Caspien shrugged giving him his amused smile.
“You’re right, this will be fun,” I leaned closer to Caspien.
“I have an almost-four-year-old,” Cali explained, “A baby to Emmett.”
Holden’s eyes shone, “I have a child?”
Cali crossed her arms and gave him a stare I have seen men cower from, “What is wrong with you?”
“Uh, I mean, lots of things honestly,” He shrugged and gave her a meek smile, looking at Caspien and me for help but neither of us said anything.
Cali looked at me seeming mad at the entire situation, I knew I had to step in.
“My parents said yes, and they are already on their way,” Caspien said.
“Let’s go into the kitchen for a cup of tea,” I suggested.
“Got anything stronger?” Cali asked.
“Of course,” Caspien gave her a smile and lead us in, Holden followed reluctantly.
“Loreli can come here and have a sleepover with Emmett in another apartment, Caspiens parents can watch them if you’re okay with that.” I whispered to her.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” She said to me, “Do you trust them? His parents?”
“Yes,”
She tugged a curl and chewed her lip for a second before slowly nodding, “Okay,”
“They won’t be far, Caspien can send a car and have-“
“No, I’m going back to get her, I need to pack a bag and shower and-“
“Run away?”
“Possibly that,” She smirked.
Cali left to Holden’s complete dismay.
He literally clutched his heart when she left the room.
I got Emmett settled into a guest apartment a short two floors below. I helped him get ready for bed but his parents insisted they could handle reading his books. “She’s not getting those boots I hope she knows that.”
“She tried,” I tilted my head up at him as we headed back to his place.
He huffed, “Do you think she will come back?”
“I don’t know,” I really didn’t.
“She has one hour.”
“Fine,”
Holden was pacing back and forth with holding amber liquor in a glass.
“How did you get in?”
“I never left,” Holden looked up at us for a second.
“Willa, will you get Cali?” He looked at me and Holden froze in his tracks, “She’s outside.”
“Of course,”
I rushed towards the elevator and put in my fingerprint, the red button scanned behind it and the doors opened.
Cali was waiting at the entrance that pack members used, holding Loreli in her arms.
“She’s already asleep.”
“I’m surprised you’re back.”
“Me too honestly, but I guess I trust you. You seem logical,” She squinted her eyes as if seeing me for the first time, “But I’ve been wrong before, I hate to admit it but I have.”
I took a deep breath really not sure how to explain this and had even less of an idea how this would go over.
“You can trust me,” I motioned her towards the elevator, “What happened in here?” I raised an eyebrow noting the handprints, and smudges on the glass.
“I think you know,” She whispered winking.
“But how?”
“He came out, stopped, and looked at me as if he had never seen anyone as breathtaking as me. He looked at me as if I was something he was looking for for ages, as if he was already addicted to me,” Her voice was low and she shut her eyes shaking her head. “I know it’s stupid,” She said, chewing a lip, “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“It does,”
“Well, then I said ‘aren’t you pretty”,” I laughed and she smiled, “And then,” She gestured with one hand to the walls.
“Fair enough,” I shrugged.
“I doubt Caspien even cleans these himself,”
I snorted, “That’s exactly what I said earlier.”
She smiled at me, without apprehension, the first genuine smile I had seen all night.
“So where are we dropping her?” She sounded worried.
“Emmett is already in bed, a massive bed with the softest pillows, might I add,” I looked at her, “Caspien’s parents read him stories and I’m sure he’s asleep. We can put Loreli there; she will be well looked after.” “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“You have a lot to fill me in, and not just about whatever is happening here. You never mentioned you met the parents.”
“It was brief,” She eyed me.
“Fine, I’ll fill you in.”
We settled Loreli next to Emmett in the bed and Cali thanked Caspiens parents.
“Anytime,” His dad said to us.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.