Page 155 of Secret Shifters Next Door

We pulled the covers up over ourselves, and for the first time in several days, it felt like our spirits were high. I actually slipped into sleep with a smile on my face.

The next day, Steff went with me to pick up my parents from the airport. I was excited to see them. It had been over a year since I’d been able to be with them in person. I’d flown them up to a ski resort in Canada to celebrate my birthday. So much had happened since then, it felt more like ten years.

The whole drive to the airport, Steff was on edge. He couldn’t stop fidgeting or messing with the radio. It was a little cute watching him freak out. I understood his nerves, though. I was anxious, too. I was a little worried about how Dad would react to us being back together. It wasn’t that his opinion would truly matter—I was a grown woman and could make good decisions. Still, I knew he’d be concerned that things would end the way they had before. He’d always been protective, and he hated Steff for what he did back then. Despite the past, Steff and I were solid now. Nothing my parents said, or wished, would change that.

We stopped off at a florist outside the airport and bought a bouquet of flowers for my mother. Steff held them as we stood on the arrivals platform near the baggage claim and waited for my parents. Mom was the first one to come through the gate. When she saw us, she squealed with delight. She ran to us and wrapped me in a tight hug. The comfort from that connection was almost indescribable. There was something about being in your mother’s arms that made everything seem okay.

Mom held me out at arm’s length and looked me up and down. “You look absolutely amazing, April. Oh, gosh, I can’t even believe it. You’re positively glowing.”

I grinned, appreciating the praise, but she must have been lying for my benefit. Other than last night, I’d barely slept for over a week. The stress of everything, topped off with Aiden getting kidnapped, had leached any energy from me. I was pretty sure I actually looked like shit. It was still nice to hear her say it, though. Of course, Steff had woken me up that morning with hismouth. He’d given me a toe-curling, back-arching orgasm before we left. That could have been where the glow came from.

Without another word, Mom let go of me and flung her arms around Steff. His eyes bulged in surprise, and he hesitated before putting an arm around her in return. “Um… good to see you, Mrs. Knight. Here, we got you flowers.”

I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back my laugh. He sounded like a robot trying to read lines. Mom didn’t seem to notice. She took the flowers and was sniffing them when I spotted my dad. At fifty-six, he looked closer to forty-six and still had a handsome face. That face was scowling now, his eyes bolted onto Steff.

His gaze slipped from Steff over to me, and the look on his face immediately softened. He grinned and opened his arms. I fell into him. If a hug from your mother made you feel warm and comforting, a hug from your father was like being wrapped up in a protective blanket. I almost cried.

Dad leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I’m glad to see you, sweetie, but I wasn’t happy to only hear about you and Steff before we boarded. That was a surprise I would have preferred to hear about earlier.”

I winced and tried not to blush. “Sorry. I kept trying to figure out how to let you know. Then you guys were coming up. I ran out of time, and I told Mom to break the news when you were on the way. I’m sorry.”

Dad glared at Steff again. He nodded toward him. “You and I need to have a man-to-man talk soon, son.”

Steff swallowed hard and nodded. “I look forward to it, Mr. Knight.”

The drive back to Lilly Valley was spent with us trying to give updates on our lives. Mom was interested in Steff’s security firm and seemed pretty impressed by the type of people they worked for. The conversation inevitably moved to Aiden’s kidnapping.We tried to give them as much information as we could without giving away too much. We didn’t even bother to tell them who took him. If we had, Dad would have probably taken a shotgun to the high school and blown Ryland’s head off right in front of his students. That would have only served to get Dad put into jail for the rest of his life, and the hunters would have still been after us. There was no benefit to it. As much as he hated keeping things from Mom and Dad, Kellan had agreed to it as well.

Aiden had nearly sprinted to his grandparents. Mom and Dad scooped him up and hugged him. They looked much more emotional than I thought they normally would have. The news of the kidnapping had freaked them out more than they’d let on. Kellan wasn’t back to normal, either. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he’d slept even worse than I had over the last few days.

Toward the end of the afternoon, before Steff and I left, Mom pulled me aside. “Would you be okay if we stayed with Kellan? It seems like this has been hard on him. Your father and I would like to help out a bit. Try to take some of the stress off. Is that okay?”

Steff would be relieved to postpone histalkwith my dad. I nodded. “It’s fine, Mom. That makes sense. I’m sure Aiden would love to have you guys around. We’ll come by tomorrow and bring Kris and Chelsea. We can have a family cookout or something.”

“That’s great, April. Thanks.” Mom turned to Dad. “Honey, April and Steff are getting ready to go. Come say goodbye.”

I hugged my dad, who then stepped over and put his hand out to Steff. The two men shook, but Dad didn’t let go. Steff looked at their clasped hands, and his eyes widened slightly, worry evident on his face. I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning.

Dad looked Steff in the eyes. “We’ll have that talk tomorrow.”

Steff nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Out in the truck, Steff let me drive. He sank into the passenger seat and huffed out a deep sigh. He looked at me and shook his head. “I may be a shifter, but your dad still scares the shit out of me.”

I burst out laughing and didn’t stop chuckling until we were almost home.

TWENTY-EIGHT

STEFF

The next day, the entire family gathered at Kellan’s house. Not only April’s family, but mine as well. Tate and Harley brought their girls and baby Tory. Miles and Blayne showed up, too. It made it a bit less awkward for me. I was cool with Kris and Kellan again, but April’s dad had told me he wanted to talk today. That… was stressful to think about.

Kellan and Kris provided steaks and barbeque ribs. Everyone else had pitched in sides, drinks, and dessert. It felt almost like a holiday—Easter or Christmas or something. After the horror of the kidnapping, it was a much-needed release of tension.

I stood off by the grill, a beer in hand, watching everyone enjoy themselves. April’s dad was talking to Tate and Miles about the security business. Harley’s daughters had cornered Blayne. From how uncomfortable he looked, they were probably trying to discuss teenage heartthrobs, pop music, and TV shows he’d never heard of, much less seen.

I glanced back toward the house where April and her mother were sitting on a bench on the back porch, talking and chuckling at something. The image of April with her mom sent my mind to my own family. We’d never truly been close, even before the incident and my banishment. It was mostly due to the fact thatSean had been jealous of me. That had started to rear its head when it became obvious that I was going to be Alpha. It set our entire family dynamic off track.

We’d fought almost every day. It had worn on my parents to the point that they would snap at us. It made it difficult for us to ever really be close to one another. Seeing the way April was with her parents made me… not homesick exactly, but perhaps nostalgic for something I would never experience with my own family.

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