“For the last time, Mrs. Abbas…” I start, but she cuts me off again.
“Please, call me Amina.”
“Uhm… Okay. Amina. Ember and I aren’t mated. You keep ignoring…” I try, but I’m once again cut off, this time by my dad.
“Sunshine,” he says, his voice flat and unemotional. I feel like I’m fourteen again and just got caught sneaking out.
“Yes?”
“Are you safe?”
I feel like his question came out of nowhere, confusing me and pissing me off in equal measures. What? Just because I’m an omega doesn’t mean I’m always in need of saving. Yes, I’m slightly annoyed by Amina’s insistence that we are mated even though we haven’t even talked about taking those steps yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m scared. And since when does he even care enough to ask?
“Yes,” I say petulantly. “I’m fine, Dad.”
“Wonderful. We should meet!” Amina jumps right back into the conversation before the silence can get awkward.
“I’m sorry?” Mom asks, obviously thrown off by the suggestion.
“I really would prefer to meet the family properly over dinner,” Amina says warmly. “Especially since our sons are already so close. It’s a shame we haven’t already been introduced!”
Amina is like a one-woman wrecking ball, getting shit done one burst bubble at a time.
“That sounds lovely,” Mom says uncertainly. I can picture the cautious look she’s probably giving my dad right now.
“We don’t have to…” I start, but am quickly cut off again by my dad.
“Sunshine,” he says, all alpha authority and arrogance. “If your relationship is as serious as Amina is saying it is, then your partner deserves the respect of having family involved. I would like to know who my son is spending the rest of his, apparently really long, life with.”
My heart skips a beat in my chest. Dad is probably just worried about what being tied to Ember’s family can dofor our family image. That’s his usual reaction to my brother’s relationships. Not concerned for me or what I want. That would be too lovey-dovey of him. An alpha can’t show affection around others.
I know you can’t see me, but I’m rolling my eyes right now.
“We would love to meet you all,” Mom says quickly, trying to salvage the conversation.
“Exactly what I was hoping to hear,” Amina cheers.
“Well then,” my father says, “I guess we’ll be making a trip to Louisiana. Amina, please send my wife the dinner information. Sunshine, we will speak to you soon.”
And then, just like that, he hangs up. I stare at the ceiling, hoping to be struck down by one of the more helpful gods before I have to go through with this dinner, but sadly, they must not be listening right now.
“I can’t believe you called my parents,” I mutter.
“Sweetheart,” Amina says, her smile gentle as she captures my face in her hands in a gesture that is so motherly it makes my eyes water with sentiment. “You live with Ember. You’ve scent-marked his home. And I’m pretty sure I’m not wrong in suspecting that your feelings for my son are deeper than you’ve allowed yourself to acknowledge.”
Panic fills me, and my eyes jump to Ember, who is smirking at me, happy that his mother is pointing out obvious things that I’ve actively been avoiding thinking about.
“I-I don’t know about…”I stutter, but she shushes me gently.
“Call it whatever you like, but this relationship you two have is anything but casual.”
After dropping that bombshell, Mr. and Mrs. Abbas gather themselves, give out hugs, and leave. When the door finally closes, I sag onto the couch, rethinking all of my life choices.
“Are you okay, Habibi?” Ember asks, crouching on the floor in front of me and resting his hands on my thighs.
“Yes. No. I don’t know,” I babble, unable to make sense of everything going on.
“Did my dad seem upset to you?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
