Page 70 of Wild Tides
My mom and dad lounged in matching recliners. The King and Queen on their thrones. Their dark hair ran gray, and more lines etched their familiar features, but they still anchored our family in love and kindness. Anya and Drew cuddled on the couch. Notsurprising. Anya would be lucky if he let her out of sight even once over the next few weeks. Zach and Rae sat across the room on the loveseat, her feet across his thighs.
“There you are,” my mom called, expression pleased. “We were just about to send out a search party, but there have been enough of those lately.”
She popped out of her chair like a piece of toast and wrapped me in a hug that was all warmth and comfort. The gentle scent of her laundry detergent and face lotion clung to her skin. The hint of the familiar floral undertones, the ones I’d known my whole life, enveloped me as surely as her arms did, signaling to my nervous system that I was home. “Smooth, Mom,” I muttered in her ear.
She released me, moving on to Lee with her arms spread wide. “Come here, you.”
Watching my mom embrace him sent a surge of affection through me for them both. Lee had been part of our lives for so long, I don’t know why he’d been worried. My parents already loved him. My dad wasn’t as effusive as my mom, but he was no less welcoming. He tilted his head from his chair in an easy nod.
I leaned in, dropping a kiss on his cheek. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re here. Your mom will quit talking about you behind your back now.”
“Relax, Gary. She knows I’d say it all to her front too. I’m not exactly the bashful type.”
My dad rolled his eyes and winked at me, careful not to let my mom see.
Drew tugged Anya closer, making room for Lee and me on the couch. It was a tight fit, but Lee would be mortified if I chose his lap instead. Sitting next to him meant his thigh was plastered to mine, which made me burn with awareness. He seemed reluctant to put his arm around me like Drew did with Anya, meaning we sat stiff and straight like pokers.
Gran clomped downstairs, making an entrance in a garish housedress with violently colored tropical birds. Her pink hair was styled in a lopsided mohawk, slightly misshapen on one side. It looked like she’d just gotten up from a nap.
“Hey, Gran.”
She nodded to me, turning her attention to Anya. “I hope you kicked him in the balls. Tell meeverything.”
“Mom, we don’t need to traumatize Anya by making her relive her ordeal. I think we get the gist.” My mom smiled at Anya. “Let’s change the subject. How are things coming with wedding planning?”
“Bo-ring.” Gran arched a brow in Anya’s direction. “I want to hear the story.Ifyou’re up to it,” she added in response to my mom’s fierce frown.
Anya shrugged, smiling for my mom. “It’s fine, Vanessa. I think I could tell the story in my sleep at this point. I had to repeat myself multiple times today.”
“Just tell me you hit your ex so hard that his testicles exploded.” Gran held up her hands. “That’s the only detail I truly care about.”
Anya’s grin transformed her from quiet beauty to something more mischievous. “I forget how bloodthirsty you are.”
Gran turned to Lee and contorted her face into a scowl, her brows beetled in a deep vee. “Yeah. I’m one hundred percent vigilante when it comes to the safety of my grandchildren. Never forget it.”
For my gran, such a mild threat was practically approval, but Lee shifted uncomfortably, crossing his legs. I bit my lip to control my expression. Crossed legs wouldn’t be enough to protect his groin if Gran really got going, but he also had me. As if reading my mind, Gran’s eyes danced with mischief, but she let him off easy, turning to Anya and waiting expectantly.
Anya cleared her throat. “Dr. Underwood approached me as I left the bathroom at the dance. I thought nothing of it until she brushed by my side and I felt a prick.”
“Obviously, not the fun kind,” Gran muttered, her frown fierce. “I knew that bitch was suspect when she told me I needed to knock off the glaucoma meds.”
“Gran, that’s because you don’t have glaucoma.” Drew’s deep voice was dry as dirt after a ten-day drought. He tightened his hold on Anya’s hand, offering silent comfort.
“Yeah, yeah.” Gran flapped her hand. “What I have is a nosy family and too much time on my hands. Let an old woman cope how she pleases.”
“Gran, are you saying we’re too much for you?” Zach asked sweetly.
“Pshaw. Go ahead, Anya.”
“I got woozy right away. It was hard to focus. Dr. Underwood pulled me through the door by the bathrooms. At first, the cold air helped, but in a flash, she and Chaz had me bundled into their car. Owen was waiting in the back seat with a gun.”
“That prick. Still not the fun kind,” Gran grumbled, her body rigid.
“Maybe, thanks to the drugs, she thought I wouldn’t remember, but Dr. Underwood couldn’t keep quiet in the car. Kept saying it’d all be fine now. That even if Jordan’s stupid accident had wrecked all of their careful plans, I could help them ‘fix’ things.”
“How did Owen connect with the Underwoods?” my mom asked.
