Page 124 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Ethan***

“What am I supposed to do with all these clothes?” Casey

asks.

“Wear them?”

“You never let me out of the house. Where am I supposed to

wear them to? Unless….”

I look up at her expectantly, and she walks over, wrapping

her arms around my neck.

“Unless?”

“I can go back to work.”

I take a deep breath. The pleading look in her eyes is too

much for me. I did say she could go back to work. Besides, she’s too ambitious to

settle for being a housewife. That’s why I’ve made it my duty to make sure all

her dreams come true.

“Okay.”

“Oh, thank you!” She begins planting kisses all over my

face.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.”

“But?”

I chuckle. “You know me too well.” I slide my hands around

her waist and give her a stern look. “Sam and Brad stay. They alternate driving

you to and from the bar.”

“Okay.”

That’s strange. No argument?

“I don’t mind, Ethan. Not now that I know about the things

that go bump in the night.”

“Good.” She leaves me and continues to rifle through the

bags of clothes I bought her. “I’ve decided to make Brick my second beta.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t done it before. From what I’ve

seen, he’s practically doing the job already.”

“You’re right. He’s been there for me as much as Charlie.”

“Of course I’m right.” She smirks.

“We can instate him and Anna on the night of our ceremony.

What do you think?”

“Sure.”

I remove her next surprise from my bag, standing behind her

as I hand her the envelope.

“What’s this?” she asks.

“Open it.”

I want to see her expression, so I resume my position on the

bed. She narrows her eyes at me, scratching her head in confusion.

“You bought The Round-up?”

“Think of it as a wedding gift,” I reply.

Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open.

“You’ll catch flies like that.” I chuckle.

“You bought it for me?”

“Yes.”

She shrieks and jumps into my arms, knocking me over onto

the bed.

“Oh, you! What did I do to deserve you?”

“It is I who don’t deserve you, my love.”

“Seriously.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re like

a fantasy come to life.”

“Let’s go home so I can make some other fantasies come to life.”

“Ooh, let’s!”

“I’ll call someone to take the bags down. Are you ready?”

“Yup.”

In the parking lot, she turns to me with furrowed brows. “Where’s

the car?”

“Brad drove it back last night.”

“Okay, where’s the truck?”

“We’re using your car.”

She looks around in confusion. “I don’t see it.”

“It’s right here.”

I motion toward it, and she places her hands on her hips

with a click of her tongue. I pop the trunk so the bellhop can put our bags in,

then tip him and he leaves.

“Last I checked, I didn’t drive a Range Rover.”

“You do now,” I tell her.

“What?”

I toss her the key, and she catches it, staring at me in

disbelief.

“Your Prius isn’t exactly equipped for the road to the house.”

“I’m going to be driven anyway, so why would I need it?”

“You can be driven in this.”

“You’re too much.”

“Come here.” With a begrudging look, she moves toward me. I

back her up against the SUV and place my hands on her hips. “What’s the

problem?”

“I don’t need all this… stuff.”

“I know, but you’re with me, so you better get used to it.”

A familiar, unwelcome scent creeps up on me, and I clench my

jaw.

“What’s wrong?” Casey asks.

“Shae.”

I turn around and see her on the opposite end of the lot,

heading our way.

“Do you want me to wait in the car?”

“No. Stay.”

I take her hand and watch as Shae approaches, an obviously

fake smile on her lips.

“Ethan… Hello.”

“Shae. How are you?”

“Fine, I suppose.” She turns to Casey and extends her hand. “We

haven’t been introduced.”

“Casey Bryan, Shae Miller. Shae, meet Casey.”

As they shake hands, I notice the evaluative look in Shae’s

eyes. Casey is passive, offering her a polite smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Casey speaks first.

“So, you’re the human everyone’s talking about… but I see

you’re not a human anymore.”

She shoots me a questioning look, and I shake my head in

denial.

“Not by my hand. She was attacked by the same wolf who

attacked you.”

“I see.”

“You’ll be happy to know he was dealt with.”

“My dad will be thrilled.” She casts another sweeping look

at Casey, and her eyes widen in shock. Her smile fades, and she looks back to

me in confusion. “You’re engaged?”

“Yes.”

“But she’s not—”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s my mate, and we’re getting married.”

She sighs, looking defeated. If I didn’t know her better,

I’d feel sorry for her.

“Well, I guess that’s it then. It was nice meeting you,

Casey.”

She quickly walks away, her head held high. Casey turns to

me, her expression stoic. She hands me the key and walks to the passenger side,

getting in before I can even open her door. I climb in next to her and take her

hand.

“Are you okay?”

“She loves you.”

“She doesn’t. She just wants me for the position.”

“I know that look, Ethan. I know the feeling that goes along

with it. She was devastated when she saw my ring.”

“You don’t know her. She can be devious. Somehow, I don’t

think we’ve seen the last of her.”

“Do you think she’d try to hurt me?”

“I do.”

“Huh.”

“Don’t worry,” I assure her. “I won’t let her anywhere near

you.”

She gives me a weak smile and squeezes my hand before

letting go. I start the car and smile over at her.

“Now, let’s go see a lady about planning a wedding.”

By the time we leave Billings, she’s chattering away

excitedly with Sandy about dresses, flowers, cakes, and everything wedding-related.

