Chapter Two #3
“It’s a curse most of the time. I carry them each step of the way. It’s like that scene in the Christmas movie when the man’s long-dead partner comes back with that long chain of sins. Each person who dies is put on my chain. I’m tired of carrying it.”
Michael was sure she was.
“I don’t know why I was cursed to do it, but here I am,” she said, laughing sardonically.
“Deep in the pit with the shit falling in. Up to this case, I was able to stay ahead of it. Now, not so much. Something had to give, and it was me. Watching Jet die, getting shot in the head in front of me, and then seeing that Russian spy about ready to murder Winn and Caspian was a bridge too far for me.”
When her voice hitched, both men put their hands on her arms.
Graham was to the point.
“Talking about it helps. Michael taught me that. He said he learned it from you.”
She sighed.
“I’m annoying on a good day, clearly.”
The once-bodyguard laughed.
“Oh, so now, you see it. It’s terrible to have someone love you so much they are up in your business. How ever will we all survive being loved so much?”
She was amused.
“Apparently, I owe you an apology, Graham.”
He looked surprised.
“You do?” he asked.
She nodded.
“He gets his sass and sarcasm from me too. I’m annoying, apparently.”
They all laughed, and in that moment, her heart felt a little lighter. Was she still carrying the burden?
Yeah.
Only, having two of her sons with her helped. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t love being with any of her children, but they were still young. How was she supposed to talk it out with EJ and CJ when they were just starting to get to the age where pimples and girls were a thing?
She couldn’t.
Together, they continued to eat, and when they were done, Graham and Michael cleared, not letting her help. While she wasn’t a guest, she looked ready to drop.
“How about you show Mom around, and I’ll make some cookies?” he asked. “I hear someone likes them.”
She was the someone in that scenario.
“I haven’t had a homemade cookie in a while. Wyler’s been away.”
Graham glanced over at his husband for the cues. He wasn’t familiar with the whole family. There were a shit ton of kids, and people.
Michael shared.
“Wyler is Callen and Ethan’s father, and Chris and Elizabeth’s father-in-law. He’s the one with cancer again.”
Oh, that sucked.
Elizabeth was fighting that front too?
Damn.
The universe was really piling on her, now wasn’t it? That made him want to help anyway he could. If feeding her did that, he was all about it.
Now, he was curious.
“What kind of cookie do you like?”
Oh, she didn’t hesitate.
“I’m a chocolate chip girl. I’m simple, and I like a basic cookie. Then again, there’s not many cookies I’ll turn away. Again, fuel.”
Graham had his mission.
“Go tour. I’ll bake.”
That worked for Michael. He still had to show her the rooms, but there was also the one thing he was dreading.
The painting.
It was the big, pink elephant in the room. Well, the massive entryway to the castle. They’d hung it over the fireplace because…well, this had been Ceit’s home too.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure how she’d take it. They’d not told anyone about it, simply because at the time, the family had been fighting for their lives.
Now, the truth was about to come out.
Ceit looked a lot like Elizabeth, or was that the other way around?
“Thank you for dinner, Graham. Tomorrow, I’ll cook,” she said. “I haven’t been able to do that in a very long time.”
He grinned.
“Mom, if you think I’m saying no to a homemade dinner…”
She winked at him.
Yeah, she liked the man for her son. He was a sweet guy, and he wasn’t afraid to ask questions. That to her was better than pretending it wasn’t in the room with them. There was no point sugarcoating shit.
It was best to just be yourself.
Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she thanked him for dinner.
“It was beyond delicious. Thank you for feeding me. Even more, thank you for feeding my soul. I love you.”
Once more, his heart hitched.
“I love you too, Mom.”
With love, and adoration, she patted his cheek, and linked her arm through Michael’s.
“Show me what I’m dealing with,” she said. “May God have mercy on my soul. I have a ballroom.”
That made him laugh, because he knew why. She also had a dead gold-baron’s mansion, and that place was haunted more so than this place.
That said a lot.
You hadn’t lived until you were doing patrol and heard a waltz playing in the ballroom there.
Somehow, it was scarier than this place.
As they headed out, Michael held her hand and gave her the tour.
“This is the ballroom, and we’ll get it over with,” he said, opening the door to the chaos inside. It was torn apart, and a huge room.
“What the hell are we going to do with another ballroom?” she asked, laughing. “Dance? Now, somehow, I have two. I don’t often find myself feeling the mood to waltz around the room.”
