Reunions
I’m terrified as I wait in the SUV with the two guys. As impossible as it is, I still worry my father or one of his guys—or one of my brothers—will ambush us.
Reason keeps reminding me Morning meticulously planned this. Plus, Alizée gave it her seal of approval, so it has to work.
Right?
Still, I can’t help worrying. What if my father tracks her? What if he was home and she couldn’t leave? What if she changed her mind?
What if she ratted us out because of her fear? Being out of contact with Todd is the worst part.
It feels like forever before the other SUV pulls into the shopping center and parks next to us. A moment later, Todd opens the back passenger door and steps out, looking around. I can’t see past him.
The guy in the front passenger seat also gets out, looking around, before moving to the back hatch, while my front passenger dude gets out to help.
Then Todd turns back to the door and…
There is Mom. He helps her out, his head on a swivel as he opens the back door of my SUV.
She blinks when she sees me, stares at me for a long moment before diving across the backseat and tackling me, wrapping her arms around me. Then I’m crying, she’s crying—it’s a whole snot-fest. But at some point, Todd climbs in behind her, they’ve finished loading her bags in the back, and we’re underway.
She cups my face in her hands, trying to convince herself I’m alive and well. “God, I was so worried about you!” she gasps through her tears. “I was afraid he’d killed you and was lying to me!”
“Nope. I’m sure he wishes he had, but I’m not dead yet.”
She sits back to wipe her face, and that’s when she finally realizes…
Her gaze widens, her jaw dropping. “You—you’re pregnant?”
“Um, yeah. Surprise?”
I’m not sure if this is a horrified or happy scream because she surprisingly gives Iris a run for her money in the vocal department. I’ve never heard her raise her voice, much less scream. The driver swerves a little and glances in the rearview mirror. Then Mom throws her arms around me again, and she’s happy-sobbing. I’m not used to Mom openly expressing so much emotion, but then again, Dad is an asshole.
Todd sits there wearing a smug smile with his arm casually lying along the back of the seat. He’s put on his seatbelt, and I’m sure he’ll lovingly scold me later for not wearing mine.
“Told you I’d bring her back, baby,” he says through our mate bond, making me smile.
Mom gets this bout of tears out of her system and the front passenger hands her a box of tissues. Now she’s laugh-crying and finally meets my gaze. “Who’s the lucky wolf?” she asks.
I smirk. “Yeeeah, about that.” I point behind her. “Meet Todd Shilling, your soon-to-be son-in-law, as well as my soon-to-be baby daddy. Also, he’s an elk. And we have a mate bond.”
Her jaw literally gapes as she turns and stares at him. “You’re…an elk?”
He nods. “Hope that’s not a problem, ma’am.”
I’m worried this might be a bad thing, but she throws her arms around him in a hug that finally frees me to fasten my seatbelt. “Oh. My. God!” She sits back and seems to really see him now. “You’re so tall!”
“Yes, ma’am.” He glances at me and I drop him a wink because I’m evil like that.
“So that’s why you smell like Mal!”
He smiles. “I’m happy with that.”
“Mom, put your seatbelt on,” I say.
“Oh. Oh, yeah.” She does. “Oh!” She grabs her purse from where it ended up on the floor, and now it’s my turn to cry again as she hands me May-May. “I packed a few of your favorite books, too.”
The world blurs as I clutch May-May to my chest, shocked that out of everything, this, being reunited with my stuffed bunny, is what completely knocks my legs out from under me. Mom holds me as I sob, rocking me, whispering how sorry she is that she couldn’t protect me and that she loves me.
