Chapter 3

Lica wanted to dislike the elderly woman, but he just didn’t have it in his heart to tell her to fuck off. She’d been off and on picking at everything that Mac had done, said and even how she had looked since she sat down with them. But she gushed over him and Brandy—because she was monied, the woman told her.

“Look.” Everyone turned to Edmond and he wondered if he was going to slap the other woman or not. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that the only reason that Brandy hadn’t was because he was holding her hand. “Caroline, I want you to not open that puss of yours until you think about what you’re going to say first. This just saying whatever is on your mind and then apologizing for it is just bullshit. Think then speak, or don’t fucking speak at all. Frankly, I’ve had enough of you, and we’ve only just met.”

“Here, here, young man. The best way to deal with Carol here is to slap her down.” Lica stood up when his brother did. While he didn’t have any idea who the new couple were, he’d bet his bottom dollar that they were related to Mac. The woman looked like she could be her younger twin. The man, who he assumed was her father, smiled at them before pulling out a chair for his missus. “Hello all. We heard that Mac here was entertaining her grandmother but didn’t hear about you others. My name is Markus Pendleton. This lovely creature is my wife, Nancy. We’re Mac’s parents. Do you have a hug for us, my dear?”

She told him that she’d wait on that because Grandmother was being rude again. Markus seemed to get a kick out of his mother-in-law a great deal. Almost as soon as they were seated, food was brought to them. They’d not ordered yet. They were waiting to see if they were going to have to go to jail for slapping around an old woman.

“Mom, please refrain from being a nasty sort of person before we eat. I don’t want to have indigestion, thank you very much.” For whatever reason, Lica found himself liking the other couple. When Nancy reached over and hugged her daughter, it was as if a wonderful settling feeling came over the table. “Now, would someone please introduce me to the young man here? And the other couple? Please?”

After the introductions were made, he shook hands with the man. After giving a small shake to the mother’s hand, they all started to fill their plates with the food that seemed to be never-ending. He’d had no idea that this place served food this way, country style, he thought it was called, and was glad that he’d not have to get up every time he wanted a refill on something to get it.

“My parents own this place. They have since I was a child.” Nancy told Mac not to be rude and that talking about money at the table wasn’t nice. “Yet here you are flaunting about how you have money by making someone tote and carry for you. Mom, just let me chill out and eat. And by the way, this is my future husband, Edmond Fraizer, his brother, Lica Fraizer, and his wife, Brandy Fraizer. Watch your comments, or I’ll have them leap on you. They’re all wolves.”

Again, there were introductions made. This time he was called the alpha, and Brandy was their alpha bitch. Brandy never seemed to mind the bitch part. He just realized and had to hold in his laughter when Carol, as Markus called her, tisked at them all. Mac asked why they were in town.

“I’d like to say that we’re here on vacation, but we’ve quit the delegate job. It was too stifling, and I was sick of going to dinner parties nightly and waking up in the morning sick. Not hung over, mind you, but sick. The different cooks and places that we ate had a terrible effect on our poor bodies.” Markus looked at Carol again before continuing. “You remember what that’s like, Carol? Eating other people’s food would make you positively ill. And we put in for our retirement.”

“What a vulgar subject, Markus. I can see all that delegating and being around people superior to you hasn’t made you any less nasty.” He told the elderly woman that he gave as good as she did. “I’m trying to change my ways so that my grandchildren don’t avoid me. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“Thank god for that. As for your grandchildren, I think that Mac would agree with me when she says that she’s never avoided you but the other way around. Wasn’t it you after Jacob died who told them at the funeral that you were going on holiday and not to bother you? Also, that you weren’t going to put up with their…Mac, what did she call it?” she told him, and Lica had to stifle a laugh. “That’s right, their shenanigans. And there I was hoping for my children to get into some shenanigans . Not as much as the boys have been, but Mac for sure. What are you up to these days, child? Learning something fun, I’m betting.”

They talked around the table, telling the new couple what they knew about living in Ohio. It was brought up a couple of times that they were looking for themselves a house so that they could be close to their children. After a few stories of the boys, the young men that were in the diner just yesterday, they decided that they’d be left where they were.

“They’ve forever thought that they had to protect Mac. I never saw that, that she needed to be protected. Mostly, she needed to be protected from them and their antics. Especially my grandson, Alan. Alan so loved his sister and was kind to her. He could lead the other three to trouble, and sometimes, he’d step back and laugh when they were caught up in whatever mess he concocted. I’m assuming that they’ve done something to Mac here. And you had to step in.” It was Edmond who told Nancy what had transpired. Lica had heard the story before, about the incident in the diner but he’d never heard his brother tell it. The only thing that he could think of was that his brother had some super strength before he’d met Mac, too. “You stabbed a fork through his hand? Whatever for? So? He’d knocked the food from your mouth. That sounds to me like he was just playing around. My goodness. Nancy, dear, what do you think of that?”

