Chapter 8 Ty #2
Mother cleared her throat, unable to find it in herself to remain silent any longer. “Are you really serious about pursuing that girl?” Her tone was low but loud enough to convey her disdain.
Son of a bitch. Here we go again.
“Yes. I am.” I didn’t smile. Couldn’t. I didn’t enjoy arguing with my mother. Less, I disliked her questioning my judgment about Liza. Questioning fate’s judgment.
She sighed. “I really wish you wouldn’t, Tyson. Isn’t there another woman you’d like to get to know? Cecily, maybe?”
I narrowed my eyes, attempting to keep my voice calm and level. “Why don’t you tell me what, exactly, you have against Liza.”
Mother shook her head. “I assure you, my issue isn’t with the girl.” She sniffed. “I don’t have an issue with the girl.”
What the hell? I was confused. I’d just spent the past few days attempting to convince my parents to support my match with Liza to no avail. They’d begged me not to pursue her, and now Mother dared to claim she had no issues with Liza? Ha.
“I don’t understand.” I leaned against the counter and stared at the ceiling. “If you don’t have a problem with her, then why do you want me to ignore fate? Is it simply because you don’t want me to be with her?”
She opened her mouth to say something just as Dad barked her name.
He entered the kitchen with an air of dominance that we were used to.
My father stared at my mother for a long minute without saying a word, but thoughts were exchanged between them.
They, too, were fated mates. Where no one else might’ve understood what was happening between them, I’d grown up watching them exchange messages subliminally.
This time, it would probably have been obvious to anyone and everyone that he didn’t want Mother to speak another word about Liza.
Instead of quietly complying, Mother pinned him with a scathing glare. “Dominic, you need to remember that this is all on you.” She spat her words as she pointed a shaky finger at him.
Whoa. My mother never talked back to my father. She didn’t raise her voice at him. She might’ve treated everyone else as if they were beneath her, but she was always respectful to my father.
I glanced back and forth between my parents. “What the hell is going on here? What aren’t you telling me?” Because sure as fuck, there was something.
Dad stared at me with ice cold indifference while Mother pivoted and stormed out of the room, leaving an almost visual trail of anger and disappointment behind her.
I glanced over my shoulder at Ramon, who tossed a hand in the air as he walked to the back door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ty. And don’t worry, I’ll have your picnic ready to go.”
Flashing an apologetic smile, I waved. Poor guy.
How many times had he been caught in the crosshairs of our family’s affairs?
This time was different, though. This wasn’t just a petty argument about a family get-together or social event.
We were talking about my future, and emotions were running high.
I turned back to face my father, my hands on my hips.
A fighting stance to show him that I refused to back down.
“I’m sick of all the fucking secrets. If you’re so adamant about me not being with Liza, you need to tell me whatever you’re keeping from me.
You owe me that much as your successor and son.
” It wasn’t like they were keeping me from a school dance.
This was my future. The future of the pack.
I watched as the ice cleared from my father’s face, and he sighed.
He looked worn out. As I studied his features, it hit me how old Dad was getting.
It seemed like only yesterday he was young and full of life.
His age was taking its toll on him. Deep wrinkles marred his forehead, and his eyes were dark and sunken.
My parents had me when they were in their twenties, so Dad was pushing seventy. Long gone was the youthful alpha who had more energy than anyone in the pack. Leading for so long had taken a toll on him and, for a moment, I felt sorry for him.
He should have stepped down years ago, but because I hadn’t been able to find a mate and hadn’t been willing to choose one for myself, he’d had no choice but to press forward and remain in his position of power. An alpha had to have sons to carry on the family name. It was a rule.
He stared at me, his lips moving as if he was forming his words carefully, but no sound came.
I couldn’t wait all night. “Listen, if you let me pursue Liza, you’d get to step down and enjoy retirement with Mother.
If it all works out, the sooner the better, right?
” I had to reason with him and get him to see that finding and being matched to Liza wasn’t a mistake but a blessing.
“I just want to know what’s causing you and Mother so much stress.
I hate to see the two of you arguing like this.
” Maybe the way to get them to talk to me was to show some empathy, even if I had to fake it.
Dad turned and looked out the window into the woods along the edge of our property. He was lost in thought, so I stood, patiently waiting for him to answer.
Finally, he spoke softly. “Ty, there are some things that could bring the strongest man to his knees, and this is one of those things. It’s better left alone.” He paused, then turned to meet my eyes. “I’ll stop interfering. You have my blessing to pursue Liza.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. Dad’s sudden shift stunned me. Not to be ungrateful, but I needed answers. I needed to know why he’d had such a change of heart. “Why?”
“You’ll soon learn that as an alpha, you have to pick and choose your battles.” He smiled weakly. “This is one I can’t win. Fate made her decision, and it’s out of my hands.”
He walked away, leaving me to stare after him. Nothing had been resolved. But his blessing was enough for me. For now.
I tossed and turned all night, trying to make sense of Dad’s sudden change of heart. He hadn’t given me much of a reason except that some things weren’t worth fighting over.
I slammed a pillow over my face and growled. All I’d wanted was for my parents to bless my match with Liza. And now that they had, I wanted to know why they’d questioned it in the first place and what led my father to rescind his refusal.
