Looking up at him, I asked, “If Mom had ignored your calls and messages for more than a few days, more than a few months or even years, what would you have done?”
“Gone to find her and demanded to know why she was ignoring me,” he said without hesitation. “Apologized for what I had done wrong or tried to find a way to fix it.”
I nodded. “That’s what I thought. And that isnotwhat they did.”
He frowned and said, “There are times when duty makes doing things like that difficult.”
Sighing, I set my hand on his shoulder as I stepped up next to him and said, “Don’t try to give them an out, Dad. They are adults, grown males, who will have to live with their consequences. They had plenty of time to reach out, to try to mend the break in our friendship. To find me at the college they knew the location of and talk to me. It’s not your job to try to convince me to give them a second chance, not that they want or deserve one.”
“Everyone deserves a second chance, cub. If your mother hadn’t given me a second chance, we might not be mates right now.”
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “Everyone knew you were meant to be together. The trio and I aren’t soulmates or matches like you guys are.”
“Whatever is going on between you four, just do me a favor and give them one chance to explain themselves. If they shoot themselves in the foot with their explanation, or it’s a terrible one, then write them off and move on. I’m not saying I think you guys should be together, but I know when I was a prince, an alpha who spent a lot of years doing what was needed, that sometimes doing what you want isn’t easy. Okay?”
I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, “Okay, Dad.”
“Do you need a driver?” he asked as I headed out of the room.
“Yes. I need to pick up Maya before we go out.”
He pulled out his phone and nodded. “On it.”
“You’re the best!” I called over my shoulder as I hurried to my room to get ready.
Maybe Dad was right. Maybe I should give them a chance to explain everything. However, tonight was a night for fun and the serious discussions could wait until tomorrow … or next week.
Running down the stairs, I yelled bye to everyone, ignoring their calls to come back so they couldn’t try to parent me whenI was a grown adult. Outside, Ezio stood next to a black SUV wearing black slacks and a shiny black button-up shirt.
“You clean up nice, old man,” I teased.
He lifted his lip in a snarl. “Watch it, pup, or I’ll let you walk.”
Climbing into the passenger seat, I messaged Maya to let her know we were on our way.
“Which club are you going to?” he asked as he started the vehicle.
“That new one that just opened, Dynamite? Or Dynamic?” It was something like that.
“Dynamo,” Ezio answered. “Did you know that’s owned by your Great Uncle Gavin?”
Shit, if it was owned by Gavin, did that mean Trey would be there?
“I didnotknow that,” I admitted softly.
“When we get to Maya’s, I’ll message the bouncer to get you two on the list. He’s from our clan, so I can message him and ensure we don’t have any issues when we show up,” he said.
“Thanks, Ezio,” I said with a smile. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been out to a club. I heard this one was really nice and Maya and I have been talking about visiting for months.”
“It is a really nice place. The music is loud, but not so loud it hurts our sensitive ears. And, they have some really delicious drinks.”
I looked up from my phone to stare at him. “You’ve been?”
He smiled. “I may be old, but I’m not dead, Lily. Holly and I have gone a few times. Gavin actually invited the entire hybrid clan to opening night.”
He had? Maya never told me about that.
We pulled up to Maya’s house, but she was already outside, wearing a killer purple miniskirt and a top that tied around her chest, exposing her stomach and her cleavage.