JASPERS POV Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table. She wouldnât look at me, just stared at the redwood finish with a profound frown. Twice, sheâd opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. I didnât blame her; Meeting my possible biological parent, even one of them, must be hard for her. These people took me in, raised me, fed me, clothed me. Loved me. I expected this to be harder for her than it was for me. I waited patiently, though, letting her gather her thoughts and feelings. Finally, she spoke.
âYou want to do this?â
âYes.â
âWhy?â
That was a tough one. But I couldnât be anything than honest with her.
âIâm not sure. Partly to see if itâs true. Another part of me just wants to look him in the eye and ask the questions Iâve been wondering about for years. Lots of reasons Mom, but none of them are solid, I guess.â
âIf he is your Dad⦠youâre biological Dad⦠he might not accept you Jasper.â She finally met my eyes. âI know thatâs harsh, but I donât want you to have hopes of a reunion that might not happen.â
I nodded. âI know Mom. Iâm prepared for any outcome.â
âAre you? No offense son, but youâre still just a kid. I donât want to see you get hurt.â
Her voice choked up at the end. I stood, walking around the table, and wrapping her in my arms. This woman was worth a million in gold, yet she was priceless too. Once again, I found myself being eternally indebted to have been blessed with a Mom like her. I loved my bio Mom, and missed her like crazy sometimes. But I was proud to be a Cole.
âYouâre allowed to come with me. Tell you what, if he turns out to be a complete a*****e, you can have at him.â I chuckled.
âDonât think I wonât!â She retorted.
I pulled back. âSo, youâre coming with me then?â
âOf course! Your Dad too. When is this Alpha coming?â
âWell, heâs actually already here. We were suppose to meet yesterday, but, uh⦠the incident at the packhouse delayed the meeting.â
I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure if I was allowed to tell my parents about Vie. They would never say anything, but I wasnât sure about their feelings towards hybrids. Maybe I could sneak the topic in somewhere beforehand.
âAh. So when?â Mom asked.
âTomorrow morning. Alpha Dimitri wants us to be there by eleven. The Luna is making a brunch.â
Mom clapped her hands. âOh, yay! I love Lilys cooking!â
I laughed, silently agreeing. The breakfast the Luna prepared this morning was incredible. It was better than Moms, though I would never tell her that.
âHow is Violet?â
âSheâs good.â
âHow are you and Violet?â
A smile crept onto my face, and I think I blushed too. Mom smiled too, a knowing smile. Parents; They knew everything, even if we didnât tell them.
âDid you mark her?â She leaned forward while I sat back down.
âNo. I wanted to, but I didnât want to do it out of the blue. I wasnât sure how sheâd feel about it.â
âThat was probably a good call. She is-or was- a virgin, right?â
I nearly choked on my saliva. âMom!â
âWhat? Oh please Jasper, itâs not a big deal! Weâre adults, and if youâre having s*x, then you should be able to talk about it without being embarassed!â
That was kind of what Vie had said to me at the cabin. Still, it was a bit weird talking about it with Mom.
âYeah, she was.â I mumbled.
âWell, Iâm sure she will let you know her thoughts on it.â She tapped her fingers on the table, grinning. âBesides, females get pregnant easier after being marked, and I want grandbabies soon.â
This time I did choke. âGoddess Mom! Itâs way too soon to be thinking about that!â
She shrugged, totally serious. I simply shook my head. A knock on the front door saved me from more of this conversation. I practically ran from the kitchen, much to Moms amusement. Whoever it was at the door, I owed them big time.
âHey.â
I pulled Violet to me, wrapping her in a tight hug.
âThank you!â
âUh⦠for?â
âSaving me.â
My mate looked at me like I was insane. âShould I ask?â
âOh, heâs just all weirded out because I brought up s*x.â Mom came up behind me, giving Violet her own hug.
âYou⦠he⦠what?â
âOh, hello.â
Mom was looking over Vieâs shoulder. I raised one eyebrow; I hadnât even noticed Sophia. Why was she here? Did that mean Garrett was here too? Sophia glanced at me, looking nervous as Hell.
