Chapter 10
Gavrel
Ispread my wings, creating a barrier between Virginia and Corey. Every protective instinct I possessed flared to life.
Sammy had gone completely still, her face draining of color. Her hands trembled in her lap.
Corey stood in the doorway, confusion written across his face. He looked between the adults, his backpack sliding off one shoulder, thudding on the floor when it hit.
“Grammie?” he said. “I don’t have any grandmothers.”
“You do, sweetie. Me. I’m your grandmother.” Virginia took a step toward him.
I moved between them, keeping my voice calm despite the fury coursing through me. “Corey, why don’t you go upstairs and play for a bit? The adults need to talk.”
“But—”
“Please.” I glanced at Sammy, hoping she’d back me up.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She tried again, nodding. “Yes, Corey. Please go upstairs.”
His gaze darted to his mother, then back to me. The confusion on his face deepened, but he turned toward the stairs.
“Okay,” he said.
I stepped out into the entryway and watched him climb the steps. He glanced back three times before disappearing down the hallway toward his room.
The silence that followed felt suffocating.
I strode over to sit beside Sammy on the couch again, close enough to offer support. When I took her hand, she squeezed mine and sent me a look full of panic.
My tail lashed once, but I forced it still.
Virginia settled back into her chair, every inch the wealthy matriarch. Expensive clothing. Flawless makeup. Hair styled precisely. But her hands twitched when she folded them in her lap.
“I want a relationship with my grandson,” Virginia said. Her voice remained controlled, but it cracked at the edges. “I’m prepared to pursue legal avenues if necessary.”
A growl started low in my chest.
Sammy flinched beside me and leaned into my side.
“How dare you come here and threaten her?” My claws extended, pricking into my palms. A glance down showed me Sammy was about to burst into tears. That made rage surge through me. “Do you think that’s the way to earn anything?”
Virginia’s expression hardened. “I’m not threatening. I’m stating facts. I have rights—”
“Rights.” I leaned forward, my wings rustling. “Your son abandoned them both. Sent money for an abortion and told Sammy never to contact him again. You want to discuss rights?”
Pain flickered across Virginia’s face, followed by shame.
“I didn’t know,” she said quietly. “Dennis never told me. I only learned a few months ago that there might be a child.”
My tail coiled tight against my leg. “So you hired an investigator. Tracked them down. And your first move is to threaten legal action.”
“I’m sixty-three years old.” Virginia’s mask cracked further.
“I was recently diagnosed with a heart condition. Nothing immediately life-threatening, but it made me realize I’m running out of time.
” She looked toward the stairs where Corey had disappeared.
“I want to know my grandchild before it’s too late.
Do you realize what it’s like to hear you might have a grandchild but not know if it’s a boy or a girl or if you’ll ever have the chance to meet them? ”
The grief in her voice sounded genuine, but that didn’t make her approach any more acceptable.
“Then you should’ve come here with respect,” I said. “Not threats. You want to be part of Corey’s life? Then you earn that right. You don’t force it through lawyers and intimidation.”
Sammy’s breathing had gone shallow beside me. I could feel her spiraling. I needed to get Virginia out of here before Sammy shattered completely.
The older woman stiffened. “I have every right to see my grandchild. Who are you to say I don’t? I don’t even know who you are.”
“This is Gavrel Budiere,” Sammy said, her jaw going tight. “He’s a friend, and that’s all you need to know.”
I wanted to rage but that wouldn’t do this situation any good.
Sammy pointed toward the front door. “You need to leave now. We’ll reach out after we’ve discussed this with a lawyer.
Then we’ll meet together, without Corey present.
Ground rules will be established. Any visitation will be supervised.
If you can agree to those terms, we’ll talk.
If not, you can pursue whatever legal action you think is appropriate. ”
I squeezed her hand, urging her on.
Virginia studied her face for a long moment.
“Very well.” She stood, smoothing her skirt. “Do not play games with me. I expect to hear from you soon.”
She pulled a business card from her purse and held it out toward Sammy, who waved for her to put it on the coffee table.
Virginia stalked out into the front entryway, and I followed.
At the door, she paused, looking back.
“I’m not the enemy,” she said. “I just want to know my grandson.”
She stepped outside, and I watched through the side panel as she walked to her car, a sleek sedan. I remained where I was until her taillights had disappeared down the driveway.
