Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
His mom laughed, and his aunt snorted.
“She reminds me of you when you first met Luke,” his mom said.
“Pfft. I didn’t actually like him, remember?”
“I can still hear you!” the man in question called from the other room.
“I know!” she called back.
His mom stopped smiling and nudged me with her elbow.
“Sam can feel how worried you are. Do you want him to come in here?”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
“I guess it depends on whether I’m in trouble for talking to her.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet,” his mom said.
“And honest,” Bethi said. “That’ll save you time and trouble since they can always smell a lie. Not that you’re in trouble for talking to her. But we are curious…did she really only want to ask about what you found at the library? She didn’t ask who you were with or anything about Sam’s family.”
“No. Not at all. I don’t think she wants anything to do with any of you, honestly.
When I mentioned that I had a friend who might know something, she looked more freaked out than curious.
And she wears a lot of perfume. I mean a lot.
Mom said werewolves have sensitive noses.
I think Ever’s trying to use it like repellent. ”
“Oh, that’s smart,” his aunt said.
Sam’s mom nodded. “Our husbands thought it was to cover her scent. Repellent is something they didn’t consider.”
“What else did you notice about her?” his aunt asked, switching from putting out bread to adding lettuce to what we’d already done. We had to have at least thirty sandwiches on the counter.
“Just that she seemed very interested in finding what was killing people. She said my mom and I might be in danger. It didn’t feel like a threat, though, just a warning, which is why I agreed to meet with her.”
I glanced at the two women.
“Doesn’t it scare you that there’s something unknown out there, killing people?”
His aunt’s eyes lost all their humor. The hollowness in them worried me.
Her husband came in a second later.
“Pardon. Need my little bundle of sunshine for a moment,” he said.
Then, he literally tossed her over his shoulder. She let out an enraged sound and slapped his backside hard before demanding he put her down.
He didn’t.
Her cussing followed them out of the kitchen.
“We’re deeply worried about people dying,” Sam’s mom said somberly, reclaiming my attention by answering my question. “And we don’t think it’s entirely unknown.
“Decades ago, before you were born, one of Sam’s aunts had a…gift, I guess. She could see things we couldn’t. Things that didn’t exist in our world, but in one that overlapped ours. She called them ‘the Others.’ They looked like shadows or ghosts to her.
“We think one of them got free, but she can’t see them anymore to know for sure. And we can’t stop what we can’t see. So, we focus on what we can see. What we can control.
“We changed the laws so people would stop killing each other out of fear. We’ve encouraged people to change how they eat and live so we can live healthier, longer lives. We’ve established foundations for abandoned children. For struggling families.
“People are still dying. We can’t control death. Everyone will need to face it at some point. But hopefully what we’re doing is improving more lives than those who are being killed.”
“Ever was afraid you were just ignoring it instead of hunting it,” I said.
“If there were a way for us to stop it, we would. But I’ve come to realize, not every fight is ours to take on.”
I heard what she was saying. Understood it even—I sure couldn’t fight something that wasn’t from this world that wanted to wear human skins—but that’s not where my focus was at the moment.
I kept feeling Sam’s hand like it was stroking my hair and hugging me, and it was making me think of all the times I strongly felt something after the bite but before I knew we were connected.
“Is it always like that?” I asked. “Sorry. How Uncle Luke was with Aunt Bethi. Do we always feel each other?”
Sam’s mom smiled softly. “Yeah. It doesn’t go away. Sometimes, it’s too loud to ignore, but most of the time, it’s in the background, subtly influencing how you feel.”
“But not in a bad way, ever, right? Like, if I’m nervous and afraid, Sam won’t be nervous and afraid, will he?”
The calming kicked up a notch.
His mom’s smile widened.
A second later, Sam came in and hugged me from behind, ducking his head and pressing against my neck in a way that felt like a combination hug and nuzzle.
“Does that answer your question?” his mom asked, not looking upset by his display of affection.
“Not really,” I said, trying to keep the mayonnaise spoon from falling into the jar I still held.
“When I feel your fear, it makes me more worried than afraid.”
His mom quietly left the kitchen with the finished sandwiches. He turned me, put the jar aside, and wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn’t deny him the hug he wanted, but I was curious.
“Why are you here now? I wasn’t afraid.”
“You were nervous,” he said. “You don’t have to talk about Ever or Mr. Clint if you don’t want to.”
“I wasn’t nervous about that,” I said.