“Good for him.” That seemed to have shocked Caroline when her own daughter wouldn’t agree with her. “Alan will need to learn that not everyone is going to put up with his bullshit. And this is the man to do it. I’m betting that he doesn’t try any shit with him again.”

“I suppose you’re right. I don’t see it that way but I suppose that you’re going to be right about your own children. I just think that having his hand wounded is a far cry from having the food—”

“Grandmother, do shut up.” Mac looked around the table as she continued. “No one here knows what they said to him when they were pissing Edmond off, but Edmond. Christ. You make it sound like they’ve never done anything wrong. Well, I have news for you, Grandma. Alan has been arrested three times for his part in some robberies. Even the diner hasn’t been safe when he wanted money. David told me once that he’d been caught looking in the neighbor’s yard when his child was out in the pool. You should hear Uncle Tim talk about the amount of times that he’s had to arrest them. I love them dearly, but they’re nothing but trouble. While not harming me in their shenanigans, as you call it, it still reflects badly on me. If you want to have a life with us, me included, you’re going to have to understand that while they were babies, you pampered them too much. Now they’re paying for the way that you treated them. And me, for that matter.”

No one said a word, but they were all looking at Mac’s dad. He was smiling but it was the humor in his eyes that made Lica like the man. Trying as hard as he could, the man finally let go of his laughter and patted his wife on the back, telling her that she had wanted to say this to her mother for decades, and her daughter finally did it.

“Markus, you’re not fit for this family. I’ve said this to you before.” Caroline turned to him and he smiled at her, knowing that if she asked him, he was going to be as blunt as he could be to her. “I bet that we’ve scared you off, haven’t we. You’ll no doubt try and get your brother to leave my granddaughter alone. It’s what you should do. I’m not going to make you, though. You really should think about what they’re saying about my family.”

“My mother tried to kill my brothers and me on the night that she was arrested for murdering my father. Ever since we were small children, our parents have wanted us dead. Even taking what little money we had to buy ourselves clothing that fit and school supplies, they’d take it away from us by beating us nearly to death. Edmond has been injured himself so badly that he lost a toe that makes his wolf limp a bit.” Lica stood up. “You ever say any bad things about my brother’s family again, Carol Kensington, and I will bring my entire pack down on your head so quickly that you’re never going to recover from it.” He looked at his brother and Mac. “If you two are ready to go, I was thinking that we could go shopping for you a car and then make our way home. Please. I don’t think that this is going to be the best environment to have and raise children in. Especially if Carol is around.”

Lica made his way out of the hotel and to his car. He knew that Brandy was behind him, but he was terrified of what he’d say to her if she thought that he’d been wrong about what had just transpired. When she finally said his name, Lica stopped so suddenly that she hit him in the back.

“Are you mad at me?” She shook her head and said she was proud of him. He didn’t know if he’d heard her wrong and asked her again. “Are you mad at me for talking like that to that woman?”

“I’m proud of you. Had myself or even Mac, who looked as shocked as we did about what was being said, we would have knocked her on her ass and stomped on her on the way out. You were brilliant. You said it all, and that, my husband dear, is how you keep a bully from coming around again.” He asked her if Mac seemed pissed or even her parents. “No, when we left, Markus was gathering up his things to leave, too, when his wife started in on her mother. Christ, she might say she wants to change but I’m doubting that she ever will. And those tears, they’re not even close to touching her heart either. She’s a royal bitch.”

“That she is, Brandy. Yes, that’s my mother-in-law in one word.” They both hugged the other couple, and Lica felt a connection to them that he’d not had before. Apparently, Markus felt it as well. “What was that? I feel like I got a jolt of something from you. Is that possible?”

“I would say that we keep from saying that around your family. You’ve not seen things that will question your sanity until you hear the things that we know about Mac and Edmond.” The two of them joined them on the sidewalk. Edmond asked one of them if they’d pay the bill as he didn’t have any money on him. It was then that Brandy spoke up about the credit cards that she’d brought with her with Edmond’s name on them.

~*~

Edmond took the credit cards when they’d been offered. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that he could have a mate and no money. Not that she had said anything to him about where they were going to be living but he was sure that it had been on her mind. It had been on his mind since his brother and Brandy had shown up. When she took him aside, he just knew that she was going to tell him what his punishment was going to be for leaving when there was so much left unsaid at home.

