“I met your father once, and he seemed very nice,” she said without looking at Aiden.
Caitlin wondered if it was Aiden’s appearance that scared Helena or men in general. Aiden looked like a biker with his goatee and long hair pulled back from his face. He was dressed in faded jeans and a t‑shirt which stretched out across his powerful chest.
“Aiden just looks scary,” Tempest said. “He used to braid my hair for me.”
Helena looked surprised. “Hopefully your children don’t end up having feet like ducks. That happens when cousins marry.”
“New evidence suggests that isn’t the case unless there’s a genetic condition shared by both parents,” Tempest said in a clinical voice. “I’ve studied a lot about genetics. Aiden is separated from me by several degrees. His father had a different mother than Roman, and there are several generations between us as well.”
“There’s so much new information. I’d like to study it,” Helena said excitedly. “Maybe when I go back through nursing school again they’ll teach me more. It’s been too long and I’ve been looking into going again, but Josef isn’t happy with the idea. Colleges can be very dangerous places for women.”
“Why not try medical school this time?” Justin asked.
“I’m happy being a nurse,” Helena said without looking at him.
Justin shook his head. “You’re bored being a nurse. It’s time to try something new.”
“Your father wouldn’t approve,” she said. “He’s not even happy about me attending nursing school again. Can you imagine his reaction to medical school?”
Caitlin was beginning to hate Justin’s father, and she’d never met him.
“If you want to do it, Roman will make it happen,” Justin assured her. “Father isn’t going to disagree with Roman.”
“Maybe,” she said with a smile, but Caitlin got the impression Helena was only trying to appease Justin.
“Let’s go have some breakfast,” Caitlin said and motioned toward the kitchen.
“After that I suppose I should make arrangements to go back home since you don’t need me,” Helena said a little sadly.
“I’d really like you to stay for a little while, Mom,” Justin said.
Caitlin could see that his mother was going to say no to Justin’s request. “I’m sure Justin could use help getting the OR and nursery prepped for Tempest’s delivery,” Caitlin said. “We aren’t sure when the babies are coming.”
“That’s true. My family has human length pregnancies, but Justin thinks this one is going to be somewhere in between. Plus, triplets are usually early,” Tempest added, catching on to what Caitlin was trying to do.
Helena looked hesitantly at Justin.
“They’re right, Mom; I need you here.”
Helena’s smile made her even more beautiful. Caitlin just hoped there wouldn’t be too much hugging involved with Helena’s extended visit.
Chapter Twelve
While Caitlin enjoyed meeting Justin’s mother and liked spending time with Tempest and Aiden, this wasn’t how she’d expected her big seduction weekend to go. Based on the looks Justin cast her way, she got the impression he felt the same about the situation.
Well, not quite the same. A strange tension ran through his body around his mother. When she let her guard down for a moment, the images from Justin’s mind bombarded her. She saw the scene through the eyes of a small child. Helena wore old‑fashioned clothing. They’d probably been the height of fashion back then. The man in the room looked remarkably like Justin and had the same controlled appearance. What struck Caitlin most was Justin’s anger toward the man who was obviously his father. Justin’s father wasn’t yelling, but his condescending tone had Helena near tears. What Justin felt in that memory was close to hatred. Caitlin jerked herself out of his thoughts and found Justin watching her.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
Justin came to her side and kissed her cheek, then said softly near her ear. “Never apologize for seeing inside of me. There will never be any part of my life I want to keep hidden from you. I’m yours.”
A shiver of desire ran through her body. Looking around the room, she wondered how they could find time alone. Everyone was done eating breakfast, but Helena, Aiden and Tempest still lingered in the kitchen.
Justin gave her a sexy smile. “It’s a big house.”
Caitlin’s cheeks flushed, and her breath hitched in her throat. He was right. Tempest was busy talking delivery and babies with Helena. Aiden was watching them, but he just winked. Yeah, he’d cover for them. All they had to do was slip out of the kitchen and head upstairs.
