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My mom and dad exchanged a look. Dad shrugged and sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you. They’ve always been a little strange-” my mom hit his arm. “Except for your mother of course,” he amended.
“She’s perfectly sane.”

My mom turned to me and tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry for what my brother did to you,” she said and then the dam broke.
Tears soaked her face faster than she could wipe them away. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed as s
he stood up and left the room.

I looked at my dad and then Caeden. I patted him on the knee and said, “I should go talk to her.”

He nodded. “That’s okay. I’d… uh… actually like to talk to your father in private.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

Caeden wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Nothing important.”

“Uh-
h
uh. Sure,” I said and went after my mom. I could hear her sobs coming from a bedroom
upstairs
.
Caeden and my dad disappeared into his office. If Caeden thought I wasn’t going to question him about this l
ater then he was sadly mistaken.
If he knew something about the Grimm’s and was hiding it from me, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Mom,”
I
said and softly knocked on the door before pushing it open.

Archie scampered
past my legs and into the room. He hopped up onto the bed beside my mom.

She turned to me and her brown eyes were already red and puffy. “Sophie, come here,” she said and patted the empty space next to her on the bed. When I sat down she pulled me into her arms and kissed the top of my head like she had so many times before when I was younger. She smelled like freesia. “I could’ve lost you,” she whispered.

“I’m fine mom,” I said. “Everything worked out.”

She looked down at my arm. “I don’t see how you can be fine, Sophie,” she
looked at my scar.

“Maybe I’m not
fine
but I’m better than I could be. I have Caeden to thank for that. Without him I know I would be the biggest mess ever.”

“I’m so happy you have him,” she said. “I know as your parent I shouldn’t like him or want you to be so serious.” She laughed. “But I remember what it was like discovering that your father was my mate
.
It was… magical. Just don’t move too fast, take things slow, and appreciate the little moments.”

“I will mom,” I said and laid my head on her shoulder.
“I am,” I added.

“I miss you… so much,” she said. “It’s hard being away from my baby girl.”

“I miss you too mommy,” I said.

“I can’t believe you’re about to graduate high school. It seems like just yesterday you were a baby.”

“
Moooom
,” I whined. I hated when she
became nostalgic
. It usually resulted in lots of tears, a box of tissues, and her pouring over old photo albums.

“One day you’ll have kids and you’ll see,” she said.

“Yeah, well that’s a long ways down the road. Like way, way, way, down the road.” I motioned with my hand just how far down the road
that
would take place.

She laughed and
I
laughed with her. It was great to be home with my parents again. Some might say this wasn’t my
home
since I had never lived here but it’s the people that make the place. My mom, dad, and Caeden were my home.

Mom patted my knee and smiled. “Want me to braid your hair like I used to when you were little?”

A smile broke across my face. “I’d love that.”

I situated myself on the bed while she went to grab a brush and ponytail holders. Sitting down behind me and spraying my hair with
detangler
she said, “I think we’ll do something a bit more sophisticated instead of pig-tails.”

“Good idea,” I laughed.

She separated my hair into sections and gently brushed it. I always enjoyed getting my hair brushed. It was relaxing and always made me sleepy.

“What do you think daddy and Caeden are talking about?” I asked tentatively.

Her brush strokes stilled.

“I don’t know. Alpha stuff I guess.”
She resumed brushing my hair. Satisfied that it was smooth she began to braid the sides. “What do
you think it is?” she questioned.

“No clue but Caeden seemed nervous. Do you think something’s happened and he’s keeping it from me?”

“I’m sure that’s not the case,” she said. “Don’t worry your pretty self.” She fixed the braids in place and pulled the rest of my hair back into a ponytail. “Perfect,” she said and patted my shoulder.

“Thank you,” I said and turned to hug her. I was planning to hug both of my parents as often as possible.

She patted my cheek and said, “I know we just ate lunch but between your dad and Caeden it will take me all afternoon to make enough food for dinner. Do you want to help me?”

I smiled. “I’d love to.”

I followed her into the small but clean kitchen. It hadn’t been updated for a while but at least it was functional. Mom decided to make her famous chicken recipe. Okay, maybe it was only famous in my mind.