Michael had a logical answer for her. They’d rehearsed this, so that she wouldn’t freak out when she saw the place.
It was definitely a lot.
“Here’s where the wedding will take place. When we start renting this place out, we’re going to host weddings, parties, etc. We’ll need a venue spot that’s not close to the main family quarters.”
If he said so. Again, this was none of her business. If Chris and Callen were doing this, that was exclusive of her life. She’d gifted them her portion of ownership for a reason.
“What do I know about running a castle or bed and breakfast?” she asked. “Better you than me, Michael. This is out of my league.”
He reassured her.
“I love it. This was unexpected, but now that I’m here, it gives me purpose. Not being with my family is tough,” he admitted. “Thus, the goats.”
She got it.
She was in that same position.
“I’m glad you have it to keep you steady,” she said. “I do have to say that it’s a gorgeous place. Callen and Chris really picked out nice things.”
Michael knew who had been behind every single thing that went into that castle.
“It was all Graham. He picked out the things for them. Callen and Chris gave him carte blanche and a big budget. Most of the things here are antiques and mean something to the people in town. That was important too. Ravensmire is their legacy and heritage.”
That it was.
“Well, it’s homey. How many fireplaces are in this joint? They are massive.”
He did a mental count.
“There are twenty bedrooms in the family section, and another fifteen in the guest section, and each has one, plus the kitchen, ballroom, dining room, library…”
She stopped him.
“A lot would have been sufficient.”
He snorted.
“A REAL LOT.”
Yeah, she was seeing that. Then again, this place was from hundreds of years ago. They’d need those fireplaces. She was just grateful they had bathrooms at this point.
“What’s next on the tour?” she asked.
Not far away, Michael led her to an office that had been renovated recently. It was near the library, and where Callen or Chris could work. Currently, it was where Graham paid the bills, and did the bookkeeping to keep the place going.
Even when they’d been soldiers together, sharing that small apartment, Graham had been the one who managed their bills. That was more his thing.
Michael was more into the physical.
Like chopping the wood.
Like shoveling snow.
He liked a workout and not the mental kind. Math wasn’t his friend.
“This was designed for the men in case they had to work here, but Graham uses it.”
She stopped him.
“Graham and you own half of this monstrosity. I hope there’s a room you have that you both decided on.”
Oh, his mom was sweet.
“We like our bedroom.”
She snorted.
“I raised you well,” she joked. “You have your priorities straight.”
She gave him a fist bump.
“But since I don’t have a husband laying around, I’m on celibacy island. I’m not quite sure I like that kind of an island, either.”
Michael kissed her on the top of the head.
“You can pet the goats.”
She snorted.
“Yeah, I was the goat being pet at one point,” she joked back.
“Doesn’t Gene call you kitten?” he teased.
That made her laugh.
“I’m not telling you yentas if I have sex with Gene. You can forget about that.”
He sighed.
“And here they paid me to get it out of you. I guess it’s refunds and apologies all around since you don’t trust me enough to share that itty, bitty detail.”
She stared at him.
“You do!” he said. “I know that look! You’re a whore!”
She just laughed.
“Oh, I’m winning this bet. It’s all my money with those bitches,” he said, making her laugh even more. “They said he wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot dick, and you were just messing with him, but your silence says it all! You got the gay man to touch you!”
Well, someone had made some money.
Instead of saying anything, because again, they weren’t talking about her sex life, she walked around the office, it was very old school. The tech…it wasn’t there.
Maybe that was for the best.
Who wanted to live in this century when clearly, the one where this castle was built was available? Minus the plague, and death, it was nice to have silence.
“I like it. Ethan will too.”
The way she said it…he heard it in her voice.
“You miss him?”
Elizabeth did, but for a bigger reason.
“We didn’t part well. We had a fight, this case interfered, and words were said.”
Michael listened as she touched the mahogany desk and walked around the room.
“He said he lost faith in me, and that…it hurt. I feel like there’s a wall between us, and coming here probably hurt him too. I’m sure he’s blaming himself.”
Michael was worried.
“Are you and Dad going to be okay? Because we don’t want to play ‘who gets custody of the grown kids’.”
She shrugged.
Oh, and that said it all.
Now, Michael was even more twitchy.
“I mean, yeah, we will be, but it still breaks a piece of the foundation away, Michael. I’m hoping when I go home, he’ll forgive me for just walking away for myself. I told them I was tired of carrying everyone. Now, I can see how that might be taken.”
He hugged her.