Luke made an exaggerated face. “I don’t care about that. I’m the one who told him to get the storage unit. He was going to dump most of it and then leave a few important items with his mother. I told him he should give it a year before he made that decision.”
“Oh. Um ... that was very smart on your part.”
“Yes, I’m a veritable genius,” Luke drawled.
“If that’s not what’s bothering you, what is?” I asked. “I thought things were going well between you.”
“They are going well ... when he doesn’t steal my truck.”
It wasn’t the truck. Luke wasn’t always easy to read, but I knew he was fuming over something that he was trying to keep buried deep.
I thought about our dinner the previous evening. West Virginia had been a quiet stop — even the mountain trolls that occasionally decided to show themselves when we were in town remained hidden — and everybody was rested and relaxed when Cole popped up shortly before dinner. He and Luke embraced before Cole greeted the rest of us. Then they retired to Luke’s trailer. We didn’t see them again until this morning, when it was time to head out for our next destination. Whatever had happened occurred when it was just the two of them.
“How did Cole’s mother react to the news?” I asked.
Luke’s scowl deepened. “She’s angry.”
Hmm. I sensed I was on the right track. “Because he’s moving away from her?”
“That’s part of it.” Luke’s muscled arms were folded over his chest. He refused to look at me. “She says it’s a mistake for him to run off with a guy he’s just met. She thinks the circus is a waste of time. She’s threatening to disown him if he doesn’t change his mind.”
Bingo. “She’s not wrong,” I offered in a soft voice. “I mean ... she’s wrong, but in her mind she’s not wrong. You guys have only been together a short time. She probably doesn’t understand about the connection you have.”
“Which is exactly what I pointed out to Cole when I suggested I meet her. He shot me down faster than Nellie shops at a two-for-one sale.”
This was more complicated than I’d realized. “He doesn’t want you to meet his mother?” I was horrified on Luke’s behalf. “I’m sorry.”
Kade stirred. I wasn’t sure he’d been listening until he shifted in his seat. “Now, wait a second. I don’t think it’s so horrible that he’s not ready to introduce Luke to his mother. I mean ... that’s a big deal.”
I narrowed my eyes, suddenly suspicious. “If your mother was alive, would you have introduced us by now?”
He shrugged, his eyes never moving from the heavy traffic. “I don’t know. I haven’t much thought about it.”
My frustration ratcheted up a notch. “I see.”
“Oh, don’t look at me that way.” He made a face as he squirmed, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “It’s not as easy as you think to introduce someone to your mother, especially when you’re an only child.”
Luke’s forehead wrinkled. “He’s not an only child. He has sisters.”
“Well, then an only son.” Kade used his most reasonable tone, which told me he was about to rationalize something stupid. “Sons have unique relationships with mothers.”
Now it was my turn to be annoyed. “Really?” I mimicked Luke’s stance and crossed my arms. “Are you embarrassed? Is that why you wouldn’t want to introduce me to your mother?”
Kade let loose an exaggerated eye roll. “Ugh. I should’ve seen this coming.”
“You really should have,” Luke agreed. “I have zero sympathy for you. You did this to yourself.”
“Whatever.” Kade slid me a sidelong look, a sheepish smile on his face. “You know I love you. How can you be angry over a hypothetical situation? My mother is dead so meeting her isn’t even a possibility.”
“It’s not,” I agreed, struggling to keep from verbally taking his head off. “Let’s talk about something else.”
The sigh Kade let loose was long and drawn out. “Poet, you do realize that if my mother hadn’t died, we probably wouldn’t even have met? I joined the circus because I was at loose ends and Max was one of the few people I knew who could give me a purpose. I had no idea at the time that he was my father.”
The words did little to placate me. “Whatever.” I turned to give Luke my full attention. “Did Cole say why he didn’t want you to meet his mother?”
“No, but I know why.” Luke’s expression was dark. “He’s let a few things slip about her since we started hooking up. Apparently she’s a purist.”
I sucked in a breath and shook my head. “I’m so sorry.”
“Wait,” Kade interjected, cocking his head. “Did he just explain something?”
“A magical purist,” I replied, reminding myself that even though it felt as if he’d been a part of my life for years, Kade was still new to the magic game. “She doesn’t think the species should mix.”
“So because Cole is an elemental and Luke is a shifter they’re not allowed to date?”
I nodded. “Pretty much. That attitude has eased a bit over the years, but there are still holdouts. It sounds like Cole’s mother is one of them.”
“I don’t understand why that’s such a big deal,” Kade said. “Luke and Cole are both good people. They’re working toward a common goal. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“No?” I was still agitated regarding his reticence to introduce me to his dead mother. I forced myself to keep from snapping at him. “Your mother didn’t mention that you were magical in origin,” I reminded him. “Why do you think that is?”
“Because ... because she didn’t want me to run off with Max. She was afraid I would be more excited at the prospect of hunting monsters than going to school.”
“That’s a possibility,” I agreed. “Isn’t it also possible that she didn’t like the magical portion of Max’s personality?”
“No. My mother wasn’t judgmental like that.”
“Then why would you want to keep me from meeting her?” I challenged, my urges overcoming my common sense. “If she wouldn’t have been leery about the magical stuff, then why? I’m an absolute delight.”
“She is,” Luke intoned. “We have that in common. I’m a delight too. I suggested to Cole that once she met me my personality would have won over his mother. He thought that was funny ... and now we’re fighting.”
Well, that made sense. Luke was sensitive about certain things. I could see how this would agitate him. “You are definitely a delight,” I agreed. “I am too. Mothers the world over would love to have us in their lives.”
Kade made an exasperated sound. “Oh, geez. I can’t believe this is turning into a thing. I mean ... really.” He was earnest when he slid his eyes to me. “Poet, I’m sure my mother would’ve loved you. I never introduced her to the women I dated.”
“Did you hear that?” Luke was incensed on my behalf. “You two are living together, in love, and he’s comparing you to the other women he spent two weeks with. It’s insulting. You should totally dump him.”