Page 35 of Taeja

“It’s not as simple as you’re making it seem,” she said, tears rushing to her eyes. “I have to go.” She exited the room, too fast for him to catch her. A part of her was thankful he didn’t chase her. She’d taken only three steps down the hallway when a door opened before her. Taeja froze as she saw the reason for her torment.

Kacian Stark.

“Taeja,” Kacian said with a smile so sickeningly sweet, Taeja could’ve convinced herself that this woman hadn’t seen her naked. “How are you?”

“I’m embarrassed,” she answered earnestly. “I’m sorry for—”

“Oh, nonsense.” Kacian waved her off. She strolled over to Taeja and linked their arms before walking down the hallway. “I went into the wrong bedroom. This is your house. I should be sorry.”

Taeja’s brows furrowed as she glanced at the older woman. “My house?”

Kacian nodded. “You’re my sons’ girlfriend. What’s theirs is yours.”

Taeja pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. She only knew how to feel. And right now? The only thing she felt was a painful ache in her clit and her heart racing.

Kacian unlinked their arms, stopped walking, then faced Taeja. “I came over to talk to you.”

Taeja’s brows raised as worry seeped into her. “Me?” she asked, and Kacian nodded.

“I want to apologize about dinner last night. My husband has always been a bit harsh on Zain.”

Taeja’s tense stance slackened, and she nodded. Not because she understood. Because she’d never understood how a person could hate a child they raised. She only nodded so Kacian understood that she was listening. “It’s fine,” Taeja said. “We worked it out.”

Kacian smiled. “Good. I’m happy.”

“I am, too,” she replied, smiling and hoping she could be the same for her guys.

“Good,” Kacian said with another smile before leading her to the kitchen, where they saw Damon leaning against the counter by the sink.

Damon glanced between the two before his eyes settled on Taeja. “Did you find Zain?”

Taeja cleared her throat as she broke away from Kacian and sat at the island. “Let’s not talk about Zain…”

He raised a brow while Kacian sat on the stool beside Taeja’s. “Did something happen?”

Maybe she imagined it, but she detected a trace of worry in his tone. She shook her head. “No.”

“Okay,” he replied before glancing at his mother. “Why are you here?”

“I told you I wanted to apologize to my daughter-in-law,” Kacian said.

Taeja perked up at the label, and it made her smile. Awkward situations aside, she loved how much she fitted into Damon’s and Zain’s family. She should’ve known that this was how things would’ve been. When she met Kacian, the woman was sweet and ensured she was comfortably settled in. Things only started going downhill when Andrew arrived home from work and had the confrontation at the table.

Damon glanced at Taeja. A small smirk was on his face. “You like that, huh?”

She grinned. “Maybe.”

Chuckling, he looked at his mother. “She has a big ego, Mom. Did you see how her head got bigger when you said that?”

Taeja gasped. “Damon!”

Kacian chuckled, grabbing her handbag off the counter. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Where are you going?” Damon asked, and Kacian rolled her eyes.

“I’m the parent, Damon.”

“I know, but I’m just asking you a question. Maybe I could drop you there because I’m leaving soon.”

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