“I know that,” I whispered, speaking fast as Reid hit the top step. “But Reid doesn’t. Besides, even if we take that out of the equation, he’s still meeting my parents. It’s a big moment.”
My words died on my tongue. Was it a big moment? Sure, it was for me, but we weren’t together. Reid was pretty determined that we never would be.
Not in the way I wanted.
Just then, Ma tapped my chest. “Aye, Ev. Itisa bigmoment. With how your wolf has been behaving, it’s obvious Reid is going to be a part of this family.”
I wanted to tell her she was wrong. That, as much as I wanted that, I wasn’t sure Reid ever would.
But there was no time. Reid was almost at the bottom of the stairs.
Oblivious to my freak-out, Ma shot a megawatt smile at Pa. “Come on, Jameson. Let’s go win this sweet boy over.”
Chapter 25
Reid
Ireached the bottom of the staircase and exhaled.You can do this, Reid. You’ve already met June and she was lovely.
She was. As was Evan. There was no reason to expect his father to be anything different. So why was the thought of meeting him far scarier than anything I’d faced here so far?
I think I knew the answer. Jameson was a male shifter who was also a father. In my limited experience, those two combined didn’t equal good things for me.
Evan greeted me first, his face lighting up as he stepped out of the kitchen. “Feeling better?”
I pasted on a smile. “Much, thank you. You were right—the shower helped.”
“Good,” Evan said softly. “I’m glad.”
June appeared at Evan’s shoulder, smiling at me. “Hullo, Reid. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving, especially with the smells coming from your kitchen,” I answered honestly. “Can I help with anything?”
June wagged her finger in my direction. “Do we need a repeat of this morning?”
I suppressed a grin. “No, ma’am. I’ll behave.”
A deep voice chuckled from the kitchen doorway. “Aye, lad, you’re learning already.”
I stiffened instinctively. Evan stepped to one side and I found myself reaching out to take his hand in mine.
He glanced at me questioningly, but I was too busy trying not to hyperventilate.
What the fuck is wrong with you? You didn’t react this way to any of the other shifters here.
Maybe I should see a therapist.
That was when Jameson stepped out of the kitchen and I found myself releasing a breath. It wasn’t his easy grin. Nor was it how he spotted my tension and paused several feet away.
No, it was because he looked so much like Evan. Everything from his height and build to his hair colour and dimples…all of it had been passed along to his son.
Everything, that was, except his eyes. Those he’d got from his ma.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jameson said, rubbing the back of his neck. It was such an Evan move that my walls descended a little further. “I want ye to know that yer very welcome here.”
Evan tilted his head, speaking in a mocking whisper. “That’s the equivalent of a monologue for Pa. He usually lets Ma do the talking.”
I tensed, waiting for a rebuke or a punch to follow. Instead, Jameson just smirked. “Aye, because my mate often knows better. A lesson it’d behove you to learn sooner rather than later.”
