Page 9 of Dyson

Darling had never been a good daughter. Emitte blamed it on her husband, Wally. He’d spoiled her good when they were first married, and she now expected everyone to do the same for her. Thinking that she needed her butt beat a little more, Emitte thought that she’d do well to beat her daughter too. Poppy. What sort of name was that for a kid, he wanted to know.

Just as he was turning off his lights, his cell phone rang. The only people who had the number were Emma, Sidney, and his attorney. Answering it with a little caution, he was happy to hear from Sidney. The first thing he asked him was if he called too late.

“No. I was headed to bed, but I always have time to talk to you. What’s going on?” He told him how Emma was going to have dinner with his family tomorrow night, and he wanted to know if he would like to come too. “My goodness. Yes, I’d love that. I hear that your mom can put on a good feed bag. I’ll be happy to…someone will have to come and get me. I don’t drive anymore. Reflects are a little slower than I want them to be.”

“I’ll pick you up when I get Emma. She’s not real keen on coming over, I guess she’s still not used to being around a lot of people but she’s coming because I told her that I’d ask you to come.” He asked him what he would have done if he couldn’t make it. “I was going to talk you into it because all my brothers will be there. I thought that way you can see for yourself whether she’s a mate or not. I don’t believe that she is, to be honest. I’ve been talking about her for a decade, and they all feel like they know her already. But it will be a good dinner. Steaks and baked potatoes. Also a nice green salad like you like.”

“And some of that crusty bread that Emma tells me that your momma makes. That’s something that I’ve been—you don’t have to put your momma out, young man, but if she has an inkling to bake some bread too, I won’t turn that down either.” Laughing, he said that he’d ask her. “Good. Don’t you be telling her to make it for me. I’m not going to turn down a good meal and not be invited back again on account of me wanting something she didn’t want to make.”

“My mom only does what she wants even if someone was to beg her for it. She’s a wonderful person and I’m slightly afraid of her. I’m sure she’ll not have any trouble making sure that you have a good loaf of bread that you can take home with you, too.” They both laughed, and it made him feel good. “I’ll pick you up around five o’clock. That way, we can talk a bit before dinner.”

He was a bit too excited to go to bed but he made himself get into the mood to sleep. To be having dinner with the family was something that he never expected but he was looking forward to it as much as he had anything in his life. Kissing his Sally’s picture, he told her about his day and how much he loved her. He was on the fence about going to see her soon. He thought that she’d be mad at him if he left too soon. Oh, but he missed her something terrible.

~*~

It was just a little past five when he pulled up in front of the nursing home. Emitte was just where he said he’d be. Waiting on the front porch so that they’d not have to get out of the car. Emma had to get out to hug her grandda, and it brought tears to his eyes to see how happy the two of them were to see each other. When he knew for a fact that they’d seen each other just this morning and had a lunch date, too.

“My mom said to tell you that she’s going to bake you bread once a week so that you have a nice treat.” That made Emitte a little teary-eyed, but he thanked him for it all the same. “She has some jelly and other things for you to take back with you when you leave. She said that she has plenty now that we all don’t live at home anymore, so you’re welcome to it.”

Letting the older man gather his emotions, he changed the subject to what he and Emma had been talking about before they’d picked up Emitte. He told him that since he was a might older than him he should just call him by his first name. Sidney was honored to do that for the man and thought that they could be very good friends from now on.

“I’m bringing you to my house for two reasons.” Emma asked him if it was her stellar conversation. “Something like that. But my brothers are going to be here, and I wanted to see if you were mated to one of them. It’s all good if you’re not, but I’d love to have you as part of my family.”

“I’m not your mate, am I?” He shook his head and looked at her when he stopped at a light. “What if I am? What’s going to happen then?”

“To be honest, the only thing that I know for sure is that you’re going to be taken care of for the rest of your life. And that you’ll never have to worry about your family getting the better of you. Also,my brother, if one of them is your mate, you’ll be loved like no one has ever loved you before.”

“I have that with you and my grandda.” He told her that it would be different. A long and lasting romance, too. “I don’t know about that, Sidney. I don’t have my life together enough now to hold down a job, much less have some guy that I barely know to want things of me that I don’t have in me to give to him.”

