Chapter 29 #2
I used to be able to string a few sentences together without falling apart. Now everything came out in a rush. Chaotic and unfiltered like my thoughts were tripping over each other on the way out.
Maren didn’t interrupt me, didn’t correct me. She didn’t even look confused. She just watched, really watched, as the words tumbled out of me in a frantic, tangled mess. And will I finally force myself to stop talking, her expression shifted in a way I couldn’t read.
Not suspicion or judgement. But something deeper.
Her eyes softened, but there was a flicker behind them, like she was trying to place me in a memory she couldn’t quite reach. It was the same look Evander had that first time he seen me, which seemed to be forever ago when really was like a week.
For a moment, she just stood there, studying my face with a quiet intensity that made my skin prickle. Not in a bad way. More like…recognition.
Then she blinked, and the moment passed. But not before I saw it.
She knew something. Or thought she did. And whatever it was, she wasn’t saying it out loud.
“Thank you for telling me that,” she said, even though I hadn’t told her anything that made sense. “I can see why my son is…helping...you. That’s not the right word. He’s…looking out for you.”
Her voice was warm and steady, grounding in a way that made me feel like I wasn’t going crazy.
“You do remind me of someone. Someone from a long time ago.”
Great, I thought, bracing for her ideas on who that would be. But before I could, she went on.
“No. It’s not possible.” The words were quietly spoken but still left a punch.
She didn’t say the name; she didn’t have to. I felt it anyways, like a shadow brushing past me.
She looked at me again, this time with a tenderness that made my throat tighten. “Kasey…with a C?”
I shook my head, not able to look at her.
“What has my son gotten himself into?” She murmured; the words clearly meant for herself, not for me. She let out a long weary sigh, the kind only a mother could make, before adding a little louder. “He means well. He always has. But he’s got to let go of the past.”
I doubted that. Not with the way Evander talked. Not with how certain he was that I was that boy.
But when Maren looked at me again, really looked. There was something in her eyes. A flicker of recognition she didn’t want to acknowledge. A puzzle piece she refused to fit into place.
The weight of her gaze made my arms fold around me before I could stop them, like I could hide in plain sight if I just made myself small enough.
As I moved, my shirt – Evander’s shirt – slipped off one shoulder, fabric sliding down my arm and exposing more skin than I meant to. I tugged at it quickly, but the damage was done.
Her eyes softened further, most likely catching marks that I hadn’t bothered to look at.
She looked at me like she was looking at a ghost. A mix of hope and sadness all rolled into one.
Then she blinked, forcing a calm, soft look to reappear.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“I’m…I’m alright.” I should say more, but like so many times before, the words were lost on me.
Before I could figure out what to do or say, the front door opened.
“Kasey?” Evander called, voice warm and steady, like he expected me to answer right away. “I’m back.”
My heart lurched. Not in fear, just in sheer overwhelming relief.
Maren’s eyes flickered towards the sound, then back to me. Something unreadable passed through her expression. But she didn’t say a word.
“Kasey?” Evander called again, footsteps moving closer. “Where are you?”
I swallowed, forcing my voice to work. “I’m…. here.”
The word came out small, but he heard it. His steps quickened, purposeful, heading straight towards his bedroom.
Evander stepped into my sight right as his mother moved out of the doorway. His eyes found me right away, like they always did. And then, he froze when he saw his mother.
“Mom?” Surprise flickered across his face. “Hi. I didn’t expect you to be by? Or home be today?”
Maren didn’t answer right away, still looking at me.
“We ended our trip early, since it was just your dad and I this year.”
“Kasey?” My head snapped up at the sound of his voice, eyes wide before I could stop myself. He took one look at me and his expression softened. “You, okay?”
I nodded because that was the answer he expected, but every part of me ached to be closer to him, to breathe him in and let the world settle.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He held out a hand, but I didn’t even make it that far.
My feet moved on their own, too fast, too eager.
I bypassed his hand entirely and tucked myself against his side, pressing my face into him to hide from his mother’s gaze.
His arm came around me instantly, like he’d been waiting for me to fit there.
“You’re okay,” he murmured, his lips brushing the top of my head in the softest kiss. “I see you made my bed. Thank you.”
I nodded against him, drawing in a deep breath of his scent as he wrapped both arms around me. The tension in my chest loosened, just a little, as he held me close, shielding me without even trying.
And for the first time since his mother walked in, I felt like I could breathe again.
“Evander,” Maren said gently, right as my shirt fell down my arm, again. This time, I didn’t bother to fix it, content to be in the Alpha’s arms. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him in such a short amount of time.
Something had to be wrong with me.
“We need to talk.” The way his mother said it made my stomach drop.
“I know. Just…can you give me a minute. I’ll meet you on the porch.”
“After I put the casserole in the oven to keep warm. You both must be hungry.”
Evander waited until the back door clicked shut before he turned back to me. He didn’t pull away completely, just enough to cradle my face between both of his palms. His thumbs brushed my cheeks, guiding my gaze up to him with almost no effort at all.
And like every time before, he didn’t look disappointed. He didn’t look frustrated. He didn’t look confused by the mess I was.
He looked at me the way he always did.
Like I belonged. Like I was something precious. Like I mattered to him in a way, I didn’t understand.
The intensity of it made my eyes sting, tears gathering before I could blink them away.
How could he look at me like that already? How could a few days undo me this completely? How could his kindness feel like something I couldn’t live without?
A shaky breath escaped me, and Evander leaned in just a little, his forehead nearly touching mine.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
I wasn’t sure how to put emotions into words.
“She didn’t scare you too badly, did she?” His hands stayed on my cheeks, warm and grounding.
I shook my head, unable to form words.
Evander’s expression softened even more, so much like his mother’s had. “You did good. I’m so proud of you.”
The words hit harder than they should have. My breath hitched, and he brushed away a tear with this thumb like it was nothing, like I wasn’t embarrassing myself in front of him.
“You don’t have to explain anything to her. Or to anyone. You’re with me and that’s all that matters. Mom means well, and she is the only mother I have. So, I kind of have to deal with her often. But you aren’t expected to cater to her.”
I leaned into his touch without thinking, letting his palms hold me steadily. Because right now, he was the only thing that felt steady.
“I…didn’t tell her much. She knows….Lockswell…and that I’m…. well…yours? I don’t know. I kind of word vomited and she looks a lot like you. She…she’s nice.”
“And you are becoming more adorable every moment I get to know you.”
A deep heat crept up my spine, and it ended on my cheeks.
“Point just proven.” He pressed a tender kiss on my forehead before stepping away. “I’ll be just outside on the back deck. If you need anything, come find me.”
I nodded as his palms slipped from my face, leaving me hot and cold at the same time.
He gave me a small smile, eyes crinkling at the corners, before turning to join his mother on the back deck.