by V. Vaughn
Steam practically comes out of my ears, but I take a moment to tamp it down. I know exactly how this will go if I get mad and tell her what I think. I'll end up looking like the bad guy. I trust Alex completely, so it's best in this situation to let her have her way. Besides, if I get in the car with my mother, we'll just fight, and she'll pout if she has to ride alone. As much as I hate giving in, I find the strength to speak in an even voice. "That's a great idea. We were having dinner with Alex's parents when he got the call you were here, and they've invited you to join us."
"Oh, how fun!" She tosses her keys to Alex and takes his arm before he has a chance to offer it. She squeezes his bicep. "Oh my. You're a strong one." She gazes up at him and says, "You realize without Jayden around, I get to ask you anything I want?"
"Rosemary," I say in a warning tone as Alex chuckles at her. But it’s a waste of my breath, because all it does is make her laugh. And I shake my head as I watch my firefighting mate leave with someone who has perfected spontaneous combustion to create fires he can only imagine. For now.
Five
"Well that went well, don't you think?" asks Rosemary once she and I are in my guest bedroom. Carol tucked a bouquet of fragrant flowers in my hand as we were leaving their house so that I could put them in a vase for Rosemary's room, and my mother is fiddling with the arrangement as if she's nervous.
A pillow lands with a soft thud when I toss it onto the bed. Rosemary was on her best behavior, and my future in-laws were enchanted, but she knows she has to answer to me for showing up unannounced now that we're alone. "It did. Aren't Carol and Dave wonderful?"
"They're very sweet. And your Alex is a doll." She jumps up to land on the bed in a sitting position, and the mattress springs squeak as she bounces from the impact. She spreads her arms out and falls back on the pillows. "I can't get over how fit everyone in his family is."
My heart skips a beat, because leave it to my mother to notice one of the traits of werewolves in their human form. It makes me think I need to get in touch with Juliet as soon as possible so she can alert the pack about Rosemary's presence. But I know my mother's comment was also to distract me from the matter at hand. Before she can coerce me into making her my wedding planner, I say, "I'm really happy to see you, Rosemary, but I thought I'd made it clear I didn't want you here until the wedding."
She gives me the face I recognize as the one she puts on when she's about to present her argument to me. I hold up my hand. "Don't. We both know why you're here, and I know you're going to say I can't kick my mother out. And that the wedding is only a month a way and it would be a shame if you had to vacation on your own. Wait. Do you even have a job?" I let out a noise of disgust, because I know the answer to that one. I cross my arms as if I can ward off her charm. "You aren't going to steamroll me into what you want for my wedding. Do you understand?"
My mother shifts her body a little to sit taller as she avoids eye contact like a child who's been scolded. She inhales and blows out a breath quickly. "Which part of all of that should I address first?"
I scowl at her.
"Fine." She glances down with sudden interest in her nails. "I'm between jobs right now. And maybe apartments too."
That explains why she had luggage and boxes of books and trinkets filling the back seat of her car, and a low-grade headache forms behind my temples. "Let me guess. You have nowhere else to stay."
"Of course I do," Rosemary retorts with fire in her eyes. "But since it's so close to your wedding and Springfield was getting too small for the likes of me, I thought I'd stop by for a bit to visit with my only child before I move on."
"Uh-huh. Did you leave behind any outstanding bills? Warrants?"
My mother gets up from the bed. "You know, I think I'm going to take Alex up on that drink he offered." She glances around the room with disdain. "It's stuffier in here than a row full of church ladies."
I move quickly to stand in front of the door. She has me between a rock and a hard place, but at the least I can lay down some ground rules. "Not so fast. I need it to be perfectly clear this is my wedding. What I say goes. Got it?"
Rosemary smiles at me because she knows she's won a small battle. "Of course, baby girl." She throws her arms around me. "We're going to have so much fun. I promise."
I wrap my arms around her as the familiar scent of her spicy perfume fills my nose, and the love I have for my mother manages to soften me. I flash to my wedding scrapbook and the memory of the way she and I fantasized about my perfect wedding day. The twelve-year-old girl in me squeezes back as I hope maybe everything will be okay.