Nathaniel racing through the kitchen door with Hope in his arms put an end to that plan. His frantic eyes locked on Justin’s as he practically pleaded. “Please help her. She started coughing and now she’s hot. I have no idea what’s wrong.”
Caitlin and Tempest were the only people in the room who weren’t panicked by this news.
Tempest went over and put a hand on Nathaniel’s forearm. “Don’t worry; babies can run higher fevers than adults do. Let’s check her out.”
“We don’t get sick,” Nathaniel said desperately.
“He’s right,” Justin said. Most would think he was unconcerned, but Caitlin felt the tension radiating from his body. “Fevers happen while recovering from serious injuries, but not illness.”
“Hope is a girl,” Caitlin reminded them all. “I’ve been around Tempest when she’s had a cold. That means Hope can contract human illnesses.”
Nathaniel let out a shaky breath and nodded. “I didn’t even think about that. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to her.”
Seeing Nathaniel’s love for his daughter was almost enough to make Caitlin soften toward him.
Tempest looked over her shoulder at Caitlin and Justin. “I’ll take care of Hope, and Helena can help me. You two should leave before anyone else shows up.”
Caitlin saw Justin’s struggle and fully understood his feelings. He didn’t want to leave until he knew Hope was okay. He really was a great doctor, and it was more than his knowledge and skill. Despite his cold demeanor, Justin was dedicated to all of his patients.
“We’d better stick around a little longer,” Caitlin said. “Justin won’t be able to relax until he knows everything is okay with Hope.”
Justin took her hand and squeezed, silently thanking her for her support. She didn’t need to reach into his mind to know what he was feeling.
“Come on, Nathaniel,” Justin said. “Let’s go to my exam room and have a look at your daughter.”
Chapter Thirteen
Twenty minutes later Hannah and Noah were also standing around looking relieved that Hope was okay. Justin and Tempest both agreed that she had a cold, and she was teething. Tempest advised them on the best ways to treat the fever.
Caitlin was shocked when Trish hurried into the house and rushed to Nathaniel’s side. “Is she okay?” she asked. “Sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but my phone was in the other room, so I didn’t hear it when you messaged me.”
Nathaniel squeezed her hand. “Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me.”
“No problem,” Trish said. “That’s what friends are for.”
Looking around, Caitlin wasn’t the only one eyeing them.
Hannah pulled Caitlin aside just as Caitlin was about to have another talk with Trish about Nathaniel. The fact that he’d messaged Trish about Hope was more than a little suspicious, but that would have to wait. “How’s the big kidnapping going?” Hannah asked.
“Things were going great until everyone invaded the house in the last twelve hours,” Caitlin said with a sigh.
Hannah gave her a sympathetic smile. “Sorry about our part in that.” With long reddish hair, green eyes, and a curvy figure, Hannah had a serious girl next door look. While Caitlin knew she was never going to be Hannah’s best buddy, they were still close.
Caitlin waved off her apology. “There’s nothing to apo
logize for. Justin is a doctor, and a damn good one at that.”
“Yes, he is,” Hannah agreed with a smile. “Still, you two deserve a little time alone to work things out. You belong together.”
Caitlin tried hard for a bored expression but ended up smiling. “You’re right; we do belong together, and it’s a little scary that we both seem to be on the same page for once.”
“Yeah, I have to admit that I wasn’t sure you’d really work things out. I mean you come off as a little bitchy sometimes. The rest of the time, you come off as a lot bitchy.”
Caitlin stared her down with a raised eyebrow.
Hannah waved off her glare. “Please don’t even bother trying that with me. At first, I was a little intimidated by you but not anymore.”
That surprised Caitlin. “Really? The way you reacted when I accused you of dying your hair when we first met made me think you were made of stronger stuff. By the way, I knew it was your natural color.”
“I’m used to dealing with intimidating women. You still haven’t met my mother,” Hannah pointed out.
“I’ll bet she has nothing on my mother,” Caitlin argued.
Hannah started to argue then closed her mouth. “You’re probably right. Any woman who raised you must be a little on the scary side.”
