“You will find one,” I said. “You will. If it can happen like this, it can happen to anyone, anywhere. And… I can’t wait for it to happen to you, because this is honestly…” I shook my head. “It’s a whirlwind and it doesn’t make sense. Some people will look atit and call it crazy. But it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I’m happy for you,” she whispered. “I am. I promise.”
I pulled my chair in before I extended my arm across the table. “If I could have chosen for you to find your pack first, I would have. In a heartbeat. It doesn’t feel fair.”
Esme rolled her eyes. “Nothing is ever fair. We know that.”
“I know. I’m just saying I’m sorry that this might hurt for you to watch.”
She smiled sadly. “I’ll be okay. You know me. I’m always okay.”
That wasn’t true and we both knew it, but I let her use it as a way to change the subject.
“So tell me what happened. Everything. Before Mom gets here so you can tell me about all the sex without her fainting.”
I laughed and did just that.
Esme shook her head, grinning. “Does Mom know you’re actively in the process of moving in?”
“As far as I know, she doesn’t know anything.”
“You’ve been all over the press. She’ll have at least heard the rumors.”
“Yes.” I pointed my fork at her. “But there are rumors all the time about me and packs and people and actors. Even if she’s seen them, I doubt she’ll have believed it.”
“Do you want me to leave so you can talk to her alone?”
I frowned. “No, not at all. Unless you don’t want to be here. I’m not going to make you sit with Mom if you don’t want to.”
Esme smirked. “I’m hoping me being here will make her more amenable to skipping lunch on Saturday.”
“Good call.”
“Speak of the devil,” Esme said under her breath.
Our mother was headed toward us. She contrasted with the overly white and luxurious setting of Aurelia’s. The whole placelooked like a wedding cake. It was over the top and not my favorite, but Mom loved it.
Probably because she’d come here a lot with our dad. This was where he proposed, in a private space with a candlelight dinner. Coming here made her feel like she was close to him. Which I understood.
I’d never seen my mother like she was in the days after Dad died. She disappeared into herself, and when she came back, she wasn’t the same. None of us would be, but I hadn’t seen any light in Mom’s eyes since the day he died.
She wore a black suit that was far too severe for her. In the circles our family ran in, it was still common to show a public sign of mourning. This wasn’t for show.
“Hi, Mom.” I stood and hugged her.
She held me close. “Hello, dear.”
Esme stood and hugged her too before she sat. “You’re back for a few months, right? You’ll have to start joining Saturday lunches again.”
I glanced at Esme and grinned. So much for skipping that. “Sure. I’ll do my best.”
“You looked so lovely at the show,” she said. “But I’m dying to know what you teased on stage. And you haven’t been answering my calls. If Esme hadn’t told me you were fine, I’d have called the police.”
Raising an eyebrow, I gave her a look. “And say what? That I was missing, but you had no idea where to look for me?”
“I like to think I would have been more creative than that, but yes.”
The three of us laughed, and I cleared my throat. My napkin was in my lap, giving me something to play with to calm my nerves. My mom would be happy, but Liam wasn’t wrong. They weren’t squeaky clean the way she would like.
