Chapter Two #2
He knew about this woman, and the stories…they were terrifying. It wasn’t like she was just some woman off the street. This was Elizabeth Blackhawk, and she was notorious for a few reasons.
Notoriously strong.
Notoriously badass.
Notoriously chilly.
But here she was, hugging him, and immediately, he fell in love.
“Hey, Mom,” he said, that Scottish accent in his voice. When he was nervous, or angry, it came out, and he wasn’t the latter in this case.
Without hesitating, she kissed him on the cheek.
“Oh, Michael, your husband is so very handsome. You have the most beautiful green eyes, Graham. I am so glad I finally get to meet you in person. I already love you.”
And his heart hitched.
Those words…
Graham hadn’t heard them in a damn long time. When he came out at eighteen, his parents stopped loving him.
Hell.
He stopped loving him. If they couldn’t find value in him, how could he? But now, here was this woman, and she had given him all of that back with a simple four words.
He already loved her too.
Immediately, his heart felt less heavy, and the last part of it was open again.
He had a mom.
FINALLY.
At her genuineness, the ice was broken between them, and around his heart.
“And I know where my lad gets his good looks,” he said, knowing that wasn’t possible, but who cared.
She laughed.
“Oh, the flattery. Be careful. I’ll never leave if you keep it up,” she teased.
Michael headed their way, and he dropped his arm over his husband’s shoulders. He knew this was a defining moment for Graham. All day, since getting the call from Gene, he’d been anxious. More than a few times, he asked him one thing, and one thing only.
What if she didn’t like him?
And each time, he told him that wasn’t possible, but it took this moment for Graham to see that he’d not been exaggerating.
Elizabeth was pure love once you were let into her world.
“I love his eyes,” he said.
But she didn’t miss a beat. Elizabeth being Elizabeth called him out on his bullshit.
“Oh, I’m sure that’s your favorite part of him,” she teased. “I know you so well.”
That was all she had to say.
Graham laughed.
“No comment. He’s a pervert, but I wouldn’t have him any other way.”
She smiled.
“He also gets that from me,” she added. “He is his mother’s child.”
Graham immediately wanted to make her comfortable. Michael had told him how rough it had been, and she looked worn down and put away wet.
There was no doubt she’d had a trying journey to not only survive chasing a killer, but getting here.
“Mom, how about a nice bit of tea, and then we can eat dinner or would you prefer a tour?” he asked. “Because food can always wait.”
She stopped him.
“I’m actually starving and could eat a whole cow. That isn’t an exaggeration, either. I have a tapeworm. His name is Fred,” she joked.
Ivan had said that about her, and he’d even named it. For all she knew, it was true. She had the ability to go hours without food, or to take down a massive amount of it when need be. Fueling up was an Olympic sport for her.
“Well, Mom, sit at the island, and let me get you fixed up for some food. Michael likes a beef roast, so that’s what I’ve made. I hope that suits you.”
She smiled and sat at the island.
“As I was telling Michael, as long as I didn’t pet it prior, I’m good with it.”
Well, he felt the same.
“Make our mom some tea,” Graham directed his husband. “Then, we’ll eat. She looks a might bit chilly.”
Elizabeth looked around as Michael did just that. The place was so nice, and she could see Callen and Chris in it. Both had good taste.
“Is the place filthy with mice?” she asked, testing to see if the lights flickered. “Or ghosts?”
As she said it, nothing happened.
Elizabeth would be lying if she said she hadn’t been holding her breath the whole time.
Just.
In.
Case.
Graham laughed because he knew what she was doing.
“It’s been quiet here,” he said. “Nothing has been going bump in the night.”
Well, that was good.
Honestly, that was what she needed.
As Micael handed her some tea, she took it in her chilly hands.
“Well, thank God. I’m past one minor inconvenience putting me in the looney bin. This can’t be the asylum, or I’m breaking out of it.”
They knew she’d been through a lot.
As Graham carved up the roast, Michael threw some wood on the fire. The whole room was cozy, and they only hoped it would bring her peace.
“We can eat in here, or the dining room,” Graham offered, willing to let her choose.
Without hesitation, she patted the island.
“I’m a simple woman, Graham. I’ll eat in a closet. Mostly, that’s to hide from my kids as I try to eat the last piece of candy.”
She said it with emotion in her voice.
Graham caught it.
“You miss them, huh?” he asked, as he scooped mashed potatoes and vegetables onto a plate for Elizabeth.
She nodded.
“Yeah, I’m coming to grips with making the choice to take some time away from everyone. I won’t lie. It wasn’t an easy one to make.”
Michael sat beside her.
