Chapter Nine
Lilith
Mom fidgets when she’s nervous. Today, she’s bouncing from one room of the house to the next, tweaking and fiddling with anything she can get her hands on.
She’s brushing her fingers along every surface, inspecting them for dust and making snide comments about the staff and how they’re not doing their jobs to her satisfaction.
“You look lovely, Lilith,” she says, dragging the point of her index finger along a painting frame on the wall.
“You too, Mom.” I am against this marriage, but I don’t have the heart to bring her down right now.
And if I didn’t compliment her looks, we’d both know I’m lying.
Having just turned fifty, Mom is entering her graceful age.
She wears long, elegant dresses devoid of any real color.
Golden, glittering accessories emphasize a level of distinguished class she’s spent her entire life striving to achieve.
And her lightly layered makeup isn’t to hide any wrinkles.
It’s to convey her aged wisdom and regality.
“Are you all set?” she scans a diamond-encrusted watch on her wrist.
“I am.” I hate the idea of her remarrying, silly as it might sound. But if it weren’t bad enough already, her secrecy about this whole thing is driving me up the freaking wall.
I don’t know anything about the man I’m about to meet. Not his name, his occupation or what intentions he has for their future.
Under different circumstances, I’d agree those details aren’t my concern.
Ever since she found her feet in MilGen, Mom’s been extra cautious in all things involving me.
She’s afraid of the risks her position as Vice President imposes.
She worries I’ve got a target painted on my back because I’m her daughter, and she thinks that if she lets me out of her sight, someone will snatch me away to use as leverage against her.
But I’m turning twenty-four in a few months, and reaching the point where I’d like to spread my wings and learn to fly on my own. Mom’s having none of it. And in her stubbornness to keep me safe, she refuses to acknowledge that everything she does affects me too.
“I think you’re going to like him. He’s a lovely man.” She’s mumbling more to herself than actually trying to have a conversation. “And he’s got a son a few years older than you. Isn’t that delightful?”
Why would it be?
She answers as if she can hear what I’m thinking. “You’ll have the big brother you’ve always wanted.”
“Great.” I shake my head at the sarcastic tone that I couldn’t hide and trudge through the living room to the sofa.
Mom’s nervousness makes sense now. We’re not just going to a dinner that should’ve been done and dusted in an hour; two if it stretched longer.
We’re getting all the new “family” out of the way at once.
She hums a long, deep sigh. “I know you don’t approve of this, Lilith.”
Hearing her say it hurts more than it probably should. I look away from her to hide the guilty look that quickly spreads over my face.
“Just give them a chance.” She joins me on the couch, and places a gentle hand on my knee. “If you do, I’m sure by the end of the night you’ll see that this is what’s best for us.”
“For us or for you?” I shouldn’t have said it, but I’ve waited too long to talk about it. It isn’t the time to put unnecessary stress on her shoulders, but there wasn’t a good time before, and I don’t see one coming up in the future.
Tonight’s supposed to make this thing official, once and for all.
“Us,” she says, stiffly. “I wouldn’t go through with this if I didn’t think that was true.”
I bite down on my inner cheek until a painful sting eases my temper.
In my peripheral vision, I see Mom smiling. It’s not forced, but I can tell she’s straining to wear it. It’s the sort of smile you give someone at a funeral. You’re sad they’re sad, but you’re smiling to give the other person strength.
I got a lot of those smiles after Dad died. Family friends, work colleagues and some people I’d never met came over and held my hand, saying things were going to get better.
Too young to know any better, I believed them. Well, shit, look how all those hopeful promises ended up.
“But we don’t need anything,” I say, when I’m sure my voice won’t come out shaky. “Dad saw to that.”
Her head sinks and I hear a soft but distinct sniffle.
Yeah, this hurts way more.
“I loved your father with all my heart. I’ve held onto him and cherished his memory for as long as I could.” She wipes away a tear that hasn’t fallen yet, with the same finger she used to check for dust. “But I’m not getting any younger. And I’m still a woman with wants and needs…”
She leaves it there.
I’m glad she does.
“He’s a lovely man,” she repeats. “A good man, and I know he’ll take care of you if anything happens to me.”
“I’m old enough to take care of myself.” I wrap an arm around her in a half-hug and pull her tightly against my side.
I hate seeing her this way. Fragile and sad. She’s so self-assured and certain that things are going to go exactly as she’s planned them that this sudden lack of confidence has my heart shattering into a thousand tiny pieces in my chest.
Mom rests her head on my shoulder, and squeezes my knee in a quiet promise that she’s doing alright and that everything’s going to be okay.
“Let me go freshen up.” She pats my leg and stands up. “The driver will be here any minute.”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I say, swallowing my pride.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Lilith.” She stops in the archway that leads out of the living room and turns to me. Her lips part to say something, but they fall closed at the same speed.
She leaves with a smile instead.
I text Misha to pass the time:
About to meet my new stepfather. Wish me luck.
I’m sure she’ll be just as thrilled by the news as I was. She replies with a few shocked face emojis, but as the typing… notification flickers across the screen, a knock comes at the front door.
My pulse spikes and I jump in my seat.
He’s here.
It may just be a driver, but his arrival signifies the beginning of something I don’t want to be involved in. Seeing my family, small as it may be, being swallowed up by another.
Shaky legs carry me to the door, but before I can open it, Mom grabs my hand and pulls me toward her. Thank the good lord above. There’s no way in hell I want to face the man outside alone.
“Before we go out there, Lilith, there’s something I need to tell you. This marriage… it’s not what you think.” A smile flickers across her face, but she purses her lips to bury them. “You’ll see. He’s kind. Good. Everything I want you to have in your life.”
Not love, then. This all but confirms it.
But why does she look so scared?
I nod but don’t interrupt.
“Just give him a chance tonight. Please.” She repeats please a few more times.
“I will.” There’s no point in saying anything else. Even if I’ve made my mind up already, I’m still being forced to go. I might as well use this as an opportunity to see if he’s the man Mom thinks he is.
Three more hard thuds rattle the door. Mom leads us over and opens it.
We’re met by a youngish blond guy in a black suit. My eyes instantly catch the pistol on his hip. My stomach drops on further inspection. He has broad shoulders, an earpiece in, and eyes that scan our entryway as if he’s surveying for a threat rather than just collecting us.
He’s not just the driver. He’s the muscle if anything goes wrong. I wonder if that’s just for this drive, and not for when things don’t pan out tonight.
“Apologies for the rush, Miss Whittaker.” He hurriedly gestures for us to head over to the sleek, spotless Mercedes that’s parked in our driveway.
“Mr. Crawford insists on punctuality.”
Mom nods, saying nothing.
“Crawford?” The name tastes funny in my mouth. “You can’t mean—“
Mom squeezes my hand. A polite way of saying shut the hell up.
The driver opens my door, and I get inside. My heart is thundering at the idea of walking into the King of Midnite City’s home.
I was totally right. This marriage has nothing to do with love.
It’s a stepping stone for Mom, to become what she’s always wanted to be.
Royalty.