She presses a kiss on Aiden’s cheek before turning to me and putting her hands on my shoulders. “Oh look at you, aren’t you a treasure?” She steps back, and she looks at me from head to toe and back again.
I return her smile as Aiden squeezes my hand. I’m still getting over him, saying he loves my normal. I think it’s the first compliment outside of sex he’s given me. Though, I’m not sure if my normal is good or not.
Her fingers slide through a tendril against my cheek. “What a beautiful girl and I love your hair color.”
“Thank you.” I’m not sure if she’s humoring me or not, considering she is high-end elegance, and I’ve curled my hair into delicate waves. But as part of my agreement, I do what I need to and smile.
“Merry Christmas, mother. This is Holly. Holly, my mother, Jocelyn.” He kisses his mother on both cheeks before standing beside me and presses his hand on my lower back, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
“Holly. The perfect Christmas name,” Jocelyn coos. “Where are you from, Holly?”
“Los Angeles, but I’ve lived in New York for three years.”
“And your family was happy to let an omega leave home and move to New York?”
I nod, not wanting to tell anyone the full story.
With a skeptical expression, she tilts her chin in the air and narrows her eyes. “And how did you meet my son?”
I swallow and stare at Aiden. “In a coffee shop in Brooklyn. Well, it was outside, really. And then we went inside.”
“Ah, that’s lovely. So you didn’t know who he was before then?”
I can hardly tell her I saw him at work after what I’ve just told her. I shake my head.
“Do you have brothers or sisters?” she asks.
“Yeah, a sister.”
“Give her a chance to breathe. Where’s father?” Aiden asks, saving me from her questions.
“With your brothers. They’re talking business. The takeover...”
He clears his throat. “Thanks. We’ll catch up again later.” He takes my hand and leads me away.
“Sorry about that,” he says, leaning into my ear. The warmth of his breath tickled my skin, triggering goosebumps to appear. Considering how warm I feel, that seems impossible.
“It’s fine. If she thinks I’m your girlfriend, I’m sure that isn’t the end of the questioning.”
“Aiden,” a beautiful young woman, runs up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kisses his cheek.
Something coils inside me, making me want to snarl. Jealousy.
“Holly, this is my sister, Alicia.”
I breathe.
I glance up at Alicia. She stands at least six feet tall. She’s like a catwalk model, with long legs and a brilliant smile. Her hair is dark, perfectly straight and very long.
She grins and takes my arm. “Let me take Holly. We can have a girly chat while you talk business. They’re all in the office. It’s a good excuse for me to not have to join you.”
“Don’t be telling her about my bad points,” Aiden jokes, winking at me.
“I found those out for myself.” I arch a knowing eyebrow.
“Well, don’t be telling my sister about my bad points.”
I grin. He smiles at me.