JW AND I WALK UP THE STEPS to my parent’s place. When I agreed to move to Malus and live with him, he wanted it done as soon as I was well enough. Had I not been recovering from a stab wound, I don’t doubt he would have hauled my butt to San Antonio that same day to get my stuff. I have to admit, I was anxious myself. I’m going to miss my parents, Millie, Clayton, and Hannah, but I’m close enough that I can visit them often.
Before I get the chance to open the door, it’s flung open and Mom’s pulling me into her arms. I close my eyes and release a long breath, basking in the warmth of her tight embrace. The last month has been hard not having Mom and Dad around.
“Sweet Jesus, Eden,” she murmurs against my hair. “I’d take a switch to your hide for scaring me so much if I wasn’t so happy to see you.”
I wince at the pinch of pain in my side from her hug, but I mask it when she pulls back. I never lie to my parents, but this one time, I won’t be revealing the full truth. There’s no point in telling her about Diego stabbing me when the problem’s been taken care of.
I laugh and wipe away the moisture forming in my eyes. “Hey, Mom. I’ve missed you too.”
She palms both of my cheeks, her eyes flying all over my face critically. Lines appear by her eyes as she frowns.
“You’ve lost weight,” she accuses.
I quirk my lips up. “It’s nothing I won’t gain back in a couple of weeks.”
As if she just noticed him standing there, her eyes leave my and settle on JW, who’s a couple of feet behind me.”
“Who’s this?” she asks just as Dad walks up behind her.
Instead of answering, I move around her and walk into Dad’s arms. His familiar masculine scent comforts me. I reluctantly pull back.
“Don’t pull any shit like that again, you hear me?”
I nod, remorse over their worry for me making my chest tight. “I promise.”
I step beside JW and he laces our fingers together.
“Mom, Dad, I want you to meet JW. These are my parents, Melanie and Charles.”
JW holds out his hand for them to shake. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
They assess him as they shake his hand.
“You the reason my girl couldn’t come home?” Dad asks bluntly.
I cringe.
“No, Sir.”
Dad’s eyes move to me. “You finally going to tell us what’s going on?”
My gaze slides to JW’s before I look back at my parents. “Yeah.”
“SO, YOU’RE TELLING ME THIS DIEGO, a man you never told us you were seeing, murdered a woman and you saw it? Then proceeded to threaten you if you didn’t give him back a microchip you didn’t know you had?” Dad asks, pacing the floor in front of us. Mom’s on the couch, her hands clasped together in worry.
“Yes,” I
answer.
He stops, propping his knuckles on his hips and glares at me. “You could have come to your Mother and me. We would have helped you.”
“I couldn’t, Daddy. You don’t know the things Diego was capable of. I wasn’t going to put you and Mom in danger.”
He opens his mouth to speak, but JW does so first.
“With all due respect, Sir. I have to agree with your daughter,” he states calmly. “Diego Tomas wasn’t the type of man to get involved with.”
Dad’s eyes narrow. “I know all about the Tomas family and what they’re capable of. But I’ll be damned if I sit around and let someone threaten my daughter.”