She Will Be Mine (New Horizon Book 2)

Chapter 27: Jason

Knowing that Ronnie is staying only one floor above my office, I was really hoping that her scent would be just as strong when I got there Sunday morning as it had been the day before. But strangely, it’s so faint that I might even be imagining it. She didn’t mention it, but she must have been down here at some point yesterday. I’m a little sad because I had been looking forward to spending another day with her scent to keep me company, now that I know it’s really her anyway.

As I’m wrapping up the last of what I came here to do, I have a fleeting thought about dinner tonight and it occurs to me that my mother might already have another surprise lined up for me if I don’t call her off, so I decide to give her a quick call before I leave to go help Jeb finish cleaning up the mess I made in his kitchen two days ago. His mate made me do it, but I still feel responsible.

“Oh, Jason. Isn’t this a pleasant surprise,” my mom exclaims when she answers.

“Yeah, I was just calling about dinner tonight,” I inform her.

“If you’re wanting to be excused, you’d better be dying,” she deadpans, a hint of irritation to her voice.

“No, I just want to make sure that it will just be the family tonight. No surprises, and especially no Jamie.”

“It’s my home, and my table, and it’s not your place to tell me who I can and cannot invite,” she snaps.

“Fair enough, but I’m a grown man, and who I mate with is my business. And Jamie is a nutcase, so if she’s invited, consider me on my deathbed until further notice.”

“I won’t have you speaking about a family friend like that, Jason.”

“I’m not saying anything other than the truth, mother. She’s been harassing me all week, and it’s only escalating. I’ve been trying to handle it quietly, but I can’t have her embarrassing me like that or causing any more trouble for me, so consider this a warning that the next time I see her, official action will be taken against her.”

“That’s not even fair -,” she starts to protest, but I cut in before she gets on one of her rants and won’t let me get a word in edgewise.

“If you won’t listen, then I’ll have to take it to Dad,” I threaten, but I’m dead serious. “I know he’ll agree with me on this. She barged in on an important meeting in my office, Mom, and I think she’s stalking me. She’s threatening my work and my reputation, and I know Dad won’t like the idea of that any better than I do.”

She sighs, and from the sound of it, I know I’ve won. Thank the Goddess. From how hard she’s been fighting back, I’m glad that I called ahead. I think Jamie was indeed on the guest list for tonight.

“Fine, I’ll inform her she’s no longer welcome in this house or anywhere near you. But Cynthia isn’t going to be happy with me for this, and I’m going to be hearing about it from the girls for weeks, so I really hope you appreciate what this is going to cost me.”

Imaginary damages to things that hold imaginary value to her, like the seating arrangement at her stupid social club. She’s conveniently overlooking the part where she’s the one who invited Jamie in the first place and tried to force her on me, but I know it isn’t even worth bringing up at this point.

“Thank you. It’s necessary, I promise you that, and it’s better than letting that girl embarrass us all publicly which is where this is inevitably heading,” I assure her.

“But if not her, then who, Jason? Who? Who will you finally be settling down with?” she demands with an impressive amount of passion.

“My mate. My true mate, Veronica. You should know that already because I’ve been telling you all along.”

“And where is she then? Still avoiding you off at her school until Goddess knows when? She’s not coming back, Jason.”

Don’t do it, Jason. Don’t say it, not to her. It’s not worth it. The timing is wrong. Nothing is certain yet. Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it.

“Nothing to say? That’s because you know I’m right," she claims. "Now, there’s a girl down at -”

“She is here, right now. With the Alpha,” I lose the battle and finally blurt out to prevent her from whatever she was about to try to manipulate me into doing.

She laughs, but when I don’t say anything else right away, she eventually goes quiet.

“You’re serious,” she realizes. “Veronica is here? I suppose it all makes sense then, even why you’re suddenly calling to make demands of me with such short notice.”

“It does?”

“Of course. Well then, that’s settled. We’ll see you both tonight.”

“No, Mom, that’s not -”

But she’s already hung up on me. And when I call her back, there’s no answer.

It was stupid of me to reveal that to her, but I also don’t appreciate where she went with it. I knew it was what would happen though, which is why I didn’t want to say anything in the first place. And she knows I don’t want to bring Ronnie yet, which is why she won’t answer. If I never get a chance to say it to her, then it doesn’t count, at least in her mind.

I text it to her instead, but I know she’ll make a point of “getting busy and forgetting” to check her phone, so that’s hopeless. And I already know if I call my dad, he’ll tell me to talk to my mother about dinner plans and guests.

Which is why I sit there in my chair even after I’ve shut down my computer, tapping my phone against my knee and trying to figure out what to do.

Screw it. My next call is to Jeb, and I tell him I’m not going to be able to make it over today after all. He takes it well, assuring me that his mate’s madness is not my responsibility anyway. He’s laughing as he says it, as he always is. It’s how I know he’s a good match for Sarah.

And then I leave my office, locking the door behind me, and head upstairs to see if my mate might be interested in playing a little dinner hooky with me later.