“I’m sorry. So very sorry.” He took a step back from her before asking her why she was so sorry. “I’ve been a bitch before, but this thing that I did to you and your brothers, and that would include Lica, was so wrong on so many levels. I want to help you, but forcing your hand isn’t the way to go. I should have thought that…I didn’t think at all, Edmond. I just wanted you guys to like me.”

“I love you. We all do. I hope that you don’t think that we don’t?” She told him that she really didn’t deserve that from him. “You do. And not because you’re our alpha bitch but because you’ve made Lica so happy. And he is. I’ve never heard him whistle before. He’s not any good at it, but I believe that you’re the one that gave him a reason to do that.”

“Thank you for that. And while we’re talking about happiness, I’ve spoken to the others, again including Lica and I’m making amends. Not like that woman was, but I’m seriously making it up to the six of you. The house is yours. Also, the money. No, what I mean is, I’d like for you to take the house and the money. The cards that I’ve given you are for you to use if I have you doing something for the businesses. I also, well, I was ashamed that I’d not thought of paying you before when you were working for me and I felt doubly ashamed that you guys didn’t come to me when you needed it. I’m sorry.” Edmond saw Brandy look at Mac then. “You were right in everything that you said to me. And I’d very much like for us to start over where we can be friends. I think that I’d very much like to hang out with you and your mom, too. She’s funny.”

“I would love to hang out with you now that you’ve got the burr out of your ass. As for my mom, that’ll be up to her. She’s an adult. But I will say that I’ve never had the opportunity to hang out with other women, including my mom.” Mac grinned. “They think that I’m a cunt. I can be, but not all the time.”

They were still laughing when Nancy and Markus joined them for the second time. They had gone back in to pay the bill and to tell Caroline to leave them be if she wasn’t going to be nice. Nancy told them that her mom was going to go and bail out the others, and she thought that it would be a nice time to visit the rest of Edmond’s family.

He and Mac were loading their few things into the car that Lica and Brandy had come up here in, and the Pendleton’s were going to follow them. It was agreed that they would get together for a dinner party at Lica’s home. Edmond’s home was finished, Lica told him; however, he lacked even the basic needs of a home. Such as a table and chairs, not to mention a couch to sit on.

“We were going to take care of that the other day.” Brandy no doubt wanted to say she was sorry again, but Mac cut her off. “We’ll get to it. I promise, but I see no reason for us to have anything but a bed and a kitchen table. Right?”

“Two beds for now and a kitchen table. But I would really like it if we were to have a massive television where we can watch all the football that we want. I bought that ticket thing that lets you watch them all, and I want to use that sucker.” Edmond laughed with Mac and he took her hand into his. “Don’t get ahead of yourself too much there, buddy. We still have a lot of other decisions to make before we go humping each other.”

The ride back home was a nice trip. Bursts of laughter had him enjoying it much better than he had the drive up here. Almost as soon as they pulled into Lica’s driveway, the others started coming over and getting to meet the rest of the family. It was then that Mac’s cell phone rang.

When she returned to the family just as they were going into the house, she told him not to ask and that she’d tell him later. He had a feeling that it was about either her grandmother or the brothers or both. Whatever it was, he was going to be there for her.

Dinner was catered. Brandy had made the arrangements on the way home and by the time they had arrived, everything was being set up. Edmond had only seen his brothers yesterday, but he hugged them like it had been years instead of only a couple of days. They felt the same way, they told him.

Brandy suggested that after dinner, they go to see their new home. He was kind of nervous about having such a large home, but Lica assured him that it would be all right. How he figured that was anyone’s guess but he was willing to take Mac over if she was willing to go. Markus wanted to know if they could go and see the house as well.

“I think that would be all right, sir. But you’ll need to clear that with Mac. I talked to Brandy on the way back here, and she’s making sure that Mac’s name is on the deed.” He asked if he meant they were both on it. “Not yet. If things don’t work out between us, I want her to have a place to live. I’m not saying that I don’t think that it’ll work out, but we’re only just getting to know each other, and we might not set well. I don’t know that much about happy marriages other than my brother, and he and Brandy seem to me to be the exception to any rules when it comes to being in love.”

“Do you believe that you can have the same kind of love as your brother, young man?” Edmond told his future father-in-law that he had no idea. “But you’ll make it work out, correct? You’re not going to just give it up before giving it a try, will you?”

“I will give it my all to make sure that Mac is happy. If loving me is a part of that, then I will consider myself to be the luckiest man on earth.” Markus stared at him for several moments before he pulled him into a tight embrace. Once he was done, the two of them walked to the kitchen to help with serving the meal.

The food was, in the words of Nancy, stupendous. He had to agree and was happy for the food to be served on such short notice. Edmond could cook; they all had learned how to do that so they’d not starve, but he loved to cook. Not for a lot of people, just his family, and he was looking forward to being able to cook for him and Mac. However, he didn’t know how long she’d put up with him doing that for them. Edmond found himself terrified of living with a basic stranger. Sitting next to her on the couch, when Lica turned on the football game, he asked her if she was having fun.