“Then why were you nervous?”
“I read a lot, Sam.”
He pulled away enough for me to see his confusion. My cheeks started to heat.
“Did you know every time I got to a good part?”
His slow smile robbed me of breath a second before he kissed me.
Obviously, he had known.
When we emerged from the kitchen with the rest of the sandwiches, I caught the twinkle of humor in his dad’s eyes. I tried not to overthink how good his hearing was.
“Do you know if your mom is busy tomorrow?” Sam’s mom asked. “I’d like to invite her over for dinner. It would be good for us to meet again now that you and Sam are closer.”
I internally cringed, remembering the last time our moms met. Hopefully, Mom’s acceptance of Sam meant she was past her crazy phase.
“I’ll check with her and let Sam know,” I said.
We played a few more rounds of cards, which got wild, before Uncle Luke and Aunt Bethi joined us again. She looked happier. So did he.
When the sun dipped closer to the horizon, Sam said he needed to take me home. His cousins groaned and begged me to stay just a little longer. I promised I’d be back soon and left feeling completely at ease.
Sam waited until we were on the road to ask, “What do you think?”
“Your family is great. I had no idea what I was missing out on until today.”
His relief warmed my insides, and I smiled a little.
“Did you think I wouldn’t like them?”
He hesitated. “Most mates don’t adapt as quickly as you have. My dad said it took months to convince Mom to choose him.”
“Wait, your mom got a choice?”
Sam reached over and held my hand. “She thinks she did, but my dad said he wouldn’t have given up. No matter how long it took, he would have convinced her. I would have done the same.”
My heart ached in a good way, hearing how much Sam wanted me.
“I’m glad you chose me,” I said. “I still don’t get why you thought I wouldn’t like your family. They’re great. I’m kind of sad that’s not your aunt and uncle’s place, though. It’d be fun to have relatives who live close.”
His thumb stroked over my skin. “I think we’ll see them pretty often.”
I was still imagining holidays filled with games, talking, and food by the time we parked in his driveway. Holding my hand, he walked me home, then hesitated on the front step with me. I caught the curtain across the street moving and grinned at Sam.
“If you’re thinking about kissing me, you should know we’re being watched.”
His gaze dipped to my mouth, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Do you want me to come in with you to ask about dinner tomorrow?” he asked instead of kissing me as I’d hoped.
“If you don’t come in, I have a reason to knock on your door later.”
The way his gaze drifted over my face told me how much he wanted me alone just then.
Unfortunately, the door opened behind me.
“Perfect timing,” Mom said. “Dinner’s almost done. I made enough for three.”
After seeing how many sandwiches Sam could eat, I knew it wasn’t enough.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” I asked anyway.
He agreed and listened as I told Mom about his family while we ate.
“Sounds like you had fun,” she said.
“I did. A lot. Mrs. Lawe was wondering if we could come over for dinner tomorrow, too. With you. She was hoping to meet you again.” My stomach was twisting in knots, unsure how Mom would react.
Sam reached over and took my hand. “It was chaotic on move-in day, and she feels bad she didn’t invite you in or try to talk to you more. She’d like another chance to make a good impression.”
How did I end up with such a great boyfriend?
Mom smiled slightly. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one who needs the second chance, and I appreciate that she’s willing to give it. We have no plans tomorrow. What time, and what should I bring to share?”
He was quiet for a second. “How does five sound? And you can bring a dessert, but you shouldn’t feel obligated.”
“We can do a dessert. For how many?”
“Thirty,” I said before Sam could say anything.
After Sam left for the night, Mom and I went to Mr. Denkle’s to drop off the chili. He opened the door a few inches, looking at us through the crack, his normal stand-offish self.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“Your honest opinion again,” Mom said with a smile. “It’s that time of year.” She held up the jar, showing it but also giving him the option to refuse.
He opened the door a little wider and took it.
“Thank you.” His voice was a little subdued and less angry this time.
“No, thank you. I’m determined to get it right. Let me know what needs adjusting when I come to pick up the jar on Friday.”
He looked at the chili, his expression bittersweet. “It was pretty close the last time.”
“I won’t stop until it’s perfect,” Mom said. “We have a lot of tomatoes in the freezer. Now that the weather’s cool, I can pick up Susan’s mantle again.”
He nodded, still focused on the jar. Mom nudged me.
“Some of our leaves blew onto your lawn,” I said. “Is it all right if I come over tomorrow to clean them up?”