Page 31 of Holiday Surprise

“Woah,” Jessie said as she walked into the room. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone. Hi, I’m Jessie,” she offered him her hand.

Luke shook it and smiled. “Nice to meet you Jessie.”

“Pretty dramatic way to kick off the holidays, huh?” she said as she winked at me.

“Jessie, that’s enough. Please, Sydney, Luke, have a seat. And Merry Christmas,” mom said as she walked over to hug me

I kissed her cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered sincerely.

Mom sat in her recliner next to dad and across from me and Luke. Jessie took a seat on the floor by the Christmas tree.

“So, tell me, how did the two of you meet?” mom asked, shooting dad a look that dared him to speak out again.

Luke looked at me and I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer questions about us.

“At the winter solstice run,” Luke told her, relaxing a little next to me and commanding the room in a way only an Alpha could.

“I knew the run was a bad idea from the moment Zachary told me about it.”

Zach Collier had stepped down as Alpha to allow Thomas to take the reins. He and my dad had always been close and still had lunch together several days a week.

“I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical about it myself,” Luke said.

“You mean with those Larkens coming? I’ll never understand what Thomas was thinking in allowing that,” my mother said.

I tried to hide my embarrassment.

“Charlotte,” dad started. “Don’t you know who this is? That’s Luke Larken, Alpha of those wolves.”

Mom gasped. “No.” To her credit she rebounded quickly. “Yup, that’s it. I knew you looked familiar.”

Dad looked at her like she had lost her mind and a nervous giggle boiled up and out of me. Luke reached over and took my hand, linking our fingers together in a show of unity. Dad’s face was starting to turn purple taking it as a sign of dominance over me.

The thing was, when I felt cornered, or got really nervous, I started to talk, a lot, and without a filter.

“Daddy, I know what you’re thinking. I mean, he’s a Larken. He is everything we have always despised. When I realized he was my one true mate, I freaked out too. I had devised an exit plan to ensure our paths would never cross again. I even went over to tell him, but when I got there, you’re never going to believe what happened. I met my cousin, your niece. Uncle Sid is still alive. Verndetta, she’s named after you, by the way, is only a couple years younger than me. She’s happily mated with the most adorable little boy named Tom. And talking to her I realized they aren’t our enemies, daddy. They’re our family, our blood. Uncle Sid made a bad decision, but he’s had to live with the consequences of that choice. You can be angry at him, but he’s still your brother and he’s right there, just over the tracks, and he misses you too, enough to name his daughter after you, dad. And Luke, he’s a great man and a good and fair Alpha. He’s not Jedidiah, he’s trying to make a difference and improve the lives of his pack and our extended family. And even though we haven’t sealed our bond, my decision is made. He’s my mate and I don’t need your blessing for that, but it would be nice to have, because I’m pretty sure I’m already falling in love with him.”

Mom gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. She jumped from her seat and I met her halfway as we embraced. Meanwhile, Jessie sat there laughing at my predicament.

“That’s rich,” Jessie said.

“My baby girl has finally found her mate. This is definitely cause for celebration. Dinner is already on the table. Let’s eat,” my mother said.

I caught the glare shared between my father and Luke and sighed.

Dinner was tense. Mom and I kept up a steady stream of conversation while Luke only spoke when mom specifically addressed him, and dad didn’t say a word. Jessie was texting away on her phone and usually that would drive my mother crazy, but she was still elated for me finding my mate, even if he was a Larken.

Presents around the tree afterwards were still uncomfortable. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t wait to get away from that house.

Mom hugged me at the door and apologized again for dad’s behavior. Then Jessie hugged me goodbye, too.

“As long as you’re happy, I’m cool with it, and dad will come around. You’ve always been his favorite,” she pointed out. In actuality, if our father had a favorite, we both knew it it would be Jessie, so it had become a long-standing joke between us.

Luke and I both assured them it was fine and apologized for blindsiding them on Christmas.

I had to hold onto faith that my father would come around—eventually.

“I’m so sorry for that,” I told Luke the second we were alone in the car. “I knew it would be a shock and he wouldn’t be thrilled about it, but I really didn’t expect him to act like that.”

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