“A great deal more fun than I thought I would. However, if you’re going to talk to me, you’d be better off waiting for a commercial or halftime. I’m a great lover of football.” He was, too, but he found out that no one was as good of a fan as Mac was. She knew the rules and the players as well as she was great at shouting at the refs when she thought they were slacking on their job. Markus was as well, and he’d bet anything that he was the one that had made his little girl a football fanatic.

At each break, she’d talk to him about herself or ask him about himself. He had learned a great deal about his mate in the three-hour game.

He loved it when he could mess with her by asking certain questions of her, like asking her if it was allotted only an hour to play, fifteen minutes per quarter, and have only four quarters. Why the hell did it take so long to play a game. He then pointed out that the players didn’t use their feet all that much, so why was it called foot ball. She did point out to him that the game had originated in Britain, and they did kick the ball more but he was having much too much fun to let her get by with that.

He did, however, learn a great deal about Mac. She was passionate when she believed in something. She was fair when she had to take sides, and she was compassionate about how his family compared to hers when growing up. In comparison, her life had been idyllic, while his had been a nightmare. Markus and Nancy even asked questions of him and he returned his curiosity too about them.

Edmond was surprised when, after talking to his new family, they brought up Caroline again. It was Mac who said that she thought her grandma was just playing with them. That the fits of crying that she did was her way of covering up when things didn’t go her way. Edmond thought that she might be right, pointing out that when things were getting out of her control she would bring on the tears. He thought perhaps that even Nancy believed it, too.

“As much as I hate to agree with you about my own mother, I believe that you’re right. She’s always been very manipulative when I was growing up. There were no tears, just mine, when she told me how things were going to go. Not in a way that I was a child and that I didn’t know any better, but she would point out how it would, whatever it was, affect her and her standing in the town. I wanted, when I was about fifteen to go to the mall—yes, that was a thing back then, where me and a bunch of friends would go there and hang around. Buy a soda or a pretzel, or even go to the movies. But she said that me doing that, just hanging around with my friends, would make her look like she didn’t have enough money for me to get what I wanted. Let me ask you, Mac, did I ever say that sort of thing to you?”

“I wouldn’t have asked, but I always believed that so long as I kept my ass together and not embarrass you too much, I was on my own. I think I learned a great deal at the mall. One of them was about commerce. If I wanted to hang with my buddies, I needed more money.” They both laughed, daughter and mom, and Edmond felt a twinge of jealousy that he’d never had for someone before. He thought that he could learn a great deal about parenting from the other couple, and he was happy that they’d be a part of his life from now on. Edmond looked at Mac when she said his name.

“Yes, love.” It occurred to him in that moment of time that he was falling in love. It was quick. He would say that, but it felt right as well. As a shifter wolf, he’d want his mate, but as a man, what he was most of the time, he also wanted a wife. Someone that would be there for him as much as he would be there for her. “I’m…I’ve never been in love before. Have you?”

“No. And don’t tell me that you are now, either. It’s not possible. We’ve known each other for what, five minutes? No, you don’t love me. You just want to get into my panties.” Her father laughed, and her mother seemed shocked at first, then laughed. “Well, what is it, love or my pink panties?”

“Both. However, I won’t get into whatever color your drawers are until you ask me to. I swear on your heart that I will never—” He told her that he was supposed to swear on his mother’s heart. “My mother doesn’t have a heart that any of us know of. But you do, and I’ll prove to you that I love you by not getting you or forcing you nor anything like that until you say so. Will that prove that I want more out of you other than a quick fuck?”

Her dad had to walk away. He was laughing so hard. Nancy just shook her head and said that she was going to go and find her husband, that this conversation was too much for her. But he could see that she was fighting humor, too. But he continued to stare at Mac, waiting for her to answer him.

“I suppose we’ll have to live in the same home to make this work, right?” He said that would be a good way to judge yes. “All right then, I’ll do that. But you’ll be begging me before I beg you. And when you do, I’m going to make you remember it for the rest of our lives.”

“Good. You have a deal.” He laughed when she looked confused. Like she was wondering what she’d just agreed to. When dinner was finished up, and everyone was headed to his home, he thought that this was going to be the perfect way to prove to his mate how much he really did love her. Either that, or he was going to be one dead wolf. And he had a feeling that she wasn’t going to play fair either. Her dad had told him how much Mac hates to lose a bet. He didn’t like to lose either, damn it, and this was going to be war. Edmond just hoped that he wasn’t going to be the fallen one when things were all done.