Chapter 52

I stop and stare at Adrian. I can’t think of anything to say or do. That word buries itself into my mind and I fixate on it intensely.

“My mate.” What could he possibly mean by that? I was Julian’s mate. I can’t be Adrian’s. At least I don’t think I can. By the way Adrian explained it to me, it doesn’t make sense for someone to have two.

Grace whimpers into Adrian’s shoulder and I realize the yelling frightened her. I reach out to place a hand on her back, soothing her as she clings to her father.

Adrian pries her from him and hands her back to me before opening the back door to the car. I crawl inside, clutching Grace to me and Adrian gives us one last look before closing the door and walking around to the driver’s side.

The crowd outside is so silent, you could hear a pin drop. As though every last one of them is in shock. None are brave enough to challenge their Alpha’s claim. They all just stare first at him and then at me through the car window until Adrian drives away.

The car is silent all the way home. Too much has happened, and my mind is spinning with emotions. Grace clings to me so tightly it’s a wonder I can still breathe.

Once we get her home and inside, Adrian carries her to her room while I make a cup of hot chocolate, making sure to add extra marshmallows.

When I get back upstairs, mug in hand, I see Grace tucked into her bed. She’s changed into some warm pajamas, and she’s huddled against the headboard, her knees to her chest. Adrian is sitting on the edge facing her.

“Please Grace, can you tell me what happened? I promise you aren’t in trouble. We just need to know.” His voice is one of a concerned father. Full of warmth and assurance. Yet, Grace remains quiet and won’t even meet his eyes.

I hand her the mug of hot chocolate, and she takes it carefully.

“Did you go with someone?” I ask, hoping that if I ask her simple yes or no questions, she might find it easier to answer. No luck. She stays silent. The child is in shock. We won’t find out anything tonight.

“Where are they?” A demanding voice echoes up the stairs and both Grace and I jump at the abrupt strange sound.

Adrian sighs with the weight of an age and rises from the bed.

“That would be your mother.” He says heading for the door while I stay with Grace.

“You!” The woman’s voice rings out and Grace sinks back further as though trying to disappear into the mattress.

“I trusted you with my daughter and you let this happen?” She sounds indignant and angry. Like he’s offended her some way.

“I thought she would be safe with you, but you left her with some woman who couldn’t even watch her properly!” She shrieks and Grace starts shaking with the noise. The poor girl looks more and more scared as the woman rages at Adrian who answers her with the patience of a saint.

“She’s safe. Calm down.” He tells her. “It wasn’t her nanny’s fault.”

“There is no excuse! My child was missing, Adrian! Where were you? I left her with you, and you couldn’t even be bothered to be with her today?” She yells accusingly.

Grace starts whimpering and tears flood her eyes.

That’s quite enough of that. I stand and make my way to the hallway.

“Please, lower your voices. You’re scaring her more.” I plead as I walk out the door and face the stunning woman from the ceremony.

She glares at me with malice flooding her eyes.

“You!” She hisses at me. “You’re the incompetent whore that lost my child?” Venom drips from every word as points at me and I’m seriously wondering whether coming into the hallway endangered my safety.

Adrian adjusts his stance, so he is standing between me and the angry woman. She turns her attention back to him with an incredulous expression. “Why hasn’t she been fired?” She demands.

“Lily did nothing wrong. Something happened and we’re trying to figure it out.” Adrian tells her again calmly.

“I’ll figure it out.” Jessica says, straightening and looking down her nose at the both of us. “Clearly, I can’t trust you with my child. So I will be taking her back home with me.”

“You can’t do that.” Adrian’s calm wavers and my heart thunders.

“She is my child. Yes, I can.” Jessica answers with disdain.

“She hasn’t been your child since you dropped her off here six years ago.” Adrian’s voice is almost a growl. Like he’s suppressing the urge to let the wolf out. Maybe he is. Grace may not be his blood, but she is his daughter regardless.

“She is coming home with me. Not staying here to be neglected by this sorry excuse for a nanny.” She retorts and makes to go around us both.

She barely makes it a step, before a small body collides with my legs, almost sending me toppling over. Grace is clutching to me like her life depends on it. She’s shaking and tears are streaming down her face.

“No! I don’t want to go. Don’t let her take me away. I want to stay here. I want to stay with my daddy and Lily. She didn’t do anything wrong!” She cries into me and I reach down to hug her to me. I clutch her tight as though to tell her that no one is taking her away again, but I don’t know if I can make that promise if Jessica really can decide otherwise.

“Grace, pack your things. You’re coming home with me.” Jessica says, unmoved.v

“No!” Grace cries harder. “It wasn’t Lily’s fault. The mean lady took me away!”

“Grace who is the mean lady?” Adrian asks, but Grace just shakes her head and hangs onto me. I pick her up and hold her.

“Grace, can you tell us what she looked like?” I ask calmly, rubbing her back and trying to soothe her as best I can. But Grace is done talking now. She just tightens her arms around my back and I carry her back to her room.

Adrian can deal with Jessica.

After I get Grace tucked into her bed and soothed to the point where she can sleep, I take her empty cocoa mug and leave the room to let her rest. Adrian is in the hallway and Jessica is gone.

“What’s happening?” I ask, fear and dread have coiled their way around my heart. If he loses custody of this little girl because of me, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.

“Jessica was all talk. She’s not taking her. She threatened to if something like this ever happened again, but she’s threatened it before. Grace isn’t going anywhere. Jessica knows she’s better off here.” Adrian answers, distaste in his mouth. I’m starting to understand that he doesn’t think too highly of Grace’s mother.

We head down the hall and downstairs to the kitchen.

There’s one more matter I need to address. It’s the question that been turning over and over in my mind, demanding to be answered.

“What did you mean when you called me your mate?”

Adrian stills. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like that. I’m sorry.”

I don’t ask him to explain. I don’t have to. He looks like he wants to tell me. Like his answer is demanding to spoken just as loudly as my question.

“I’ve known for some time, but I couldn’t tell you.” He says softly. “That you weren’t Julian’s mate, but mine.”