Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
He burst into his insect form and hightailed it out of the kitchen.
“I think maybe we should stay at the other house tonight,” I murmured to Austin. “I need a break from the madness.”
“Maybe the sitting room would be a better place for us to talk,” Mimi said, quickly leading the way.
“I should stay here, Mom, right?” Jimmy asked. “Not go to the sitting room with you?”
“Yeah, why don’t you? Then we’ll figure out what we want to do today.”
Once seated in a seldom-used room—Ivy House had far too many sitting rooms that we hadn’t converted to better use yet—Aurora started to speak.
“First, I want to apologize for putting you all in a tough position. When I came out here, I figured I could use it as a bargaining tool. Say, if my dad kept pushing for me to come home, I could ask him to make a compromise to give me something I wanted. Like a small pack not too far away from home to take over, or something like that. But now, after being here for a while… Honestly, Uncle Auzzie, I don’t want to leave. I love it here. I love the pack’s edginess and the high-pressure feel of everything. I love your wilder style of leadership and the camaraderie of the people who work under you, even the gargoyles and the basajaunak. The challenges are harder here and the ladder is so much higher, what with your beta being an alpha in his own right. I won’t ever run out of runway in this pack like I mostly have with my dad’s. I just… I don’t want to leave.”
She paused, and silence rang around us. It felt awkward to not immediately reassure her that she was lovely to have around, I enjoyed it when she came for dinner, and I hoped we could figure it out. But the situation wasn’t mine to solve, so I held my breath.
Then I realized why no one else had spoken. It was because Aurora hadn’t finished. Her body language was incredibly subtle.
“I already told you that Dad has now cut me off from the family fortune. And while that would hinder me if I were trying for a placement as alpha, it doesn’t matter to me in my current position.”
“You told him you wouldn’t relent?” Mimi asked.
“Yes. I assume he’ll appeal to you next, Uncle Auzzie. So I’ve come for two reasons. The first is to plead with you to treat me solely as pack in business matters, not as your niece. You won’t interfere with my challenges, you won’t pay me a penny more than what is due, and you won’t force me out so that I have no choice but to go home. I’m asking you to tell my dad that you have no power or control over my personal life.”
“Done,” Austin said immediately. “This territory has always been a safe haven for people.”
Her smile was slight but her eyes glittered. “I love that about this place. I love that everyone feels welcome regardless of who or what they are. Even the Dicks and Janes.”
“And the second thing?” Austin asked.
“The second is personal. Even though it would be easier for you if I just went my own way…” She shrugged. “I love having you back in my life. I love your choice of mate”—she nodded to me—“and the feel of your home. I humbly request to still do family stuff, like meet for holidays and dinners and things.”
“Of course we’ll still include you in family things!” I said without thinking. Then I pressed on because I had every intention of being stubborn about this. “You’re always welcome at our house, Aurora. And I don’t know if Austin extended the invite, but you’re welcome to come to Los Angeles with us for Christmas. You’ll have to deal with my parents, who are…eccentric, and my ex’s mom, who is the worst, but there’ll be presents and clam dip and whatever else.”
Her nose crinkled. “Clam dip?”
“It’s actually not bad,” Austin said with a chuckle. “I was going to say, Jess would never allow you to be excluded from the family, even if I would.”
“She won’t even exclude that vampire,” Mimi grumbled.
“Uncle Auzzie did extend the invite, yes,” Aurora said, smiling a little. “Thank you. I’d love to come. I’ve never been to L.A.”
“I’m going too,” Mimi told Aurora. “Though I can’t for the life of me understand why you would willingly attend a party with an ex.”
“It’s…” I leaned back. “It’s complicated. We divorced a little over a year ago, and the idea was to provide a unified front for our son, Jimmy. The guy at the kitchen counter?”
“Mr. Tom introduced us,” Aurora said with a nod.
“Our combined families usually got together the day after Christmas. This year he’d planned on having Jimmy stay with him and mentioned that it would be nice for our son if we could stick to that tradition. So I said fine. He also invited me over for dinner to meet his new fiancée.”