“Yeah. Probably a good choice. You still need your lungs.” She turned and strode toward the dining room.
That’s when his siblings swarmed in.
“What the hell, Liam? How long has this been going on?” Spencer hissed.
“This what?” he asked defensively.
“Oh, come on. You must have been working on Mother behind our backs,” Kara accused. “To have her turn on a dime like that? Well, don’t think I’m not going to fight this.”
He shook his head and scoffed. “I haven’t talked to Mom since she called me to let me know Dad died, and that was a two-minute conversation. I’m as surprised as you.”
Spence’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Are you suggesting she did this on her own?”
Folding her arms over her chest, Kara rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’m texting the firm. I want to see the paperwork.”
“Aren’t you two concerned at all that our last living parent is leaving us soon?” Liam asked.
They both looked at him and sighed.
“Yes,” Kara said, exaggerating the word. “Of course we care. But you heard her. She doesn’t want us expressing it right now.”
Spencer heaved a heavy sigh. “Listen to Kara, Liam. Don’t ruin Christmas.” He patted him on the shoulder twice, then turned and padded toward the dining room with Kara following.
“Jesus…” Liam wasn’t sure what had gotten into his mother. But whether she felt guilty about the sins of the past or was changed by her approaching death, he wouldn’t be rejecting this gift. There was a lot of good he could do in the world with that money. And although he thought he should feel sad and upset about her shuffling off this mortal coil, those feelings hadn’t kicked in yet. Maybe he was in shock.
“Are you sure you’re okay? This was… a lot,” Charlotte said.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
A fleeting thought coasted through his mind as he looked at her. This was a win for his relationship with Charlotte too. Now he could keep her in the lifestyle she was accustomed to. That is, if she decided to stay. And why wouldn’t she now? He took her hand and led her into the dining room.
“Humans are so unpredictable,” she whispered.
“Dragons too, at least by my experience.” He cracked his neck, remembering Gabriel’s grip.
She gave a breathy laugh. “In truth, that wasn’t entirely unexpected. I mean, I didn’t expect him back so early. That part was a surprise. But my father is a warrior with a short fuse and deep protective instincts for his mate and family. I mean, look what happened with Uncle Colin, and he’s just my uncle.”
“Sounds noble.” He cracked his neck again.
“He’ll come around,” she said confidently, her eyes on his mother. “People change.”
He scoffed.
“You don’t think so?” She blinked up at him.
“You defied his orders. I doubt he’s going to have warm fuzzy feelings about either of us after that.” He pulled out her chair and tucked her in to the table, seating himself beside her. But the tears gathering in her eyes tugged at his heart. “But yeah, it’s clear he loves you. I think, with time, he’ll come around.”
She flashed him a bright smile.
“What are you two whispering about down there?” his mother yelled from the head of the table. The thing could seat twenty, and the five of them were practically in different time zones. He picked up his fork and started picking at the pear-and-walnut salad that awaited them.
“Charlotte was just commenting on the beautiful table arrangement,” he offered.
She hooked her pinky into his under the table.
“It’s a family heirloom,” his mom quipped.
Liam knew that of course. The terra-cotta cornucopia had been in their family for generations, all the way back to a great-great-great-grandmother who had found it in Athens.
