“They are. Which makes Gabriel’s prediction that much more awesome, and that much more questionable. And, to add insult to injury, we have to go through some kind of test before it happens.”
She frowned. “What kind of test?”
“I don’t know. Something bad that we have to endure.”
She snorted lightly. “Hasn’t there already been plenty of that?”
“I had the same question. I don’t know what it will be, or when, or if it’s sitting out there around the corner just waiting for us.”
Or were we already in the middle of it—this nightmare with Reed? Was this the nastiness we had to survive, individually and together?
“What?” she asked.
I shook my head, not wanting to talk about Ethan, but she thumped me on the shin. “Ow. You are violent tonight.”
She grinned. “It’s very effective. And if you don’t spill, I’ll do it again.” To prove her point, she made a circle of her thumb and index finger, held them near my shinbone.
“Ethan and I are fighting. I think.”
“That is just shocking, because you’re both so easygoing.”
“Sarcasm will get you nowhere.”
“I disagree, but I’ll skip the argument. Spill.”
I sighed. “You know about the Botanic Garden?”
“I got the earful, yeah.”
“He found out Reed was going to be there by calling my father, having him make a phone call or something, confirm Reed’s attendance.”
“Hmmm,” was all she said.
“Yeah.”
Mallory pulled up her knees, wrapped her arms around them. “The territory near your father is tricky, tricky ground. On the one hand, yeah, he’s an adult. Could have told Ethan to pound sand. And just making a phone call isn’t necessarily risky.”
“And on the other hand?”
“On the other hand, Ethan even potentially involving your father with Reed again? That’s dicey.”
“Yeah, it is. That’s exactly what I said.”
“Has he apologized?”
“In the way that he apologizes. ‘I would do anything to protect you,’” I said, in a pretty good imitation.
Mallory nodded. “He gave you an alphapology.”
“What now?”
“An alphapology. The apology made by the alpha male, which isn’t really an apology, but more a reason for insane behavior. Catcher does it all the damn time. Drives me up the wall.”
“Alphapology,” I repeated, kicking the tires. “Yeah. That’s pretty much it. What do I do about it?”
“Depends on Darth Sullivan’s particular brand of alpha. He knows you’ve got a rocky relationship with your family, but he also knows they matter to you. And frankly, Merit, at least some of his asinine behavior is because of Reed. Reed’s a crazy asshole, and crazy breeds crazy. If Ethan gets to the point where he acknowledges the phone call was a mistake, you can carry on.”
“And if he doesn’t?”