Only then did I return to Sammy, who sat frozen on the couch, staring at nothing.
“Sammy—”
“I need to check on Corey.” She stood, swaying. I reached out to steady her, but she pulled away. “I’ve got it.”
She climbed the stairs, and I followed at a distance, giving her space but determined not to let her face this alone.
Corey’s door stood open. He sat on his bed with a book in his lap, but he wasn’t reading. His eyes tracked to his mother the moment she appeared.
“Is everything okay, Mom?”
Sammy opened her mouth. Closed it. Tried again.
Nothing came out.
I stepped into the doorway. “Your mother needs a few minutes. May I come in?”
Corey nodded, setting the book aside.
I sat on the edge of his bed, my wings folded against my back. Corey immediately scooted closer.
“Who was that lady?” he asked.
I looked toward Sammy, who nodded, her lower lip trembling and tears gathering in her eyes.
“That was your grandmother,” I said. “Your father’s mother.”
His eyes went wide. “My dad’s mom?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean my dad wants to meet me?”
The hope in his voice made my chest ache.
“I don’t know what your father wants,” I said. “Your grandmother came because she wants to get to know you. But the adults need to figure out how that works.”
“Is she nice?”
I thought about Virginia’s threats, her trembling hands, and the grief in her voice.
“I think she’s complicated. Most people are.”
“Are you complicated?”
“Very.”
That made him smile.
“Is anybody going to take me away from Mom?” he asked
“No,” Sammy barked out. “I’m not letting that happen. I promise you that.”
“Will you stay, Gavrel?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Will you protect us?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He threw his arms around me, holding tight.
Sammy remained in the doorway, one hand pressed against her throat. Her eyes met mine for a brief moment before she turned and walked away.
The sad look on her face would haunt me.
Corey pulled back. “Can you help me with my homework? I have math problems.”
“Of course.”
We went downstairs and sat at the dining room table, working through addition problems while Sammy went to the kitchen and finished preparing dinner.
Corey chattered about his day with Jake while I checked his work. Normal, easy conversation that felt like the calm before a storm.
Dinner was a quiet affair, pasta with sauce and garlic bread. Sammy moved through the kitchen like a ghost, setting the table and dishing us up. Corey kept glancing between us, his usual enthusiasm dampened by tension he must be able to feel but didn’t understand.
“This is really good,” Corey said, twirling spaghetti on his fork.
“Thank you.” Sammy pushed food around her plate without eating.
After dinner, Corey went upstairs to shower. He played a bit in his room while I took care of some things outside.
By the time I returned, it was getting dark, and Corey was waiting. He asked me to read him a bedtime story. I glanced at Sammy sitting in the living room, staring at her hands. I waited for her to protest, to claim this piece of their routine.
She looked up and nodded my way.
Upstairs, Corey picked out three books. Then four. Each time I finished one, he asked for another.
“Your mother said bedtime is eight-thirty,” I said.
“I’m not tired yet.”
“That’s what you said twenty minutes ago.”
He grinned. I held firm, though it took effort.
“You make things better,” Corey said as I tucked him in. “I feel safe with you here.”
My throat closed up. “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight, Gavrel.”
I pulled his door mostly closed and stood in the hallway, listening to him settle.
Sammy’s door was shut, a thin line of light visible underneath.
I could give her space to think, but my mate instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Crossing the hall, I knocked. “Sammy? May I come in?”
Silence stretched so long I thought she wouldn’t answer.
“It’s open,” she finally said.
She sat on the edge of her bed, still fully dressed. Red rimmed her eyes, and she held wadded tissues in one hand. She stared at the wall, barely acknowledging my entrance.
I closed the door and crossed to the bed, sitting beside her, though keeping distance between us.
“Do you want to talk?” I asked.
“She’s going to take him from me.” Her voice came out thick with tears.
“She has money. Lawyers. Everything I don’t.
A judge will look at us and see exactly what I am, a struggling single mom who can barely make rent some months.
Corey deserves better than hand-me-down clothes and stretching groceries to last the week. ”
“Sammy—”
“You’re so good with him.” She twisted the tissues in her hands. “Better than me. You know how to answer his questions and make him laugh. You’re patient when I’m tired and snapping at him to hurry up.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.” She didn’t look up at me. “Everyone will realize I’m not enough. That I never was.”
Her body curled smaller with each word, like she was trying to disappear.