by Jorja Lovett
“I bought the Henstridge place as an investment. Unless you want to end up in jail for the damage you’ve almost certainly caused to Mr Jackson’s property, you will sign it back to me.” His father took the last word on the subject as Robbie hung his head in defeat.
* * * *
Mia sat in stunned silence with Caleb and the rest of the family for a long time after the Carsons’ departure. She waited for them to digest the night’s information and steeled herself for whatever reaction it would solicit.
Rory spoke first, but on a professional rather than a personal basis. “Do you want to press charges, Caleb?”
Caleb shook his head. He probably didn’t want any further ties to Robbie. “All I want is peace to get my home restored.”
His home. My home. Our home.
“He should pay for the damage, at least.” Her father’s suggestion brought mumbled agreement from everyone.
The clock on the mantelpiece ticked through another lull of silence.
Mia took up the challenge. “Are we actually going to discuss the fact that I am with Caleb? That I’m moving in with him?”
“What’s to discuss? You two are together. Go be happy.” Trust Rory to make it sound all so simple.
“Mum?” She went straight to the source of her main worry. Her mother would never be his number one fan and she wouldn’t be surprised if she blamed him for tarnishing Robbie’s halo too.
“Do you love him, Mia?” She got straight to the point, never minding that Caleb was within hearing distance.
“Yes. I love him.” Mia reached out to rest a hand on his knee, declaring it loud and clear.
Her mother gave a resigned sigh. Preferable to the tears and dramatics she’d grown used to. “I guess I’m not much of a judge of character, going by the choice I made for you.”
Mia’s heart hammered, threatening to burst through her ribs. She was putting everything on the line here—her family, her security, her heart—all for Caleb. But he was worth it. Nothing frightened her as much as the thought of losing him. They belonged together. They both knew it, even if they’d been too stubborn to admit it up until now.
“And you love Mia?” Her mother asked Caleb the question Mia feared the answer to most. ‘No’ meant a broken heart. ‘Yes’ meant a giant leap into the unknown. Either way her life would change forever.
“Mr and Mrs Blake, I love your daughter with all my heart. Even though she kinda sprung it on me too, I’d love nothing more than to have her move in with me. When the place is habitable, of course.” Caleb placed his hand on hers and jump-started her breathing, which she’d forgotten to do since he’d started to speak. It didn’t matter that the first time he’d said he loved her had been in front of her family, at least she now knew for sure.
“So, we’ll have our little girl for a while longer at least.” The shine of tears in her father’s eyes startled her. In contrast to her mother, he didn’t normally share his feelings so openly.
“It’s not like I’m emigrating abroad or anything. I’m only moving up the road.” Mia swallowed the lump in her throat, unprepared for this level of emotion. Yes, she’d expected drama, but this almost silent acceptance was both a surprise and a relief. She couldn’t help but wonder if Rory had cleared the way beforehand.
“We know. But over these last years you’ve been so lost drifting from one dead-end job to another with no clear goal. Now you seem to know exactly what you want. It’s almost as though you don’t need us anymore.” Even her mother now shed a tear, and not in that guilt-trip way she usually employed. Mia knew they were a genuine display of her fears.
“I will always need you. Just in a different way.” She was already looking forward to her new life and finding her way in the world with Caleb by her side.
“If you hurt her, I’ll use your hide as a foot warmer.” Her father let his wolf warn Caleb, his eyes glowing and his claws tapping the arm of his chair. A serious display of alpha male. The Blakes didn’t shift in front of anyone.
“He knows the score. I’ve already threatened him with dismemberment.” Rory joined forces to try to end their relationship before it had begun.
“Hey! What’s with the chest-beating, people? He said he loves me. What more do you want?” There was nothing to spoil a precious moment better than your father and brother snarling like a pack of wild dogs.
“Don’t worry. You have my permission to kick my arse if I ever step out of line.” Caleb took their threats in his stride, allowing Mia to unclench her fists.
“Does that go for me too?” Now that the law was laid down, she joined in the banter.
“You, sweetheart, have permission to do anything you want to my arse.” Caleb wiggled an eyebrow in his dastardly villain manner, leaving her family recoiling.
“Oh, now that’s too much information.”
“You’ve overstepped the line there, Caleb.”
“There are some things better kept private.”
It broke the ice to send them all into delicious echoes of laughter. Although he would always be rough around the edges, she knew her family would soon accept him as one of their own.
* * * *
“I think that went better than expected.” Caleb held Mia in his arms, out on the porch of her family home.
“I particularly liked the bit where you said you loved me.” She snuggled into his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.
“Really? I preferred the part when Robbie’s mother slapped him around the head and he cried like a girl.”
She slapped his chest. “Take that back.”
“Okay. Okay. Him calling me a ‘fucking moron’ was pretty special too.”
Her fingers found his nipple, rigid in the cold air, and tweaked it.
“Ouch! I’m only joking.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her hard until she forgave him. “I love you, and I love that you love me. Okay?”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to have to give you that arse kicking so soon.” She reached around to squeeze his tight butt cheeks.
“As much as I want you right here, right now, I think that might be pushing my luck with your parents.” He nuzzled into her hair and trailed his hands down her spine and over her backside.
