Forging Blade (Charon MC Book 11)
Page 19
“Hey, little dove. Sorry I couldn’t pick you up from work.”
I tilted my head up to press a quick kiss to his lips. “That’s okay. You’ve had a busy afternoon, I hear.”
His grin was wide and his piercing blue eyes were sparkling with delight and it warmed my heart. After all he’d suffered, he deserved this happiness. We both did.
“I never expected them to drive all the way from Phoenix and turn up here unannounced like this. I called them last weekend. After everything that had happened I wanted to make sure Elita hadn’t gone after them, and to let them know the threat over all of us was now gone. Mom was happy with my news, but didn’t say a damn thing about visiting.”
That explained the car with the out-of-state plates. I loved seeing my man so damn happy and couldn’t wait to officially meet his family, who had stood from the table and were waiting for us to get over there already.
“Take me to meet them?”
Blade
With my arm around my woman, I led her over to where my mom and brother were sitting, watching us.
“I heard you had a visitor too.”
“Yeah, Mr. Conway came to return the missing jewelry. He was buying it whenever my uncle sold a piece.”
I gave her hip a squeeze before I returned my palm to the center of her back. “I met him earlier. Nice man. Thanked him for helping you get away all those years ago. I’m surprised he’s not still with you?”
I’d had a chat with him earlier when he’d first arrived. I rather felt like I was meeting her father with the grilling he gave me once he found out we were together. I could totally see that man giving Veronica away at our wedding one day.
She shook her head. “Nah, said he needed to get home before it got too dark. I’m thinking I might head up and visit him every now and then, though. And once my uncle’s estate gets settled, I intend to pay him back for everything he spent on me over the years.”
That made me chuckle. “I can’t see him accepting your money, but we’ll work out some way to pay him back, I’m sure. Now, let me introduce you to my mother, Suzette, and my baby brother, Aaron.
“You know, I’m twenty-eight years old, you can quit with the baby brother thing any time now.”
I rolled my eyes as he leaned in and gave Veronica a kiss on the cheek. “It’s nice to meet you, sis.”
She blushed and stammered until my mom moved Aaron out of the way and drew my girl in for a hug.
“Welcome to the family, dear. Jared’s told us all about you. It’s so wonderful to meet the woman who finally managed to crack through his shell.”
My own cheeks heated at my mother’s words and I was extremely glad that the other club members had left us alone out here to do our thing. And that Mac had gone back inside after delivering my woman out here to me. I was pretty sure if any of them heard some of the crap my mom was saying, I’d never live it down. Made me grateful I already had a road name, really.
“Jared?”
“Sorry, Mom, what did you say?”
I lifted my glass to take a mouthful as I focused back on the conversation.
“She doesn’t have a ring yet, son. What’s the hold up?”
I sucked down the liquid into my wind pipe and started coughing. By the time I could talk again, Veronica was in a fit of giggles that would have been adorable if she wasn’t laughing at me nearly choking to death.
“Seriously, woman?”
She blinked up at me with falsely innocent eyes.
“Sorry, honey. It just reminded me of that night in Styxx, when I saw you there staring at me and choked on my drink.”
Aaron let out a hoot of laughter. “What goes around, comes around, brother. I bet you laughed at her too.”
I growled at the pair of them. “I did no such thing, I went and waited outside the bathroom for her to come out to check she was okay.”
After I had a chuckle at the fact she’d been so shocked to see me again she’d inhaled her drink. But I wasn’t admitting that.
I turned back to my mother, “It’ll happen soon, Mom. Can’t give away all my secrets though, so you’ll just have to wait.”
I gave Veronica a wink as she stood there with her mouth agape for a moment before she lifted her drink to cover her shock by taking a mouthful of what I suspected was a strong gin and tonic.
“I better be the first number you dial after you pop the question. We’ll make sure we come back down to help celebrate.”
Now stuck for words myself, I thunked my glass on the table and pulled my mother in for a hug, holding her to me tightly. I hadn’t seen either of them in years. I’d called a few times a year and Mom would text the odd photo of Aaron but I hadn’t been able to hug her for way too long. Veronica’s hand smoothed up my back and I had to squeeze my eyes shut against the burn of tears.
After all these years, all these struggles, here now, I had everything I’d ever dreamed of. My mom, brother and woman all alive and well, safe from our pasts and able to live our futures to the fullest.
The End
More Charon MC books are coming in 2020! Arrow, Bank, Keg, Keys and maybe even Jazz will get their stories told real soon.
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For all the links and information to the first 10 books in the series, head over to www.khloewren.com