absence.
“The food sounds really good, doesn’t it?” Rylie asked.
“Sure,” Jessica said.
Both of them sucked at lying. And her mom’s expression so closely mirrored her own that Rylie couldn’t help but burst into laughter, which she tried to cover with one hand.
Jessica giggled, too.
“I hate milkshakes,” Rylie whispered, knowing that it would do no good. Abel’s hearing was as excellent as hers, and acutely tuned to his Alpha mate. He would have heard her whispering from the other side of the street.
“I’m sure your boyfriend has the best intent in bringing us here. He’s trying to share what he likes with us. That’s…well, that’s very sweet.”
Actually, Abel had probably picked the place because there was no way in heck that the Union would look for them there. But it was the nicest thing Jessica had said all day, and Rylie was going to roll with it.
“He’s very sweet,” she agreed, picking at the lace on her sleeve. “And funny.”
“And muscular,” Jessica said. “I bet that’s fun. Good job.”
“ Mom .”
“I wasn’t looking.”
Then how would she have noticed that he was muscular? She decided not to ask. It was better not to know some things about one’s mother.
“We’re going to have to run an errand while we’re here. I hope you don’t mind,” Rylie said, leaning on the window to look at the mountains outside. Somewhere, deep in the trees, was a valley waiting for her and her pack.
“I’ve already driven this far with you two,” Jessica said. “I don’t think we have much choice at this point.”
“It might involve some hiking.”
“…Hiking?”
“You can just wait in the truck,” Rylie said. It would be far preferable to trying to explain why she was throwing half of her trust fund at some guy who talked like he was constantly sucking helium.
Abel flopped into the booth again, giving Rylie a long, hard look that said he had heard her calling him sweet. It was both an angry and sensual expression.
If he had told her that his stare could see through her clothing, Rylie would have believed him. He had a way of stripping her with his eyes that never failed to make her blush. Even sitting next to her mom at some small-town diner, she couldn’t help trembling.
“Want to tell us why you’re visiting, Mrs. Gresham?” Abel asked.
“Oh,” Jessica said. “That.” She thumbed a ring on her left hand. “Well, it’s kind of a long story…”
Rylie hadn’t noticed that her mother was wearing a ring earlier, though she wasn’t sure how she had missed it. The diamond looked like it probably weighed enough to go on every ride at Disneyland.
She grabbed Jessica’s hand. “This isn’t a…?” Rylie couldn’t finish the question.
“I’ve met someone,” Jessica said.
“You meet a lot of people. You’re a CEO.”
“A special someone. His name is Phillip.”
Oh, no. No, no, no.
“He’s an artist—a painter, actually. We went to him to commission portraits of the partners for the office, and—”
Rylie was shaking her head, and she couldn’t seem to stop.
Jessica kept going. “After a while, one thing led to another. We fell in love. Phillip and I—”
“But what about Dad?” Rylie interrupted.
Dad had only died four years earlier. Jessica couldn’t possibly have fallen in love again already. Especially not when the heart attack had been so sudden, so brutal.
Her mother hung her head, brushing a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “Your father and I were already divorcing when he died. I let him go a long time ago, and I believe he would want me to be happy.”
Somehow, Rylie seriously doubted that Dad would have wanted Jessica marrying some weird painter guy. They hadn’t divorced on good terms. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Rylie said, dropping her head into her hands. Her eyes were blurry, cheeks burning.
“That’s why I needed to tell you in person. I had hoped to do it over a nice dinner, but…”
“The food sounds really good, doesn’t it?” Rylie asked.
“Sure,” Jessica said.
Both of them sucked at lying. And her mom’s expression so closely mirrored her own that Rylie couldn’t help but burst into laughter, which she tried to cover with one hand.
Jessica giggled, too.
“I hate milkshakes,” Rylie whispered, knowing that it would do no good. Abel’s hearing was as excellent as hers, and acutely tuned to his Alpha mate. He would have heard her whispering from the other side of the street.
“I’m sure your boyfriend has the best intent in bringing us here. He’s trying to share what he likes with us. That’s…well, that’s very sweet.”
Actually, Abel had probably picked the place because there was no way in heck that the Union would look for them there. But it was the nicest thing Jessica had said all day, and Rylie was going to roll with it.
“He’s very sweet,” she agreed, picking at the lace on her sleeve. “And funny.”
“And muscular,” Jessica said. “I bet that’s fun. Good job.”
“ Mom .”
“I wasn’t looking.”
Then how would she have noticed that he was muscular? She decided not to ask. It was better not to know some things about one’s mother.
“We’re going to have to run an errand while we’re here. I hope you don’t mind,” Rylie said, leaning on the window to look at the mountains outside. Somewhere, deep in the trees, was a valley waiting for her and her pack.
“I’ve already driven this far with you two,” Jessica said. “I don’t think we have much choice at this point.”
“It might involve some hiking.”
“…Hiking?”
“You can just wait in the truck,” Rylie said. It would be far preferable to trying to explain why she was throwing half of her trust fund at some guy who talked like he was constantly sucking helium.
Abel flopped into the booth again, giving Rylie a long, hard look that said he had heard her calling him sweet. It was both an angry and sensual expression.
If he had told her that his stare could see through her clothing, Rylie would have believed him. He had a way of stripping her with his eyes that never failed to make her blush. Even sitting next to her mom at some small-town diner, she couldn’t help trembling.
“Want to tell us why you’re visiting, Mrs. Gresham?” Abel asked.
“Oh,” Jessica said. “That.” She thumbed a ring on her left hand. “Well, it’s kind of a long story…”
Rylie hadn’t noticed that her mother was wearing a ring earlier, though she wasn’t sure how she had missed it. The diamond looked like it probably weighed enough to go on every ride at Disneyland.
She grabbed Jessica’s hand. “This isn’t a…?” Rylie couldn’t finish the question.
“I’ve met someone,” Jessica said.
“You meet a lot of people. You’re a CEO.”
“A special someone. His name is Phillip.”
Oh, no. No, no, no.
“He’s an artist—a painter, actually. We went to him to commission portraits of the partners for the office, and—”
Rylie was shaking her head, and she couldn’t seem to stop.
Jessica kept going. “After a while, one thing led to another. We fell in love. Phillip and I—”
“But what about Dad?” Rylie interrupted.
Dad had only died four years earlier. Jessica couldn’t possibly have fallen in love again already. Especially not when the heart attack had been so sudden, so brutal.
Her mother hung her head, brushing a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “Your father and I were already divorcing when he died. I let him go a long time ago, and I believe he would want me to be happy.”
Somehow, Rylie seriously doubted that Dad would have wanted Jessica marrying some weird painter guy. They hadn’t divorced on good terms. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Rylie said, dropping her head into her hands. Her eyes were blurry, cheeks burning.
“That’s why I needed to tell you in person. I had hoped to do it over a nice dinner, but…”
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