Page 81 of Where There's Smoke
My parents were sitting in the office when we arrived, a look of superiority on their faces, as if they were better than everyone else in the room. My mother was wearing what looked like a knock-off designer tweed skirt and blazer, and my father was in a polo shirt and slacks. Next to them stood Reed, wearing a suit that was immaculate and far too expensive. All of them were doing their best to look more important than they really were.
Everything is always about image with them. God, I hate it.
“Melody!” My mother, Janet Smoke, jumped up at the sight of me, rushing over and pulling me into a hug. I couldn’t distinguish her scent over the expensive perfume she layered on in an attempt to seem affluent.
It was cloying, and I had to resist the urge to gag.
And it hit me. I stilled. When was the last time my mother had hugged me? She was far from touchy-feely. Hell, as far as doting mothers went, she only ever managed that for Reed. This was…odd.
“M-mom?” I asked, just standing there dumbly as she hugged me. “What are you doing here?”
Her face fell; it was almost believable, but I knew her better than that. “I wanted to see you! We miss you, and we’re worried.”
I was grateful for Elliot’s presence behind me because this felt so damn weird. My mother wasn’t like this. She didn’t fret over me or anything that didn’t have to do with her precious reputation. Reed and Dad were quiet, looking on as if they didn’t regularly speak over my mother.
Pulling back from her, I instinctively moved toward Elliot, my brows pinched together as I stared at my mother like she might explode at any minute—a robot malfunctioning.
“A phone call would have sufficed. And there’s the fact that I’ve asked younotto contact me or spring things on me like this.”
My mother waved off my comments. “Oh, nonsense. I need to be there for you.”
Wrong. This is all wrong.
As the nausea peaked, I heard footsteps behind me and was relieved to see Samson and Fitz joining us.
Turning back to my mother, I shook my head. “You must wantsomethingif you came all this way,” I insisted.
“It's time for you to come home,” Reed said, his stiff posture not changing as he spoke.
I turned to him, my face crumpled in confusion. “Didn’t I tell you before? Iamhome.”
He glowered at me. “You know what I mean. New York.”
Every sentence he said just furthered my confusion. I had been living on the West Coast for years. There was zero reason for me to return. My life was in California.
“I have no interest in going back to New York, Reed.”
His glare intensified, and I hated the way fear tickled the back of my throat.
“You don't want to come home?” my mother asked, pouting, as if she was hurt by my rejection.
“Of course she does, Janet.” My father grizzled. “She's had her time to play independent, and now it's time to come home and settle down.”
I looked between my family members, trying to find the words to express just how baffled I felt. They hadn't given a single crap about me in the last five years. Why did they care now all of a sudden? Why wouldn’t they listen? Why push me to go back with them?
“This is ridiculous. I live here. I have. For five years, no less. I thought you guys accepted long ago that Iwasn'tgoing to settle down with the kind of man you wanted me to,” I pointed out.
My mother nodded thoughtfully. “Well, while youaredifficult, I suppose it's understandable, given your change in designation.”
Ah. My change in designation.
Was that why they had turned up?
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked cautiously.
“Well, naturally, we made missteps when we were looking for suitable matches for you. As an omega, it’sunderstandablethat you needed alphas. It's no wonder none of the betas we matched you with appealed to you.”
“It's just biology,” my father grumbled.