“We could always make a run for it.” Mia let go of his peachy arse and started to unzip her little black dress.
“I like your thinking.” Caleb followed her down the steps, unbuttoning his jeans and toeing off his boots.
In the silver ribbons of moonlight, the dark silhouettes of two wolves streaked across the Irish countryside nipping at each other’s heels. Neither one straying too far from the other, they ran towards their future, together.
Epilogue
“Sorry I’m late. It’s been one of those days.” Naomi bustled through the front door, shaking water from her umbrella over the floor.
“No worries. I know you’re not about to flee the country without her.” Mia led her through to the playroom where Emily was studiously colouring at the table. The last of her charges to leave before she could lock up for the night.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
“Mummy!” Emily jumped up and came charging towards them. Mia dodged out of the way as Emily ran full pelt into Naomi’s arms.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that I can pick her up and be home again in five minutes. Have I told you how much I love you, even though you left me one brilliant barmaid down?” Naomi thanked her for the hundredth time as she wiggled Emily into her coat.
Mia smiled. “Yes, you have. Every night when you collect her.”
She had Naomi and her daughter to thank for putting her on this path in the first place. The time she’d spent with Emily had started her interest in doing the childcare course, and now here she was with her own fully staffed crèche right in the middle of the village. Mr Carson, of course, also contributed to the success of The Cub Club. His guilt over his son’s actions made sure she received a generous discount on the rent.
“
Well, you’re a lifesaver. Now, I hope Caleb is picking you up so you can go home and put your feet up.” Naomi slipped back into her bossy role even though Mia hadn’t worked for her in over a year.
“He’ll be here soon, but no early night for me, I’m afraid. In case you’ve forgotten, he’s playing at The Dog tonight.” No matter how uncomfortable she felt right now, she wouldn’t miss one of his gigs for the world.
Naomi buttoned herself up to face the stormy night. “You look after yourself and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mia waved them off at the door, just as Caleb drove up to meet her. It still made her laugh that he’d swapped his bad boy bike for the practical SUV. “Are you two ready to roll?” He planted a kiss on her lips, and one on her swollen belly.
“Give me five minutes to lock up.” She went around, closing doors and switching off the lights. Caleb picked up the crayons and paper lying on the carpet, knowing full well that she could no longer bend down to pick them up.
“I wish you would make an appearance soon, so I can see my feet again,” she said out loud to her bump.
Caleb smoothed his hands over her round belly and added his request to see Junior. “We can’t wait to meet you, little one.”
Mia pulled him into a hug, touched by his support throughout the whole pregnancy. They hadn’t planned for it to happen when they had just been getting on their feet. The crèche was still a new business and the money Caleb made from renting his land to nearby farmers wasn’t a fortune, but they were both excited about welcoming this new life they’d created.
“Do you think I’ll make a good dad?” he’d asked Mia once they’d stopped dancing around the room waving the pregnancy test. The question was inevitable given his relationship with his own father, but she knew him better than he knew himself.
“You’ll be a fantastic father.” The months since she’d moved in with him had been the happiest of her life. She didn’t even have to look at Robbie’s smarmy face now that his father had packed him off to their Dublin branch of the company in disgrace. Having Caleb’s baby was the thick sweet icing on the perfect cake.
“I love you, Mia.” Caleb brought her back to the present as his lips caressed hers in a kiss every bit as passionate as their first.
“I love you too.” He still made her breathless with his every touch.
Caleb ran his fingers through his already messy blond locks and she could tell he had something on his mind. “I was going to do this at the pub, but it seems right to do it here. Alone.”
“Do what?” A shooting pain caught her unawares and temporarily distracted her from Caleb’s strange behaviour. She just wanted him to get a move on so she could sit down by the fire in the pub.
He knelt down, and stood up again. What the hell? Another pain ripped through her, making her wince.
“I’m not sure how to do this, Mia.”
“Well, could you hurry up? Pregnant woman standing here.” A strange tugging sensation in her abdomen zapped the last of her patience.
“Will you marry me?”
A flood gushed between her legs and soaked the floor. “Oh, shit!”
Caleb stopped fumbling in his pocket long enough to give her the puppy eyes. “Oh shit, no? Or, oh shit, yes?”
“I mean, oh shit, my waters have broken. Can you ask me again when I’m less preoccupied?” The romance of the moment was definitely lost in the puddle at her feet.
He looked at her sodden shoes and froze.
“Er, earth to Caleb. We need to move. Like now!”
“Right. Right.” He took her arm as she waddled to the front door, and helped her out into the front seat of the car.
“Do you think you could lock the place up for me?” She pointed out the front door lying wide open. And I thought I would be the basket case when this time came.
* * * *
Caleb thought his heart would burst with pride as he stood in the delivery room looking at the two women in his life. He cradled baby Sophie in his arms, so smitten that he no longer noticed the pain where Mia had crushed his fingers during the birth. “She’s beautiful, like her mother.”
“Her father’s not so bad either.” Mia reached out from the bed, looking for her cuddle, and he gingerly handed over his precious bundle.
