Chapter 6 Ty
TY
“What did you say to her?” Bryce approached me almost carefully. “From where I was standing, it looked like things were going well. Her body language said she wanted you. She was leaning in, smiling, but then, just like that”—he snapped his fingers in my face—“she stormed off. What the hell, man?”
Things had been going well up until the point I’d let my big mouth get the best of me. I’d called her the fucking help, for fuck’s sake. Now, I’d potentially ruined any chance I had with Liza. I’d be lucky if she ever talked to me again without me having to force it.
Being that close to her had been torture.
Every muscle, every bone in my body ached to pull her into my arms and never let go.
I wanted to kiss those full lips and caress every inch of her smooth, pale skin.
But instead of swooping in and claiming what was mine, I’d insulted her.
I wanted to kick myself for being so stupid and ruining the moment.
“I called her the help.” I lowered my head and stared at the floor. Of all the dumb ass things I could’ve said, I picked the help.
Bryce’s eyes widened. “Fuck, man. That was a low blow.” He shook his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth.
“I’m such an idiot.” I slapped my forehead.
“She owns the company, for fuck’s sake. Did I commend her for that?
” I shook my head because I’d lived it, and I still couldn’t believe I’d done something so stupid.
“No, because I am my mother’s fucking son.
I insulted her job.” It really didn’t matter that it hadn’t been my intention. “Now she thinks I’m an asshole.”
When Bryce laughed, I wanted to kill him. “Yeah, dumbass move. As a bonus, you’ve turned her off with your very first real conversation.” Bryce scoffed. “I thought you were smoother than that.”
Bryce always called me out when I needed to hear the truth, though I was already fully aware of my blunder.
“I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did.” I shoved my hands into my pockets. “You should’ve seen the look in her eyes. She went from staring at me with interest and intrigue to complete disgust within seconds.”
Bryce patted my shoulder like I needed consolation or advice. I didn’t. What I needed was a minute with her so I could fix this. “Look at it this way. It’s not the worst thing you could’ve said, but it definitely didn’t win you any brownie points.”
“What do I do now?” Desperation seeped into my voice as I tried to figure out how to fix what I’d fucked up.
Bryce shrugged. “I suggest you make a genuine effort to apologize. Make it right with her first, then take it from there.”
I stared at my best friend, wondering when he’d become a relationship therapist. This was the same guy who slept with anything that had breasts and refused to commit to anyone for more than twenty-four hours. Yet, here he was, explaining the best way for me to win back Liza’s trust.
“She may never speak to me again.” I scanned the room. Almost everyone had moved to the dining room. Fuck. I couldn’t duck out yet, but I damn sure was going to as soon as possible. “We’d better take our seats.”
Bryce nodded and followed me into the dining hall. Someone’s sharp gaze was burning a hole into the back of my head, and I turned to see who it was. Cecily watched me from a corner table, licking her lips like a hungry lioness.
She was the host of the event and had invited my family and me.
No doubt she’d expected the ceremony to come and go without me finding my mate.
It had happened so many times before. After all, that was what everyone had come to expect of me—a forty-year-old man who’d been to every ceremony over the past two decades and walked out as single as he’d walked in.
Why would anyone expect anything different this time?
Cecily, though, was more than just an innocent bystander who watched as I consistently failed at finding a mate. She’d expected me to fail one last time and had spent weeks lobbying my mother to make my father agree to a selected mate instead of a fated one.
There Cecily would be, just waiting to sink her claws into me. I’m sure it had blown up her entire world when Liza and I spotted each other last night. No wonder she’d cornered Liza at the first opportunity. She wanted to stake her claim.
Cecily’s family was new in town, but they’d quickly made a name for themselves. That tended to happen when you had more money than God. Unfortunately for her, money couldn’t buy everything. Sure as fuck couldn’t buy me.
What she had in looks, she completely lacked in maturity and class. So, it wasn’t the least bit surprising that she made sure I had no choice but to reprimand her over the way she’d spoken to Liza.
Unfortunately, Cecily had chosen Jacob’s wife to be her best friend.
