I Stole the Alpha's Car (18+)|✔️

Chapter 43

"...so, we just met your future mother-in-law?" Jess glanced at Tori, then back at me.

Dazed, I nodded, "She had to be – the resemblance is so strong."

Jess shrugged as we walked. "Well, she's got a pretty cool little store."

Nervous, I asked, "Do you think she knew who I was?"

Tori snorted. "I guarantee she knew."

"Wh-"

Jess turned, smiling wryly as she tapped her nose.

"Oh, God," I squeaked. "I smell like Dwayne..."

Tori nodded, "Yup."

"So, not only does she know I'm his mate, she knows that we-"

Jess grinned. "YUP!"

I stopped, immobilized on the sidewalk. "Oh, God..." If the Earth could swallow me up right now...

"Chill," Tori put a hand on my shoulder.

"Fuck!" I groaned, "This is not how I wanted to meet his family!"

Jess shook her head. "Little late for that, kiddo. You got drunk with his brother in Baltimore, and we just ran into Mommy Dearest while shopping." Looking over at Tori, she asked, "What do you want to bet we randomly encounter his dad before we leave?"

Tori, thankfully, had more sympathy for my plight. "Look, from what I saw, she seems like a nice woman. I'm sure you made a fine first impression."

Closing my eyes, I felt my thoughts whirling through my mind.

It's fine.

It's fine.

Taking a breath, I ran my hand over my hair. "I'm overreacting, aren't I?"

Tori patted my back. "Just a bit."

Sheepish, I felt myself blush. "Sorry, guys."

"Don't be." Jess started walking again, "The early days of mating are wonderful in a lot of ways." Taking Tori's hand in hers, she chuckled. "They are also some of the most stressful moments of your life."

Tori glanced over. "Do you remember meeting my mother?"

Jess chuckled, "Do you remember meeting mine?"

When we reached Dulce, I successfully insisted on paying, despite their objections. With cones in hand, we walked across the street to the square.

Concrete paths crisscrossed the public park, and picking one, we passed a stone bandstand, headed toward the bike racks.

But, rather than try to bike back to the resort with ice cream cones, we hunted for a place to sit and relax in the June sun.

Finding an empty picnic table, we set our bags down to enjoy our treats.

Nearby, a brightly colored jungle gym teemed with children. They seemed to crawl all over each other – sliding down poles and climbing up slides – playing games that only made sense to them.

I watched the chaos for a moment, shaking my head.

Definitely not ready for that...

Exuberant shrieks rang out from the turmoil as I turned back toward my friends.

And paused.

Jess was watching the tumult with a kind of pained longing.

And Tori was watching Jess.

Neither of them seemed to notice me – each too absorbed in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Jess's words from yesterday rang through my mind.

"She's acting weird..."

And, in that moment, I felt like I knew why.

"I'm ready, she's not..."

I felt a stealthy smile growing on my lips.

Jess shook herself out of her reverie. "Sorry, you said something?"

Feigning ignorance, I brought my cone up for a lick. "I didn't." Then the cold, creamy deliciousness hit my tongue, and I couldn't focus on anything else.

Back at the resort, Jess headed up to the suite for a nap while Tori claimed to be going for a walk.

Claimed.

I kept my features neutral as she said this. If there was something brewing in Tori's mind, then that was for her to reveal when she was ready.

In the meantime, I caught sight of Iris at the guest services counter and walked up.

"Hello again!" She greeted.

"Hi!" As I placed my hands on the counter, I paused, unsure of myself. "Um, who would I speak to about arranging a private dinner date for two?"

She chuckled. "Me."

"Could we have it outside?"

Without hesitation, she answered, "Absolutely."

"And what would be the menu options?"

She didn't even blink. "Limitless."

Taken aback, I asked, "Really?"

She nodded. "We aim to please – especially since I'm guessing that one member of this party is you and the other is my boss."

Chuckling, I admitted, "Yeah."

Iris took out a pad of paper and a pen. "So, what did you have in mind?"

After discussing the details and settling on a three-course menu with a very nice bottle of wine, I thanked Iris, intending to head upstairs for a nap of my own.

"Oh, before I forget..."

Digging through my bags, I pulled out a small green square of pistachio fudge wrapped in cellophane.

"Here, for you."

Iris's eyes widened, "Oh, that's so sweet – thank you!"

I smiled, "Thanks for all your help!"