After Kai left Sable’s shop, I fought really hard to stay on task. It wasn’t easy, because thoughts of the beta kept resurfacing, but I managed. Mostly.
I don’t really have any plans for myself until the end of the month, when the wedding shenanigans begin, but there’s a charity event just before Thanksgiving that the town hosts every year. I’ve agreed to make ornaments for that event, so I’m trying to focus my time on making those until Stella returns.
I shoot her a quick text to check in on her, totally not using it as a distraction from any Kai-related thoughts trying to creep back into my head.
Plum: So how’s wedding planning going?
Stella: Well, my future mother-in-law has taken over almost every task, so I can’t complain. Especially because she consults Val and me before any decisions are made.
Plum: She sounds really nice, honestly. That’s kind of awesome.
Stella: Right? I feel bad for Val. The closest he’s getting to a father-in-law is Nick. He’s been shockingly agreeable to all of the requests made for the wedding,though. He hasn’t said no to anything except reindeer, and that was only because the farm doesn’t really have room to house them.
Plum: Reindeer? Stella, I love you, but that would have been truly unhinged.
Stella: That's exactly what Nick said. You two think so much alike…
Plum: You’ve said that many times. Thank you for reminding me I haven’t bothered him in over twelve hours. I’ll be sure to mention you while shamelessly shooting my shot.
Stella: Threatening me won’t change how compatible you and my big brother are.
Plum: Tell him. As you know, I’ve been flirting with him for years to no avail.
Stella: Fair. Anyway, as I was saying, I feel bad for Val because all he gets is Nick and my mother, but his family has been completely amazing.
Plum: Val is getting three amazing brothers-in-law. He’ll be just fine, I promise. And it sounds like his mom is more than enough to make up for whatever your mother lacks.
Stella’s mother still lives on the farm with her older brothers. She’s got her own little mini house on the edge of the property. Nick, Rhian, and Benson built it for her after their father died three years ago. Ironically, I’ve seen more of her since his death than I did in the years I spent hanging out on the farm with Stella.
In a lot of ways she reminds me of my father, which is problematic, given that I’m not my father’s biggest fan. I have a lot more empathy for Stella’s mom, though. She was a victim too. It isn’t an excuse. She still failed her children, but she was beingabused for years. That only stopped after Nick got big enough to fight back, and Stella was just a toddler back then.
Their relationship is strained; it’s something we bonded over. Our lives are so similar but still so different. My mom’s dead, and it left my father a shell of himself. Her father is dead, and her mother is just barely starting to come out of her shell.
But the one thing she’s never been able to do is repair the broken bonds with her children, and sometimes, I don’t even think she tries to.
Stella: Valentina messages me every day, several times a day. She calls me no less than once a week. Just to chat, Plum. It was so bizarre the first time!
Plum: I remember. You called me right after.
Sobbing. She was fucking sobbing the first time Val’s mother called her just to check on her. Something her own mother doesn’t do.
Stella: And Valente! He fucking texts me pictures of random stuff he thinks I’ll like. Sometimes it’s what he calls the ‘girl dad gift’ because I’m going to be the daughter he never had… And sometimes it’s just stuff he saw that made him think of me, either because he thinks I’ll like it too or just cuz it made him smile…
Plum: That's intense. Do you want me to call you? You sound like you’re spiraling…
She does that occasionally, and I don’t want her to get too worked up. Sometimes I can talk her down.
I fiddle with the seat belt hanging unclipped at my side while staring at my apartment building through my car's windscreen. It looks like it's gotten a lot colder outside since earlier. Between that, and the stupid amount of stairs awaiting me, I check my phone for Stella's reply, hoping for an excuse to put it off a little longer. There are a lot of stairs, and it’s been a long day.
Stella: Can’t. I’m at work. Technically I’m hiding in the bathroom.
Plum: Okay. Call if you change your mind.
Plum: Now listen to me. You’re a great girl, a wonderful, loving, caring, kind person. These people are just excited that their son found such a fucking amazing omega to bond with. Yes, in comparison, they make your mom look like…well, shitty.
Plum: Comparison is the thief of joy. Shove it aside. Enjoy their affections. Allow them to shower you with their love, and know in your heart you deserve it. Val, your fiancé, the man that loves you, is a smart alpha. He’s bonding with you, not your family. But you have a pretty great family, don’t you think? So many people love you, Stella.
Plum: Let them.