“It won’t be like that. I swear.” He hoped he was right but right now, he didn’t know. He’s seen how his brothers had been to their mates. He worried, too, that the saying that mates couldn’t hurt one another might not apply to Emma. She was pretty mean when she wanted to be. “I’ve told you so much about them over the years that I’m sure that you could pick them out on your own. And since Fowler and Madison have their mates, they have changed a great deal in their mannerisms, too.”

“I don’t know. I feel like…I don’t know what I feel. I’m worried that I’ll be a huge disappointment to whoever wants to marry me.” She looked at him. He could feel her sadness as he drove the last few blocks to his parents’ home. “I’m not much of a girl that you guys would want to be around. I mean, even my own parents didn’t want me and dropped me off at the fire station when I was only a few hours old.”

“It doesn’t matter if you are or not one of their mates. You still have me in your heart, and I have you in my life, and that’s more than I could have hoped for. I love you, Emma. I will for the rest of my days, too.” She turned away, and he allowed her the few minutes he drove so that she could compose herself. As he pulled into the driveway, he thought about his brothers and didn’t know if he wanted one of them to be her mate or not. They were very stuck in their own ways, and Emma was a free spirit. He loved that about her, too.

Mom and Dad met them at the door. He was never so proud of them as he was in that moment. They were welcoming his friends into their home and he loved them for that. As hugs were given, Mom looked at him and winked. He had a feeling that not only did Mom know who Emma was mated to but that she was already immortal like they were, as well as her grandda. Christ, he so loved his family.

Each of his brothers stood up when they entered the living room. It was a rare treat to have both his parents here. They’d been staying in the other world with Fowler and Amy for the last few weeks. It was great to have them all together again.

After introductions, it was Dyson who kept standing when the others had settled down on the couches. He was wondering what was wrong with him when he simply stared at Emma. Dad popped him in the back of the head, and he finally sat down. Emma asked him if she was his mate.

“Yes, I belong to you.” She rolled her eyes, and that seemed to tickle his brother in some way. “While I’m not sure of things right now, I’m going to make it my life work to make sure that you’re going to live a long and happy life.”

“What makes you think that I’m not happy with my life now?” Emitte put his hand on Emma’s leg, and she apologized to Dyson. “I’m sorry. I’m out of sorts because my family is trying to make sure that grandda and I never see each other again. I can’t handle that. He’s the only person that has ever believed in me.”

“I believe in you. And while I don’t have a home, when I find one the two of you can live there together for as long as you wish. No one will ever harm either of you, nor will they be able to get into the house with ill-will in their hearts and minds.”

“I know about you, Dyson. A little, anyway. Sidney used to talk about you all when we were hanging out together. He’s been my friend and confidant since I was just a kid.” He told her that he was glad that she had someone in her corner. “Thank you for that. I don’t know what I would have done if you were to have told me that I couldn’t see him anymore.”

“To do that would mean that I’d not see him either. And I love my brothers, my entire family too much to not be able to see them anymore. Much like it is with your grandda.” Dyson grinned at him. “Thank you for keeping her safe, Sidney. I owe you a great deal.”

“My pleasure.” Dinner was called, and the family went to the dining room. It was wonderful to be able to call Emma and Emitte family. He also wasn’t as worried about the two of them as he hadbeen before. Life was suddenly taking on a new outlook. And he couldn’t have been happier with the way things had turned out. He hoped it would just get better and better, too.

Chapter 3

Emma wasn’t sure what to think about being a mate. For some reason, it seemed like she’d been set up in coming here tonight. Not really set up, but blindsided with her having a mate and all that would come with that. Grandda was talking to Dyson about things, and she found herself on the couch talking to Morning, Sidney’s grandmother. She came to dinner tonight, too, so that she could meet her.

“I’m not really someone that knows how to be mated to a very wealthy man. I’m sort of like one of those people behind the scenes.” Morning told her that she’d do just fine and that she was happy that Dyson had someone in his life, too. “He looks sort of stressed out. Is that because of me?”

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