"Let's get that drink," I say once we separate. We head out to the living room, and as I look at Alex, I'm reminded of how my mother noticed the superior physical condition of the werewolves she's met today. The need to talk to Juliet and Roman to warn them Rosemary is here becomes strong.
I walk over to Alex and touch his arm as I speak softly. "I should go talk to Juliet." He nods, and I turn to my mother. "I need to run an errand, but you and Alex should enjoy the stars on our deck."
"C'mon, Rosemary." Alex leads her to the kitchen. "How do you feel about scotch?"
"Man after my own heart," she croons as I walk over to grab my purse and leave.
Juliet lives a few minutes away by car, but if I were a werewolf, I'd have run to her house through the woods and gotten there faster. I'm looking forward to doing that once Alex turns me. When he bites me to complete our bond forever, my human body will morph into wolf, and I'll be able to shift at will like the rest of the pack. He could have already, because we both know we can't deny our true-mate attraction. But the creation of our bond is a big deal to Alex, and I wanted to wait until our wedding night to make the ceremony be a mix of both of our rituals.
I texted Juliet to let her know I was on my way, and when I get there, she's already got a bottle of wine open and hands me a glass as I let myself in through her kitchen door. She says, "I heard your mother's in town."
"News travels fast," I say. That’s only natural when every member of the wolf pack can communicate telepathically with the alpha. Dean probably alerted Roman before we got out of the parking lot of the fire station. I fill my mouth with wine before I gulp it down.
"Wow. She gets under your skin, huh?"
I nod as I slide onto a stool at her kitchen island. "My mom likes to take charge, and if I'm not careful, my wedding will become all about her."
"Ah. The pushy type," says Juliet as Roman comes into the kitchen.
"Hey, Jayden. Don't worry. The pack knows your mom is here and to keep their shifting in check."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Not a problem. It's something we knew would happen, bringing a human into the pack."
While there have been humans turned into werewolves in many packs, I'm the first one for the Smokey Falls wolves. But since female werewolves are getting more scarce and Roman is worried about the next generation, he had no trouble allowing Alex to be with me. I'm secretly hoping I can bring more human women to the pack, but that's a project for after I'm married and start my family. Especially since Juliet didn't seem too keen on the idea when I mentioned it.
Roman steps behind Juliet and leans in to nuzzle her neck before he says, "I'll let you ladies chat. I'm off to read in bed."
"I won't keep her too long," I say.
Juliet turns and gives her mate a kiss before he walks away. Then she gives me her attention. "What can I do to help?"
I let out a sigh. "Not much. Mostly I have to remember stay strong."
"Well you've got Alisha and Chelsea by phone, and I'm not going anywhere. How long is your mom staying?"
My human girlfriends had to return to their jobs back in Winter Valley after our wedding dress excursion. I let out a groan and take another swig of my wine. "Until the wedding."
"Then we'll have to find ways to keep her busy."
The vision of my mother flirting with every available — scratch that — every willi
ng werewolf flashes in my mind. "That's what I'm afraid of."
Six
"Psst. Jayden," whispers my mother.
I moan as I try to pull myself from deep slumber, and for a moment, I think I'm in my childhood bed, waking up for one of my mother's crazy ideas like driving to a remote place in the middle of the night to watch a meteor shower.
"Jayden!" Rosemary hisses with urgency.
I blink my eyes open and realize I'm no longer a kid. Thankful for that, I frown at my mother, who probably wants to know where the coffee is. "The cabinet next to the fridge," I tell her.
"No. I already found the coffee." Her brow knits with worry. "I think there's a wolf on your back deck, and he's pacing as if he's waiting for someone to come out so he can have breakfast."
Byron! He's one of Alex's friends and here for the run the two take every day. He probably forgot about my mom visiting. I bolt up and grab Alex's arm to shake him awake. I clutch the sheet to my chest since I'm naked as my mate stretches his arms above his head and yawns. I say, "The neighbor's dog is here again. You really need to stop feeding him whenever he shows up."