âHello Mrs. Cole.â She replied.
âFriend of yours?â Mom asked Violet.
âMy brothers mate.â
âAh. Is he here too?â
âHe was being a jackass, so we left him at home.â Violet shrugged and Mom shot me a look. âAnyway, we came to see if Jasper wanted to hang out?â
âUh⦠sure.â
My hesitation was sound. My past with Sophia hadnât been generally well recieved, which was fair. So it was understandable that I was a little confused and surprised that Violet all of a sudden wanted us to all hang out together. Donât get me wrong, I was glad she didnât seem to have the same animosity towards me that Garrett had. But this situation was strange.
âGreat. I thought we could go see a movie.â
âSounds good. Iâll grab my wallet.â
âWeâll be in the car.â She hugged my Mom again. âIâll see you later Linda.â
âYou too dear. Have fun.â
Sophia and Vie waved as they walked back to her car. I went inside to locate my wallet, not wanting to keep her waiting. This would have been a great date, if Sophia wasnât here too. Oh well.
âHave fun. Are you coming home tonight?â Mom handed me my jacket as I passed.
âIâm not sure. Iâll let you know though, okay?â
I kissed her cheek before running out the door. Sophia was in the backseat, Violet tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the music playing. I slid in the passanger seat, smiling at her.
âWhat do you guys want to see?â She asked as she pulled away from the curb.
âThe new Jurassic World movie is playing.â I suggested.
Violet grinned happily. âIâm in. Sophia?â
âYeah, sure.â
I gave Vie a question mark look, which she ignored. âYou mind if I pick up Dylan and Brianne?â She looked at me, then Sophia in the rearview mirror. We both shook our heads, and ten minutes later, the car was full. Dylan and I got to talking about which Jurassic movie was the best, with Brianne and Violet chiming in now and again. Sophia sat in the back, gazing out the window, not saying a word. The theater was located in the center of the pack, about a half hour drive. The five of us got out after we managed to find a parking spot, and I held Violets hand as we entered.
A couple kids from school lingered around the main area, either in line to get snacks or looking at the posters of the new releases playing. A lot of eyes turned our way as we passed, mostly on me and Vie. She ignored them, and I tried to too. We bought our tickets, the guy behind the counter eyeing me almost rudely.
âHere.â He shoved my ticket at me, and I grabbed it.
âWhatâs his issue?â I grumbled as we walked away.
âOh Tyler? Donât worry about him. Heâs just jealous.â Brianne chirped beside me.
âJealous?â
âYeah. Heâs had a crush on Violet forever.â She giggled.
I glanced back. Tyler was staring after our group, glaring at me. I shot him the finger and smirked. Too bad for him.
âSince when does Tyler have a crush on me?â Vie asked, peeking around my back to see her friend.
âReally? He stares at you constantly in Math. You never noticed?â
âNo.â
Brianne shook her head, but I smiled, kissing the top of her head. We got in line for the room our movie was playing, chatting casually. I noticed a group of girls giving Violet the stink-eye. They quickly turned around when they caught me glaring at them. Who knew going to the movies would bring us so much attention? The doors opened and we moved as a good pace, entering the dark room and finding our seats. Iâd barely sat, when Violet pulled my arm.
âIâm going to get popcorn. You guys want anything?â
âDiet coke and extra butter for me.â Brainne said.
âSame, except not diet.â Dylan said.
âSophia?â
âNothing for me, thanks.â
âOkay. Be right back.â
We walked back out fo the room, going to the snack bar. As soon as the line moved ahead enough she leaned into me.
âI know youâre just dying to ask me what sheâs doing here with us.â
âYeah, actually. Whatâs the deal?â
She sighed. Then she launched into what happened earlier with her brother, Mom and Dad. My stomach knotted more and more as she spoke. Garrett really hated me that much, that he would treat his mate that way? f**k.
âWhat can I do?â I asked.
