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“I heard it too,” Corey said from where she stood just behind Timber. Her eyes were blazing green.
“Look,” Wreck told Marissa. “You wanted to find family, and you did. The found-family gave you the attention you desired, and you weren’t the one who was hurt by it, so why would you feel bad?”
“Are you a shifter?” she asked.
Wreck just smiled.
“Why would you ask him that?” Owen asked from down the bar. Wreck had never heard his voice so serious before.
“Because,” Marissa said softly. “Your eyes are glowing. All of your eyes.”
Wreck looked around the Fastlanders, and she was right. Glowing eyes everywhere.
“What have you been doing?” her mother asked Timber, disgust in her voice. “Who are these people.”
Timber straightened up and said, “This is Gunner, and Hallie. Corey. Silver. Sloane. Owen and Ace over there. Captain is down the bar.” Captain just glared. Timber looked at Brandon and gave a hollow smile. Politely, she said, “Happy birthday. I didn’t mean to crash. I got an invite.”
“He doesn’t need a happy birthday from you,” the blonde under his arm assured her.
“Hold up!” a woman who looked a lot like Timber sang out as she jogged over from the front door. “She’s supposed to be here. I invited her!”
“Why would you do that?” Timber’s mother demanded in an angry voice. Oh, if looks could kill. This lady looked mean as sin.
“Sasha, this is messed up,” Marissa said.
“I have my reasons!” Sasha assured them, holding out her hands in a calming gesture.
“What reason could you possibly have for inviting my ex to my birthday?” Brandon asked.
“Because this is her family,” Sasha gritted out.
“Pick a different holiday to do your family reunion!” Brandon barked.
“Did he just call his birthday a holiday?” Owen muttered with a laugh.
“You’re at all the holidays, Brandon,” Sasha pointed out. “What does it matter?”
“It’s always more peaceful if we just keep things separate,” Marissa said calmly.
“For who?” Wreck asked. “For you? What about for Timber? She was pushed out of her own family dynamic. How long have you been in this family?”
Marissa crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“A year? Two years?” Wreck asked. “Three? Timber was born into this family. That is the mother that raised her. That’s her sister. I’m betting that’s her dad back there, hanging back. I bet some of her old friends are back there. Am I right? Peace might be nice for you, but can you even imagine the devastation it causes to lose your whole family because they chose others over you? Right in front of you? I can’t imagine it.”
“Look, you don’t know everything,” her mom said. “You can judge all you want, but I did my best as a mom. She’s been ungrateful since she was little—”
“Mom, that’s not true,” Sasha said, a frown deeply etched on her face.
Ignoring her favored daughter, Timber’s mother gritted out, “We don’t need your judgement. Why would we care to be judged by any of you? You only know Timber’s side of the story.”
“Here’s your chance,” Corey said. “Make us, and Timber, understand your side. Hash it out.”
The woman opened and closed her mouth like a landed fish, searching for an explanation that would justify any of this. There wasn’t any. “Well, Marissa is right. The family is much more peaceful without Timber always causing arguments. Holidays were exhausting.”
“You mispronounced call-outs,” Timber said. “I hated the arguments. They hurt me too. I just wanted you to treat me okay.”
Her mother inhaled and crossed her arms over her chest, looked to Brandon and Marissa, and back to Timber. She shook her head. God, she looked so mean. “Things are easier with Brandon and Marissa.”
