Fallen Crest Forever (Fallen Crest Series Book 7)(106)

An approving look swept through her eyes, but she checked it, the coldness coming forth again. “Then do as I say. Fix it.”

“No.”

Her eyes widened, just a fraction. “No?” The beginning of a smile started, but it was just a tease. She kept it in check too.

I would see Mason. It was time to talk to him. I had already decided to, but I would not be ordered to do it. I would not be ordered at all.

“You may have birthed them, but you don’t give me orders. That’s not your place.”

“I’m their mother.”

“You’re not mine.”

She drew in a breath. “I am your elder. Don’t you show respect to your elders?”

“Not to you.”

She raised an eyebrow.

I gave her a nice fuck-you smile. “You can go now.”

We were at an impasse.

She ignored my order, staring at me.

I stared back.

Neither of us looked away. Neither blinked. Neither flinched. Neither fidgeted.

Then she broke, drawing her chin to her chest and gazing at me from under those long eyelashes. “I’m at a loss then. I want to ease my son’s pain, but you seem unwilling to do that.”

I grunted. “They must get their intelligence from James.”

Her eyes sharpened, but she only murmured, “What do you want then? Money?”

She thought she could bribe me.

“No?” Her nostrils flared. “What would you like? I can send you and Mason to Paris too? An all-expense paid trip? Or a cruise for you and your girlfriends? What would you like? What will it take for you to go and make my son not hurt anymore?”

“Not a goddamn thing.” From you. “You don’t scare me, Helen. Have you not met Analise?”

She laughed then. The sound rippled out of her, and she stopped, her hand resting on her throat like she’d surprised herself. Then she dropped it and started laughing again. She shook her head.

“You’re right.” She kept laughing, finally wiping at the corners of her eyes. “You’re right. That’s what it is. That’s why they love you so much.” She shook a finger at me. “And you’re right about Analise. I thank you for implying I’m not as scary as her. That will help me rest better at night.” She dabbed some more at her eyes, the laughter leaving her. “I suddenly feel like a thirty-year-old, young and refreshed.”

I frowned. I wasn’t sure what to think anymore about Helen.

“Okay.” She seemed to speak to herself, pulling a handkerchief from her purse. Folding it into a small square, she smoothed out the ends. “I came here with the purpose to ask you to get back together with my son, something I never would’ve thought I’d do. I’ve only wanted you out of my son’s life, both of them actually, and now this. I am indeed humbled.” A half-bitter/half-amused laugh came from her. “So, what is the problem? I know it must be world-ending for you and Mason to have gone separate ways, or as separate as the two of you can be.”

My mouth hung open an inch.

Was Mason’s mother asking me because she cared?

I closed my mouth. I didn’t know how to respond. I shifted my foot from side to side against the hallway’s carpet. “That’s none of your business. If Mason chooses to tell you, that’s his decision. You and I have no relationship.”

She did that. Not me.

“Okay.” She graced me with another soft smile, the disdain lifting a bit from her eyes. “Noted. And I didn’t expect you to tell me, but the mother in me had to try.” She looked away. “Mason doesn’t share much with me, ever.”

There was a reason, but I kept quiet.

She added, “Not that I blame him. Logan’s the one who shouldn’t confide in me, but he does sometimes. I still think of him as my little boy. Mason was . . . older. Angrier. He shielded Logan from a lot of it. Lord knows, he didn’t have to, but he stepped into the roles that James and I had ceased playing.”

Her eyes grew haunted, and she looked over to me. Her lips pressed together in a tight smile. “I came tonight with a white flag. I’m not the nicest, and I won’t be the warmest person after this either, but I do wish to cease being your enemy. It’s something my son does not need to worry about.” She inclined her head. “I hope you have a good night, Samantha.”

She didn’t wait for a response. She whisked past me, her silk pants flowing, and I had no doubt there was some fancy driver waiting for her in the apartment’s parking lot.

Heather, Courtney, and Grace were all sitting in the kitchen, waiting for me.

They looked up as I came in and Heather asked, “So?”