Page 103 of My Solemn Vow

Kerrianne doesn’t knock. She flings the door open and darts across the threshold, disappearing into the house while screeching, “Grandma!”

“Kerrianne, inside voice, please,” Valor says in anormal speaking voice, to which Kerrianne repeats the word at a whisper-yell volume.

“In the kitchen,” Elizabeth calls from the back of the house.

I take in the very traditional furniture — a recliner and a soft-looking sofa — the warm rug on hardwood floors, and a gas-burning fireplace with holiday decor adorning the mantel. The home is warm and welcoming. It’s almost too suburban and more classic, turn of the century than what I anticipated.

“Oh, there you are!” Ian Cavanagh says, rounding a corner from down the hallway. “You brought her in the front door like she’s some sort of esteemed guest.” I’m taken aback, stiffening, but then he smiles and opens his arms wide. “Rather than the family that she is.”

Before I comprehend what’s happening, Ian pulls me into a hug. Valor walks past us deeper into the house with a sideways glance at me.Smug asshole.

“Come on, come on, come on. Betty will be so happy to see you. She’s been hounding me to force Valor to bring you over for dinner.” Ian releases me from the hug but doesn’t let go entirely. Instead, he leads me into the house with his arm wrapped around my shoulders. “I’ve been stopping her from popping by with breakfast daily.”

“Oh, my shoes.” I try to stop him, knowing my little kitten heels could scuff the hardwood.

“Leave them on. Floors are meant to get dirty. Homes are meant to be lived in.” He continues bringing me into the house. When we hit a larger great room and the kitchen, he takes my coat. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Water would be great,” I answer, and Betty turns to look at me.

She then decks Valor on the shoulder. “I thought you said she...”

“She does know.” Valor winces, faking pain, holding his hand over where he was hit. The hit that was a love tap at best.

“She sure doesn’t look like she knows,” Betty growls.

It sounds more like some of the sounds Valor has made than I was expecting.

“I did not know water wasn’t an acceptable choice of drink. I’m fine with whatever.” I look to Ian for help.

It takes him a second to stop his silent snickering before he goes to Betty’s side. He wraps his arm around her lower back. “Just because Valor told her doesn’t mean they jumped right to making grandbabies. They’ve only known each other two weeks.”

Betty huffs.

Valor pours me a glass of water and ice from the refrigerator door and brings it to me. “I uhm, uh, should have warned you that my mother is really excited about the prospect of another grandchild. I had hoped in seven years Royal would have stepped up but...”

Heat flames my face and down my neck. Children hadn’t crossed my mind beyond the basic ‘I can’t get pregnant because we’re physiologically different.’

I position him between me and his mother, and with my voice as low as I can possibly make it, I whisper, “You said I’d have to become a wolf, and it’s not like we talked about what exactly that entails.”

“You didn’t even tell her that,” Betty groans. Clearly this wolf-hearing thing is way better than I anticipated. “That’s it. Ian, we’re marrying Royal off. It’s the only way.”

“Betty. Don’t rule Valor out so quickly. It’s not like we’ve locked them alone in their house this entire time. They both have lives and things to do and a daughter to take care of.” Ian comforts her.

“Speaking of, is Royal’s lair where my daughter ran off to, or did we let her run feral?” Valor sighs, interlacing his fingers with mine.

“Yes, he’s in the middle of business, but I’m sure with Kerriannefinding him, he’ll switch to something more appropriate.” Ian nods, and while it’s not absolutely clear what Royal is working on, I would wager a guess that it has something to do with Valor smelling like an explosion when he came home.

“Takeoff!” Kerrianne giggles from somewhere in the house, and footsteps running up stairs interrupt us.

Royal comes skittering to a stop, sliding stocking footed across the floor with Kerrianne clinging to his back like a little koala. “Everything you need to know is sent to your printer. Should be enough to get us what we need. Beyond that, hello! Welcome. Mom decided we need to have Thanksgiving... again.”

“I love Thanksgiving!” Kerrianne’s eyes are wide and beaming. “Two is the perfect number of Thanksgivings. No, maybe three.”

Royal shakes Kerrianne free before coming over to me. He wraps me in a hug, too, and a throat is cleared.

“Jeez. You married her, it’s not my fault you haven’t claimed her. I’m just excited to see her.” Royal lets me go, and I look to Valor. His eyes are narrowed, his lip curling, and his shoulders are tight up around his ears. “Especially since I also got you the other information concerning her that you asked for and I have good news to report.”

“Valor.” I put my hand on his chest. He covers it with his own, and there’s more of that warmth from last night between us. “If you kill your brother before dinner, then we won’t get to eat the food when it’s fresh and hot, and that would be a massive disappointment to me.”