No joke, Queen Jacinta was a goddess.
"I'm sorry we added to that stress," I told her with sincerity. "I hope we can sit down with you and King Felipe today to explain everything that we know."
"Of course," she replied with a nod, then frowned slightly. "Did Rafe not provide you any new clothes?" She shot an annoyed look at her son, who just shrugged. He still hadn't looked at me. Not once. "I'm so sorry, Violet. I don't know what's gotten into him this morning."
There was a bump under the table, and Rafe jerked, shooting his mother a glare. I got the distinct impression she'd just kicked him, and it was way too funny not to smile.
"She's fine," Rafe muttered, flicking his cold gaze over me for the first time since I'd joined the breakfast table. "Those are clothes."
I glared back at him, but his gaze had already returned to his breakfast. Must be the best breakfast on the planet, as engrossed as he was.
"Those areyourclothes, Rafael," Jacinta scolded. "Honestly, it's like trying to teach a cat how to flush the toilet. I apologize, Violet. I'll ensure new clothes are sent up to your room immediately." She indicated to her assistant, who nodded back to her while typing on her palm reader. "Are you in the blue room?"
I gave a frown of confusion. The blue room was where I'd stayed with Mattie the last time we were visiting.
"She's in my room," Rafe replied before I could say anything, "because of the medical staff using the blue room." He met his mother's curious gaze steadily, and she gave a slow nod.
"Ah, the medical staff," she agreed, shifting her eyes back to me. "Silly me, I forgot. Not to worry, though. Angelina will get clothes sent to Rafe's room for you."
I narrowed my eyes in suspicion at Rafe, but he wasn't looking at me. He'd finished his food and pushed his plate away as he stood up.
"I'm going to check on Jordy," he told Jacinta, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
I startled. "Wait, I'll come too." I started to push my chair back from the table again, but Rafe shook his head.
"I'd rather see him alone, Violet," he told me without meeting my eyes. "No offense, or anything." He left without another word, leaving me with my jaw ajar and my death glare burning into his back.
What thefuck?
"Isn't it so utterly infuriating when people useno offenseto excuse their totally reprehensible behavior?" Jacinta commented as casually as if we were talking about flower arranging. "I'm tempted to tell you not to take it personally, sweetheart, but that was so clearly personal. Do you want to tell me what's going on with you two?"
My face flushed with heat, and I ducked my head back to my empty plate in front of me. Now that I was looking at it, I was freaking starving.
"Uh, it's complicated," I murmured, reaching out to the piles of food lining the middle of the table and serving up my plate. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to Rafe's mom about how her son fucked me in his bed last night, left his hand prints on my ass and his taste on my lips, then bailed the fuck out.
Jacinta made a thoughtful hum under her breath, then indicated something to her staff and assistant, who all hovered around the fringes of the room. A second later they all filed out and left us totally alone.
"Look, Violet," Jacinta said with a soft smile as I shoveled syrup-covered waffles into my mouth. "I know it's weird, talking to your boyfriend’s mom about your sex life—"
Oh fuck. I choked on my food. She knew. She knew Rafe and I were… involved.
"—but I want you to know you can come to me with anything. Don't think of me as Rafe's mom... just as Jax. I'm pretty smart, you know? I could give you advice from a, uh, more experienced perspective?" Her expression and body language were open and inviting, not judgmental in the least. But shit, she had no clue. Surely.
Also, the problem wasn't discussing my sex life with Rafe's mom... it was discussing my sex life with the queen of the Switzerlands and one of the worlds most powerful rulers.
Yeah... No. This was a conversation Ishouldhave been having with Mattie. My soul sister. I needed to sort out this shit with the guys, then give my best bitch a call to catch up and really check that she was okay.
But what exactly could I say here? Without sounding like a rude asshole to the queen, that was.
"Um," I started, then took another huge bite of food to buy myself time.
Jacinta let out a sigh, stroking her palm over her long black hair. "Okay, I'm sorry. This is making you uncomfortable, and that was never my intention. I just... Rafe told me how you don't have any family, and it occurred to me that maybe you have no one to talk to for advice. You know? The kind of advice a mother is meant to give her daughter. Lord willing, I won't need to have this conversation with Lucy-Liun anytime soon." She held up crossed fingers and gave me a rueful grin. "But I'm here for you... if you need me."
Shit. Her words struck me straight in the heart, and suddenly I wanted to tell hereverything. Because she was right. I didn't have a mom. I didn't even have anything remotely close to a female role model in my life and a small—okay, large—part of me desperately wanted to take Jacinta up on her offer. She was the kind of mom I used to wish for. Instead, I had a woman who’d basically sold me off to thebadresistance, then walked away without a second glance.
When I didn't say anything, Jacinta reached out and poured me a coffee from the silver pot in front of her. "Here, mine is spiked with whiskey. Helps me deal with politicians first thing in the morning."
Her mischievous wink set me off laughing, until I inhaled a bit of waffle and almost died choking. When I finally recovered, it felt like I'd shifted more than just the chunk of waffle from my throat. I'd shifted something in my mind. In my reluctance to open up to people.
