Page 37 of Refurbished

MOM

Consider it done. Love you, see you tomorrow.

“Mom’s all set for us tomorrow night. I hope you like pot roast.”

“I haven’t had pot roast in forever.”

“Did you feed the raccoons?” He asked as he entered the stall with the baby bears.

“Nope, I will go do it right now.” I smiled at him. We already had a comfortable system between us. I felt hugely fulfilled by taking care of the Sanctuary. The time I spent with the menagerie warmed my heart in a way I didn’t know I needed. These thoughts reminded me that North and South were getting big, and there would be a time that they would go into the big enclosure. I hoped they didn’t forget me. “Okay, guys. Let me get out your sisters.” I hurried to the other cage and got the girls. Once I had them all out, I lined them up in my lap. Today, they got supplements, which we gave them in a bottle. As soon as the bottle was near them, they would reach out and start to slurp. It was adorable.

Sitting there, I felt the muscle in my back throbbing. Something had to be done about that bed. I had an idea and wondered if it would create a problem between Eion and me, but if I was going to sleep over, there had to be a change. I sent a couple of emails and had faith that everything would be taken care of by the time I got home tomorrow.

Eion checked himself in the mirror for the hundredth time. He looked fantastic, but he wouldn’t take my word for it. He wore a button-down and black jeans. All I wanted to do was take those clothes off him, but I kept my hands to myself. He wiped his hand on his thigh.

“What if she doesn’t like me? She’s so far out of my league. Do you know how rich she is?” I laughed. Eion had Googled my family for the first time since we met. Even though I had told him about my wealth, it hadn’t registered, apparently. My mother was a socialite, and when you searched for her name, there was a lot to find. There was everything from the foundations she ran to her success as an attorney. My mother had tripled the family fortune with her investments, putting us on a lot of lists about rich people.

“I do know how rich she is. She will like you because I like you. I promise she is an average woman. You’ll be surprised how normal she is.”

“Will you leave me if she doesn’t like me?”

The look in his eyes broke my heart. I had very strong, very scary, but wonderful feelings for him. It was easy to answer his question. I stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I won’t leave you unless you tell me to go. Exploring this with you has been a great pleasure, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.”

I felt him relax a little. “I’ve never met someone’s parents before. This is important. God, I hope she likes me.”

I kissed him. “She will like you, I promise.” I considered telling him that I had never introduced her to a man I was dating, but I was sure my mom would say something when we got there. And he didn’t need the added pressure. My mother would love him, and if things went as I hoped, we would spend lots of time with her.

“Okay. Okay. Let’s do it. I am ready to meet your mother. Am I dressed okay?”

“You look great.” He kissed me. Letting out a little sigh. By the time he got in the car, he was pale, but I knew it would be fine. I was excited to share him with my mom.

Chapter eighteen

EION

I was meeting a boyfriend’s—we hadn’t discussed it, but I was pretty sure that was what we were—mother. This seemed incredibly important. I knew they were close, and I wanted her approval, which was difficult to accept in itself. This woman was way above my status, and now that I thought about it, Angus, as her son, was too. Even though I had twenty million dollars worth of land, it wasn’t solvent. I could feel the panic rising. This was a terrible idea. We pulled into a beautiful cottage. It was certainly not small, but not the mansion I would expect someone like Amelia MacGregor to live in. I knew that this was Angus’s house and that his mom lived here. It felt like I was way over my head. “Hey.”

I turned and looked at Angus. He smiled at me, and I relaxed. This was going to be scary, but with Angus next to me, it would be fine. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”

“No reason to be nervous, and I am glad to have you here. My mom is a normal person, and she is going to be thrilled I brought someone home.” At the front door, he laced our fingers, and I brought them to his lips, then placed a gentle kiss on the back of my hand. In the foyer, Ramsey greeted us. He bounced and wagged his tail like we hadn’t seen him in years. “Mom? We’re here.”

When Mrs. MacGregor walked around the corner, I nearly passed out. Immediately, I could see the family resemblance; like her son, she was beautiful. Dark hair fell past her shoulders, and she smiled brightly. She wore jeans, fluffy slippers, and a Metallica T-shirt. “My baby. I’ve missed you the last few days. Who is this handsome man?”

She was warm and casual, which made me relax. The look Angus gave me before he answered made my skin tingle, and my heart flip-flopped. “This is my boyfriend Eion.” He looked at me, obviously realizing we hadn’t talked about labels, and he had introduced me with one. “Actually, he is—“

I interrupted him because I knew he was about to correct himself, but I liked the label. Offering my hand, she shook her head.

“If you’re his boyfriend, then you are family. I’m a hugger.” She pulled me into a warm hug, then pulled back and looked at me. “You are adorable. I can see why Angus likes you. I can’t believe he has a boyfriend, and he brought you home. He’s never brought someone home.”

I looked at Angus. He shrugged one shoulder, which didn’t seem like a denial. It was hard for me to believe he had never introduced someone to his mother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. MacGregor.”

“Oh, please call me Amelia or Mom. I’m so excited to get to know you more. Please come in. I made pot roast.”

“You made pot roast?” Oh god, that was rude. I didn’t mean to question her cooking skills—it sounded like I was. It was just a surprise that this woman, who could easily have every meal made for her, took the time to cook a pot roast that the three of us would sit down to eat like a family.

She chuckled and looked at Angus. “What did you tell this man about me that he would think I couldn’t cook?”

“I didn’t, I promise.” He smiled at her affectionately. “The fact that you are… you? Surprises people when you do the cooking.”