Page 40 of True Honey (The Hornets Nest #4)

“She wasn’t feeling well last night, so she slept in the guest room so she wouldn’t get me sick before the next series.

” I lied as quickly as I could. “Why are you here?” I mimicked her movements as she stomped across my bedroom completely ignoring the outrageous crossing of boundaries she was committing.

“Mom,” I barked and she stopped digging through things.

“Why are none of her things in here?” She asked me, “isn’t this the guest room? Why is she in your room alone?”

“I don’t know! I’m half awake! Why are you at the Nest so early?” I rolled my eyes, “visiting someone special?” I huffed pushing out of bed.

“It’s noon, Silas.” She glared at me. “And you’re being cagey.”

“Her things didn’t fit in this closet with all my things, so she took the master closet and the ensuite to get ready in the mornings, she sleeps in here normally.

Thank god she wasn’t in here when you decided to make a surprise visit to your grown son’s bedroom.

” I groaned, grabbing my keys and a shirt from the dresser.

“Are you done with your hissy fit?” She asked me.

“Are you done snooping?” I countered, opening the bedroom door. “Out,” I said to her and she huffed, turning in her heels and leaving.

“I came over to take Drew for lunch, there’s wedding plans we need to discuss. If she’s going to be part of this family, I’m having a party.” She declared.

“Is a party really the smartest idea right now?” I arched a brow at her. “Dad’s trial starts soon and I barely have any free time to do anything, let alone plan a wedding and be involved in it.”

“It’s the perfect time, it shows urgency and commitment to the board members. A man not planning his wedding is suspicious, Silas,” she said, narrowing her eyes on me.

The fact that she was right woke me up. Not planning or picking a date left room for them to ask questions, to dismantle the credibility of the relationship.

“Fine.” I agreed, “stay here.” I warned, knocking on Drew’s door before I cracked the door open and locked it behind me.

The shower was running, and I could hear the soft sounds of Drew humming a song I didn’t recognize.

It made me smile, sinking into the acoustics of her happiness.

It took me a second to invade her privacy but I stepped inside and closed that door behind me too.

“Drew,” I said softly, causing her to yelp from the surprise. “Sorry,” I said, as she stepped around the fogged up glass. My jaw clenched at the sight of her damp skin and soft morning smile. “Hi.” I whispered to her and the smile grew.

“Are you okay?” She asked, “you don’t usually come in here…” I cut her off with a kiss, wrapping my hand around the base of her throat and gently willing her closer as I stole the air from her lungs.

When I let her go, I stepped back to get control of my emotions before explaining to her why exactly I bombarded her. “My mother is in the kitchen, she wants to take you to lunch,” I said.

“What?” Drew stuttered. I pulled my keys from the pocket of my shorts, taking her engagement ring off them and setting it on the counter where she could see it. Her eyes flickered from the diamond to my face with dread. “She’s going to eat me alive, Silas.”

“No she won’t,” I assured her, “she just wants to plan a wedding. So we’re going to let her and it will be fine.”

“How is that fine?” Drew hissed. “We’re barely dating, we’re definitely only fake engaged and your mother wants to plan a real wedding.” She turned off the water, reaching for a towel and I grabbed it for her holding it out as she stepped from the shower. “Not to mention I work tonight at Hillys.”

“I told you to quit that job,” I scowled, a little offended that she hadn’t.

“And I didn’t,” she said quietly.

“Call in sick. Just for today. It will be fine.” I put on my best, charming smile.

Kissing the corner of her mouth and then her damp jaw just to feel the way she relaxed against the contact.

“You’re so beautiful and smart, and I owe you my life.

” I praised, just hoping to wear her down a little more as I wrapped the towel around her.

When she opened her mouth to protest I grabbed her face, kissing her lips one more time before backing out of the bathroom before she could yell at me some more.

“She has a son?” My mothers voice was laced with vicious confusion, I knew the tone well.

The last time I had heard it was when I broke my leg sneaking out of the house with Arlo at the age of sixteen to go to a Green Day concert on a school night.

Mom had a school agenda in her hand with August’s ID and name on it from the highschool.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to act like I wasn’t scared of my mother at that moment. “No, you can’t meet him, he’s at school and you are suffocating.”

“Excuse me?” Her glare was hot and burned my skin the longer she stared at me.

I was being too short with her, too angry. It wasn’t my intention to offend her, and it didn’t happen often but I had made her feel like she wasn’t good enough. I could see it all over her face and I felt like a massive piece of shit for doing so.

I am not my father .

I opened my mouth to apologize but Drew came out of her room with her hair pulled back in a neat bun and wearing some of the clothes we got her for situations like this. She smiled at my mother and played nervously with the ring on her finger.

“It’s nice to see you,” she said, “it’s very nice of you to invite me for lunch. Silas says you want to discuss wedding plans?”

“Among other things,” my mother’s scowl was threatening and it only made me more nervous for what the afternoon held.