I nudge him with my foot. “Stop inhaling her pillow.”
“Can’t,” he groans.
“So, who’s going to talk to her?” I ask and then my brother clams up.
“We’ll do it together. Tonight at dinner, we’ll be honest about our intentions and give her time to process. She wouldn’t have agreed to move in if she wasn’t at least somewhat interested, right?” Jonah asks, sounding uncharacteristically insecure.
“Right,” Mack and I agree in unison, even though there’s a sinking feeling in my gut.
She looked through the contents of her phone way too quick and there’s so much about each other we don’t know. Telling her how we feel will only make things worse or maybe she’ll think we’re nuts for moving so quickly.
Our plan to tell Shiloh our intentions and to reassure her all go to shit as we sit down for dinner and a skeptical old woman sits with us. I told her that she could invite her Gran over; I guess I just wasn’t expecting tonight.
She must be in her seventies, though she looks like she’s in great shape. Her hair is dark brown, with gray strands throughout, and she’s dressed rather casually with a black sweater and slacks.
Shiloh changed into a dress and I’m trying to contain my disappointment that she’s no longer wearing my shirt. She holds her maroon cardigan against her chest as Jonah adjusts the chair so she can properly have her leg elevated.
“Are your legs cold? Do you need a blanket?” Jonah asks Shiloh.
“If you don’t mind,” she replies and Jonah quickly runs out of the room and pulls out a white cashmere blanket, placing it over our Omega’s legs.
Shiloh’s Gran taps her wine glass, looking at us all with a level of skepticism I should’ve anticipated. Of course she’s leary of us. The way we met was bizarre by anyone’s standards, especially considering she’s a Beta who doesn’t have the same drives.
“Thank you for joining us, Gretchen,” Jonah says, taking a seat next to the older woman. Mack and I sit opposite of them and Shiloh sits at the head of the table with her leg propped up.
“Well, I had to meet the Alphas who convinced my granddaughter that living with them was a better option than living with me.”
“Gran,” Shiloh hisses.
“What? You were supposed to fly home, spend time with me, and get back on your feet after being with those bastards. What am I supposed to think when captain green-eyes over there calls me and says you went into heat and he’s going to take care of you? Then I get a call saying you’re fucking injured but are staying with them while you recover. This is all extraordinarily fast, even for Omegas and Alphas,” Gretchen says, taking a sip of her wine.
Jonah clears his throat. “I was the reason for her injury. There was no other option besides us caring for her post-heat.”
“So what is this? Shiloh isn’t looking to play house with a bunch of rich assholes again.”
“Gran, fuck’s sake,” Shiloh hisses.
“No, Shiloh. You called me how many times from LA crying? Telling me how they weren’t treating you right, while not directly telling me the situation? I just don’t want to see the same cycle happen again. You don’t know these men or their intentions.”
I take a deep breath and try to not let the older woman frustrate me; I suppose, in a way, she’s forcing the conversation that we already planned to have with Shiloh.
“Gran, I’ve been awake for a total of ten hours since I got here. I invited you over here because I miss you and I wanted you to see that I was safe. What happens between me, Cole, Jonah, and Mack is my business.”
Gretchen takes a sip of her wine, looking properly chastised by her granddaughter.
“I just want the best for you. Shiloh deserves the best,” she says, directed at us this time.
“I appreciate that, Gran, but I’m a grown woman.”
Gretchen reaches out and grabs her granddaughter’s hand. “Shiloh, honey, I know that. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come in here cynical. I’ve just been worried about you over the past week, and I’ve missed you.”
“Then let’s plan some time together. You know that’s part of why I wanted to move back, to spend more time with you.”
“I know, sweet girl,” Gretchen says, giving her hand another squeeze and turning to look at Jonah. “What is it you do, Jonah?”
Jonah shifts in his chair and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him nervous about impressing someone. The man has been in high society all his life, but this old school grandma is the one giving him a run for his money.
“I run a branch of my family’s company out here. I also help as needed with my mom’s non-profit.”
