“I told you I always get what I want. The twins don’t want you, but I do, Angel; even with your flaws.” He looks my body over.
Flaws…
I turn and start running just as he shouts out.
“You will accept my proposal, Angel!”
****
I don’t know for how long I run, but the sun starts to rise and before I know it I’m standing in front of Georgina’s trailer door. I’m surprised none of Jax’s pack members have come to get me yet, Caspian said he knew it the minute I entered his land; so maybe it’s a perk of being an Alpha.
“This was a bad-bad idea,” I mumble, turning to leave. As soon as I get to the last step the door behind me opens.
“Lexi?” I turn around at the sound of her voice.
“Georgina,” I say, giving her a small smile. It’s enough to have her running up to me, and holding me tightly against her.
“Jesus, I’ve missed you.” She holds me close and I love every second of it.
“I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. Every single time I’ve hurt you. I’m sorry, sweetie. So very sorry,” she mumbles against my shoulder as she tries to move away.
I hold her tighter. “Can you just hold me a little longer,” I say in a spluttering voice, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“Okay, baby,” she whispers, holding me close to her. I breathe in her familiar scent, allowing it to calm me. Fair enough, we’ve had our ups and downs. We’ve both been to hell and back, but for most of my childhood she was a great mother. With my now sharp sense of smell, I take in the scent that belongs to Jax’s pack. I’ve never smelt it before, but now it’s almost overpowering. Faith’s harsh words make it unbearable for me to focus, but I try my best to push her concerns aside and enjoy the moment.
I pull away from her and she pulls me inside the front door, shutting it quickly behind us.
“You look exhausted. Let me get you something to drink.” I sit on the chair in the living room and she brings me a glass of cold water which I chug down in one go.
I place the glass on the table alongside the chair. I find Georgina standing in the same position looking me over.
“What?” I say, looking down to see if I spilt water on my top, which I haven’t.
“You’re a wolf. You survived the change,” she says, looking proud.
“Yeah I did. At the time, I didn’t think I would, but everything was okay.” I give her a small smile.
“You’re a strong wolf too. I didn’t see it when I found you on my front step, I was too wrapped up in having you here, but I see it so clearly now.”
“I don’t feel very strong,” I sigh, looking down at my hands.
She sits down on the sofa next to me, taking my hand in hers.
“But you are, sweetie pie. I’m so proud of you. You’ve grown up into a beautiful, strong, young woman.” She smiles brightly trying to cover up the shame that still lingers on her face.
“I don’t know why I did the things I did, Lexi. I was on some pretty heavy stuff at the time. Losing your mate is so hard. Sometimes my heart still hurts when I think of your fath- I mean, when I think of James. I can still feel him, it’s as if his wolf is still out there somewhere, and I just can’t get to him. I miss him so much, my heart hurts every day. Even though you weren’t his daughter, you were still his blood, you look so much like him and the small things you did kept reminding me of him. I’m so sorry for taking out all my anger and frustration on you, I never should have done all those terrible things. I should have cherished you and made you feel loved and wanted. I love you, Lexi. I’ll always love you, even if I didn’t give birth to you, baby.” She wipes away her tears and wraps her arm over my shoulders. I lean back into her wrapping an arm around her waist. I think about her words and how to respond, but I don’t know how to, so all I say is, “I love you too.”
That seems to be enough for her because she lets out a deep breath and holds me close, kissing the top of my head.
“I missed this,” I whisper.
“I missed this too, honey. More than you’ll ever know,” she whispers back, running her hands through my hair as I rest my head on her shoulder.
We sit quietly for a little while enjoying one another’s familiar company. We don’t need to say anything, just being in each other’s arms is enough to remind me of when I was a child. A time when she was my favourite person in the world, my go-to person. Whenever I had a problem or even when I just wanted a cuddle, her arms would be open for me. It’s a place in time when a little snuggle with your favourite person would make everything better. It’s funny how things change as you get older and wiser, cuddling someone certainly doesn’t fix problems like it used to. As an adult we require words, apologies and someone to blame.