Violet raised her eyebrows. âI didnât say you had to do anything.â
âNo, but this is obviously upsetting you. And your family. And itâs because of me, I want to help. Should I talk to Garrett?â
Violet winced. âPlease, donât. That might be the last thing any of us need. Besides, youâve got enough to be worrying about, Iâm sure.â
Now I winced. âGood point. She doesnât seem to enjoy being out with us though.â
âOh, she was happy earlier. She only got all sullen when I told her I was going to pick you up. Understandably, she got a bit timid.â
A question burned on the tip of my tongue, but I held it in. Honestly, I was afraid of what she would say if I did ask.
âI can almost see the wheels turning in your head Jasper.â She grinned at me. âI know what youâre thinking, and the answer is no. Is it wierd you slept with her? Yeah, a little. She might be my future sister-in-law. But Iâm not mad at you, or her. Itâs in the past, and thatâs where it can stay. But hey, way to keep it in the family dude.â
Heat rushed to my face, colouring my cheeks. âShut up.â
Violet laughed as we made our way to the girl behind the consession stand. She was a tall brunette with big blue eyes that never left me. I rolled my eyes, but she didnât get the hint.
âThatâll be⦠forty two, sixty eight. Cash or debit handsome?â She batted her fake lashes at me.
âCash.â Violet dropped a fifty on the counter. The girl unwillingly turned to her, taking the money in her fingers like it was carrying a disease. A few minutes later, I helped load up all the food and drinks.
âNo tip?â The girl leaned over the counter, her blouse way too undone to be appropriate for work.
âYeah.â Violet smiled at the girl sweetly. âLearn to keep your eyes off other girls men. And do up your f*****g shirt.â
Brunettes jaw dropped, her cheeks instantly going crimson. I tried to cover my laugh, unsuccessfully. We left her standing there, hurriedly doing up her blouse and muttering to herself. We got back just in time for the previews to start, dispersing the snacks around. Violet handed Sophia a bag of gummy worms, earning a small smile in return. We whisper talked through the previews, commenting on a few movies that looked good, and then settling in for the main show.
âYou like these kinds of movies?â I whispered a while later to Violet.
She nodded. âAlmost as much as horror movies. I love dinosaurs.â
Huh. That was something I never knew about her. Good to know though. True enough, she was invested from beginning to end, and I couldnât help but watch her more than the movie itself. She was too cute. When the movie ended, she was all smiles, talking excitedly with Dylan about it. I trailed behind as we left the theater, letting her have a moment with her friends.
âJasper?â
I glanced at Sophia, now walking beside me.
âYeah.â
âI need to talk to you.â She said lowly.
I pursed my lips but nodded. âGo ahead.â
I heard her take a breath. âAbout that night⦠the partyâ¦â
âSophia-â
âNo, I donât want to talk about it. Not really. I was just wondering⦠do you⦠remember it?â
I stopped, facing her. âWhat are you getting at?â I asked sharply.
She brushed her hair behind her ear, nervous. âI remember it, kind of. What we did⦠itâs fuzzy for me.â She frowned. âI know I wasnât drunk, so Iâm not sure how but⦠I need to know if itâs only me.â
Unwillingly, the memory of that night came to mind. I didnât know what she meant though; I remembered everything.
âI donât know Sophia. Have you considered you just feel guilty about it?â
âYes, actually.â
âThatâs probably your answer then.â
âJasperâ¦Iâm sorry. None of this drama would be happening if it wasnât for me.â She looked over at the rest of our group. âI can see how happy you two are. Iâm sorry if my actions caused any problems for you.â
I rubbed my forehead. âThanks. But it wasnât just your actions. You know what they say, it takes to tango. Weâre both at fault really.â
âI guess.â
âWas that all?â
âYes.â
âAlright.â
We continued walking. Violet looked between the two of us as we approached, but she didnât look mad. Maybe she knew Sophia wanted to talk to me. I gave her a short k**s before going around to get in the car, just happy that at least one of the Alphas twins knew how to be reasonable.