Page 170 of Broken Bonds

“Did you get your hearing back yet?” I tease.

He snorts. “They were supposed to come over at lunch, and she slams in here early, all Hurricane Mom, practically tackled poor Mal, and then nearly bounced the baby out of him happy dancing around the kitchen when she got done yelling at me for not feeding my new mate enough. Apparently, it does not matter to her that he’s only been here a few days, and I’m neglecting my mately duties by him arriving here skinny in the first place.”

I burst out laughing. Yep, sounds like Iris. She’s a good mom. In the past, she and Caleb have taken in stray kids needing a place to stay.

I get to the point. “So, hey. I need to stop by with a couple of people, just for a minute, to talk to you and Mal. Without your mom. I mean, we can talk outside. She doesn’t have to leave.”

“Good, because I don’t even think your father could help you drag her out of here at this point. Dad’s just sitting back, smiling and drinking coffee, and letting her plan the baby shower of all baby showers.”

They ride with me in my truck, Morning in the backseat and Alizée riding shotgun. She’s dropped her facade with me now and I feel sorry for her. She wears her grief like a thick cloak, and her persona when I first met her was obviously her protective act.

“It’s really pretty here,” she wistfully says. “I wish I could return to Tennessee after all this is over, but…” I notice she brushes at her eyes. “It’s painful, you know? I hate feeling that way, giving up land literally drenched in my family’s blood, except it hurts too fucking much.”

“We have several guest cottages, if you want to stay here for a while to decompress.”

“Decompress. Damned accurate word.” Alizée stares out the windshield. “If you’d ever told me we’d all be joining forces like this, I would’ve said you were nuts. What’s it say about me that one of my new best friends is a vampire, and another is whatever the fuck he is back there?” She hooks her thumb at Morning again.

“Ah, you precious little child,” he jokes. “Keep that up and it’s like you’re asking to get spanked.”

“Promises, promises.”

I text Todd we’re almost there.

He and Mal are waiting out front for us. When I park the truck, Alizée gets out immediately and circles them, keeping a few feet away.

Todd pulls Mal behind him, turning to keep himself between her and Mal. “Jaaaax?” he asks.

“It’s okay,” I assure him. “She’s a friendly. Let her do her thing.”

After making a full circle of them, she kicks off her sandals. “May I approach him?” she asks Todd.

He looks at me and I nod. Still, Todd keeps a protective arm draped around Mal’s shoulders. Mal looks nearly panicked as he looks at me, but I hold out a hand, hoping he senses this is okay.

Alizée stands right in front of Mal and holds her hands out, palms up, and closes her eyes. “Hands, please. Flat on top of mine. Palms down.”

Mal looks up at Todd, then to me again, and tentatively lays his hands on top of hers.

Morning silently watches this unfold, arms crossed over his chest and wearing an inscrutable expression.

She takes several long, slow, deep breaths and doesn’t close her fingers around Mal’s hands. Finally, after what feels like an hour but was probably only a minute or two, she opens her eyes and wistfully smiles.

“Lucky kid,” she says. “May I hug you?”

Mal looks a little less nervous but I sense remaining tension in him as he hugs her.

She pats his back, rubbing her hand in a circle between his shoulders, and whispers something to him even I can’t hear.

Then he’s clutching her tightly, sobbing, and she slowly rocks him as she tips her head, indicating for Todd to join their embrace.

I force myself not to intervene because I suspect if this was bad-bad, Todd would’ve already drawn and used the gun I’m certain he’s wearing holstered in the back of his waistband, hidden by his shirt.

I can smell the gun oil.

Finally, after a few minutes, Mal ends the embrace, and she cups his face in her hands and kisses his forehead.

“Just do what they tell you,” she assures him. “You’ll be fine. Don’t do something dumb like leave because you think you need to. You have everything you need here, and you’re surrounded by love. Trust them and their judgment. Believe.”

He nods, sniffling, wiping his eyes with his hands.