“—but he won’t be ready for years.”
“At least a couple, probably. But Melody doesn’t want me here. And if I could learn on the job, so can Isaac.”
“He could, but why should he, when you could train him? He’s about to get married. And he’s going to have a baby soon. That’s a lot for any man to take on at once, and you know damn well that the Pride will be better off if you stay on, at least until he’s truly ready to take over.”
Jace shrugged. “Well, I guess that’s up to Melody.”
“And Isaac,” I insisted. “If he’s going to be the new Alpha, he should get a vote, and I know he’ll want to do what’s best for the Pride.”
Jace nodded. “Like I said, I suspect I have at least two years left here.”
“And I’ll be here with you.” We could figure out the rest then. Assuming we were still together, and I couldn’t imagine that not being the case. I knew enough about what didn’t feel right to recognize what did feel right with Jace.
Though there were still things I couldn’t tell him.
“Abby…”
“No. I’ve made up my mind.” I crossed my arms over my chest, shutting down whatever argument he’d been about to make. “As long as you’re here, I will be too. We’ll have plenty of time to sort out the rest. This is just the beginning, Jace.” I took his hand, and his fingers wove between mine. “We don’t have to figure it all out right this second.”
“Speaking of beginnings, since Melody knows about us, there’s a good chance every other shifter in the country will know in a couple of hours. Especially since making it sound like I broke up you and Brian will take some of the focus off of her premarital pregnancy. Don’t you think your parents should hear about us from you first?”
“I guess.” I was assuming the fact that I hadn’t already heard from them meant that Brian hadn’t yet told his parents, who would definitely have called mine. “Any particular way you want me to spin this?”
Jace shook his head. “It’s your news. Tell them whatever you’re comfortable with. As long as it’s true.” He stood when I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
While he went downstairs to round everyone up for the mission, I autodialed my parents’ home number. But what Jace and I had both failed to realize was that if you call your parents before breakfast, they will assume someone has died.
“Abby?” my mother screeched into the phone, and for a moment, I regretted showing them how to set up caller ID. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Although I seriously considered selling Isaac out, just to take some of the pressure off my own news. “I broke up with Brian last night, and I just thought you guys should know.”
“Oh, honey, what happened?”
“She broke up with Brian,” my father snapped in his groggy voice. “If I can hear her, why can’t you?” He wasn’t gracious about having his sleep interrupted for anything less than death or dismemberment.
Springs groaned over the line as my mother got out of bed, making irritated clucking noises at my father. “I meant to ask why you broke up with Brian,” she said as her footsteps transitioned from carpet in the bedroom to the creaky floorboards in the second floor hall. “He’s a really nice young man.”
“Yes, he is, but I don’t love him. I don’t ache to see him, and I don’t want him to touch me, and—”
“Well, honey, that could take some time after…” Her voice trailed into nothing. She meant well, but she was never really able to talk about what happened to me in that cage.
“Mom it’s been some time, and that hasn’t changed.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t mean you can’t marry him. There’s more to a marriage than sex, and lots of women don’t really like it, so—”
“Mom, please listen to me.” I exhaled slowly, fighting for patience. “This isn’t about sex. I like sex. I just don’t like Brian.”
“Well, hon, who on earth did you have sex with?” She said it just like that. As if we were discussing my preference for one tomato sauce over the other, and I might be able to suggest a new recipe.
It was kind of weird.
“Um, I’m actually with Jace now.”
“You’re with…”
When a familiar door squealed open, I realized that she hadn’t moved far enough from their bedroom. And that my father had only been feigning disinterest. “Did she just say she’s with Jace?”
“She did say Jace, and she says she likes sex.”
“Oh, good Lord, Mom, tell Dad to go back to bed.” I could already feel my face flaming. “This conversation is awkward enough already.”
“I can’t go back to bed after that!” my father blustered, and I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
“Okay, listen. All you two really need to know is that I gave Brian’s ring back, and I…I think I love Jace.”