Chapter Twenty-Five
Lionel
“Lark, show some respect. Get yourself out into the waiting room, and I will address your manner of speaking to me when I’ve finished dealing with your boy .”
“Don’t you dare speak to Mom like that in my office.” Lionel moved around the desk as Mom came farther into the room, closing the door behind her.
“I’m not scared of this old windbag, son,” she said, giving Lionel a wide smile. “I never was. And why wouldn’t I be here after I receive a text that has both the most amazing news and the most heart-breaking news I could hear, all in two sentences?”
She came around to the side of the desk, looking just as she always had.
Her red hair flowed down her back, her worn jeans moulded to her hips, and a black lacy top showed just enough skin to be sexy and respectable.
“My son has found his fated mate. The honor that every male, female, and in between wishes would happen for them. I am beyond thrilled. So excited, I can’t wait to meet this darling mate, a contractor, I believe.
A man who works with his hands should be perfect for you, Lionel dear. You’ve always been very tactile.
“As for you strutting in here,” she whirled toward Pennington pointing.
“What right do you have to yell at my son? Do you think I can’t hear you from outside the closed door?
That poor receptionist is almost in tears.
Did you think that if you were the one who yelled the loudest, you could bully your way out of the shit you’ve created by being a pompous ass? ”
“Shut up. You have no right to speak to me in that way.” Pennington seemed flustered, and Lionel wasn’t sure why. “As part of the pride, you abide by what I say.”
“I left the pride the moment I realized you banished my son. You stupid old fool!” To Lionel’s surprise, Mom went over and poked Pennington in the chest so hard he fell into the seat behind him. Fortunately, there was a chair right behind him, and it was sturdy enough to hold him.
“You knew exactly why I stayed in the pride as long as I did. And why it was I started travelling the moment I knew Lionel could fend for himself. I couldn’t abide your petty rules.
I couldn’t abide your stupid policies about insisting that the females of the pride know their place.
Who… who despite being the harder-working sex in the whole damned place, you treated like shit. You treated us all as your playthings.
“And I warned you, I warned you before I left, that if you did one thing, one thing to jeopardize my son’s position in the pride, in his business, or anything to do with his life, then I would come back and spill all of your secrets. Did you think I was bluffing?”
“This has got nothing to do with you.” Lionel noticed Pennington was gripping the chair arms as if they were holding him together.
“Anything you could talk about happened a long time ago. This is a far more immediate problem. Through his actions, your son has cost me a huge amount of money. I have construction deadlines that won’t meet target because there’s not one construction worker in a fifty-mile radius who will come and work on any of my jobs, and it’s all because of him and his mate . ”
“You banished him and now you want him to fix your problem? Why the hell should he? Ah, hang on, I get it.” Lark chuckled and flicked her hair over her shoulder.
“Lionel mentioned in his text to me that his mate is in construction. He’s a teacup poodle, I believe.
Aren’t they the most adorable animals? And apparently, he’s a very hardworking man.
How do I know this, you ask? I had a long plane ride to get here, so I did a bit of Googling, something you never thought to do, Pennington.
I know who Brad’s family is. And I can totally understand why nobody wants to work for you anymore.
If anybody did, it would be me. And I’d be knocking your fool bloody head off. ”
“Mom?” Lionel had never heard Mom speak that way. He was floored.
She looked at him, her expression softening.
“There are so many things I tried to hide, Lionel, so many things, because I didn’t want them to affect you growing up.
I thought I was doing the right thing when I joined the pride in the first place.
As a single mom, I was fine with that. I didn’t want any man cluttering up my bathroom and snoring in my ear every bloody night.
I am happy the way I am, and I’ll continue to be happy.
Happier still when I find my fated mate.
But I never thought for a second that mate would be a male, which was why I slept with your father just long enough to get pregnant.
I wanted a child. I wanted you so badly, Lionel.
And this bastard here almost cost me your life. ”
“I don’t… I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Lionel’s mind flashed back to the night when he became trapped in the well. “I thought… I thought…”
“I know what you thought, Lionel, and I’m so sorry.
” Lark looked sad for a moment. “I’ll admit that I made a lot of mistakes as you were growing up.
You got left in that well as long as you were because this bastard here couldn’t be assed to send out a search team and wouldn’t let me go to look for you when I wanted to.
‘Cubs will be cubs,’ he said. ‘I’m sure he’s fine.