I helped her coat the chicken in mayonnaise,
parmesan
cheese, and bread crumbs. After the chicken went into the oven we made homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.

By the time we were finished nearly three hours had passed and I was covered in sweat. Caeden and my dad had long since come out of his office and were busy doing male bonding out on the back porch. It made me smile knowing that my dad approved of my mate.

“Go ahead and wash up,” mom motioned her head down the hall.

In the bathroom
I splashed my face with water and dabbed it dry before touching up my makeup. With my mom’s amazing skills not a hair was out of place of the hairdo she had created.
The woman was amazing. I washed and dried my hands before venturing back to the kitchen.

“Do you want to eat outside or in here?” she motioned to the small dining area.

“Outside!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t help my excitement it had been over six months since I had seen my parents.

Mom smiled. “I thought you’d say that.” She tapped the glass door and dad poked his head inside.

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you two help us set up the table?” It wasn’t really a question since she shoved outdoor placemats, utensils, and plates into his unsuspecting hands.

“Uh- okay,” he said and turned around. Caeden hopped up to help him.

Mom and I
carried the various dishes out while the dogs circled our feet.

“Looks like a feast,” dad said and rubbed his hands together. I sat down beside Caeden and we faced the back yard. I gasped at the sight. I hadn’t realized the sea was just outside the door. If I had known that
,
there was no way I would’ve spent the last three hours in the kitchen. I guess mom knew that and neglected to tell me on purpose.

Caeden smiled at me and squeezed my hand before shoveling food onto his plate.

It was hysterical the amount of food my dad and Caeden had on their plates. My mom and I had more on our plates than the normal human would eat but it in no way compared to theirs.

I took a bite of chicken and sighed in pleasure. Amy and Gram were excellent cooks but when you’re away from your mother’s cooking suddenly nothing else compares.
Especially when she rarely cooked when I was home.

I hadn’t believed Caeden and the others when they said that I’d eat more once I turned but they’d been right. In record time every morsel on my plate had disappeared. I didn’t even feel the need to unbutton my jeans.

“That was delicious,” I said.

My mom laughed. “Thank you. Is Gram not feeding you?”

“Oh she’s feeding me,” I said. “I used to think Gram was the best cook ever but I’m thinking that you could give her a run for her money.”

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or offended,” she laughed.

I smiled. “Maybe a bit of both.” Caeden still had a bit of chicken on his plate. “Are you
gonna
finish that?” I asked.

“Huh?” he said around a mouthful of roll.

Not bothering to wait for his answer I snatched his chicken.

“Hey!” he cried with a laugh.

I shrugged. “You snooze you lose.”

I quickly devoured the chicken before he could snatch it back.

Caeden shook his head and grinned. His dimple stood out and I couldn’t resist kissing it. Who cared if my parents were sitting across from us?

“Mrs. Beaumont let me help you with that,” Caeden said and began to clean up the table.

“Thank you Caeden,” she smiled and her eyes crinkled around the edges. That was new. “And please call me Christine.”

“Christine,” he said and stacked the plates on top of each other.

Mom and Caeden disappeared inside with the dishes and I was alone with my dad.

He pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

“What did you and Caeden talk about?” I asked, not even bothering with
subtlety
.

He laughed around the smoke in his lungs. “He just needed to ask me something that’s all.”

“Well, what was it?”

“Something he needed
to talk with a father about
,” he said and blew out a cloud of smoke. I coughed.

I narrowed my eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that he needed to talk to a man.”

With his vague answers I felt like I was talking to a
fortuneteller
. The billowy smoke from his cigar added to the mysterious aura.

“Thanks for not answering my question,” I groaned and rolled my eyes.

He laughed and stretched his legs up on the table. “I have a feeling you’re going to know the answer to your question soon.”

“Thank you oh wise one.”

“I miss your humor,” he smiled.

“Garre
t
t!” Mom yelled from inside. “Get your feet off the table.”

“Busted,” dad smiled and slowly lifted his feet off and planted them on the floor. “Sorry honey!” he called.