That didn’t win her any additional points with me since I considered Kelis to be a total diva and gossip, but it had probably been a calculated move once she learned I hadn’t found a mate at one of those soirees.
It was a way into the family, to get close.
For me, seeing the two of them together was like watching a volcano’s lava slowly bubble to the surface.
Eventually, there’d be an explosion with several casualties, though I intended to protect Liza from their venomous words and intentions.
I spotted Mother, who’d already taken a seat at our assigned table at the front of the room. She glanced toward the kitchen doors, probably wondering why lunch wasn’t being served the second her ass touched the velvet pad of her chair.
Anxiety had my heart pounding painfully against my ribcage. I wanted nothing more than to burst into the kitchen and apologize to Liza, but I had to be smart about it. She was working, and I didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention to the kitchen and my need to see Liza just as the luncheon began.
I could bide my time and plan what I wanted to say this time so I didn’t fumble it. I’d wait for a more opportune moment. The idea was to protect Liza from the talk. The last thing she needed was more talk.
I squared my shoulders and approached the table.
No matter what happened, I was determined to make things right with Liza.
That woman had already burrowed deep inside me, and I wouldn’t lose her, not now that I’d found her.
It didn’t matter one fucking bit that it was less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Oh, there you are, Ty.” Mother stood, and for the sake of appearances tried to hug me as if we hadn’t had a heated discussion about Liza the night before. And for the sake of appearances, I allowed it. “Have a seat, dear.”
I turned to see Bryce make his way to a table with his family.
He eyed me with a smirk. In true Bryce Fulton fashion—and I knew because he’d told me—he was counting down the minutes until the end of the luncheon so he could hunt down, assess, and maybe even coax one of the women who hadn’t been matched the night before.
He always said that the day after a mating ceremony was the perfect time to console the heartbroken. And by console, he meant fuck.
Dad took his seat across from Mother and avoided making eye contact with me.
All right, so that was how it was going to be. I wasn’t surprised. My family didn’t deal with situations unless it affected the pack. In our family, we ignored our own shit. So, of course, we’d be behaving like that whole conversation last night never took place.
Like hell we were. I had other plans.
“How’d the two of you sleep last night?” I smiled over my glass of water and glanced at my mother, then my father. They weren’t going to avoid anything if I had my say. And by fucking hell, I was having my say.
They eyed one another, then Dad cleared his throat. “Slept like a baby. And you?”
“Oh, I got a full fucking two hours of sleep.” I scoffed, my voice deep and low.
I wasn’t going to make a scene, but they were going to know exactly how I felt about what happened.
“Having your parents tell you that you can’t be with your fated mate will do that to you.
Tossing and turning, trying to make sense of the whole mess.
Kind of a shitty way to go to bed, don’t you agree? ”
Mother’s cheeks flushed as she turned to me and lowered her voice.
“Tyson, this is not the time or place to discuss the situation. I know you think you have everything figured out and that we’re a couple of idiots, but you need to trust me on this one.
Keep your mouth shut until we’re in the privacy of our own home. ”
Shit. She wasn’t backing down.
Well, neither was I.
Though, she had a point. It wasn’t the time. I didn’t want to cause a scene.
Nodding, I took another sip of water. I’d seen Mother’s particular brand of tantrum, and she didn’t discriminate over the situations that brought them out.
At least half the people in this room were personally aware that she could cut through a person’s soul with her icy stare, but it wasn’t like her to speak to me in that way.
But again, that was a fight for a later time.
I let it go. For now.
The waiters and waitresses made their way through the dining room, serving the guests their lunch of tea sandwiches, sliced vegetables, and potato salad.
I craned my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of Liza whenever the kitchen door swung open. She stayed hidden. My heart sank deeper into my chest. I needed to speak with her but it seemed she had no intention of making an appearance during the luncheon.
“Did you see how lovely Cecily looks today?” Mother raised her eyebrows and nodded in Cecily’s direction, interrupting my thoughts of Liza.
“Are you really asking me that right now?” I nearly choked on my sandwich. I didn’t know how she’d managed to miss the scene Cecily started, and although it was possible that she might’ve, I doubted it. “That woman is a total bitch. She cornered Liza earlier.”