Turning my head toward the three culprits, I frowned. “Actually, I slept splendid.” Then I slipped into one of the empty chairs beside Chase. Though there was a good chance that if we sat too close, I would either smack him…or kiss him. It was up in the air.
“I bet you did,” Travis said too quiet for my mom and Devin to hear, but the rest of us heard it loud and clear.
Lexi let out a snort/giggle. Very unladylike.
My mom was no fool. She waved a spatula in the air, her whiskey eyes pinning me. “Well, I hope so. You practically dozed the morning away.” This coming from the woman who never woke before noon due to her job. “What did you do last night?”
Okay. It was a totally innocent question, but even I, at that point, couldn’t keep a straight face. “Oh, nothing special. Just hung out,” I replied in the lamest response ever.
This time Chase was scowling, and I was grinning. Payback was a bitch.
Mom flipped a stack of pancakes onto the warming plate. “You must have really worn yourself out, though it has been quite a week.”
Oh dear God. She just needed to stop before things got out of hand and the four of us started rolling on the floor. I was beginning to wonder if she did know after all, and she was screwing with me. “I guess,” I agreed ready to move on to a safer topic.
Devin was clearly not pleased by our display, but he and I had the same idea. “Chloe, I think it’s time to eat before it goes cold.”
She smiled brightly. My mom so over-the-moon happy that she was glowing was a sight I never thought I would see. Devin had put that sparkle in her eye, the spring in her step, the youthful smile on her lips.
“It smells a-ma-zing, Ms. Morgan,” Travis said, helping himself to an enormous serving of everything.
Mom joined us at the table already set with dishes and linens, courtesy of Lexi. I was just glad someone else was assigned the task besides me. “Thank you. It’s Chloe, remember,” she said, hating anything that made her sound old.
“Mmm,” Devin moaned with a forkful of dripping pancake in his mouth. “This is better than The Village Diner.”
I should hope so. Mom’s cooking was da bomb-diggity.
She looked like he had just told her that we could live in outer space among the stars. I wanted to gag from all the moony eyes the two kept giving each other. If she used her napkin to wipe his mouth, I was out of here. Lucky for my appetite, she restrained herself, but God only knew what went on under the table.
Everyone dug in. The breakfast conversation was loud and lively. It was unbelievable how well we fit together, Mom and me with a family of half-demons…and Devin of course.
We had become a unit—the Winters and the Morgans.
Some days we fluctuated between devoted loyalty and hating each other like poison. We might fight and punch holes in the drywall, but if you messed with one of us, you messed with all of us, and that was exceptionally bad.
So much crap had happened since I moved, but it had been a very long time since I had been truly happy, felt like I belonged. Here with a pack of misfits, I fit perfectly. Home. Roots. Friends. Family. It made me realize that if we were going to be a family, then eventually Devin was going to tell my mom everything.
Everything.
Demons.
Divisa.
Hunters.
Me.
The whole nine yards. I knew that it wasn’t feasible to keep going like we were, with her in the dark or always wiping her memories. It was not fair to Mom or to Devin, but I was scared. I bet so was Devin.
What if she rejected him? Rejected me? She never judged, but I couldn’t stop the dark seed of doubt and insecurities from spreading. Judging and accepting the supernatural were two entirely different things. I was terrified of her reaction.
Devin caught my sudden serious expression across the table, and I got the impression that we were thinking along the same dreaded lines. It would probably be sooner rather than later. He loved my mom. I loved Chase. We were going to be a family one way or another, and eventually someone was going to slip up.
Chase squeezed my knee beside me. “Hey, you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but I think I might need to be rolled away from the table.” I was stuffed.
Devin pushed his plate aside and beamed at my mom. “If you keep cooking like this, we might never want you to leave.”
Mom actually blushed.
“We could burn down the rest of their house,” Chase suggested with a crafty grin.
Devin blinked and scratched his russet stubble. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
Travis jumped in, offering his services. “If you change your mind, Dad, you just let us know. Chase and I will take care of it.”
Oh Lordy.
It was pretty unanimous—my mom was fantastic. They all loved her, and who could blame them? Sharing her wasn’t as bad as I’d predicted. Living with the Winters the last week eased a substantial amount of responsibility from her. There were more people to share the load of household chores. She didn’t worry about me being alone. And there was a pack of hungry half-demons to lavish over her cooking. Mom was happier—freer.