Her nostrils flared.
She’s going to hate us.
“No, I’m not trying to tell you what to do,” I said. I had to fix this. I began to realize that I’d taken totally the wrong tactic. “This all came out wrong. I’m just concerned for your safety.” She blinked but didn’t seem to get angrier, so I kept going. “Think about your little girl. What would she do if something happened to her mom?”
That had been the final straw and far and away the wrong thing to say. Bethany’s red face turned almost purple and her spine straightened, raising her to her full height.
“Let me tell you something, Maddox Kingston.” She narrowed her eyes, and I felt like she was about to breathe lava over my face. Damn. “I don’t need anyone telling me what I can and can’t do. I don’t know how old you are...” Her eyes raked up and down my body, but not in a sensual, fun way. More like she judged every immature molecule I had. Ouch. “My daughter is and always will be my first priority.” Her upper lip curled as if I disgusted her, and thinking back over what I’d said, I deserved it. My information had been true, I wasn’t wrong about the dangers. I really should’ve thought twice about how I said it to Bethany, though. She opened her mouth again. Damn, she wasn’t done. “It’s a fucking trail, meant for fucking walking. It wasn’t like I was out rock climbing without a rope.”
When she stopped talking, the silence deafened me with the weight of her anger. She whirled around and stalked away from me, but only got a few feet before pivoting on her heel and walking back, this time getting right up in my face. “You need to mind the business that pays you before you stick your nose somewhere that it’s going to get cut off!” Once again, she stormed off. Her car door slam made me flinch.
Damn it. I’d been way too pushy. What was I thinking? She was a single mom! She was used to handling her own business her own way. I’d been so lucky she’d accepted my apology about the date, then I had to go and totally ruin everything.
I tried to warn you.
“Shut up,” I growled in a quiet voice. She couldn’t have possibly heard me as she backed out of the lot, but still, we could’ve been caught up here in the woods.
Bethany’s tires barked as she threw the car into drive and gunned it down the winding mountain road. Damn it. I stared at her until she was out of sight.
If you’d handled that differently, we could’ve been riding back to town with her, surrounded by her scent and talking to her until she realized how much she likes us.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I grumbled as I crossed the road and stepped onto the trail that would lead to the park in town. Halfway down the trail, I cut across a clearing that had another unknown trail behind it. This one led to the Kingston property. I was supposed to go for dinner at the manor house with my grandparents, and thanks to my time with Bethany, I was late. I considered flying, but we’d already had one close call today. Best not make it more. Walking would be fine. I’d get there soon enough. The next time I needed to get away and fly alone, away from my family, I’d have to be far more careful.
I had lots to think about on my walk, and when I stepped out into the backyard of the manor, I heard voices and smelled pretty much everyone I was related to that lived in town. It didn’t matter that most of them had their own places, they always ended up gathered at the manor house.
The outside picnic tables were full of food. When we first moved back and started spending time in Black Claw, there had only been one table, which we’d all barely fit at. Now there were four, and all my uncles, aunts, and cousins were spread out, with the little ones running around the yard.
Grandma waved at me as she walked out of the back door of the manor. “There you are.”
I headed to her first. “Quiet dinner, huh?” I’d been expecting a party of three. Me, Grandma, and Grandpa.
She chuckled. “You know I never can refuse any of you lot that want to come for dinner.” She looked around and the love she held for all of us was apparent on her face. “It ended up being a family get-together.”
After giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, I took the platter of macaroni and cheese from her and found a spot on one of the tables for it.
My mom stared at me from the table furthest out in the yard, close to where my little sister played with the babies.
Uh-oh. She knew something. I walked over to her and sat on the bench beside her, halfway lying on her. Any closer and I would’ve been in her lap. She laughed and wrapped her arms around me. I felt better instantly. I was a grown man, but something about a hug from Mom made all the difference in the world.
And just because she’s my mom and knew me better than I knew himself sometimes, she leaned back and studied my face. “You okay?”
“Yes, of course.” I was lying and I knew it, and she knew it, but I wasn’t ready to spill everything yet. I was still stewing on it all. Plus, my entire family was around, and all the males had excellent hearing. I didn’t feel like dealing with the fallout of them overhearing this particular conversation.
She gave me a look, clearly saying she wasn’t buying it, but she didn’t push. “I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”
I laid my head on