He would never have believed that he could have all this. That he could be a family man and enjoy the contentment of a stable home. There was just one thing missing.
“You didn’t answer my question earlier.”
Mia tore her eyes away from her mini-me and looked at him with the same love-filled gaze. “Maybe you should ask it again. I promise to listen this time.”
“Is it safe to get down on one knee now?”
“Yeah. The flood warning has passed now.” Her smile made him fall in love with her all over again.
He pulled his chair over to the bed where Mia lay with their daughter in her arms, the picture of his happiness. “Mia Blake, will you make me the happiest wolf in the hills and marry me?” He produced the diamond solitaire ring he’d misplaced earlier in all the excitement.
“As long as you don’t expect me to do any of that obeying crap, yes, I will marry you, Caleb Jackson.”
He slid the ring onto her finger, certain that his life was only just beginning.
Coming Soon from Total-E-Bound Publishing:
The Huntress Chronicles: A Demon in Dallas
Amy Armstrong
Released 27th May 2013
Excerpt
Chapter One
“I can’t see a freaking thing down here, it’s too dark,” Matt whined.
Hands clenched into fists, I glared at him, my jaw tense. “If you don’t stop whining, I’ll leave you down here to find your own way out.”
Matt shut up. The trip to Texas had been his idea, and only two days after arriving, he had me combing the sewers, knee deep in God only knows what. As we headed farther into the labyrinth of tunnels, my already sour mood worsened. Why had I agreed to this? I should have known better.
After a few more minutes of walking on in the worst kind of uncomfortable silence, Matt mumbled, “I was sure he came this way.”
He might have missed the glare I tossed in his direction, but I’d be surprised if he couldn’t feel my gaze burning a hole in the back of his head. I’d never have admitted it to Matt, but I was angrier at myself than I was with him. Yet again, I had let him talk me into one of his idiotic plans. Apparently, my stupidity knows no boundaries.
It wasn’t as if we didn’t have enough work to keep us busy in Maine, and you didn’t melt in Maine when you stepped out into the midday sun. That was always a bonus. But no, the idea of a nest of vampires that were getting too big for their cowboy boots had seduced me. It was always the damn vampires that did it. I felt drawn to them like a wolf to the moon—which made sense in its own perverse way. I was a hunter, after all. The need to exterminate the vermin was in my blood, embedded in my DNA.
Matt stayed by my side as we traversed the intricate network of tunnels. He didn’t have the sense of direction that I had been born with, so we had to stick together. If we split up, Matt would be sure to get lost and the last thing I wanted was to have to spend more time in the damn sewer than I needed to.
Placing a hand around my upper arm, Matt pulled me to a stop. He was about my height, if marginally broader, so when I turned we were standing face to face and close enough that I could see his remorseful expression. He let out a long sigh.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. You were right. We should have stayed in Maine.”
His repentant tone dispelled most of the anger I had been holding onto. There was a reason I hadn’t wanted to come back to Austin, but Matt didn’t know about that. As far as he was aware, I’d walked out on that part of my life two years ago and I hadn’t looked back. I was good at hiding my feelings, even from Matt, who had become like a brother to me over the ten years we’d been hunting together. Or maybe I was just a damn good liar—too good.
>
I shrugged. “Don’t sweat it. I’m a big girl. I agreed to come along. Now that we’re here, let’s kill us some vamps, yeah?”
A goofy grin was his only reply. When we turned a corner, the dimly lit, narrow passageway opened up into a cavernous room. The stark brick walls held small fitted lights, but they let off hardly any illumination. Our prey was standing in the back, casually leaning against the wall when we entered. His eyes glowed yellow in the small beam of moonlight that filtered down from an overhead grating. Even from ten feet away I could smell the stench of death and decay on his breath. The room was just bright enough to see the vampire’s wide, toothy grin.
“Well, it’s about time y’all showed up,” he said with a lazy Texan twang. “I ain’t got all night, ya know.”
I took a few steps farther into the room to get a better look at the creature. He was wearing pale blue, flared denims and a floral shirt. He wouldn’t have looked out of place in the seventies—in fact, he probably hadn’t taken them off since the seventies. That would certainly explain some of the stink. But the strangest thing about him was his relaxed stance and calm demeanour. Most vampires feared hunters on sight. Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out my favourite silver-tipped stake.
“Oh, I’d put that away if I were you.” He swaggered towards us and the stench increased, clogging up the already stale air until it was all I could smell. Some days, I really hated my damn job.
I shrugged. “Sorry, no can do.”
“Someone could get hurt,” he mused.
“Not someone,” I corrected. “Something.” It was damn near impossible to think of a vampire as human when their humanity had departed along with their soul. ‘Mindless, emotionless killers’ was the only term that fitted.
His grin broadened. “Details,” he drawled, with a swish of his hand.
As we stared at each other silently, my mind went into overdrive. There was something off about this whole situation. His relaxed manner made me jittery. Vampires were undoubtedly the most conceited of the supernatural species, but he would have known we were hunters. So he was either stupid enough to think he could take us or he had a death wish. Of course, there could always be a third alternative—he wasn’t down in the sewer alone and that fact was giving him false confidence.