’ Giving me all the platitudes just to shut me up while he’s trying to shove his hand up my fucking skirt. ”
Lark pressed her knuckle to her quivering mouth for a second and then dropped it.
“By the time we found you, you were terrified. I knew I couldn’t do or say anything to make you look bad in front of the pride.
So I joked it off, laughing. I promised you, Pennington,”—she pointed her finger at him—“I promised you, if you did not do right by my son, then everyone would know. Know what an asshole you were—are. People like your wife, for example.”
“If you’ve removed yourself from the pride, then you’ll have no right to speak to anybody else who lives there, including my wife.” Pennington’s face was losing color fast.
“Do you think I need to go to the pride to talk to people who live there, or to talk to others about what you’ve done?
” Lark flung back her head and laughed. “You have got to be kidding me. Haven’t you heard of social media?
Heard of newsletters? Haven’t you heard of just going to the bar and drinking with friends and sharing a few stories like people do?
“Do you think your wife won’t find out what an absolutely awful piece of shit you are?
How you can’t keep that limp thing you’ve got between your legs in your pants?
And believe me, you should, because every time you pull it out, it’s an embarrassment.
There’s not one woman in the pride who can say that you have not fondled them, leered at them, or been freaking forced to have sex with you.
All part of the pride policy of keeping everybody together, which you instigated.
“I kept my mouth shut. I kept my mouth shut because Lionel had friends, he had contacts, he had support, and I believed he would be safe, because you promised me he would be, and now you have broken your word. And you know what, that’s fine.
My son has found his mate and a family who are far more supportive of him than you’ll ever be.
I only hope that they will accept me too, because I’ll never come back and set foot on the pride lands ever again.
I won’t do that. But you better believe I am sticking around town, and I’ve got a big mouth. ”
Pushing his chair back, Pennington’s face was white. “You’ve got no reason to speak to me in this manner. You’ve got no reason to talk to me about anything at all. My name had better never come out of your mouth again.”
“What are you going to do?” Lark flicked him off with both hands. “You rule the pride… for now… but you don’t rule this town. You can’t stop me from saying anything .”
“I’ve already lost millions of dollars and I’m going to lose millions more… you shouldn’t do that… you can’t do that… keep your mouth shut!” Pennington shouted and all but ran from the office, leaving Lionel with his mouth open like an idiot.
“Mom? Did that just happen?”
“Oh, Lionel.” Lark giggled. “You have no idea how freaking glad I am to see you. I’m so proud of you.”
She came over and pulled Lionel into a hug. She was barely an inch or so shorter than Lionel, and she rested her head on his shoulder, just like he remembered her doing before she first disappeared for her travels overseas.
“I thought I was doing the right thing,” she said softly, as if she were remembering the same thing he was.
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been here for you like I should have been.
Honestly, I couldn’t bear Pennington a moment longer—all those stupid rules and the lack of respect for me and the other lionesses.
I just had to get away. I already knew my mate wasn’t in the pride. It was just… I just had to get away.”
“I understand,” Lionel said, hardly believing he was holding Mom close, something he had dreamed of doing more than once. “So, I guess this is why you didn’t reply to my text?”
“Who had time to write a text?” Lark shook her head. “I was booking my flight the moment I read it. I just, yeah… never mind. Future times, eh? I don’t suppose you’ve got a spare bedroom? I might need somewhere to stay for a while. I travel light, I don’t need much.”
“Actually,” Lionel said, thinking about Brad’s house just down the road from his.
It’s not like Brad had been there since they got together except to grab clothes.
“I might be able to offer you a house, but I’ll have to speak to Brad first.” Patting Mom’s shoulder, he stepped away, checking his computer screen and the applications he’d been reading.
“How about I shut this down? I’ll let Jasmine go home early, because this is twice now that Pennington’s upset her.
I’ll close up for the day, and I’ll take you to the best café bakery in town, which just happens to be where my mate is working on a renovation contract right now.
We can grab something for lunch.” He checked the time.
“Late lunch and you can meet Brad if he’s not busy, and then maybe later we can all go out for dinner.
What do you think? I’m really glad you’re home, Mom. ”
“I’m really glad I came home, too,” Lark said, pulling a tissue from her jeans and dabbing her eye. “Now don’t have me getting mushy. That’s not my way. Some things haven’t changed.”
“I know.” Lionel grinned. “I know, and I’m glad. You’re gonna love Brad, Mom. He’s the best.”