“It’s a good plan, Mom. I meant what I said. They will live. Again, they’re in Fiji. It’s not like they’re at a slave labor camp digging in the mines. They’re in a private mansion with their own beach. They aren’t worried about you taking some time for yourself.”
She hoped he was right. A part of her wanted to go pick them up herself, but she knew she was in no way able to carry more load.
Not right now.
“My sons should be in the mines. They have too much of me in them, and their fathers. They are trouble on a good day. I can’t wait until they get a load of this place. They’re not going to know what to do with it.”
“Probably scale it,” Michael said. “It’s a good thing Muriel likes rock climbing.”
She snorted.
Yeah, no one doubted that.
When the Blackhawk boys, and Elizabeth LaRue made a child, the genetics were wild. Not only did they get the good looks, but they got the wild behavior.
Plus, literally climbing the walls was their most favorite pastime.
If they could climb it, or swing from it, they were doing it.
When her plate was ready, Graham handed it to her, and went to work on theirs.
“Dig in. We’re not formal,” Graham stated. “You have to be hungry.”
Oh, she was.
“Thank God because my last meal was pancakes, and before that, I think I only ate a burger and some coffee. It’s vague. When I’m working, I’m not thinking about food. I’m thinking about not getting killed.”
Graham paused to look at her.
That’s when Michael shared.
“She’s not exaggerating. People are always trying to kill her,” he said. “Dodging bullets is a regular thing in her world.”
Jesus.
He was never gladder that his husband had retired. Still, he felt horrible that was her life. As a soldier, he understood what that felt like, and it wasn’t easy being on edge twenty-four-seven. It wore a person down.
Instead of commenting, Graham passed a plate to his husband, and made his own. Then, they all sat there, and ate. Graham put a chair facing her on the side of the island, so he could face her.
“I made plenty,” he stated. “So, eat as much as you want. My husband likes leftovers,” he said. “We tend to cook lots for that reason.”
Oh, her too.
She loved some cold food in the middle of the night as a late-night snack.
From beside her, Michael watched her inhale the food. That told him all he needed to know. She hadn’t been exaggerating one bit. He recalled from protection duty that she’d run on coffee and sarcasm while making sure security had access to food.
She was a mom to her core.
“Someone lost some weight,” Michael said. “Oh, and that someone isn’t us.”
She snorted.
“I mean, it wasn’t intentional,” she admitted. “Been a little busy, Son. You know how it is.”
That seemed to say it all to Michael, but not his husband. He was in new territory here. So, he took a chance.
After all, Graham was curious.
“I’m going to need some help,” he said.
She chewed and lifted her eyebrow in question.
“Regarding?”
He was honest.
“My parents disowned me when they found out I’m gay. So, I don’t know a lot about being in a family. I’m not sure what questions I can ask, and what I can’t about your life. So can you set some parameters for me?”
Spoken like a soldier.
She put her fork down.
“I’m an open book to my family, Graham. You don’t have to sensor yourself thinking I’ll ‘disown’ you if you ask a question I don’t feel like answering. Once you’re part of this family, you’re stuck. No one gets free.”
Michael snorted.
“Truer words had never been said. Once a Blackhawk, always a Blackhawk. It’s a blessing and a trap all at once. Trust and believe.”
For him, that sounded like a big blessing.
Well, here went everything.
“So, the case was bad?” he asked. “You lost people?”
She nodded.
It didn’t surprise her that he was curious. She knew Michael was too. It was only a matter of time before they started digging.
She’d evaded outside, but...that was clearly over.
Most people were curious when it came to her job. So, she’d get it off her chest so she could put it behind her.
“Yeah, it was bad. Jet died, Vivian my secretary, and Uriel’s girlfriend, plus her father, did too. Add to that a mentally handicapped groundskeeper, a nun, and two hookers. It was a free-for-all.”
He whistled.
Elizabeth wasn’t done.
“He tried to break me by digging up my deceased parents and leaving them for me in a church.”
His eyes were huge.
“That’s horrible.”
Yeah, it was.
“That’s my life. Horrible, and me go way back,” she said. “It’s the same bedfellows as travesty, nightmare, and atrocity. In my world, the worst tends to rear its ugly head with evil riding its back.”
He could see that.
“We don’t know how many people he and his father killed before that. So, it’s anyone’s guess. He was prone to killing off anyone he used to help him commit his sins. The laundry list of victims is VERY long. He and his father were killing for close to thirty years, if not more.”
She ate more beef, and it was getting difficult to swallow as the emotion was welling up in her chest.
Graham went there.
“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met,” he said. “That you stand for the dead…”
She was honest.