Caitlin smiled. While her mom was great, she was glad the woman hadn’t gotten a chance to interrogate Justin yet. “Have I mentioned how happy I am to have you back?” Caitlin finally asked. “I know we haven’t been friends long, but I missed you.”
Sharing that was obviously a mistake because Hannah hugged her. “I missed you too, and I’m so glad you’re back to your old bitchy self.”
Caitlin groaned. “This must be Hell. That is the only explanation for all the hugging I’ve had to put up with today.”
Justin was surprised when Noah pulled him aside, but he suspected it had something to do with Hope. Even though Hope was Nathaniel and Hannah’s baby, Noah was with Hannah now and obviously loved Hope like she was his own daughter. Justin and Noah had been close at one time, back before Noah decided he was better than the rest of the family. Sure they’d talked when they were planning Hannah’s big escape months ago, but the conversations had been strained. They’d talked a little more when he’d gone out to check on Hannah’s pregnancy, but those conversations had mostly been about events that might force Noah to make a trip home.
With his blond hair and hazel eyes, Noah looked nothing like his brother, but that was because they had different fathers. Noah’s father had been human, the result of an affair Roman’s second wife had. Roman hadn’t exactly been good husband material back then, so no one really blamed her for the affair, including Roman who had raised Noah for much of his childhood.
“How are things going with Caitlin?” Noah asked with an easy smile and a flash of dimples. One thing that had never changed was Noah’s relaxed and upbeat attitude.
Justin leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “They’d be going better if we didn’t keep getting interrupted. I’m not doing much to convince Caitlin that she’ll have a great life with me.”
Noah continued to smile. “Caitlin kidnapped you knowing what a grumpy bastard you are. Why worry about a few interruptions?”
“What’s all of this to you anyway?” Justin asked, suspicious of Noah’s actions.
Noah put his hands up. “Hey, I’m just trying to be nice. I appreciate all you’ve done for us, and I want to repay you somehow.”
“Did I ask for any repayment?” Justin practically snapped. “I don’t need repayment or you pretending to care how things are going in my life. You made your feelings about our friendship clear a long time ago.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Noah asked and looked pissed. “You’re the one who couldn’t accept me spending more time with humans.”
“Seriously? That’s all you remember about that time? You don’t remember getting all preachy and judgmental about the way I was living my life? You wanted me to go on your big no energy diet because you thought it was the right thing to do. Did you give me any credit for all the work I did to find a way to keep us from drinking blood? Without me you’d still be sucking on veins. That wasn’t good enough for the saintly Noah, was it? To get your approval I needed to give up taking energy.”
Noah’s hands dropped to his sides, and he looked perplexed. “Well, shit,” was all he said.
“You do have a way with words,” Justin said and felt his lips twitching at the expression on Noah’s face.
“While I want to argue with you, Nathaniel thought I looked down on him for the energy thing too.” Noah looked at him with complete sincerity in his eyes. “I’m sorry for the way I acted.”
Justin’s eyes widened. “You’re apologizing to me?”
“I fucked up,” Noah admitted. “All of these years I thought you didn’t like my choice.”
“I don’t,” Justin admitted. “You’re an idiot for giving up on years of life. When you first told me, I was angry with you about it. We were friends, and I didn’t have a lot of those. The idea of watching you get old and die made me mad. It was like having a human friend. I had no idea how long the process would take, but apparently it takes longer than I expected. After that, I stopped getting close to people because I didn’t need the hassle. After years of being close you turned on me.”
“Like I said, I’m sorry,” Noah said quietly.
Justin wasn’t sure how to react, so he was glad Aiden interrupted them. “This is too sweet!” Aiden said. “Kiss and make up.”
“Don’t be an ass,” Justin said.
Aiden punched him in the arm. “Oh, come on, Cuz. This really is a touching moment. I may just be feeling emotional about the triplets.”
“Triplets?” Noah nearly shouted.
“Yeah, we are awesome at this baby making thing,” Aiden said.
“You’ll get good at that diaper changing thing too,” Noah teased.
