Chapter 15 Facing the Family
Juniper
I felt like I’d been run over by a semi-truck. I buried my face in the pillow, trying to pull myself together. A warm hand rubbed up and down my back.
Groaning, I pushed myself sideways and up to sit. Caspian perched on the edge of the bed, his brows furrowed and lips pursed.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“How are you feeling?” he said instead of answering my question.
My eyebrows shot up. “Fine. The time?” My tone was sharper than I meant it to be.
One corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk. “Glad to know you’re feeling more like yourself.”
“What does that mean?” I grumbled, irritation and frustration bubbling up in my chest.
“That I love your fire, and I don’t like it when anyone tries to make you smaller or force you to be whatever they think is palatable."
His words reached into my chest and yanked on my heart. That cord between us tightened. No one had ever said anything like that to me. I felt like he was staring into me with x-ray vision, finding all the secret vulnerable spots and exposing them.
Would our connection be like this after I ended our magical marriage? Would he still be able to read me so easily and see the things I wasn’t even aware of myself?
The sadness I’d momentarily forgotten came crashing back over me, soaking into my lungs and filling me with a cold unease.
His coat was laid over the back of the sofa in the other room, and soon I would ask my mother to take it and not tell me where it was.
It was the only way I could think to lose it.
Voices drifted from the living room.
Oh, shit, more people are arriving.
“It’s ten?” I asked, sliding my legs over the side of the bed.
“Yeah,” Caspian said. “But Juniper, we need to talk.”
“I said not until after,” I snapped. Being angry was easier than being heartbroken .
“Fine. But you do not have to stay here any longer than you want to. If you feel like leaving, we will go. You don’t owe anyone an explanation or excuse,” he said, his eyes darkening.
“Of course,” I said, starting to reach for his hand but thinking better of it. Instead, I headed into the little hall bathroom to freshen up.
My mother’s drawling voice billowed into the room, followed by a higher voice—Daphne—and by extension, the cockwaffle Derek. There was no avoiding them.
Ignoring the wave of nausea and the cold numbness spreading up my hands, I walked back to the living room. Caspian stalked behind me, and I could feel the tension rippling through him. He needed to chill, because I had enough to worry about without an angry selkie starting a fight.
Although, I had to admit that seeing Caspian suckerpunch Derek was a new secret fantasy.
Not going to happen.
“Junie, there you are,” my mother crooned. “Someone needs to hand out the welcome bags as everyone arrives. They’ll be here soon!”
I resisted the urge to scowl. “Mom, I think they can pick their bags off the ground. I don’t really want to stand there passing them out for the next hour.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, darling. Oh, who is this?” Her hawklike gaze fixed on Caspian. One eyebrow arched, pretending to be surprised when we all knew Daphne would have called her the moment we left the restaurant yesterday.
“Mom, this is Caspian, my boyfriend.”
He wrapped one arm around my waist, and some of the swirling chaos in my head quieted. My mother squinted at the hand he offered her, and he finally dropped it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Beck.”
She sniffed, still eyeing him like something she found stuck on the bottom of her shoe.
“I’m shocked at you, Junie, bringing a random date to a family reunion. This is for family .”
Daphne cleared her throat from the kitchen. Derek leaned against the counter beside her, looking far too comfortable in this house for someone who refused to visit my grandmother when we were married.
“I mean, I can understand if she feels insecure and needs to bring someone.” Daphne flipped her hair over her shoulder and put on her best sympathetic expression.
“You brought Derek,” I muttered.
“Oh, Derek is family,” my mother said. “Though frankly, it’s uncouth of you to be dating so soon. You’ve only been single for what, a month?”
Caspian’s hand tightened on my waist, bolstering me. I should keep my mouth shut, but that was beyond ridiculous.
“Are you serious? My ex-husband is right there with my sister. How is that okay?”
My mother huffed. “Don’t be dramatic, Junie.”
Daphne pressed a hand to her chest. “We’ve known each other for a long time. I thought you’d be happy for us.”
My vision went red as I glared at my mother. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“Junie, we are just concerned for you,” Daphne said sweetly.
“A normal person would be happy for their sister and the man they said they cared about. Why would you lash out like this? It’s so hurtful.” My mother sounded so forlorn, I couldn’t help the guilt starting to build.
“If you need to talk to someone, we can make arrangements. But if you’re hiring an escort to try and fool everyone, it’s not working. You just seem sad,” Daphne said.
An escort? A harsh, ugly laugh burst from me. If they only knew.
Derek moved in, his face a picture of loving concern.
“Junebug, I know it was hard when I left, but I really thought it would be better for both of us. I’m sorry I hurt you, but acting like this isn’t the way to handle it.
Finding whatever man you can and running around with a stranger…
You’re going to end up ruined. No one will want a thirty-five-year-old slut. ”
“Watch how you talk to my wife,” Caspian growled, pulling me behind him as he blocked Derek.
A shrill silence filled the room.
“Your what?” my mother asked.
Daphne let out an incredulous laugh that grated on my eardrums .
Caspian’s voice was lethal. “I won’t let you treat my beautiful wife like this. She’s been through enough having to put up with your shit this long.”
“Junie, what did you do?” my mother shrieked.
“You can’t be serious,” Derek said with a laugh.
“Very serious. We are leaving, and you will not reach out to her. She will let you know when or if she’s willing to hear an apology.” Caspian bared his teeth. If they had any doubt he wasn’t human, the blunt fangs of a selkie were on full display.
“Oh, my,” my mother said.
Derek raised his hand as if he was going to use his magic to defend against Caspian. The idea was laughable. Derek’s wind magic was so weak, he could barely create a breeze. It would do nothing against an angry selkie hellbent on defending his wife’s honor.
Caspian took a step toward Derek.
“What is going on in here? Why does everyone look so upset?” my grandmother said, hobbling through the back door. “Daphne, come help me, and bring that useless fuckwit with you.”
“Ma!” my mother yelped.
Gran frowned, the lines around her face multiplying. “Jennifer, you come help too. It looks like Juniper needs a moment with her new man.”
My mother scowled.
“Right now, let’s hustle!” Gran said, snapping her fingers as she marched back out the door.
“Junie, don’t you dare leave. We are going to talk about this!” my mother said over her shoulder as she hurried out the back door. Daphne and Derek followed, leaving us alone in the living room.