Page 79 of Pretty Lethal
In the hall, they leave me to approach the door on my own, and with my hand wrapped around the door handle, I take a fortifying breath, paste on a large smile and prepare to greet my mother.
She looks as she always does—short-cut hair the same dark color as my own except now with streaks of gray running through it, a petite slim frame built from long hours standing on her feet as a nurse, and wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes.
“Hi, Mom.”
Her gaze runs over me, and I can see the worry rooted in the lines around her mouth. I instantly feel like a bitch for complaining about her visit. Of course, she was worried. For all her faults, I know my mom loves me. I love her too, which is why I was trying to keep her out of all of this until it had been resolved.
Admittedly, I was also terrified to tell her the truth—that I'd fallen in love with not one man but three. I was searching for any excuse to put off having that conversation, but I was also trying to avoid worrying her.
Something that I’ve clearly failed at, given the relief that lifts from her shoulders when she sees me alive and well with her own two eyes.
I wait until her sharp gaze lifts to mine.
“You have a lot of explaining to do, honey.”
I swallow roughly and give her a sharp nod of my head before opening the door wider and inviting her in.
Stepping inside, she pauses, her back stiffening when she spots Hawk, Wilder, and Kai standing in the middle of the hall.
“Mom, this is Hawk, Hadley’s brother, Wilder, and Kai,” I explain.
“Hello,” she greets politely with a tight smile, before glancing my way out of the corner of her eye. “I thought you were living with Hadley.”
I can feel my cheeks staining pink, giving me away. “Umm, yeah. We have a lot to discuss,” I say awkwardly, avoiding looking her directly in the eye.
“Why don’t you come on in, Miss Harrison,” Kai says, always the peacekeeper. “Dinner is in the oven. Would you like a glass of wine?”
Lips pinched, Mom gives me a final once over before directing her attention to Kai and offering him another tight smile. “Wine would be great. I have the feeling I’m going to need it.”
As she follows Kai down the hallway to the kitchen, I give Hawk and Wilder a wide-eyedhelpmelook.
“You’re doing great, Little Sparrow,” Hawk murmurs in my ear while Wilder rubs soothing circles into the center of my back, the three of us following Kai and my mother down the hall.
Hawk takes my mother’s suitcase and sets it aside, informing her that there is a spare room available for her upstairs, and after some protests from her, she relents and agrees to spend the night here.
Kai fixes Mom and me a glass of wine, and the three of them busy themselves in the kitchen while we sit at the table. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take all three of them to make dinner—I’m not entirely convinced Hawk or Wilder even know how to cook a meal without burning it—but the fact they all want to be near in case shit goes sideways is sweet.
“So,” Mom begins. “Perhaps you should begin with why you quit your job and gave up your apartment.”
I bristle at her brusque tone, taking a sip of the cold, tart wine while I gather myself before answering.
I tell her all about the gifts I received while at college, the finger delivered to my door that instigated all of this, and how Hadley had planted Kai next door to look out for me. Mom takes all of it in wordlessly, shock and worry repeatedly flashing across her face.
By the time I finish, dinner is ready to be served and Mom is halfway through the bottle of wine.
“That’s…” She shakes her head, struggling to find the right words.
Yeah, I get it.
“I know,” I say in understanding. “It’s crazy. I wouldn’t believe it myself if it hadn’t happened to me.”
“Your daughter is incredibly strong,” Kai tells Mom as he sets plates of steaming food that smell glorious on the table before sitting next to her. “Many people would have crumbled beneath what she experienced.”
My cheeks flush.
“My Emilia is a strong girl,” Mom says proudly.
“Because you raised her to be so. You should be proud,” Hawk says, anddamnif my cheeks aren’t on fire now. He sits down at the head of the table, between me and Mom, while Wilder sits next to me.