Aiden continued to grin. “I don’t mind changing nappies on my babies. Well, I haven’t done it yet, but I’m sure I won’t mind.”
“He won’t,” Justin told Noah. “He’s that weird.”
“Look who’s talking,” Aiden shot back with a playful grin. “I saw you sneaking in at four in the morning, and I really need to find out where you went shopping.”
“What did he buy?” Noah asked.
“Don’t even think about telling him,” Justin warned. “Caitlin will find out, and she’ll tell Tempest.”
Aiden cringed and gave Noah a grin. “Sorry, but I don’t want that woman mad at me.”
Noah laughed. “Yeah, I’ve seen what she can do.”
Justin looked away, and his eyes locked with Caitlin’s. Suddenly, all he could think about was being alone with her. It was more than sex; he’d be happy just sitting across from her in a restaurant.
“I’m taking Caitlin out to eat. That seems to be the only way we’ll get some time alone,” Justin said.
Noah caught his arm. “I’m glad you found Caitlin. You two seem really happy together.”
Justin nodded but didn’t look at Noah. “Thanks.”
“Let’s hang out some time,” Noah said, “so we can catch up.”
Justin looked at Noah and saw the sincerity in his eyes. He was surprised to hear himself say, “I’d like that.” He was even more surprised to realize how much he meant those words.
Chapter Fourteen
Lunch away from the house was nice, and Caitlin was pleasantly surprised when Justin stopped in front of a hole in the wall diner. Since she hadn’t planned on going out too much, she’d packed light with comfort and seduction in mind.
“I guess our time to reconnect isn’t going as well as you’d hoped,” Justin said.
Caitlin shrugged. “If we’re going to be together I’ll have to get used to it. You’re the only doctor, and some days are busier than others. I’ve known you for over three years, and I’ve seen you get ca
lled out of town unexpectedly. That used to piss me off before I knew what was going on. I wanted to scream about the amount of class you got to miss. The professors didn’t even notice you were missing a lot of class. Of course that didn’t piss me off nearly as much as your grades. I hated you a little for getting good grades with no real effort. You spent more time staring at me than paying attention to lectures.”
“I was only there for you, so why would I pay attention to the lectures? I’ve taken all of those classes before,” he said. “Most of them I didn’t need, they were just a way to be close to you.”
“Even if you took those classes years ago, you should still need to study more than you do,” she pointed out. “Admit it; you’re that annoying smart person who makes the rest of us look like idiots.”
Justin chuckled. “I hardly think you look like an idiot in class. To the best of my knowledge you haven’t gotten any grade lower than a B since you started college.”
Caitlin glared at Justin. “That was not my fault! That speech teacher had it in for me because she wanted to get in your pants.” Justin’s smug smile proved the prick knew it was true. The woman had insisted that Caitlin’s lack of enthusiasm during public speaking had earned her a lower grade, and Caitlin was the first to admit she was less than energetic when giving speeches. She also wasn’t the only one who’d earned a lower grade as a result of that. What really annoyed Caitlin was the fact that Justin had gotten an A while showing no more enthusiasm than she had.
“I can’t help it if women want my body,” Justin said.
Caitlin laughed. “You are such an ass.”
“I’ve missed you,” Justin said quietly. “Hopefully we can get more time alone before we start back for the fall semester. Things will be pretty busy.”
“Our lives will only get busier once we’re in medical school,” she said.
“Things’ll be easier after your residency,” Justin said and waved a French fry in the air. “Then you can help with some of my workload.”
Caitlin looked down at her food. “You never asked what I want to do after medical school.” Had she not avoided the subject herself, she might have been angry. For months, she’d let Justin make his own assumptions. Back then, she’d convinced herself they weren’t going to be together and hadn’t seen any reason to bring up the subject. No, that wasn’t completely honest. Back then she’d been trying to convince herself they shouldn’t be together. Of course back then she’d had no idea how to control her abilities and preferred to avoid relationships.
The Vampire Will See You Now (Psy-Vamp Book 4) Page 8
