His expression turned dark, and he sat down.
Isabelle stared at him, dumbfounded. She wasn’t shocked that he hadn’t pressed on the smoking around Evan, but only that he backed down so quickly. It made her instincts flare up; something was not quite right here, or at least, not right with Joanie. Her wolf agreed, raising its hackles.
Isabelle cleared her throat. “I need to change Evan.” His diaper was totally dry, but she needed an excuse to get out of here. “Oh, and I used my last diaper in his bag just before we came here. I have more back at the cabin.”
Ransom quickly stood up. “We should head back, then.”
Joanie’s mouth pulled back into a tight line. “Surely you don’t have to go now.” But she was looking straight at Ransom. “The boy can wait a bit, can’t he?”
“I’m afraid not, Mother.”
“If you must,” she said dramatically, then stood up. “Isabelle, it was nice to meet you and your son.” Her gaze once again flittered to Evan. “Let me walk you out.”
“No need,” Ransom said curtly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Joanie said with a wave of her hand. “I’ll stop by around noon.”
“We’ll probably be at the lodge,” Isabelle added.
Joanie’s lips pursed. “I’ll have to make a visit there, then.”
“Let’s go, Isabelle,” Ransom said.
She got up and followed him out the door. He seemed like he couldn’t get out of there fast enough as he grabbed Evan from her and put him in his seat, then pulled out of the driveway. When they got back to the cabin, he stopped the truck and cut off the engine.
“Wait,” she said before he could open the door. “Are we going to talk about this?”
His grip on the wheel was so tight, his knuckles went white. “What do you mean?”
“Your mother.” The atmosphere grew thicker in the confined space. “I just … what happened back there?”
His brows snapped together. “What do you mean?”
“Something’s not right with her,” she blurted out. But she had to follow her instinct and it was screaming at her now. “I don’t want her around Evan.” The thought made her skin prickle.
“She’s my mother,” he said in a deadly voice.
“Then why did it seem like you couldn’t get away from there fast enough?” she shot back. “I’m telling you—”
“You don’t understand!” He slammed his palms down on the wheel. “You grew up with everything you could possibly want and need. Meanwhile, everyone she knew turned their backs on her because of something that wasn’t her fault. She … she raised me all by herself, even when she had nothing and we kept getting tossed out of every rat and roach infested motel or apartment we lived in when she couldn’t make rent. The things she h-had to do to make sure I didn’t starve and had a place to sleep … I could never repay …” He closed his eyes, his lips trembling. “I owe her everything. I owe her my life.”
“Ransom.” The pain in his voice made her heart ache. The thought of Ransom as a kid … the things he must have seen and heard, living like that and what Joanie had gone through … she briefly glanced back at Evan, and thought that there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him. “I don’t want to fight over this.”
“I … I don’t either.” He took a deep breath.
“Ransom, I’m sorry.” Placing a hand over his, she gave it a squeeze. “Lock those memories away for now, so they can’t hurt you. We’ll make new ones, you and me and Evan. And someday, when you’re ready to unpack everything and air it all out, we’ll do it.” She sucked in a breath. “Together.”
He turned to her and gathered her hands into his. “Isabelle, I love you.”
The confession made her head spin. “W-what?”
“I love you.” He kissed her hands. “I love you so goddamned much, you could fill the entire ocean and it wouldn’t even be half of what I feel for you. Or stack up bricks to reach the moon and it wouldn’t measure how much I love you. I love you and Evan so much I can’t breathe and—”
She stopped him by leaning over and pressing her mouth to his. He stopped, surprised at first, and then fully melted into her, kissing her back like his life depended on it. His tongue flicked out, urging her lips open to deepen the kiss and his strong, masculine taste and warmth burst into her mouth. It was only when Evan let out a soft cry that they pulled their lips from each other.
Ransom pressed his forehead to hers and sighed. “Let’s get him to bed.” He gave her a quick kiss before slipping out of the door.
She sat there, stunned for a moment. Ransom loved her. Did she love him? She thought she was in love with him back in New York a year and half ago, but now …
“Coming?” he asked from the backseat as he unbuckled Evan.
“Yeah,” she replied. Opening the door, she hopped out and followed him into their cabin. Watching Ransom holding Evan so tenderly made her heart burst in happiness. There was so much they still needed to say and do before everything could well and truly be settled, but she supposed for now, she could just enjoy this moment.
The thought of Joanie still niggled in her mind, how she had acted around Isabelle, but worst of all, how she seemed to have a stranglehold on Ransom. It was manipulative, the way she was able to shut him down when he didn’t agree with her. But, Joanie had her own issues too. Her wolf was telling her not to let her guard down around the other Lycan, but Isabelle supposed she could at least try to be understanding of what the poor woman had gone through, and be thankful for everything she had
