“The bar is low,” I say. “She should have drawn the line much earlier. Do you believe he blackmailed her because of her debt?”
“No,” he says. “They were pretty much a team throughout it all and enabled each other. She didn’t even care that he constantly slept with other women. This is just so fucked up.” He puts an arm around me and pulls me closer. “Sorry, you’ve been through enough of your own.”
“It’s not a competition; it never is,” I say. “Please share everything with me.”
He nods tentatively. “You are right. You know… I knew they were fucked up. It’s just… hearing the extent of it is devastating. And to know what my father was up to all this time… I don’t even know what to say. He was a regular with Jordan; I can’t even imagine what that means,” he pauses. “I honestly just want to have him gone.”
“He will be gone,” I say. “And we’ll never see him again.”
“Or Jordan,” he says. “And Lissa.”
“Clemmens,” I add.
“And my mother,” he sighs. “At least Hannah receives justice now and will be able to rest in peace. I want to talk to her parents.”
I nod. “Let’s take Betty with us, though. I think it would be best if she were there, too, as emotional support.”
“Let’s do that,” he agrees. “Dr. Francis told me that her parents never believed it was a natural death, but no one listened to them… Obviously, because not only did my mother suck as a luna, she was also directly involved.”
“They deserve to finally know the truth,” I agree, thinking about my own parents. I always felt something was off when they died shortly after one another, but I never knew for certain. Until Rory appeared and told us what he saw, and then Jonah finally blabbed.
I know the truth now, and while it doesn’t really give me peace, it gives me a bit of relief.
“You know, the only good thing is that I met you through all of this. We’ll be our own little family now,” Forest says.
I smile at his words. “I would like that. And I wouldn’t mind a mini-me or mini-you in the future.”
“Oh?” His face suddenly lights up. “You are thinking about kids?”
“Well, not right now, but when everything has settled down, the pack is running, and we have grown into our roles, I would very much like to have children with you.” The thought surprises me. I was adamant about not getting pregnant while I was with Jordan, but with Forest, I feel safe enough to consider bringing a child into this pack and my life.
“How many do you want?” he asks me.
“Two,” I muse. “Maybe three.”
“Then let’s do it,” he chuckles. “Everything you want, babe.”
“What about what you want?” I ask.
He laughs, “Obviously, my wishes align with yours.” He swings our arms playfully. “Thinking about a future with you just makes me forget everything crazy that’s happened.”
“It’s the same for me,” I admit before chuckling. “Talking about the future,” I pause. “What do you think will happen first: Rory and Martin coming out as a couple to us or Griffin finding his mate?”
Forest laughs. “At the moment, they are all adamant about not needing or wanting a mate; they are all stubborn. But then, I was stubborn until I met you.”
“I don’t think Martin is stubborn. I think he just adapted to his surroundings and didn’t dare to risk his life by stepping out of what your parents expected of him, but now? I think he is much more playful and more of a tease than we thought he was.”
“That might be true,” Forest muses. “If he manages to crack Rory’s shell, I will be impressed.”
“I am pretty confident he can do it.”
“Alright.” Forest squeezes my hand. “I think I’m ready to visit Hannah’s parents now.”
I return the squeeze. “Let’s go.”
The talk with Hannah’s parents wasn’t easy. Fortunately, Betty was there to provide emotional support to them. Forest laid it all out to them, explaining to them how he overheard his parents, the roles they played with Lissa, and how he teamed up with me to get justice for them.
Her father wanted to see all the proof we had, so we showed him the video of Forest’s mom confessing, while Betty took his wife and Hannah’s younger brother outside to get some fresh air.
