Chapter 85 - VISITING FAMILY

Following my little freak out in Kyle's living room we had to head to see the Hornes. EZ had spent the night at my place with Bastian. When I saw the spring in Bastian's step and the smile on EZ's face it was clear to me that they had definitely completed their mating.

Not to mention I could see a small red and purple mark on EZ's neck. It looked like a hickey mixed with a small puncture wound. I think Bastian might have bit or poked him with his owl beak. That is interesting. Is that how birds mark their mates? I guess it would be, they're not wolves so their teeth wouldn't be the ideal option.

"Good morning." EZ smiled at me. "I take it you enjoyed your morning." EZ had noticed the slight blush that hadn't quite gone away. He thought that Kyle and I had had sex, that was probably what he had done before leaving. He truly lived up to the nicknames he gave himself.

"I think my morning went differently than how you are thinking it did." I denied having done anything this morning. That shocked little EZ but he didn't say anything. He just smiled at me and silently vowed that he would talk to me later. With a nod I agreed and prepared to leave.

We were taking my truck so that EZ's parents would know who was at the gate instantly when they saw us. It was late morning and the weekend but there was still a lot of traffic. It took us a little more than an hour to make it to the estate. It wasn't enough time to mentally prepare myself. One thing that did help though was that I was driving my own truck this time. It would have pissed me off if I was forced to sit in the back.

"Jacy?" Laurell's voice was filled with joy when she checked the monitor to see who was at the gate. "I am so happy to see you. And I see that there is a full car with you. I can't wait to meet everyone." She pressed the button on the gate and I drove through and up the driveway.

The long driveway that usually felt like it took forever to drive up now felt like it passed in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it we were parked outside the garage and I could see Bechard and Laurell waving at me from the porch.

"Jacy." Bechard seemed so calm and serene as he waved at me, his broad smile showing that he didn't have a care in the world.

After a deep breath I shut the truck off and started to get out of my seat. Kyle, in the front passenger seat, took one more look at me and got out as well. He was almost as nervous as I was right now. Looking back at Bastian as he got shakily to his feet I could tell that he was probably more nervous than any of us. The only calm one among us was EZ. He seemed to be his usual flamboyant self. I loved how nothing ever really fazed him.

"EZ? I didn't know you stayed at Jacy's last night." Laurell scolded her son. "Please let us know next time. What if something had happened?"

"Sorry, it wasn't initially planned. But, well, I had a reason to stay there." He was looking at Bastian as he spoke.

"Oh, is this perhaps something that you want to discuss with us?" Bechard looked excited for his son. "Well then, come on in. All of you."

We followed the lead of the smiling couple as they took us to the dining room. Laurell always insisted on feeding people when they got to her house so there was a lot of food prepared. That was good, they would need a lot to feed this bunch of people.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Laurell was looking intently at Kyle. "I have a feeling that I have seen you somewhere very recently."

"Yes, Ma'am." Kyle nodded politely at her. "I stopped by here to see your son recently."

"Oh, that's right. I thought you were here for him because of, well, you know." Laurell was giggling. "Were you actually here to get his permission to date his sister?"

"Something like that." Kyle smiled nervously. "My name is Kyle Donovan, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Bechard Horne." The men shook hands and it was clear that Bechard was sizing Kyle up. It was like he was trying to make sure that Kyle was worthy of me. He must have passed because after a moment Bechard smiled and laughed. "You're a good man, aren't you Kyle."

"I believe so." He shrugged. "But that is such a relative phrase that it is hard to know for sure anymore." That just made Bechard laugh harder.

"Oh my, you're even more handsome up close aren't you. When I saw you on the video it was so dulled. This version is much more appealing."

"Mom?" I snapped at her.

"No worries, sweetheart, I am just saying that I approve. He is very handsome."

Things were already mortifying and we hadn't even been here for five minutes yet. Please, someone, take the focus off of me.

"And who might you be?" Bechard was looking at Bastian with an intense look. EZ was their only son and the baby of the family, of course they would be protective.

"It is nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Horne. My name is Bastian Strong." Bastian was doing his best to smile through this initial stage. Well, I got my wish. The spotlight was off of me and it was now shining intently on Bastian.

"Bastian, huh? Tell me, how do you know my son?" Laurell has always been very protective of her children.

"W-well, I met him through Jacy." Gee, thanks, throwing the ball back to me.

"Well, what do you do? What are your intentions with our boy? If you're here that must mean that you're serious, right?" Bechard was laying out all the hard questions.

Bastian was floundering. He was just standing near the dining room door and looking for someone to throw him a lifeline. I felt so bad for him at the moment. 

"Bastian is a private detective. He is going to be working with me soon enough."

"Working with you?" Bechard raised a brow. "But you're a bounty hunter, not a PI."

"How about we sit down and talk about all of this." I suggested. "There is a lot that we have to tell you."

"Hmm, is that so?" I could tell that Bechard was a little on edge but he was hiding it well.

The six of us went over to the table to sit down. Like it was some kind of choreographed stunt Kyle and Bastian both pulled back chairs for me and EZ at nearly the exact same moment. Once we were seated they pushed them in and made sure we were settled before they sat next to us.

EZ was across from me and Bastian was across from Kyle. Bechard and Laurell were sitting opposite each other, one at each end of the table. This positioning for them would make it easier for them to interrogate all of us in a tag team event. I had seen them use this style of questioning before, on their sons-in-law as well as the ones who came home but didn't pass the test.

"So, who wants to spill the beans first?" Laurell was looking between us all. She knew that something was up and wanted all the details. She could tell that we were all hiding something from them. This was going to be a very interesting lunch, I could already tell that. Stressful and exhausting, but interesting for sure.

"Who said that we have something to spill?" EZ played it off like he usually did. He was the one who would always get his parents into a good mood before breaking the bad news to them. I guess when you're the baby of the family it's a lot harder for your parents to get angry with you.

"Don't try that this time, Ezekiel. We see you and Jacy both showing up with these two suitors and we're bound to expect that there is a very juicy story hidden behind it all. Now, your mother and I want to hear what it is you've all been up to."

"That's right, sweetheart. We're curious and worried about you. You know that these fine young men need to prove themselves worthy of you two. Jacy' you're as much our daughter as any of the others so we want to make sure that everything is alright with you as well as EZ. We love you both so much."

"Mom?" I felt the love she was expressing as it washed over me.. I was really lucky to have them as a replacement set of parents.