Katarina touched his cheeks the way his mother used to. “Because you needed to hear it. Your mother wanted you to find love as well, Alistaire. Revenge should never be first.”
Alistaire didn’t need to ask how Katarina knew his mother wanted him to find love. He’d heard about her abilities to see the past, present, and future. Alistaire knew the family was aware of his history and that he sought revenge, but he hadn’t told anyone about his mother’s last words.
I didn’t give up on love, Katrina. Love died in my arms.
* * *
“Okay,Mom, what’s going on? Syn and I drove two hours from Valleywood because whatever you have to tell us, you couldn’t do it on the phone.” Kayne sat down beside Alistaire and pulled him into a hug, kissing him on his forehead. “How are you, son? Do you know what’s going on?”
“Not a clue,” Alistaire answered.
“Stop complaining. We would have been here a long time ago, but you didn’t want to shift.” Synder leaned down and kissed Alistaire on his cheek. “How are you, my little one?”
“Aw...isn’t that cute...he calls you his little one,” Alphonso teased.
Alastaire growled at Alphonso, trying to hide his blush. He didn’t mind the kiss or hug from Kayne. However, Synder had a way of making him feel like a lost child seeking safety with a gentle touch and soft words.
“Stop teasing your brother,” Kayne admonished. “Can’t you see he’s blushing?”
“I’ve never seen that before,” Moniqué said.
“What?” Grayson asked.
“Alistaire blushing, usually he’s quiet and walks around with a scowl on his face.” Moniqué tilted her head to the side, continuing to stare at him. “I gotta say you’ve gone from brooding handsome to sexy in less than a second.”
“Huh, you’re right,” Grayson added. “Now I see what all my employees are talking about.”
“He’s got that, ‘I need to fix him’ look,” Sirius said.
“Can you guys not talk about me while I’m still in the room,” Alistaire grumbled.
“Don’t worry,” Moniqué told him. “We talk about you when you’re not as well.”
Alphonso reached over and patted his leg in pity. “We talk about everyone.”
“Et tu, little brother?” Alistaire scoffed. “Bunch of gossipers.”
“Seriously, how long have you been in this family?” Chance asked.
Alistaire looked at the mayor in disbelief. He knew what a hardass Chance was at work, and even though LaMarkus was his father-in-law when it came to business, he didn’t cut the man any slack, so for him to sit around and gossip was a bit unbelievable.
“Chance, you too?”
“It’s my business to know what the town's residents are up to. Helps me to do my job effectively.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Alistaire said, rolling his eyes.
“Son, we’re Vales,” Kayne said. “And as much as we want to keep things a secret, in this family, it all comes out eventually. You’ve met my mother, right?”
“I keep getting surprised the more I learn about this family.”
“Well, keep your hat on because I have something to say.”
Everyone turned to look at Rosemary, who’d stayed silent the entire time they were talking.
“What do you have to tell us, Mom?” LaMarkus asked.
“A lot.” She smiled. “But first, I need you guys to understand something. I love you all, and everything I’ve done was done with that feeling. I’m proud of you all and happy I had a hand in all of your pairings. When Trenton and I agreed we wanted to set up roots here, we agreed we’d always wanted a large family.”
