“She thinks that I should talk to you. About that day in the barn. When I was seventeen,” he clarified.
Julia’s face paled slightly. He covered her hand with his and squeezed. “I’m sorry, Mom. I hate to bring up something so painful, but I need to talk about it. How it affected me.”
“All right.” She squeezed his hand back gently.
“I was really angry,” he admitted. It had taken a lot of introspection for him to come to terms with that.
“At me?” Julia’s voice wavered slightly.
“Yeah. A little. I shouldn’t have been, but I was confused. I couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t press charges. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to pay. I think that’s why I joined the Circle. It was stupid, but I felt like I was helping someone. Even if I couldn’t help you.”
Julia sighed. “I am so sorry for… a lot of things. But Eli, things are so much more complicated than you know. It’s not what you think. It’s just… not what you think.”
Eli saw it in her eyes then and suddenly didn’t want to take the conversation any further. “You don’t owe me any explanations, Mom. I just wanted you to know that I’m here if you ever need me. A really smart woman is helping me see that it’s time to move on. I’m excited about the future for the first time in a long time.”
“She’s good for you.” Julia stood and kissed him on top of his head before picking up the plate of leftover biscuits.
He walked over to Kaylee and sat next to her on the couch. He pulled her into his arms and she purred and snuggled up next to him.
“You two are just so cute.” Ridley sniffled. “I’m so glad you found each other and now you’re so happy,” she said and looked at Eli. “And I’m so happy.”
Jackson appeared. “What did you do to my wife? I finally got her to stop crying.”
Ridley waved her hand at him. “I’m not crying. I’m just misty-eyed, that’s all. Leave a girl and her hormones in peace.”
Eli breathed in the scent of Kaylee’s hair and held her close. They’d spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks and now he couldn’t imagine how he’d lived so long without her. Now that he wasn’t working sixteen-hour days, he could see just how barren his life had been before she and Hope had barged into his house and heart and brought them both to light.
It was long overdue for him to delegate so he could live a little. He’d always be grateful for and proud of his work because it had given him a productive outlet for his anger and frustration. Through it he’d been able to realize his purpose of helping people. But it was no longer the main focus of his life.
His family was.
KAYLEE STOOD ON the doorstep of her parents’ house and rubbed her arms. It had been a few weeks since they’d gotten back in town and her mother hadn’t called her once. She was definitely still angry.
But Julia had stepped into the void and helped Kaylee out in more ways than one. Not only was she supportive of her relationship with Eli despite their age difference, but she’d given her encouragement and reassurance about how she was raising her daughter. Things Kay hadn’t realized she’d needed so badly until she had them.
Then there was Eli.
She looked over at him and everything inside her went gooey. The last few weeks had been challenging for him. She’d done everything she could to support him as he’d started untangling the legal mess from his time with the Circle of Seven and from his defiance in walking off the active scene of a crime at his house a few weeks ago.
Danny had found him a great lawyer, which she thought was amazing considering that his only introduction to Eli had been less than complimentary. Even Hope’s father had called to offer support. Not that she needed it, but it was nice to hear anyway. He wasn’t going to be a part of their lives and Kay was at peace with that.
Finally at peace.
She hadn’t told Eli about the call from Tim. He’d just go crazy and she’d have to pretend to be upset on principle. Truthfully, she kind of liked it when he got a little jealous. Eli treated her like the focus of his entire world, which was great because he was the center of hers, too. She loved every inch of her exasperating, overprotective, dominant alpha male.
The only thing that still hurt her heart was that Sasha wasn’t speaking to her. Her friend had been hurt and embarrassed when she’d realized Eli had suspected her of being the stalker. Kay had tried to explain that she hadn’t believed it, but Sasha had left in tears. She left messages on her friend’s cell phone every day, but she probably wasn’t even listening to them. Kay sighed.
“Don’t be nervous. It’ll be fine,” Eli said as he rang the bell. “I’m sure she’s not still angry. She’s your mother.”
“Oh, I wasn’t even thinking about that. I’m sure my mother is still angry. I don’t expect anything less. You have no idea how stubborn she can be.”
“I wondered where you got it from,” he muttered.
She was saved from responding when the door opened. Her father stepped back so they could come in. “Hey, pumpkin. I was wondering when you’d finally come by. You know we’ve missed you something awful.”
“Sorry, Daddy. I know I should have called, but with the way I left things with Mom, well, I wasn’t sure my call would be welcome.”
He enfolded her in a hug. “You’re my daughter. You are always welcome.”