Chapter 29 #2
“Oh, pet,” June exclaimed, bustling over and steering me over to the table. She clucked as I sobbed, rubbing my back soothingly. “That’s right. Let it all out, love.”
“I’m sorry,” I gasped, taking the tissue she offered me. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m like a broken fucking tap.”
“It’s because you’ve bottled it all up for so long.” She hugged me tight as I continued to sob. “It’s no good for you. But you let it all out now. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Hours later, June and I were loaded up with several dishes and making our way to feed her neighbours. With the amount we’d cooked, I’d say they wouldn’t need to worry about dinners for at least a month. Possibly two.
After I’d had a good cry, June had poured the tea while I’d poured out my heart.
I’d confided things in her that I hadn’t even realised I remembered.
About how my parents argued. The ways my mother had neglected me.
The abuse I’d suffered at the hands of my father.
The lack of acceptance from the wider clan.
When I was finally done, she held me while I cried some more.
Then, she put me to work chopping what felt like a thousand different vegetables.
As I chopped, she talked. Sharing what she’d been through.
How difficult she’d found it to adjust when she first moved in with the McCarthy Clan.
The ways her trauma still occasionally caught her off guard, even after all this time.
We both cried before she was done, but when she was, I felt lighter. I hoped she did too. From the smacking kiss she planted on my cheek, I suspected she did.
“Sure yer okay?” June asked, eyeing the precariously balanced pile I was holding.
“Yep,” I said cheerfully, ignoring the strain in my biceps. “Fine!”
She muttered something under her breath about ‘stubborn boys’ but didn’t push me to hand anything over.
I added it to the list of things she’d done for me that I’d always be grateful for.
The clan lands were busy, with members crossing all over the place. I’d come to a brief stop on the doorstep before forcing my feet into action.
Time to stop hiding, Reid.
June exchanged greetings with everyone we passed, sometimes just a smile, sometimes stopping to have a brief chat.
I couldn’t help but notice how everyone’s eyes lingered on me; the open curiosity some attempted to disguise while others just gawked.
I might’ve been here for a month now, but it was testament to just how low a profile I’d been keeping.
As we drew closer to the cottage we were aiming for, I couldn’t hold the question in any longer. “Are they staring because I’m human?”
“No.” June snorted. “They’re staring because they’re nosy fuckers who want to know who Evan’s interested in, not because yer human.”
“Oh,” I said, the discomfort easing. “I can’t be that much of a novelty. Surely Evan must’ve brought people back here before?”
She gave me a wry grin as we stopped outside a door painted in deep blue tones. Without a spare hand, June used her foot to knock. “Yer the first, Reid. Can’t blame them, I suppose. Everyone knows ye must be special to Evan for him to have you staying in our house. And they’re right.”
My jaw dropped, but before I could respond, the door swung open.
“June! Oh, you didn’t need to do this.” The woman, who I assumed was Becca, smiled gratefully and gestured for us to enter. “But thank ye. Come on in.”
Exhaustion had added bags under her eyes, showing that even shifters weren’t immune from the sleep deprivation that went hand in hand with newborns.
The baby in question was in a sling on her chest, sleeping soundly.
His fingers were curled around Becca’s shirt, like he was clinging to her even while napping.
It was beyond adorable.
June bustled past, making a beeline for the kitchen. “It’s what we do, pet. Ye know that. This is Reid, by the way.”
I smiled over my tower of Tupperware. “Nice to meet you.”
Interest flared in her tired eyes. “Ooh, Reid? You are spoiling me, June. You knew I couldn’t make it to you for tea, so you brought him to me.”
June cackled from the kitchen, body half in and half out of the refrigerator. “Aye. He’s not bad at making a cuppa either, so get in here, Reid, and stick the kettle on.”
The next hour passed in a stream of tea—both of the drinkable and gossip variety. All of it piping hot, of course. At the end of it, I had a grudge against a hairdresser called Winnie, two new recipes I wanted to try, and an invitation to dinner at a later date.
Shuffling footsteps on the stairs cut off our conversation as Becca turned her head in that direction with a smile. “Ah, this is my eldest, Hayden. Did ye have a good nap, baby?”
Hayden rubbed at his eyes as he joined us. He couldn’t have been any older than four, a blanket clutched in one hand. His head cocked to the side as his gaze landed on me. “Who are you? Why are you in my house? And why do you smell funny?”
I waited for that final question to trigger me. That was what all the other reminders of how different I was had done.
But it didn’t. Probably because Hayden was a kid. A curious one.
I knew what that was like.
“Hayden, don’t be rude,” June scolded, shooting me a sheepish grin. “Sorry. We’re working on social skills.”
“It’s fine.” I waved her off, extending my hand for him to shake. “Hi, Hayden. My name’s Reid. I imagine I smell funny because I’m human.”
Hayden’s eyes bugged wide. “Ye can’t shift at all?”
“Nope.” I grinned. “But I can talk really fast.”
“Me too,” he said excitedly. “Can you listen fast too?”
I nodded solemnly. “The fastest.”
“Good. But why are ye here if yer human?”
Becca looked like she was going to interject again, and even June tensed. I sent both of them a reassuring smile before answering. “I’m staying here because I’m a friend of Evan’s. Do ye know Evan?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Evan brings me ice cream when Mama’s tired.”
Becca rubbed his hair fondly. “Aye, he does. It was a rough pregnancy all round, and Evan liked to pop in and see if we needed anything. Strangely, Hayden always needed ice cream.”
I shot a conspiratorial wink at Hayden. “That’s because ice cream is the best. I think I’d need it too.”
Hayden bounced on his toes in a move that was as familiar to me as breathing. “Did you know you can get curry banana flavour?”
I didn’t have to fake my recoil. “I didn’t. Have ye tried it?”
“No. Yuck.” Hayden wrinkled his nose. “But someone must have. Why else would they have made it?”
“Hayden’s very inquisitive.” Becca smiled fondly at her son. “Never met a topic he can’t ask us to Google.”
That too sounded familiar. “Well, that’s one way to find out all the fun things.”
“Yes.” Hayden grabbed at my hand, his eyes rounding. “Can I show you my cars? I’ve got lots upstairs. Da keeps having to build more shelves for me.”
His quiet enthusiasm was mending something I hadn’t realised was broken. I shot a look at his mother. “Is that okay with you?”
“Of course,” Becca said, just as the baby started to fuss. “Just shout if ye need anything.”
I got to my feet, smiling down at Hayden. “Lead the way, little man, and tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out.”