Blaze of Glory - Liberty Parker Page 0,31
feel how twitchy Angela is, I know that she wants to run out and pull Maritsa into her arms, but how she also fears overwhelming her. So, she fights herself to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground.
What feels like hours, but is only minutes, Maritsa comes walking into the house, with Echo’s hand in hers. They’re entering as a united front. A small smile erupts on my face, the corner of my mouth tilts up as I take in how connected the two of them already are.
“Maritsa,” Angela whispers as tears stream down her cheeks. “My baby,” she chokes out as she spreads her arms wide.
Maritsa tugs Echo with her as she runs into her mother’s embrace. It’s nearly comical to see this larger than life man, struggling to keep up with his mate.
Angela doesn’t seem to notice him, or if she does, she’s chosen to ignore the fact that this man, nearly ten years older than her daughter, is glued to the two of them. I watch as Angela’s eyes swing to Echo, her eyes widen; almost as if she recognizes him, before pulling him into their arms.
“Is it me, or do you have the feeling that this is all gonna work out?” Blaze asks me as he comes up behind me and wraps his arms firmly around my middle.
“It seems as if she recognizes him as her family. It’s odd, isn’t it, Blaze?”
“It’s the magic of love and family, Glory,” he says as he places an open palm to my stomach where one day, I’ll be growing the life that we make together.
Blaze
I keep Glory tightly wrapped in my arms as we watch this family come together. Angela may not know all of our deepest, darkest secrets, but it appears as if she may have already accepted Echo as one of her own.
The sound of a vehicle approaching has me turning around to look through the picture glass window.
“Who is it, Blaze?” Glory asks me.
“That’s Jake. Pops’ friend from the FBI,” I inform her as I reluctantly let go of her so I can go and open the front door for him. She trails behind me as I pull it open.
“Blaze.” Jake sticks out his hand for a shake. “I’m glad you called; these situations can get sticky at times. Better to be prepared ahead of time.”
“I can’t thank you enough for coming. This is my mate, Glory,” I introduce them to one another.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Jake politely says, beaming a smile in her direction.
She returns his smile as she shakes his hand. “Jake, won’t you come in, please.”
“Thank you,” he responds, but once he walks inside, he halts his steps and takes a big whiff of the air surrounding us. Mate, I hear a rumbled yowl leave his chest. Then a continuous purr begins loudly making itself known.
Glory yanks on my shirt as my head turns in her direction. “Mate,” she mouths to me with wide, worried eyes. It seems as if Angela is going to get a double whammy of information overload today. She’s going to learn that shifters exist along with finding out she’s a life mate to a damn cougar shifter. We may need the largest prescription available of Xanax to help get her through this.
Jake pushes his way around us and goes in search of his eternal mate. I sigh. “Jake, man, remember she’s human. She has no clue about our existence.”
“Have to find her, I can feel her distress. My cat needs to be the one to comfort her, I can’t stop him, Blaze.” Jake continues along his path of searching out his heart’s deepest desire.
When we walk into the kitchen, Angela is setting a bunch of food on the table. Her back is turned to us, but as soon as Jake’s presence is felt by her, her shoulders stiffen as she slowly turns around.
When their eyes connect, Angela’s hands begin to quiver. “I know you, I don’t know how, but I do,” she says with a shaky voice.
“My name is Jake,” he tells her as he walks up to her and grabs the bowl filled to the brim with potato chips.
Scanning the room, not wanting to feel as if I’m imposing on their first meeting, I notice Echo and Maritsa at the table watching the interaction between her mother and this newcomer. “Is? Is that what I think it is?” Maritsa asks me.
“Yes, sweet girl, that is your mother’s life mate making a connection,” I answer her,