Nessa out of his sight. “He drives her nuts for some reason.”
“Probably because he is so confident he’s going to claim her, and she wants Broken Sue.”
“What a tangled web.” He opened the bedroom door for me before hesitating at the hall light. “I don’t have a nightlight, and the mages can’t see in the dark if something happens.”
“They have hands, though. They can turn on the light if they need to…”
A grin worked at his lips. “Valid point. C’mere.”
He entered the room after me, whisking me up and closing the door, and I squealed in surprise. He flicked off the light to our room and carried me to bed, holding me tightly.