Page 36 of Silver
“She’s overstepping, Charlie,” Clay told me as he took the seat that Joyce had just been sitting in.
“She’s allowed to ask questions. It’s expected when meeting someone new, isn’t it?”
“Questions are fine, cutie. But Ma was going beyond what is acceptable. She was invading our privacy, and she wasn’t going to stop with just the one question.”
“She promised all of us she wouldn’t do that, Charlie,” Clay said. “We get it, she’s excited for the two of you, but she needs to not butt in where she shouldn’t.”
I shook my head. That wasn’t what she was doing. She was asking questions.
“Somewhat innocent questions now, but we all have experience growing up. She can be too much. Next thing you know, she’ll ask you and Silver what positions you used to get pregnant so she can tell the rest of us we have to have sex in only that position.”
My mouth dropped open. Clay redirected his gaze to Silver. “You didn’t tell him about her?”
“I did. I’m not sure he fully believed me.”
I looked up at Silver. “She’s an older version of Sam.” How? Why did I somehow get stuck with an older version of my sister for a mother-in-law? Would she be on par with Sam or worse? I was actually terrified to know.
Chapter Fifteen
Silver
After yesterday’s somewhat chaotic family dinner with my family, I really wasn’t looking forward to having a repeat with Charlie’s sister, but it was time for me to meet her.
“I don’t know, Silver.”
I looked at Charlie. We were sitting on the couch, and I’d been staring out the back door to the deck. “What is it that you don’t know?”
“Why is it so stressful when it comes to meeting family?” Charlie shook his head. “No, not family. It wasn’t actually anxiety inducing to meet your brothers. But I was really nervous about meeting your parents. And now we’re supposed to be at the restaurant in an hour to meet Sam and Justin, and I’m just not sure I’m going to make it.” Charlie flopped back on the couch, and I reached for his leg and started rubbing his calf and then his foot. His moan told me my efforts met his approval. He raised his head, but I was surprised at the glare from him. That was, until he spoke. “It’s not fair that you havemagical everything. That feels so amazing, and now I’m no longer anxious.” Charlie’s head flopped back onto the couch, and I laughed.
“I’m your mate. I’m supposed to have that effect on you. Don’t think for a moment that you don’t have the same impact on me. You do.” All Charlie had to do was look at me, and he could excite or calm me. Never before had that happened, and I knew it was because he was my mate.
“Would you be upset if I said I really didn’t want to go to dinner with my sister and Justin?”
I snorted. “No, but we’re going. It’s the right thing to do.”
Charlie pushed up onto his elbows. “I know. I just…I actually liked meeting your parents, and although I understand that your mom overstepped boundaries, I can sort of understand.” Charlie groaned, and his head fell backward before he lifted it again and looked at me. “Just like Sam. I think it’s different with her, though, because she’s my sister, and she’s only a few years older than me.” Charlie pulled his feet from my lap and sat up. “Your mom is excited about the idea of having grandchildren. She’s ready to spend time with little ones again before she’s too old.”
I laughed. “She’s only in her seventies. She has at least that many more years before she’s going to start slowing down.”
“Tell me something,” Charlie said as he crossed his legs in front of him. He reached for my hand and absently started playing with my fingers. “How long do you think you would have been content with being alone? And your brothers?”
I knew what he was asking, but I couldn’t answer that. “I have no way of knowing, Charlie. But my parents, despite the fact that they mated and have five children, they aren’t owed us being mated or having children.”
Charlie nodded. He dropped my fingers, then quickly got up. “I’m going to go get my shoes on, and we can go.”
“No, wait,” I said, reaching for him when he tried to walk past me. I stopped him by gently wrapping my hand around his wrist. “Don’t be upset. And before you go trying to tell me you’re not, I know different. I want children with you, Charlie, and if you want to start trying next month, we absolutely can. Don’t think that just because we both said we wanted to wait, you can’t change your mind.”
Was I ready for a child? Probably not, but I’d figure it out. I had thought that we were on the same page and that we’d wanted to spend some time being selfish and it just being the two of us. But if Charlie had suddenly changed his mind, I was willing to change mine as well.
“No, that’s not it,” Charlie said. “I’m just…I don’t know. I think since I’m an omega and I spent too many years dreaming about finding my mate and having a family, on some level, I get it. Your mom and even Sam. But mostly your mom. I just think Sam is using her pregnancy as an excuse to be a brat.”
I tried not to, but I chuckled. Some women used their pregnancy as an excuse to act entitled. Perhaps they were entitled before. I didn’t know Sam aside from some of Charlie’s memories and what he’d shared with me. She’d not seemed to be entitled, so I had to wonder if it truly was a pregnancy hormone thing. Would Charlie be like that when he became pregnant?
“The bigger issue with Ma is that, yes, it worked out in the end, but it could have been incredibly bad for both of us. I’m not one that would do it, nor you, but what if you weren’t you and you rejected me? That would have been a major blow to my gorilla side, and I’m not sure how he would react.”
Charlie sat down on my lap. “I get that. And it did work out for us.”
I nodded. “Yes, and she’s taking that as a green light to try and force other things before we’re ready. Having children being the first. But Clay has already said he’s found more thanone dating profile for him on several sites. She’s denying some but not all.” It had gotten to the point that my brothers had all threatened to go completely no contact with her. Dad had been warned that he would be put on an information diet if he didn’t have a talk with her about how serious it was.
