Page 4 of Receiving His Mercy
“Prick?” Travis asked.
“I picked that up in England,” Caren told her. “They have the best swear words.”
That’s why her voice sounded kind of strange? Was that a slight accent? Was that where she’d moved to after leaving here?
He felt a wave of gratitude toward her as Lacey relaxed slightly.
“You’re right,” Lacey said. “He is a prick.”
Caren nodded enthusiastically. “A gormless bloody wanker.”
Travis gaped at her. Unfortunately, so did most of the people in the room since she’d somehow managed to say that very loudly and very enthusiastically right at a time that the room had grown silent.
Her cheeks went red and a look of mortification filled her face. He could have sworn she looked like she was going to cry. Which couldn’t be right. He knew she didn’t care what other people thought of her. At least she hadn’t when she was younger.
People change.
A small tendril of shame filled him. He was still thinking of her as that self-absorbed, rude teenager.
Then Lacey started giggling again and people around them smiled. Everyone here loved his cousin. As they should.
She was completely lovable.
“You’re right,” Lacey said.
“So stop letting him ruin your big day, okay?” Caren said gently. “Don’t give him that power.”
“Hey, who is the psychologist here,” Lacey joked.
“You are, you nerd.”
Travis bristled at the insult to his cousin, but Lacey just laughed again.
Stand down.
He knew he was overprotective, but he couldn’t help it. Especially when it came to his cousin and her asshole parents.They’d neglected Lacey so badly after Brax’s death that she’d stopped eating and her hair had started falling out.
His dad had brought her home to live with them for a while. He wished they’d been able to keep her. But eventually she’d had to return home.
Something he and his brothers had hated.
“Thanks, Caren,” Lacey said quietly. “I know you’re right. I have to move past thinking that I need him in my life.”
“Hey! I’ve only been trying to tell you that for years!” Travis said. “She says it and you listen to her?”
“Maybe I just said it in normal-speak instead of Alpha caveman,” Caren said with a twinkle in her eye.
And what was wrong with speaking Alpha caveman? Most of the time it worked well for him. People tended to listen to an Alpha caveman.
“I’m sorry, Travis,” Lacey told him. “You’re right, you’ve been trying to tell me for years. I just always had this stupid hope . . .”
He drew her close again, hugging her tight. “I know, honey.”
“He’s my father, you know? I thought he might care just a bit, but he doesn’t.”
“Fuck him,” Caren said. “You’ve got all these other people who love you. You’ve got an amazing support network, including all your cousins. Mind you, hopefully this big one stops choking you to death.”
Travis frowned at her again, but loosened his hold on Lacey. His cousin pretended to gasp for breath and he rolled his eyes.
