19. Rowan
Rowan
“Rowan! How are you? Do you need something to eat? Laundry? I swear, you desperately need more clothing,” Ma chattered, grabbing a steaming mug of coffee and placing it in my hands.
“Sorry, I know I pack light.” Because I only had a few items of clothing, it seemed like Ma constantly had my laundry to do. I felt guilty, but she refused to let me do my own, insisting that I was busy working.
“It’s no stress for me! I’m happy to help, especially with everything you’re doing for this horde. That should be your priority.”
“I know, but you do so much,” I insisted.
She beamed at me, patting my cheek lovingly. “It’s a treat to get to spoil my daughter-in-law.”
Daughter-in-law.
I hadn’t thought about it like that. Beyond being Ma to everyone, she was Orsen’s biological mother, so, through the mate bond, she was my mother in a way.
“I… Well…”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to come on strong.”
“N-no, it’s not that,” I told her. “I’ve just never had a mother.”
Ma’s face fell, pity taking over. “Oh, Rowan…” She took a step forward, embracing me, her warm scent a comforting blanket. “You know, you should talk to your mates—they may know more about who you were before.”
Did I want to know about my past? Did I have a family that was missing me? I had done my best to banish those thoughts over the last few years.
“Did I have parents?” I asked in a soft voice.
Ma rubbed her hands on my upper arms in a comforting gesture. “You had a mother, who, from my understanding, you were close to. When you went missing, the boys kept an eye on her. Unfortunately, she passed a few years ago.”
My eyes filled with tears, grieving for a woman I hadn’t even met. “Oh… She died, thinking I was dead?”
“She would have been ecstatic to see you today. So proud of you.”
The heavy pit in my stomach grew. “How do you know that?”
“Because any mother would be proud of you. Rowan, you are smart, strong, and resilient. You’ve literally come back from the brink of death. Any mother would be ecstatic to have you in their family. I know I am.”
I swallowed, my throat tight with emotion. “Thank you, Ma.”
“Now, enough of this. I was asking about laundry, and it turned into…”
“Actually, I was going to ask whether there’s anywhere nearby where I can buy some more clothes? I’ve ruined a few of my T-shirts, so I only have two left. I can’t keep stealing them off Griffin, because Bastian gets grumpy, so I need a few of my own.”
Ma paused, turning to look at me, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I’ve been meaning to go into town: how about you and Nina come with me? I know she needs a few things. We can make a girls’ day of it. You could do with a few hours off.”
“There’s so much to do, though.”
“The clinic and the horde will survive if you take the morning off.”
Ma was already pulling out her phone, holding it up to her ear. “Hey, sweetheart, want to come with me and Rowan for a shopping trip? Yeah. Uh-huh. Brilliant! See you soon!”
She hung up, beaming at me. “Nina will be here in just a moment! She seemed more than eager. Now, more bacon?”
Twenty minutes later, Nina joined us, vibrating at the prospect of a shopping trip.
“Which car shall we take? Should we borrow one of the Alphas’?
Mine’s pretty run-down and probably won’t make it to town.
There are too many of us to fit in Nix’s truck, though.
” Nina spoke around a mouthful of bacon.
The moment she had entered the kitchen, she had made a beeline for it, plucking a piece off the plate and popping it in her mouth.
“Who’s talking about my truck?” Nix asked, walking into the room.
“We’re going clothes shopping,” I explained with a smile.
“Good luck,” he said, looking at me. “These women treat shopping like a sport.”
“I think I’ll survive.” I chuckled. “We were just discussing whose vehicle to take.”
Nix’s brow rose. “You could always take Bastian’s car. That thing is giant.”
“Actually, can we take my car?” I asked. “It’s been sitting still for so long, a short trip would do it good”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Ma said, beaming at me. “Can I drive? It’s been a while, and I kind of miss it.”
I didn’t even think twice before nodding.
“I knew you had a nice car, but I had no idea it was this nice.” Nina whistled as she slid into the back seat of my SUV, Ma taking the driver’s seat.
“I have to drive this thing across the country, so I decided I needed to invest in a good vehicle. Also, it’s not that good. It’s five years old, been in several scrapes and bumps, and the seats are starting to wear out.”
“This thing probably cost you an arm and a leg!” Nina said, sliding her hand over the seat.
“Hordes are willing to pay well for my work.”
That was putting it lightly. I could easily make six figures while traveling. More, if it were an emergency.
“You are the best.” Ma beamed at me, putting the car into drive. “This is going to be so much fun!”
My phone beeped as we drove away from the den. When I pulled it out of my pocket, I noticed several new messages.
“Phone away! Your mates can wait,” Nina said.
“It’s work, something about one of the teas,” I explained. “Just someone checking how often they’re meant to drink it.”
“No!” Nina leaned forward between the seats and plucked my phone from my hand. “No work today. I’ll be keeping this.” She shoved the device into her bag, ignoring my protests.
“It’ll do you good to not look at your screen for a day,” Ma agreed. “Also, this car is a dream to drive, Rowan. I want one.”
