Page 41 of The Defiant Curse

“Wyler is Callen and Ethan’s father, and Chris and Elizabeth’s father-in-law. He’s the one with cancer again.”

Oh, that sucked.

Elizabeth was fighting that front too?

Damn.

The universe was really piling on her, now wasn’t it? That made him want to help anyway he could. If feeding her did that, he was all about it.

Now, he was curious.

“What kind of cookie do you like?”

Oh, she didn’t hesitate.

“I’m a chocolate chip girl. I’m simple, and I like a basic cookie. Then again, there’s not many cookies I’ll turn away. Again, fuel.”

Graham had his mission.

“Go tour. I’ll bake.”

That worked for Michael. He still had to show her the rooms, but there was also the one thing he was dreading.

The painting.

It was the big, pink elephant in the room. Well, the massive entryway to the castle. They’d hung it over the fireplace because…well, this had been Ceit’s home too.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure how she’d take it. They’d not told anyone about it, simply because at the time, the family had been fighting for their lives.

Now, the truth was about to come out.

Ceit looked a lot like Elizabeth, or was that the other way around?

“Thank you for dinner, Graham. Tomorrow, I’ll cook,” she said. “I haven’t been able to do that in a very long time.”

He grinned.

“Mom, if you think I’m saying no to a homemade dinner…”

She winked at him.

Yeah, she liked the man for her son. He was a sweet guy, and he wasn’t afraid to ask questions. That to her was better than pretending it wasn’t in the room with them. There was no point sugarcoating shit.

It was best to just be yourself.

Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she thanked him for dinner.

“It was beyond delicious. Thank you for feeding me. Even more, thank you for feeding my soul. I love you.”

Once more, his heart hitched.

“I love you too, Mom.”

With love, and adoration, she patted his cheek, and linked her arm through Michael’s.

“Show me what I’m dealing with,” she said. “May God have mercy on my soul. I have a ballroom.”

That made him laugh, because he knew why. She also had a dead gold-baron’s mansion, and that place was haunted more so than this place.