Alex's eyes widen as he catches on to what I'm trying to say, and he lets out a sigh. "I'll take care of it. Can you toss me my shorts, Rosemary?"
"That's a dog?" she asks as she grabs Alex's shorts and hands them over as if he's changed in front of her a million times. She doesn't even look away when she adds, "Jeez, they sure grow them big around these parts."
"Rosemary," I say as I twirl my finger so she'll turn around, but Alex, being a werewolf, hasn't got an ounce of modesty, and he climbs out of bed, flashing her a nice view of his firm backside.
My mother lets out a small noise of approval as he steps into his shorts, and I roll my eyes at her. When he leaves the bedroom, she says, "Now that's an ass worth digging your nails into. Rrrawwrr. You are one lucky girl."
I let out a heavy sigh as she chuckles and reaches for my T-shirt. She hands it over to me as she says, "Coffee's ready."
Soft cotton caresses my skin as I put on an old shirt of Alex's. "Thanks. You're up early."
Rosemary prattles on as she follows me to the bathroom. "I slept sounder than a bug in a rug. Your guest bed is very comfortable."
I let out a noncommittal noise as I use the toilet, wishing my mother respected my modesty.
She leans into the mirror to wipe smudged mascara from under her eyes. "It could be the mountain air too."
"Must be," I say in an attempt to make conversation.
Water rushes over my hands as I rinse off soap, and Rosemary follows me to the kitchen.
She says, "Last night after Alex told me about your incredible view, I just had to wake up and see the sun rise. It was heavenly, by the — Whoa." She stops in place and fluffs up her hair as she thrusts her breasts out. "Never mind. I think heaven has just been redefined."
I shake my head at the vision before us. Apparently Byron shifted into human form, and because he didn't have a change of clothes with him, he must have grabbed the first item of clothing he could find inside the back door, where the washer and dryer are located. The pair of my spandex exercise shorts are extremely tight on him, and they display every curve and bulge of Byron's manhood. Did I mention werewolves aren't modest?
"Good morning, ladies," says Byron. He smiles at my mother. "You must be Rosemary. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She holds out her hand to him as she rakes his body with her gaze. "The pleasure is all mine."
Byron's always up for the challenge of flirting with the ladies, and he doesn't disappoint my mother when he kisses the back of her hand. "I came to get Alex for our morning run. Sorry if I woke you."
"Don't be sorry," says Rosemary as she slides seductively onto a bar stool by the kitchen island. She licks her lips and lifts her coffee cup toward him. "Fill me up?" she asks in a suggestive tone that makes heat rush to my cheeks.
"Happily," he flirts back. Byron grins at her when he grabs the coffee pot and alternates flexing either side of his chest, and his nipples bounce like ping-pong balls.
I let out an internal groan while hot liquid gurgles into Rosemary’s mug as he pours. "Byron, please," I say. "Don't encourage her."
He looks at my mother. "Why not? If I didn't know she was your mother, I'd have thought she was your younger sister."
I look at Alex for help, but he just shrugs with a grin at Byron being Byron.
Rosemary giggles. "Aren't you just a tall drink of iced tea. I may have to move here." She reaches out and squeezes Byron's forearm. "Goodness, are you a fireman too?"
"Sure am."
Rosemary fans herself. "Rescue me. This is like a girl's dream come true."
Byron winks at me. "That's what Jayden thought when she met Alex."
"Oh!" squeals my mother as she claps her hands together and looks at me. "Was it love at first sight?"
I grin. "It sure was."
"Tell me how you met," Mom says. "Wait. I bet I know." She holds her hand up to her forehead and closes her eyes as if she's seeing a vision.
I've seen this act before, and I try not to roll my eyes. While Rosemary definitely reads things in tarot cards and probably has an inkling of the RV trip where Alex and I met, right now she's pretending she has greater powers to impress Byron.
"I see a fire. With steaks cooking and—" She opens her eyes and smiles. "It was a camping trip. Right?"
