Page 43 of Her Reborn Mate

“That’s great news!” Vince was overjoyed. “I’m coming over immediately.”

I waited in the living room for Alexis to get out of the bathroom and for Vince to show up. Vince showed up before Alexis had gotten out of the bathroom. I invited him in and hugged him.

“What’s that hug for, man? Is everything all right?” he asked, hugging me back. “You’re not dying again, are you? I will not tolerate that. We just got you back. Whatever it is, just tell me. I can take it.”

“Vince, sit down,” I said, beckoning to the sofa.

“Why are you being so morbid? Where did you find Alexis? Was she in another town? Did you make a whole day trip of it?” he asked.

I solemnly shook my head and then sat down beside him. I recounted the story to him, during which Alexis came out of the shower, and came to meet Vince in the living room. She sat beside me as we told him together how Maurice had captured Alexis and was continuing the smuggling business from a series of caves outside the city.

“I hate the fact that I am related to him,” Vince whispered during our retelling.

“But still, he was your father,” Alexis said.

“Was?” Vince raised his eyebrow and looked at me.

“Yes. He passed away. After I confronted him, he attacked me. There was no other recourse,” I said, not mentioning that Alexis had pulled the trigger.

“Well…” Vince said, taking a deep breath. “He was my father. But that does not excuse all the atrocities he took part in. He shot you both. He threw you off a building, Lexie. He tried to kill you, Will. That’s unforgivable. Not to mention all the terrible shit he had been doing in town even before all of that. And now he’s dead.”

I did not expect to see the relief on Vincent’s face. I had anticipated him to be sad, depressed, or even conflicted. But Vince’s expressions were that of pure relief.

“Aren’t you like upset?” Alexis asked, putting her hand on Vince’s shoulder.

“Upset? No. Lost? Yes. I no longer have a father figure. You know, all the time, I expected him to turn over a new leaf and become the dad that I had always wanted him to be. He never played catch with me growing up. We never really had a father-son thing going on. He was hurtful toward mom. The man gave me every reason to despise him growing up. Now that he’s taken care of, I regret that he never changed himself in time to become the dad that he should have been,” Vince said. “But I’m relieved that he's out of the picture. It’s like a weight has been lifted off me. As if I am no longer living under the malignant shadow of my father.”

“What are you going to do now?” I asked warily.

“Well. I am going to announce the news of his death to the pack and the town. Then I’m going to take some time off and do some introspection. Finally, after all this time, I am free to be the man I want to be. I no longer have to answer my father or question where my allegiance lies. You should know that it lies with you and that I do not hold it against you that you had to kill him. It had to be done. If you hadn’t done it, he would have killed Alexis,” Vince said.

“Take all the time you need,” I said.

“Thanks for telling me in confidence and not in front of the entire pack. I appreciate it,” Vince said, nodding at me. “It had to be done. Don’t feel bad about it. He had many a chance to repent. He never took one. His death was his own mistake, no one else’s. At least now he’s not going to do any more terrible shit in this town.”

“Goodbye, Vincent,” I said, shaking his hand, then letting him go. I watched as he went out the door, then turned to Alexis and said, “He took that rather well, didn’t he?”

“Don’t rush it. It’s going to take him some time to process it all,” she said. “You did the right thing. What other choice did we have?”

“Sometimes, doing the right thing does not feel very right. You know what I mean?” I asked.

“It was either him or me, Will,” Alexis said, finally putting my mind at ease. She was right. He had imprisoned her. Had I not found Alexis, Maurice would have killed her. Could I have been complacent and let it happen? No.

“I’m just glad it’s not you,” I said, hugging Alexis again.

She hugged me back, then said, “I know that breakfast was amazing and everything, but I am still starving.”

“I have to go out for groceries. Promise me you’re going to rest for a long while. Don’t go out of the house. Just recover. Go lie in bed and maybe sleep for a while. When I come back, I’ll have the makings for an excellent lunch. Do you like steak? I’m going to make you the meanest steak that’s ever been made in Fiddler’s Green.”

“And some of that potato salad. You do know how to make potato salad, don’t you?” Alexis grinned.

“Of course. Just take potatoes, chop them up uncooked, and serve them with tomatoes and carrots.” I started laughing, and then Alexis joined in. “It’s all right. I know that you have to mash them up, then add the veggies. I used to make an excellent potato salad with apples, pomegranates, lettuce, kale, and turnips back in Germany. My mother had taught it to me and had told me this was a family recipe tracing its lineage back to Scandinavia.”

“Does kale really go with potato salad?” Alexis asked uncertainly.

“It does when I make it. You’ll thank me, I promise,” I said. It just felt so good to have her back. I took one last look at her before leaving the house, content in the knowledge that all was right between us, hopeful that all would continue to be right.

Outside, the environment was grim. People were gathered around Vincent as he told them of his father’s passing. They were confused as to what to say. They couldn’t just offer their condolences, as Maurice had been a terrible man. Yet, they could not say bad things about him, as it was considered a dishonorable act to say negative things about someone who had passed away. So, they whispered their sentiments to him, telling him that it would all be okay in the long run and that he should not despair.

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