Page 66 of Blades of Ice

“Nah. My parents are night owls.”

“I’d like that.” Then he shoved his food in his mouth.

Lydia shouldn’t be surprised he wasn’t hesitant about talking to her folks. Beck had a big heart, and he was ready for someone besides her to share it with. They finished eating and cleaned the kitchen. When they settled on the sofa, Lydia opened her laptop instead of using her phone. “Ready?”

“Yep.”

Beck was morethan ready to meet the beings who gave him his mate. From listening to Lydia talk about her parents, he felt like he already knew them. Still, what if they didn’t like that he had put her in danger? He rubbed his hands along his jeans, and Lydia grabbed the one closest to her.

“They’re going to love you.” She tapped a few keys, and a window opened on the screen. A few seconds later, a familiar face popped up.

“Hey, Sweet Girl. How’s… Oh, hello. You must be Sawyer.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a sister,” Beck said, looking between Lydia and the face on the screen.

“Isn’t he adorable? I like him already.” Turning away, the female yelled, “Gorgeous, get your ass in here. Lydia’s on the line, and she has Sawyer with her.” When she turned back around, she grunted.

“How’s Gio?” Lydia asked.

“Killing my bladder and my back. I swear this kid’s gonna be a soccer player with how much he likes to kick.”

A male appeared next to the female. “Hey, Bug. What’s up?”

“I’d like you to meet my mate. These are my parents, Sophia and Nikolas. This is Sawyer Beckett, but everyone calls him Beck.”

Sophia snorted. “Everyone except you. Oh, My Bear,” she said in an awful falsetto.

Lydia crossed her arms over her chest. “Why did I think this was a good idea?”

“Because you love us. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Beck. First thing, please call me Nik. Second, we’re thrilled that Lydia found you. Now, tell us what’s been going on.” Nik wrapped his arm around Sophia’s shoulder and gave them his undivided attention. Beck couldn’t help but stare at Sophia. When Lydia said the aging process stopped with Gargoyles, she wasn’t kidding. Sophia didn’t look any older than her daughter.

Lydia leaned against Beck as she relayed the events of the past few days. Since she started with when Jon left to go get the helo, they must have been up to speed with everything before that. It surprised him how honest she was. At one point, a young male popped up behind the sofa, and Lydia paused her story long enough to introduce Beck to her brother, Locke. The teen gave him an up nod, then rolled his finger.

“Proceed, please.”

Lydia did. Her family sat quietly until she got to the part about killing Orson. The trio began talking at once, and Lydia smiled up at Beck. “I’ll just let them get it out of their system.” She pressed a kiss to his jaw, then leaned her head against his shoulder. When they realized she wasn’t listening, her mother leaned forward, grabbed her stomach, then flopped backwards.

“I’m fine. Like I told Carleigh, it was either him or me. Now, may I finish?”

“There’s more?” Sophia asked.

“Yep.” The next time she paused, she said, “That’s everything.”

Sophia looked at Beck. “I would say I’m sorry for your loss, but it sounds like she got what she deserved. And poor Kennedy.You need to bring her and Dooley home with you. Speaking of, when will that be?”

“We’re heading out soon to search for Amara. If we don’t find her before the end of the year, we’ll be in Atlanta for New Years.”

“You’re gonna miss Christmas?” Her mom pouted, and if it wouldn’t be weird to think, Beck would say Sophia was as adorable as her daughter.

“Maybe. But this is important, Mom. We need to leave Alaska with everything settled if possible. Now, if you happen to go into labor earlier than that, call me on my sat phone, and we’ll be there no matter what’s going on. We’ll celebrate Christmas a few days late, but don’t expect any wrapped presents. I’ll babysit Gio so you and Dad can get some sleep.”

Nik pumped a fist in the air. “Best present ever.”

Locke clapped his dad on the shoulder. “Guess I’ll send back the original copy ofLe Comte de Monte CristoI bought you and add my name to the babysitting roster.”

Nikolas about fell off the sofa, he turned so fast. “You found one?”

Locke shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now.”

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