BK 5 - Chapter 8 - Hope
Milo worried all day about what Lisa meant when she said she was going to show him what their family did. He was so confused about everything he'd been taught by his grandpa. He never understood how his grandpa could hate shifters when he was one. Milo wondered why he and his dad didn't have wolves. Would the werelions know?
He'd talked to Randy and Kiersten some. Alex, who was home from the university today along with Xipil, Atzi, and the boys, still seemed unsure of him, and they made sure to always have their eyes on him. He wondered about the Native Americans that were there. Why were they staying with the family? Milo had a lot of questions and thought maybe it was good to see what the werelion family had to say.
Randy started cooking dinner so it would be ready once everyone came home. He was really enjoying his role at the house. He may be sleeping on the couch, but it was better than the street. Lisa had even bought him some clothes. He started putting together two lasagnas. Randy loved cooking, and they all seemed to like what he made. He would be happy to always be their cook if he could hang out with them. Kiersten had told him about some of their pasts, and he realized that even though they were shifters, they didn't always have it easy. It made him feel a connection with the family.
A little over an hour later, people started coming home from school and work. Lisa kept trying to sneak tastes of the food, but Randy told her she needed to wait until it was served.
"You're lucky you're such a good cook, or I'd let Ali out, and we'd eat it all." She went to the table and sat down, where she waited anxiously for everyone else.
"Impressive, someone actually made Lisa sit down." The words were out of Patrick's mouth before he could stop them. Lisa turned and glared at him.
"How have your showers been lately? Have you seen any ants? Maybe I should put some fire ants in there. Then you'll feel double the effect of the little ants crawling and biting you all over." Patrick started scratching as he tried to ignore her. Luckily, before Lisa could go on, Randy began to serve the food.
"Just like everything else you've made, this is fantastic," Carmen said softly. She may be a werelion now, but she's still the quietest out of the group. Milo only planned on eating a little, but when he tasted the lasagna, he quickly cleaned his plate. When everyone was ready to burst, Randy brought out the homemade brownies he'd kept warm in the oven and vanilla ice cream.
"Seriously, Randy, are you trying to make us all fat so you can roll us around the house like big balls?" Lisa asked. She'd eaten too much, but it couldn't be helped. It was too good.
"Do you want me to stop making the deserts and give you smaller portions?" Randy asked seriously. Lisa laughed.
"No, I want you to keep doing what you're doing. When you find a woman who steals you away from us, you better still come by to cook for us once in a while." She noticed he looked sad all of a sudden. "What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking it would be great if I had a mate who's like one of you. Human women don't seem to like me too much, so maybe I would have better luck with a mate." Lisa was in full-blown mama bear mode. She moved to sit next to Randy and put her arms around him.
"You're only nineteen and have your whole life ahead of you. Whether you find the love of your life in a human, shifter, or vampire, she'll be lucky to have a guy like you. She better treat you good, or she'll have our whole zoo after her." Randy's face turned bright red. He still hoped someone like them was his mate.
Milo had remained quiet throughout dinner and afterward, taking it all in. Everyone in the house was different, but there was no denying how much they loved each other. Even though Lisa picked on Patrick, he could see it was just part of their relationship.
"What are you thinking about over there?" Lisa asked Milo. He wasn't sure how to answer. Today had opened his eyes. He felt like his entire life had been a lie, and he'd finally woken up to see the light.
"I'm thinking about how lost I feel. You've given me a chance to change my path, that I honestly don't deserve. I've been living off the money my grandpa left me and living in hotels while I contemplated how to get revenge. I don't know what to do now." Milo looked down at his hands.
"What happened to your parents?" Lisa asked him.
"I don't know about my mom. My dad raised me, and he never talked about her. My grandpa told me when I was six that my dad had died in a car accident. We never had a funeral, though; I didn't really think about it until I was older. My grandpa said he'd been mated to a human, but she died before I was born. As far as I know, my dad didn't have a wolf, and neither do I. Do you know why that would be?" Milo looked around the room.
"No, but are you sure you're actually a blood relative of your grandpa?" Patrick asked. With Cole's history, he wouldn't be surprised if Milo was a victim of his, too. Milo stared at him in shock.
"I never questioned him. After today, nothing would be a surprise. How can I find out?" He questioned them.
"My mom's mate is a lab tech. Do you mind driving up to Sacramento? You could spend some time with our family there. Trust me, Grandma Cat and Grandpa Trey will take you in with open arms." Lisa thought it was a great idea for Milo to get some purpose in his life, and who better to help him than her grandparents? Let him see what it meant to be part of a family.
"Are you sure they won't be mad at me?" Everyone in the room started laughing.
"Are you kidding? After an hour of being with them you'll be calling them Grandma and Grandpa. Our family is made up of many people of all different species. We don't turn anyone away as long as they don't mean us harm." Lisa answered, and Milo nodded. He would like to officially meet the rest of their family.
"Okay, I'll go." Lisa pulled out her phone to make a call. She put the phone on speaker.
"Hello?"
"Grandma Cat, I have you on speaker, and I have a favor to ask."
"Well, hello to you too, miss straight to the point," Cat replied.
"Sorry, Grandma. I miss you. We've had a lot going on down here with someone breaking into our house to steal Atzi's book, a crazy witch who wants to come after us, and Cole Reynell's grandson plotting to kill us."
"Oh, honey, do you need us to come down there?" Lisa smiled. She could already picture her grandma and grandpa heading their way, ready to fight for their family.
"No. We caught the guy who broke in, and he's actually staying with us now and helping around the house. He even cooks amazing food. Atzi and her family are here to help with the witch. Now we have Cole's grandson here, and he's what I want to talk to you about. His grandfather made him believe we were bad and needed to be killed. We're questioning whether he's even related to Cole. Milo has had a change of heart, and now he's a little lost. Can he come up there and stay with you and Grandpa for a while? I'd also like Morgan to check his DNA." Lisa smiled at Milo and could tell he was waiting anxiously for Grandma Cat's response.
"I'm so proud of all of you. Please have Milo come here. We'll have a room ready for him and hopefully get him some answers. Milo dear, please don't worry; we'll make sure you're not lost. We all get rerouted many times in our lives, but one thing always pulls us back. Family. We always have room for more in our family." Milo was speechless. He had never met Cat, but he already felt like she was changing his life.
"Thank you. I will pack my things and leave tonight." He couldn't wait to get to Sacramento to meet this woman ready to take him in, even after what Lisa had just told her about him.
"Alright, be careful. We'll see you when you get here. Now, the rest of you, please let us know when you have things going on. I don't want to hear about them after it's too late for us to help. Love you all."
"Love you, Grandma Cat." Everyone in the room, including Randy, said. He'd never met her either, but he was determined he was going to be part of their family.
"This is their address. Are you really leaving tonight?" Lisa handed Milo a piece of paper with the address in Roseville.
"Yes. There's nothing holding me here, and I want to know the truth about everything. Thank you for giving me a chance." Milo shook everyone's hands before he left. He walked down the street to where his car was parked. He was filled with a newfound light. Even though everything in his life had been turned upside down, he finally felt like maybe he was meant for something better.
He quickly drove to the motel, packed his things, and got on the highway. The werelion family had given him hope that the next chapter of his life wouldn't be filled with hate and revenge but with love and family. Milo felt better than he had in a long time as he drove. He was ready for the future and whatever it would bring his way.
