Holly didn’t exactly rush to follow him, but after a hesitation, she did open her car door and get out. After braving a couple of steps though, she paused and said, “I feel terrible that they had to put the dog away. Maybe I should just wait here in the car while you visit with your parents.”
Translation, she couldn’t see the dogs but knew they were here somewhere and was terrified enough that she’d rather sit in the car and wait then come inside. Feeling terrible about the dog having to be put away was just an excuse, he knew.
Pausing, he turned and moved back to take her arm.
“It’s okay,” Justin assured her quietly, urging her forward. “I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you. Besides, Holly, you’re not a helpless three-year-old child anymore. You’re an immortal. You could have snapped Octavius’s neck, or ripped his jaw in half had he attacked you,” he pointed out, and then added quickly, “Not that he would. He only jumped on me to try to lick my face. My parents’ dogs aren’t vicious.”
“Dogs?” she asked worriedly. “Like more than one?”
“It’s all right, dear.”
Justin glanced forward to see that his mother had returned and was waiting in the shade of the terrace.
“Leave her with me and go greet your father,” she suggested. “I’ll take care of her.”
Justin smiled his relief at his mother. “Thank you. Mom, this is Holly. Holly, this is my mother.”
“Hello,” Holly said politely, holding out her hand as they joined her.
His mother grinned at the politely offered hand and then took it to pull Holly into her arms for a hug. “Welcome to the family, dear.”
Justin’s eyes widened in horror and he shook his head quickly while running his hand across his throat in a slicing action. His mother arched an eyebrow in question at the gesture and then glanced down with surprise when Holly pulled quickly back.
“What?” she squawked, wide eyes flying between Justin and his mother.
“Holly is a friend, mother,” Justin said quickly. “A very married friend.”
Now it was his mother’s turn to peer from Holly to him wide-eyed as she squawked, “What?”
Justin heaved a sigh, and then simply said, “Mother, read my mind.”
His mother arched a surprised eyebrow at the request. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that he was usually complaining when she read his mind. But then she shrugged and concentrated on his forehead. A moment passed, then another, and then she let her hands drop and stepped to the side.
“Your father is in his study,” she said quietly. “You go ahead. I’ll take Holly to the kitchen for some coffee and cookies.”
“Thank you,” Justin said quietly and then turned to Holly. “Will you be all right?”
“Of course, she will,” his mother assured him, slipping her arm around Holly and turning toward the house. “Go on and see your father,” she suggested. “We’ll be waiting in the kitchen.
Justin watched his mother lead Holly inside and toward the back of the house and then followed them in and headed for the study.
“So you breed dogs for a living, Mrs. Bricker?” Holly asked, staring out the kitchen window at a large kennel with half a dozen huge-looking, bear-like black dogs either resting or playing inside.
“Call me Mattie,” Justin’s mother instructed. “Mrs. Bricker makes me feel so old. Which I am, of course, but no one wants to feel that way.”
Holly turned to peer at the other woman curiously. Matild Bricker was a tall, statuesque blonde who looked no more than twenty-two or -three with her ponytail, jeans, and T-shirt. Despite knowing that immortals all looked in their mid-twenties, it was still difficult to believe that Justin was her son. Actually, it was difficult to believe what her eyes were seeing when she looked at her. The woman talked like a much older woman than her looks suggested and the contrast was continually confusing to the mind. Holly watched the other woman carry a tray of coffee and cookies to the table beside her.
“As for the dogs, they’re more a passion than a living.” Matild Bricker set down her tray and then straightened and glanced out the window at the kenneled animals. “Dogs are wonderful creatures. They never judge, don’t care what you look like, how smart you are, or how much money you have. They just love you and want you to love them.”
Holly turned to peer out at the dogs again.
“The only sad thing is that they have such short life spans,” Matild added on a sigh. “Much shorter than humans, whom I don’t like nearly as much.”
The words surprised a laugh from Holly and she turned to glance at Justin’s mother with amusement. “Is that a little anti-mortal sentiment I detect?”
Matild Bricker shook her head and pointed out, “I did say humans, not mortals. Both mortals and immortals can be complete shites at times.”
Holly chuckled at that and moved to sit at the table as Justin’s mother did. She then grimaced and admitted, “That’s kind of depressing. I was rather hoping immortals might be a little more impressive than mortals. I’d think after living so long, they’d . . .”
“Be better versions of themselves?” Matild suggested when she hesitated.
Holly nodded.
“Sadly, age doesn’t always mean wisdom,” Matild said solemnly. “Some do improve with age, shedding the rough edges of youth and growing into good people. But others . . .” She shrugged. “Depending on their experiences, immortals can get twisted up by time and events and go rogue. That’s why we need men like Justin out there.” Patting her hand gently, she added, “Immortals are no better than mortals as people, Holly. They just have longer to make mistakes. Fortunately, they often also have the time to fix those mistakes.”
Holly was silent for a moment as she doctored the coffee Mrs. Bricker set before her and then she glanced at her and said, “You’re being very kind to me, considering.”
“Considering what?” Matild asked.
“Considering your son used his one turn on me and may now never get to claim his true life mate,” she said solemnly.
Matild smiled faintly. “But you are his true life mate, dear.”
Holly shook her head firmly. “I’m not. I’m married. And I don’t intend to break my vows.”
“Then Justin may have to wait until your husband passes,” Matild said with a shrug. “Fortunately, he is young. Very young for finding his life mate. Few are that lucky. If he has to wait fifty years or so for you, he can do it. We’ll help him through it.”
Holly sat back, a confusion of thoughts running through her head at those words. The reference to James’s someday passing actually hurt her heart. He had always been a part of her life. She couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. But aside from that, she didn’t understand why this woman was so certain she was Justin’s life mate. Decker and Anders hadn’t seemed to think so. They’d seemed to think he was deluded.
“Would this be the same Decker and Anders who told my son that you love dogs, cats, wine, fish, flowers, picnics, nature shows, and everything to do with nature?” Matild asked mildly as she fixed her own coffee.
Holly stared at her with surprise, and then realized that the woman had read her mind. It was a bit disconcerting when these immortals did that and she couldn’t wait to learn to block them from doing it.
“Yes,” she said finally.
“Then is it not possible that they were lying about your being his life mate as well?” Matild asked.
“Why would they do that?” Holly asked. “And why are you so sure that I’m a possible life mate to Justin?”
Matild hesitated, her head turned toward the door as if she were listening to something from another room that Holly couldn’t hear, and then a frown flickered briefly on her face as she said with distraction, “Because I’ve read both your minds and you’re perfect for him, dear.”
Holly’s mouth tightened at the claim. It made her wonder what the woman had found in her mind that made her think she was perfect for her son.