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“Look what the cat dragged in!” he said loudly as he walked towards me.
“Yeah and I’m still better looking than you,” I said as we hugged.
“And who’s this?” Chase asked as Ava stared at him. I hadn’t told her that we were identical.
“This is Ava, this is Chase, my brother,” I introduced them.
“Mom’s ready to castrate you,” he said as he shook hands with Ava.
“At least I’m already pregnant,” Ava said and Chase started laughing.
“She’ll fit right in,” he said as he placed his arm around my shoulder and his other arm around Ava. “I always love it when you’re the culprit.”
“Aww is Melissa mad at you again, not getting any?” I asked him.
“Piss off little brother,” he said and smiled.
Melissa walked inside with Lucas and Rylee and Ava suddenly gripped my hand. Rylee didn’t look at me and I made the introductions as everyone stood around awkwardly. “We’re set up outside,” I said and led the way to where Chase had already downed a beer.
“So how did you two meet?” Rylee asked.
“We met Mom, end of story,” I said.
“We met at a club in Bermuda,” Ava answered after giving me a look.
“Now was that so hard Ryder?” she asked me.
“It was the tattoos wasn’t it?” Chase asked her.
“Actually …”
“Or was it the piercing?” he asked and I choked on the beer I had just swallowed.
“What piercing?” Rylee asked.
“Yeah what piercing?” Lucas repeated.
“Chase …” I said giving him a murderous look.
“He was nice and funny,” Ava said.
“Ryder, funny?” Chase asked as Lucas laughed.
“He has his moments,” Ava said with a smile.
“Back to this piercing,” Lucas said and gave me a look.
“Chase is an idiot,” I said.
“Even I’ve heard about your piercing,” Melissa said.
“Oh shit, so you do have a piercing! Do I even want to know where?” Rylee asked.
“I’ll give you a hint Mom, it’s not where you’d look,” Chase said as I threw the steak knife at him and it pegged into his shoulder.
“Ow,” Chase said as he pulled the knife out of his shoulder.
“Fucking asshole,” I said as Ava laughed.
“I see in pictures,” Rylee groaned and turned her face towards Lucas’s chest.
“I need more alcohol,” Lucas said as he opened another beer.
“Oh gods, it’s in your dick isn’t it?” Rylee asked and despite everything I started to laugh at the look on her face.
“I’m metal free,” Chase said as I shook my head.
“Can we talk about something else?” I asked as Ava laughed loudly.
“We should start to plan the bonding ceremony,” Lucas said not looking at me at all.
“Yes, preferably before Ava starts showing,” Rylee said still looking a bit shocked.
“How the fuck do you have a piercing in your dick?” Lucas asked me. “When did you even get it?”
“It was on one his assignments with Felix, he lost a bet and got the piercing, what were you, seventeen?” Chase explained as I glared at him again.
“Can we stop talking about my dick now?” I asked as Lucas laughed, hard.
“Can I see it?” Rylee asked me.
“Fuck Mom, no,” I said.
“Is it big?” Rylee asked me.
“Well, everything about us is big,” Chase said.
“She meant the piercing moron,” I said.
“Oh. No comment then,” Chase said.
“Ryder Grey!” Rylee said suddenly. “Why doesn’t Ava have a ring on her finger yet?”
“Look, we screwed our brains out for two weeks in Bermuda …”
“Ryder!” Rylee said as she threw the napkin on the table.
“Who needs romance right, not Ryder,” Chase said.
“Says the walking STD,” I said as Melissa tried to hide her smile.
“I really don’t mind,” Ava said trying to placate everyone.
“You should mind. This is not how you were raised Ry,” Rylee said angrily.
“Fuck this,” I said and stood up.
I left the house and climbed into the truck and drove away. I took deep breaths as I drove out of Princeton and just kept driving. Yeah, I was an asshole and acting like a spoiled brat but my heart was breaking for a different reason.
If I bonded with Ava, I’d lose my connection with Megan and I didn’t want to forget her. What we shared had been special, that once in a lifetime kind of crazy love. From the first time I’d seen her wearing my underwear I’d been a goner, I just hadn’t known it then.
I was at a crossroads, I was having a child, someone that was a part of me. I had to change and I had to try to love Ava. She wasn’t a bad person and she was trying, trying very hard to get to know me. She was nice to me when she didn’t have to be.
I turned the truck around and drove back to the house. I’d been gone for three hours and Lucas’s SUV was gone when I parked the truck. Rylee would probably ignore me for a few days and then call me to yell at me. I owed her an apology as well, she was my mother and I owed her more.
“Can we talk?” Ava asked me as I walked into our bedroom.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have stormed out earlier,” I said and leaned against the bedroom wall with my back.
“Who’s Megan?” she asked me gently and I stiffened.
“Where did you hear her name?” I asked fighting to keep my eyes from changing colour.
“Your mother said that you’re not dealing with what happened to Megan and when I asked who she is everybody stared at me and then they left,” she said.
“Megan was my bonded half and she died,” I said.
“I’m sorry.” Ava said softly. “I’ll move back to the guest room.”
“Ava …”
“I understand your hesitance better now. This shouldn’t have happened …”
“Ava …”
“Yes?”
“Stay.”
She stood rooted to the spot and I walked over to her. Her breath caught in her throat as I took her face in both of my hands. Her hands rested on my arms as I kissed her and I felt her giving in to me. I had to stop comparing her to Megan, for my own sanity.
It was a week later and I watched my ringing phone as it vibrated on my desk. Emily had kept her word and I could see she was trying to befriend Ava. They were busy with the ceremony details and had gone shopping.
“Grey,” I answered my phone with a sigh.
“I don’t care how old you get, you’ll always be my son, do you understand?”
“Yes Mom,” I said.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Not only did you disrespect me and your father at lunch but you also disrespected Ava!”
“Sorry,” I said.
“Don’t give me that half-assed sorry. I know you better than you think! And just for your information, we assumed the ceremony would be held in Princeton. Get an attitude adjustment before you scare Ava away,” Rylee said.
“And here I thought you were mad about Ava,” I said.
“I’m not mad about Ava. I was disappointed because I always just wanted you to be happy,” she said.
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
“That’s the problem Ry, I don’t want you to be just fine,” she said.
“It’s not like I have another choice. I did this, I made my bed and now I have to sleep in it, forever,” I said.
“At least she seems nice,” Rylee said in a softer voice.
“She is, I’m not unhappy,” I said.
“I just don’t understand how the hell you messed around with a dragonkin girl,” she said.
“She …”
“I love you Ryder, always will,” she said as another realization struck me.
“I love you too Mom, I have to go,” I said and ended the call.
“We’re both idiots,” Abeloth said as I walked out of my office.
“Shit.”
“I know Daddy,” Ava said as I stopped in front of the bedroom door.
“Daddy, don’t worry, he doesn’t know anything.”
“Once the bonding session is complete your alliance with both Grey lairs will be automatic.”
“I feel bad about doing this, he’s actually trying really hard … I know Daddy, without his alliance or money …”
“I have to go Daddy,” she said and I heard her sigh loudly.
“Damnit,” she said out loud.
I retreated back to my office, my eyes glowing yellow as Abeloth took over and my head reeled with what I had overheard. What the hell was happening?
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