“To where?”
“My mother’s back.”
“Oh.” She focused her attention back to Evan, who was still napping.
“I want to tell her in person. About you and Evan,” he said. “That’s the only reason she doesn’t know.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he asked. “That’s all you have to say?”
“You don’t talk about her,” she said. “I assume it’s a sensitive topic, like your biological father. So, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”
That was fair, he supposed, but then why did it feel like she was pulling away from him? “I … I’ll come back and pick you up later.” His wolf, which had been so agreeable minutes before, was now gnashing its teeth at him, not wanting to be away from their mate and pup. Ignoring it, he continued out of the room, down the stairs, all the way outside and got into his truck.
Minutes later, he pulled into the driveway outside Joanie’s cabin. After Pops had died, she moved out of the main cabin, preferring to leave it to Ransom, now that he had taken over as president of the MC. As he hopped out of the truck, he saw Joanie sitting on the rocker on the porch, a glass of chilled rosé cradled in her hands.
“Hello, Mother.”
Cool blue eyes turned to him. “Hello, Ransom. Is there something you want to tell me?”
His nerves frazzled, and his heart pounded in his chest. “Yes.”
Chapter Eighteen
Isabelle chewed on her lip as she listened to the door close behind Ransom. When she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, she let out the breath she’d been holding.
What the heck happened? One moment, she and Ransom were basking in the afterglow, and the next, it was like an arctic wind crashed over them. The chill in his voice when he announced his mother had returned had made her uneasy. Maybe she should have waited longer before sleeping with him again. There were just so many things about his life before her that she didn’t know about or understand. She chastised herself for being selfish and impulsive.
Evan twitched his hand as his eyes opened up. Blinking, he turned to face her and then smiled. “Hello, baby,” she cooed. “Aren’t you handsome?” Gathering him up in her arms, she cradled him close. “Oh, your smile always makes everything better.”
She left the room and headed downstairs to the lobby. There was no sign of Silke, but Arlene was there, as was Hardy and little Annie. The girl squealed in delight when she saw Isabelle coming down the stairs with Evan in her arms.
“Evan! Evan!” she cried. “I wanna play.”
“Sorry,” Hardy said sheepishly. “I got some errands to run and I was dropping her off here so Arlene could watch her. I didn’t know you’d be here too.”
“It’s all right.” She smiled at Annie as she bent down so the little girl could see Evan. “I can watch Annie for a bit, if you want?”
“Really?” Hardy said. “That would be great. I know Arlene doesn’t mind, but she’s busy with other stuff. I’ll be gone an hour, tops.”
“No problem.” She led Annie to the couches in the lobby. “We’ll be right here. Evan needs his bottle and Annie can help.”
That made the little girl light up, and Hardy’s smile at his daughter’s delight made Isabelle’s heart melt. It was obvious he was a devoted dad, but she wondered what happened to the girl’s mother. Though Annie’s wolf would not manifest until she reached puberty, it was obvious from her scent—cool rain, vanilla, and mandarin oranges—that she was a Lycan. She wondered what would make a mother abandon her pup?
“You be good, sweetie.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“I will, Daddy.” She turned to Isabelle. “Are we gonna feed him now?”
Isabelle got his bottle ready, placed Evan on Annie’s lap, and showed her how to properly hold the bottle, praising her as she followed the instructions to a T. Once he was done, she burped Evan, and sat him down on the couch next to Annie. The little girl insisted on telling him a story, which was a strange mash-up of Goldilocks, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel, which unintentionally made Isabelle chuckle.
As Annie continued on, she felt a prickle on the back of her neck. Turning around, she saw Ransom standing in the doorway, watching them with a grin on his face. She smiled back weakly, and he approached her.
Something in the way he walked seemed different—at least it wasn’t like right before he had left to meet his mother. In fact, it was like nothing had ever happened. He sat down and listened patiently to Annie’s story and placed a hand on the small of Isabelle’s back.
“… and they lived happily ever after. The end!” Annie proclaimed with a flourish of her hand. Evan seemed to like the way she told the story as he let out an approving shriek.
“I think he liked it,” Ransom proclaimed. “Annie, honey, why don’t you go over to Arlene and see if she can get you a snack from the kitchen?” He caught the older woman’s eye, who nodded back.
“Okay!” She bounded over toward the front desk.
“Everything all right?” she asked apprehensively.
“Of course,” he said. “Joanie—that is, my mother—wants to have you and Evan over for dinner.”
“When?”
“Now, actually,” he said sheepishly.
“Oh.” She worried her lip. “How did she react when you told her about me and Evan?”
“Surprisingly well,” he replied. “She really wants to meet you, especially Evan.”
“I guess that’s okay.” Why did something feel not quite right? Oh, stop it, she told herself. She’d never even met the woman. There was no reason to have any doubts. “I mean, should we go soon? I promised Hardy I’d look after Annie until he came back.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “She’s still getting dinner ready. We can leave as soon as he gets back.”
It was only a few minutes later that