We found a planner, and Madelaine is currently scouring the globe for the

perfect dress. I love seeing her like this; knowing that I’m the reason is even

better. They talk for the entire drive, ending the conversation just as we

enter Canid.

“It just occurred to me, we’ll have to change my initials on

the fountain,” she says.

“Already done, sweetheart.”

She looks over at me suspiciously, a smile playing on her

lips.

“It was never going to be ‘CB,’ was it?”

“Nope.”

“Slick.”

“I couldn’t ruin the surprise, Mrs. McKenzie.”

She smiles then looks out the window. “I’m going to ask

Sandy’s dad to walk me down the aisle.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“I know. He’s been as much of a father to me as my real dad.”

She looks down at her hands in her lap, and I reach over,

lacing my fingers through hers. I need to get her mind off her father.

“You know, my ancestors founded this town.”

“Really?”

“Canid, derived from Canidae, the biological family of

wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals… even dogs. Each member of the family is called

a canid.”

“So we’re canids.”

“Yes.”

“Cool.”

“It was the best thing that could have happened to me, but why

did you choose to move here?”

“I wanted somewhere with a lot of fresh air; Montana was

first on my list. I told my real estate agent to find me a place in a nice,

quiet town. I saw the house and fell in love with it. I guess it was fate.”

“It was.”

“Ethan….”

“Hmm?”

She looks around, realizing I’m not heading to the house.

“Where are we going?”

“To see my parents.”

“Are you sure you want to take me with you?”

“You and I are a done deal. She has to accept it sooner or

later.”

She takes a deep breath when I pull up to my parents’ gate,

and I see the determined set of her jaw.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Let’s do this.”

My dad meets us outside with a huge grin. “Casey! So good to

see you, sweetheart.” He pulls her into a bear hug, rocking her from side to

side. “How are you? You look good.”

“I’m great, and I have your son to thank for that.”

“Wonderful. Come in. Can I get you something to drink? Are

you hungry?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine.”

They walk off, his arm around her shoulders, leaving me

behind.

“Oh, hi, Dad… Yeah, I’m great,” I mumble sarcastically.

He turns around with a scowl. “I see you all the time. Your

visit is nothing special.”

I catch up to them in time to hear her giggle.

“Don’t worry. You’re pretty special to me,” she says.

“See, Dad… I am special.”

We head to the kitchen, where he starts laying out glasses.

“I assume you’re here to tell us about that rock on her

finger?” Dad raises a brow.

“Yes. We’ve set a date—the twenty-fifth of next month.”

“Congratulations, son!” He turns to Casey with a mock look

of pity. “Good luck with that one, my dear.”

“Victor! That’s my future husband you’re talking about.”

She slaps his hand playfully, and they both laugh at my

expense. Isn’t he supposed to be on my side?

“Think you’ll be okay with Dad for a few minutes?” I ask

her.

“Sure. Victor and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

I take a deep, calming breath and climb the stairs to her

room. I haven’t spoken to her since the night Casey collapsed, but I guess I

have to deal with her sometime. Before I can knock, she tells me to come in.

“Ethan.”

For once, she looks contrite. I doubt she regrets what she

did, just that she got caught.

“Helena.”

She looks up at me with a mirthless chuckle.

“Of all my children, you were the only one who never called

me ‘Mom.’ It’s always been ‘Mother’… and now….”

“What do you expect after what you did?”

“I did what I thought was best.”

“For you or for me?”

“For everyone.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Narrowing my eyes, I give her a

stern look. She looks away, unable to hold my stare. “You need to abandon this

vendetta you have. She’s not going anywhere. In fact, we’ve set a date for our

wedding.”

Her head snaps back in my direction.

“Wedding?”

“Yes. For appearances sake, you are invited. But be warned;

I will push you all day if I have to. You will not ruin her day.”

“Fine. Marry the human. You can still take Shae as your mate.”

“Stop. Just stop!” She flinches at my clipped tone, dropping

her gaze to the floor. “In case you forgot, she’s not a human anymore, thanks

to your partner in crime.”

“Ethan… Please….”

“Shh!”

I listen carefully to the sounds coming from downstairs. Am

I hearing correctly? Is Casey crying? I leave the room and hurry downstairs to

find my Dad apologizing and trying to console her.

“What the hell happened?”

“I’m sorry, son. I thought she knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Your mother,” Casey says through her sobs. “She’s the

reason I lost the only family I had left!”

I reach for her, and she shrugs me off, stepping away.

“Casey—”

“No! Don’t try to—”

She looks beyond me and freezes. I turn to see Helena

descending the steps. Returning my attention to Casey, I find her shaking with

rage.

“How could you? Daddy… my babies, they were innocent! I did

what you asked. I stayed away from him even though it killed me. But still…” Her

knees give out, and I move to her side, catching her. She slides down my body,

and I join her on the floor. “Maybe she was right. Maybe I can’t handle all

this.”

“Casey, don’t.”

“No, Ethan. What am I supposed to do about a mother-in-law

who wants me dead? Everything we’ve been through….”

“All great loves are tested. Everything we’ve been through

just shows how great our love is.”

“Or they’re signs that we shouldn’t be together, and we’re

just in denial.”

I cradle her face and force her to look into my eyes. “I

love you… and no one is going to come between us. Understand?” She glances

nervously at my mother and then meets my eyes once more. “No one.”