“None for me,” she said with a smile at the server.
“A glass for her,” Mom said in a stern voice. “Wine won’t hurt a baby like the one she’s carrying. You could feed the critter cheap whiskey, and it would be fine.”
A low snarl rattled Creed’s chest, so Gia rubbed his back to settle the noise. The server could pour all he wanted to. Didn’t mean she had to drink it.
Dad ordered escargot and caviar as an appetizer. Gia knew for a fact he didn’t even like eating snails, so the show was unimpressive to her.
“So you plan on keeping my daughter at this…trailer community…and raise the child there as well?” Dad asked. “How will that work when it needs to go to school?”
“Our kid will go to a school with the Ashe Crew’s children until he or she can manage the animal inside enough to go to public school. And then it’s up to Gia and me whether we want our kid to go to Saratoga for education or continue with schooling near where we live.” Creed offered Dad an empty smile, and the two men glared at each other until Gia cleared her throat.
“We’re going to find out the gender in a few days. We can call you if you want and tell you if you’ll have a granddaughter or grandson.”
Mom’s composure was slipping as she bit the side of her lip and shook her head. And was she about to cry? Oh, she looked pissed. “Let’s get one thing straight,” Mom hissed low, leaning forward over her shiny, white plate. “This isn’t what we want, and I didn’t want to agree to this luncheon, so let’s cut to the chase. What do you want?” She swung her gaze to Creed. “Are you here to ask for money?”
Creed glanced between Mom and Gia, then back to Mom. “Are you serious?”
“I want this to be done. I know my daughter has standards of living, and you obviously can’t provide that for her. And for all I know, you knocked her up to gain advantage from our wealth. Tell us how much, and let us decide whether we will help or not.” Mom leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms over her silk blouse. “Quickly, because this was an awful idea to meet here. A shifter.” She scoffed and shook her head. “This luncheon alone ruins the Cromwell name. And you!” She glared at Gia. “Flaunting your shame in that skintight dress. You should be hiding that little monstrosity you are carrying.” Her voice shook with rage. “If I would’ve known you were going to shack up with this trailer trash and bare him animal babies, I would’ve never had you.”
“Judy!” Dad said.
“No, Graham. She has shamed us. Destroyed our name in this town because she couldn’t keep her legs closed. She was perfect before she met him.”
Creed slammed his hands on the table, toppling two of the wine glasses. “She’s perfect now.”
Mom gasped and clutched her chest, no doubt seeing Creed’s scary, blazing silver eyes.
“We didn’t come here for money. I have a home that’s paid off, a truck that’s paid off, and a lot of money in savings. I’ve run my own crew for years, and I’m not afraid of hard work. Your daughter will have everything she needs. If she wants to find a job and work to be happy, I support her. If she wants to stay home and raise our cub, I support her. Either way, we will never need anything from you. This wasn’t a meeting to leech something from you. This was a meeting so that you could meet me and see that Gia is okay. Look at her.”
Mom dragged her fearful gaze away from Creed and looked at Gia, who waved with her fingertips and smiled.
“She’s beautiful, glowing even. She’s growing a child, and I know you don’t approve of shifters, but other than the animal our child will have to sometimes turn into, he or she will be a person. One with feelings and good days and favorite foods. I wanted to give you a chance to be a part of our child’s life, but clearly I was wrong to have faith that you could see past your narrow-mindedness and realize you’re throwing away your family. I didn’t have one of those growing up, so it’s baffling the shit out of me that you could so carelessly throw it away because you don’t see how fucking awesome your daughter is.” Creed turned his inhuman eyes on Gia. “Are you ready to go?”
“Desperately ready. Enjoy your snails, parental units,” she muttered as Creed helped her out of her chair.
She turned to leave, but hesitated. “When I think about my baby, I think of all the things he or she will go through in life, and at the end of the day, I want my child to be happy. To lead a fulfilling life. Yes, I live in an old trailer park with a bunch of shifters who have to work hard every day at a job you scoff at. But my heart is full, and I’ve found friendship—the real kind, not the kind for show like with Brittney and Kara. Friendships that do nothing to elevate my social status but do everything to make me feel like I belong to a group of people who accept me. I want to raise my baby around that. So, in case it means anything to you, I guess I just wanted you to know that I’m happy.”