Of course, I wanted to go on my date with Liza and get to know her. Every time I allowed myself to think about her, the rest of the world went blank. But I also wanted to know what my parents knew about her. Once that thought was in my mind, I couldn’t dispel or ignore it.
I didn’t know her well enough to know whether she would be honest with me if I asked, and asking her about her past might scare her off.
Since I’d already fucked up twice, I didn’t want to risk her walking away from me because I got too personal too fast. Maybe whatever was in her past that had my parents’ backs up was painful—she might not want to talk about it.
All the unanswered questions made my palms itch and my back sweat. My curiosity was beyond piqued.
Whatever information my parents were keeping from me wouldn’t be easy to find. Luckily, I knew a guy who could find anything for the right price.
I hated to do it, knowing that I could potentially learn things about Liza that she might have preferred me not to know, but something was seriously wrong between my parents, and if they had some prior connection to Liza, I needed to know what it was.
I sat up in bed and switched on my bedside lamp. Unplugging my phone from the charger, I pulled up the number of a guy I’d used before for such a check. He was a hacker. Not just any hacker, but the best I’d ever seen.
“Hello?” He sounded wide awake, which didn’t surprise me. The guy never seemed to sleep, and he did his best work under the cover of the night.
“Hey, Zephyr. It’s Ty Keller. I have a job for you. One I need to keep on the DL.” All the jobs he did for me were on the DL, but it needed to be said for clarity’s sake. “Hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Hey, man.” He sighed into the phone. “No, you’re not disturbing me. You’re giving me a welcome break from an investigation I’m working on. I haven’t heard from you in ages. How’ve you been?”
“Good, good.” I paused, still not sure whether I was making the right choice. “Like I said, I have a job for you, if you’re up for it. Name your price and I’ll send over the details.”
“Name my price?” Zephyr laughed. I didn’t make offers like that on a regular basis, but this was priority one. “Sounds pretty important. Your family in trouble?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’d like you to look into a girl.” I cleared my throat. “Her name’s Liza Mims.”
Zephyr was quiet, and I assumed he was taking notes. “Who is she?”
Word was out. No reason not to tell him. “Apparently, she’s my fated mate.”
Zephyr hooted. “I’ll be damned. Are you serious? Fate finally took pity on you and matched you up. Nice.”
“Don’t sound so shocked.” Although, I couldn’t really blame him.
Everyone had the same reaction. “It was bound to happen at some point.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“Listen, I don’t know much except that she was adopted into the pack.
I need to know where she came from.” And like I needed to explain, I continued.
“She looks… different from everyone else. Pale skin and bright, blonde hair. My parents aren’t exactly happy about the match.
I think they know something but refuse to tell me. ”
Zephyr blew out a low, long whistle. “And that’s where I come in.”
“Exactly. You want to give me a ballpark on the cost?” I’d told him to name his price, but he would be fair. He always was.
He sighed. “Let me finish this job tonight. I’ll send you a quote in the morning.”
“I need this process expedited.” The desperation in my tone mirrored the desperation inside me. “I have to know what I’m dealing with here, and I need to know ASAP.”
“Sure, man. No problem.”
I’d known Zephyr since college. Everyone used him because he was a whiz with computers, but after graduation, he took it to the next level. The families with money knew he was the guy to hire if you needed a private investigator.
Not only did he have the skills to dig up even the deepest buried details about anyone, he also had the professionalism and discretion necessary for situations like this.
After we ended our call, I forced myself to fall asleep. I didn’t want to look like hell for my date with Liza.
By the time the next evening rolled around, I’d already changed shirts twice from sweating so much. No girl had ever made me this nervous, but I was terrified I’d screw something up or say the wrong thing to Liza.
Yes, I was nervous, but I was also excited at the possibility of us getting to know one another better. It was a step in the right direction.
Ramon had prepared so much food that I had three full coolers to carry from the car to the gazebo.
I laid out a huge blanket made of the softest cashmere.
I set a bucket of champagne on ice on top of the blanket, then pulled out the food, napkins, and silverware.
I lined the perimeter with several candles.
When it was all put together, I stepped back to observe my handiwork.
Not too damn bad for a forty-year-old bachelor.
Hopefully, it didn’t look like I did this too often or like it was my go-to for first dates, because it wasn’t.
The gazebo was nestled in a lush, green garden in the center of town.
Potted plants and trees surrounded it, providing a natural barrier from prying eyes.
The evening sky was a kaleidoscope of golds and reds, purples and blues.
The night would be clear and starlit. A cool breeze floated through the open sides of the gazebo.
I’d packed an extra blanket in case Liza wanted to cuddle up. My heart raced at the thought of our bodies touching. Just as my mind drifted to Liza’s physique, my phone rang.
It was Mother. Shit.
I practically growled into the phone. “If this is another lame attempt at trying to stop my date with Liza at the last minute, you’ve got another think coming.” She didn’t speak. “Really, Mother, do you have nothing better to do with your time?”
She sighed heavily into the phone. When she finally spoke, it was evident that something was wrong. Her weak voice cracked on the first word. “Ty, it’s your dad. He isn’t doing well. You need to come home. Now.”