Page 26 of Witchbane

“I’m fine, Mom. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re not old enough to be alone for days either!”

“I’m here, ma’am,” Carl added but received a death glare from her. “Miss Leigh and Stacey will be stopping by. You met them briefly over dinner.”

“Who were they again?”

“Friends,” Korissa said.

“You can leave any time,” I told Elaine.

“This is Liam’s house,” she stated.

“And Seb’s,” Liam added.

“But not yours,” I said. “Either of yours.” I looked at my mother. “Neither one of you were invited. You can’t show up on our doorstep and expect us to drop everything because you’re around. Would you do that where you live? Take time off your job and ignore everything else in your life for an unknown period of time because someone uninvited showed up?”

“Sebastian!” My mother was indignant.

“No. Our house. Our lives. You don’t even fucking call me. But you show up demanding I get married? You don’t even know the first thing about me, but you want control of my love life? Fuck that.”

“Language,” my mother snapped.

“I’m an adult. I can speak however I want, inmyhouse, withmylover, amongmyfamily.You lost that right when you abandoned me as a child.” I motioned to Liam and Korissa and even Carl. “If that makes you unhappy, fine. Go home and leave us the fuck alone.” Which left them both sputtering and Liam fighting back a smile. Diplomat, I was not, and I think he liked sometimes hearing people tell it like it was. People being me. Liam dragged me off to a closet at the back of the house where there seemed to be lots of winter gear.

“You’re hot when you get all moody,” Liam said, kissing me briefly.

“Um, I’m always moody. It’s sort of default Seb mode.”

“No. You’re on autopilot most of the time. Waiting to bolt. Looking for the next attack. I hate that.”

“I’m not leaving without you,” I protested, though I really wanted to convince him to stay at the house where it was safe. What if Underhill stole him from me? “Korissa should go to Leigh’s,” I said, not liking Korissa stuck in the house with insane amounts of tension. She often bounced around from pack member to pack member, hanging out for different things, working at some of their businesses for extra cash, like the giant allowance Liam gave her each week wasn’t enough, but also spending time with a handful of her human friends. Liam worked hard to ensure his daughter had a normal social life outside the pack. “You’re such a good dad,” I said, absently, after thinking of all the amazing things he did for her.

“And still I annoy the hell out of her,” he quipped.

I laughed because it was true. “I would have loved having a dad like you.”

Liam pulled a jacket out of the closet and handed it to me. It was one of those tan Carhartt ones with heavy lining and a long tail to cover over the waist.

“I’ll be yourdaddyanytime,” he teased.

My mouth dropped open as my body reacted instantly to the idea. Not that it was a stretch since he was an alpha and my omega senses wanted me to submit. “Did you just say that?”

He winked at me.

“And you call me a horndog.”

“Iamquite a bit older than you,” he reminded me.

“And my sugar daddy,” I told him.

“Which you hate. But my money is your money. What’s the point of having it if not for the comfort of my mate and family? Plus, your recipes have brought in new business. The jacket was Korissa’s. Try it on.”

No way was his teenage daughter’s coat going to fit me. They were hardcore coats made to look very boring, but be super durable. I’d never been able to afford one. It fit perfectly. I growled.

“What?” Liam asked.

“Your daughter’s coat should not be able to fit me.”