"Very good, Rosemary," I say. "I was on an RV trip with Juliet, Chelsea, and Alisha. Alex was on one with his coworkers too."
"We actually met Juliet and Alisha first at the airport," says Alex as he comes to stand beside me. "Alisha invited us to dinner." He puts his arm around my shoulders and gazes at me. "That's when I met Jayden. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, so we spent every day that week together."
"Awww," says Rosemary. "I knew it. Don't you remember, Jayden, how I said you'd know the moment you laid eyes on your prince?"
As I recall, she also predicted he was a very wealthy man ready to jet me off to foreign lands to change my life forever, but I won't bring that up. Especially since the life-changing part is true, considering my mate is going to turn me into a werewolf in a few weeks.
"You're amazing, Rosemary," says Byron. "We'll have to talk more, but right now I need to take Alex on a run. Just because he's found the one, that doesn't mean he can get lazy."
"Right," she says. "You firemen do have to keep your strength up."
"Let's go," Alex says as he moves toward our deck door.
As the guys jog across the yard toward the woods, Rosemary watches them over her coffee cup. "Is Byron single?"
"Rosemary, please."
"Pshaw," she says. "I know he's too young for anything more than flirting. Relax." She frowns. "Why are they barefoot?"
"Ah—" I gulp hot coffee to buy time so I can think of a reason. "I'm not really sure. I think it has something to do with toughening their skin. This town has a real thing for fitness."
"Hmmm. Something tells me it's more than that." My mother bites on the tip of her index finger as she stares at the line of trees where the men disappeared. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want me to come until the wedding because you wanted to keep your hot firemen in this town a secret."
I choke on my coffee, and some sprays out onto the counter.
"You okay, honey?" my mother asks as she slaps me on the back.
"I'm fine." I get up to grab a towel.
"I get why you would, though."
"Would what?" I ask as I wipe coffee off the counter.
"Keep this place secret." I don't do a good job of hiding the shock on my face, because Rosemary adds, "Don't worry. I won't breathe a word about how there seems to be a fountain of youth here." With her finger, she makes an X over her heart. "I swear it."
I give her a dry chuckle as it occurs to me that my mother may have already seen clues about the Smokey Falls wolves in her cards, and it's only going to be a matter of time before Rosemary be
gins to question more than the level of fitness she's noticed in the people here. "Good," I say. "Because something tells me that would only bring trouble."
Seven
It's Alex's day off, so once he and Byron finished their run, we had a leisurely breakfast, during which Rosemary entertained Alex with stories of the escapades she took me on as a child. Afterward, since Rosemary insisted on coming along, we hopped in the truck to go to our appointment with the caterer. The wheels of the vehicle hum along the highway as the rock station my mother asked for blares from the radio. She scoots up from the back seat of Alex's truck to reach out and turn down the volume so she can talk to us.
"Don't agree to the prices they give you up front. There's always room for negotiation in these things. Oh, and you don't want those horrible polyester napkins. They have zero absorbency, so if you spill anything liquid, well…"
"They don't absorb?" I ask sarcastically.
"Excuse me for wanting to share the things I've learned from multiple restaurant jobs," my mother says in a haughty tone. "I even worked for a catering company that did weddings once too."
I do realize my mother probably knows things about the food industry I don't, and I let out a sigh. But even though she has more knowledge than I do, her suggestions are going to be heavily weighted with what she wants. "Rosemary, we appreciate your advice. But—"
Alex reaches over and grabs my hand as he cuts me off. "Have you started searching for your mother-of-the-bride dress yet? My mother started looking the day we told her we were going to have a wedding."
Rosemary frowns, and I realize Alex made it sound like weddings aren't normal. I add, "Carol and Dave eloped."
"Right," says Alex quickly. "Anyway, she's still looking for the perfect dress."
"It is a big decision," says Rosemary. "Like your parents, I never had a wedding." She chuckles. "Never got married, so this is as close as I'll get to one of my own. Goodness, Jayden. Are you still doing red and purple?"