Green - a werewolf story

39. Antebellum

Vanessa stared at him. "Me? Edit Thrall's grandmother's book about their family history?"

"Why not?" Green asked. "I'm sure they'd all prefer to use someone close to the family."

"But I'm not close to..." Vanessa started before realizing that now she was very close to the family. Any closer than this and she'd be part of it. She swallowed uncomfortably. "Won't they want someone with a bit more experience?"

"You've got years of experience and from what I can make out, based on your fiverr ratings, you're great at what you do."

Vanessa opened her mouth to object out of habit, but then decided that she wasn't going to argue against someone telling her she was good at what she did because that was just wrong.

"You've looked me up on fiverr?" was what she asked instead.

"Of course I have!" Green said, downing the rest of his coffee. "I wanted to know what you did. I want to know everything about you and when we first met you weren't telling me anything about yourself so I had to work around you."

Vanessa opened her mouth and closed it again. He was right. She hadn't exactly been forthcoming with information. Mainly because she didn't want him around. Or, more accurately, she didn't want to want having him around. And she was afraid that if she let him into her life she might start wanting him around quite a lot.

Green looked over at her and smiled. She felt that smile from the tip of her toes all the way to her now blushing face. Yeah, pretending to not want him wasn't going to work anymore.

"It's okay," he said. "I understand why you didn't exactly warm to me at first. Especially after what you told me about your family and I... I guess I was a bit... pushy."

"A bit?" Vanessa said. "You stalked me and then you broke into both my apartment and my car!"

Green shifted uncomfortably. "I tracked you and your car was open when I got in."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, fine so I broke into your apartment and I might have stalked you a little bit, but I honestly thought you'd be happy to see me!"

"Why would I be happy to see you after you ran me out of town?"

"Because we didn't know we were mates then and now I thought that since I'd figured that out you'd be happy to a) have me for a mate and b) get to return to Tell City."

"You do hear how that sounds, right?"

"Yeah, so maybe I was a little conceited."

Vanessa laughed. "Just over a week ago you were a little conceited, but you're not now?"

"What can I say?" Green said with a shrug. "It's been an intense week."

"You can say that again," Vanessa agreed.

They drove on in companionable silence for a while until Green turned on to the long driveway leading up to the manor house.

"So, I should probably warn you that my family can come on a little strong," he said.

"I sort of got that from your demand of making me pinky promise to remain here until your niece or nephew is born," Vanessa said.

"They will probably nag you about a date for the wedding," Green went on, blushing.

"What wedding?"

"The wedding they assume we'll have sometime in the next few weeks."

Vanessa stared at him. "Why would they assume that?"

"Because we're mates and that's how it works," Green said patiently. "I'm not saying we have to do that, I'm just warning you so that when my father corners you, you'll be prepared."

"Is your father very invested in weddings?"

"Yes," Green sighed. "He's the event planner in the family and he loves any excuse for a party."

Vanessa laughed. "Alright. Thanks for warning me."

"You're not taking this seriously," Green said as they passed through the open gates.

"I think I can handle your dad."

"Mm. Just promise me you won't run away without telling me. We can run away together."

"Pinky promise again?"

Green shook his head. "You still think I'm joking."

"Of course I think you're joking!" Vanessa said as the car came to a stop and Green unbuckled his seat belt. "It can hardly be as bad as..."

She stopped talking when her car was suddenly wrenched open and a large shape bent in to unclasp her seat belt and pull her out of the car in one go. For a moment she thought the wolves following them had finally succeeded in catching up and were about to abduct her. Then she realized that the massive man with his arms around her was trying to hug her, rather than kidnap her, and was talking.

"... happy to see you, Aiden hasn't told us nearly anything about you and Abby said she only got to talk to you for a minute. I just want you to know that we are all happy to welcome you into the family and..."

"Dad!" Green said, coming around the car.

"... I've already talked to the caterers about barbecue, you're Australian, aren't you? Australians love barbecue. We've..."

"Dad!" Green tried again, pulling at the arms that were currently enveloping her in a bear hug.

"... talked to the minister about a date sometime next month, if you can wait that long. Fiona is going on about flower arrangements so you'll have to sort that out with her, but..."

"DAD!"

The man, who she supposed was Green's dad, stopped talking for a moment. He didn't, however, let go of her.

"What is it, son?"

"Can you let go of her before you choke her to death?"

"I'm not choking her! I'm hugging her?" he replied, but he did loosen his arms and let her take a step back.

Vanessa looked up into a pair of smiling green eyes, identical to those of Green's and a handsome, bearded face. That's what Green's going to look like in thirty years, she thought. It wasn't an entirely unappealing prospect. Vanessa thought she'd make him skip the beard, though. She loved looking at his jaw.

She shook herself, not quite believing that she'd just thought of herself with Green decades from now. They'd been together a week and look at the mess they'd made!

"... welcoming her into the family, I don't know why you're so upset."

"I told you she's not comfortable with strangers and you waltz on in and drag her from the car!"

"I didn't drag her..."

"Can you two stop fighting and let me see my new sister in law?" a woman said from behind them. "After all, this is my house."

The two men stopped arguing and moved apart to let a tall, extremely pregnant, woman through. She had light brown hair and blue eyes and when she met Vanessa's gaze she smiled widely.

"Welcome to the family, sis! How about you let me escort you into the madhouse?"