“I’ll bully your son into buying you one. Nina, give me my phone back.”
“This phone is mine for the next few hours. Don’t worry, I’ll leave it in my bag so I won’t see when your mates send you knot pics.”
I snorted. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
“Not even Nix?” she asked, shocked.
I shook my head.
“Actually, I’m surprised it’s not my son. I once caught him as a teenager trying to take a tasteful picture and failing epically. He was so distracted in his mission that he didn’t hear me knock on his door three times.”
The image of Orsen trying to take a good dick pic had both me and Nina cackling.
“Oh God, being a teenager was the worst,” Nina said.
“I wouldn’t know—I don’t remember it.” I shrugged, looking at her with a smile.
“That is one hell of a silver lining!”
When Nix said that Ma and Nina treated shopping like a sport, he wasn’t kidding. We had been through three shops already. In each one, they had piled more and more into my arms.
For a tiny town, there was an alarming number of clothing shops in Oak Ridge.
“I have plenty for now,” I said as we took the bags back to my car.
“Nonsense, there’s no such thing as too much clothing,” Ma said.
“We’ve more than quadrupled my wardrobe,” I pointed out, placing my bags in the trunk. Nina did the same. She had purchased a lot less than me, but she’d still done some damage.
“One more clothing shop, then a bakery,” Nina insisted.
“Another clothing store? Are there any left?”
Ma cackled. “We’ve hardly started, but don’t worry, we’ll take it easy on you.”
“This place has such cute dresses, though!” Nina grabbed my hand, dragging me down the street, giggling.
The little boutique was indeed lovely. The dresses were all perfect to twirl in. Bright colors and fun.
I couldn’t resist grabbing a few.
Nina and I were discussing the benefits of some of the maxi dresses—with pockets—when I noticed Ma eyeing the jewelry counter.
“Oh, those are pretty!” I said, wandering over to her. She was admiring a pair of dark, shimmering earrings that reminded me a little of dragon scales.
“They’re too much,” Ma said, cocking her head to the side as she gazed at the dark, iridescent earrings.
“They’re not!” I insisted. “If you want them, you want them.”
“I can never justify spending that much on jewelry! It’s stupid.”
She was torn. Glancing back at Nina, a slow smile spread across my face.
I plucked the box out of Ma’s hands, walking toward the counter as she spluttered, already pulling out my credit card.
“Rowan!” she hissed.
“Can’t a girl treat her mother-in-law?” I asked sweetly, using the same term she had used on me earlier in the day.
Ma’s face melted into a small smile, and she huffed, but there was no anger behind it.
“Don’t say no to her. She’s even more stubborn than her mates; it’s not an argument you would win.” Nina laughed.
“Next time we go shopping, I’m taking your credit card away. Your mates can pay for everything.”
“Why? I have more money than the four of them put together.” I shrugged.
“Because they want to?” Nina said. “I don’t care how much money I have, I’m never going to say no to a man spending his money on me.”
“Yeah, but my situation is a little…”
“Fucked?” Ma asked as sweet as pie.
Nina and I were silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. Nina and I checked out several dresses, and Ma placed her new earrings in her handbag with a smile.
“Well, next up, I think we need to go to the bakery,” Ma declared, resting her hands on her hips.
“I’m always up for going to a bakery, though I must say, you have spoiled me with all the baked goods at the den.”
“Thank you.” Ma beamed, linking our arms. “But these guys make some fantastic cookies.”
We walked down the street toward the bakery. The small shop was tucked away, but stunning, nonetheless.
Cabinets full of every baked treat imaginable, combined with the most heavenly scent I had ever been blessed with, hit me the moment I entered.
“Ooh, pistachio pastries!” Nina cooed, heading over to one of the display cabinets.
We took our time perusing the offerings. There was so much variety, I struggled to make a decision. Ultimately, I decided on several boxes of treats.
“There’s no way you’re going to eat that many,” Nina announced as the store clerk boxed them up.
“No, but I will be able to take a bite out of each one… and then I’m sure Nix and Grey will demolish the rest.”
“I suppose that is an unexpected bonus of having multiple mates.”
“I’m getting a few boxes myself, and I’ve got no mates to help.” Ma chuckled as she chose various treats to be boxed up.
I had never asked about Orsen’s father. I probably should have at some point. Was Ma a widow or divorced?
“You have a child who eats everything in sight, though,” I pointed out.
Ma shrugged. “He’s your problem now.”
“When did I agree to that? I don’t recall signing any papers!” I said with faux indignance while Nina giggled.
“You break it, you buy it. You most certainly broke my son. I saw the way he was after you guys spent some time alone at the river.”
My face was fire-engine red, and I was desperately praying for a hole to open up in the ground and swallow me whole. It was one thing for other people to know what I had done with Orsen, but for his mother to know? We had done our best to be subtle, but apparently that hadn’t worked.
First, we were talking about dick pics, and now my sex life?
Turns out, shopping trip was code for an amazing time with a side of embarrassment.