She tugs my hand and walks me straight past Dad to the kitchen. And that’s not good, either. My parents barely pass one another without touching. She didn’t even spare him a glance.
“What’s going on with you two?” I whisper once we’re in the kitchen.
Shit. The kitchen has dirty dishes in the sink and toast crumbs on the counter. The floor could use a sweep, too. My mother is a neat freak. This is not normal.
“What happened in here?” I ask.
Her face falls even further. “He’s dealing with some stuff. I’m letting him do that.”
“And what about you?” I gesture, giving her a once over.
She looks down at her disheveled self and shrugs. “I’m having some me-time, I guess.”
“Ho boy,” I mutter.
Mom fills the kettle and says, “Kathleen covered Cicely and Jared’s dietary needs for their honeymooning time. Guess I better clean up in here and get some groceries in for you and Jase, huh? Maybe I’ll call Val. But first, talk to me. Why did you come home without waiting for him?”
“What have you heard?” I ask, sitting down while Mom gets out the teacups and the teabags.
“We heard from Erica that that other coven abducted you two but that you were both safe, that Dani was on the way to help. We heard Jase identified you as his mate, but that he was under a magic protection shield and Dani would work to get him released. We were also told you two had a tiff and you were on your way home without him. Why didn’t you wait for him? Was the argument that bad?”
“I…” I burst into tears and immediately, Mom has her arms around me.
“Everything all right?” Dad asks.
I continue to sob into Mom’s clothes.
“You’ve wanted this for years, why are you so unhappy?” she asks. “What happened?”
I shake my head and wipe my eyes. “I wanted him to pick me. I wanted him to see me. Not just catch a whiff of something Fate tells him means he should want me. Does that make sense?”
“Not really,” Dad says at the exact same time as Mom says, “It makes perfect sense.”
And something unspoken is exchanged between them.
“What the heck is going on with you two?” I ask.
“I still smell like her,” Mom says with sadness.
Dad’s eyes narrow on Mom like she spoke out of turn.
“She can tell something’s wrong,” Mom defends, looking aggravated. “No point skirting it.”
Dad sighs and grabs the back of his neck, looking frustrated, looking tired.
“You still smell like her?” I repeat.
“Like his ex, yes. Soleil. He can’t stomach being too close to me.”
Dad says, “That wretched witch did it on purpose, believe me. If she wasn’t already dead, I’d wring her fuckin’ neck. Forget that for now.”
“Did you ask the coven for help?” I ask.
“Greyson is looking into it,” Mom says softly.
“Forget it for now,” Dad repeats aggressively. “What’s the story with you and Jase?”
“Dani was working on releasing him when I left. I needed space. I needed… to get my mind around some stuff.”