Jax (Titan #9)(96)

Sleepy and exhausted, she had only a few minutes to say goodbye before he rushed off to Titan-land, and now she replayed their conversation with a smile.

"Your mom got sick while we were out of town."

Seven had been abducted. Interesting how he'd chosen to word that.

"She's doing much better now, and Sidney went to be with her as often as he could."

Jax had explained that the reason her mom had been sick was because she'd had a seizure, which had stolen her breath until he'd explained that Taini now took the proper medication to combat that.

Then he'd also explained the reason her mom's rapid health decline over the past few weeks. She'd been pissed it took a stroke to find the problem, but her therapy and activities had been adjusted.

Jax had dealt with everything, all in the course of a couple days, while rescuing her and the kids. So, he was a superhero. Then off he'd gone to save the world again.

As soon as Glamma was able to take Nolan and Bianca, Seven called Adelia and made plans to hustle over to the nursing home as soon as visiting hours were available.

And now Seven waited outside Adelia's apartment. She ran her hands in semicircles along the steering wheel, replaying the last few days of insanity. Somehow, she was supposed to act as though life were normal again.

But it was normal. Normal had turned out to be one of the most relative words she'd ever thought about, and now she had to figure out how to coexist with that realization. Her normal was Sweet Hills and Mayhem.

But now she knew that somewhere in the world, there was a normal of cartel slavery and abductions as part of business dealings. That was their normal—both the evil, inhumane excuses for people who made those decisions day in and out as well as the people who lived until they died under the consequences of others' choices.

Yet she was back in Sweet Hills, where everything was old normal. Bianca and Nolan woke up at the crack of dawn, like normal. Just hours before, she'd tucked them into their beds after jet-setting back from South America and caravanning home under the watchful eye of a security detail.

Then they had Cheerios for breakfast. Like normal…

Seven had awoken alone after Jax tucked her into bed, promising all would be okay and she should sleep. Her hand still reached for him when she opened her eyes, but he was gone. At work, in another state or country… That had been Victoria and Ryder's normal for the past few years. It seemed easy enough from the outside looking in, but Seven had been wrong.

"Hey!" Adelia broke Seven's thoughts as she dove into the car.

"Hi."

"I'm so happy to see you." She hugged Seven. "Are you good?"

"I'm good. My muscles are a little sore from—"

Adelia's eyes rounded. "Crazy sex with the hot Italian."

Seven flashed her a side-eye. "No!"

"Liar."

"From walking for miles in a freaking jungle, thank you very much." Then, hot cheeked, she quietly whispered, "Though there might have been time spent with a certain man."

"Mm-hm." Adelia buckled her seatbelt. "Victoria's told me all about the Welcome to Vegas gift package she arranged for."

"What!" Ugh. Her face flashed hot. "No idea—"

"Champagne and lube?" Adelia giggled. "That's what a best friend is for."

Seven's cheeks flamed a whole notch hotter. "Holy shit! Is nothing sacred?"

"No. Spit it out."

"We're not having that conversation."

Laughing harder, Adelia bounced her eyebrows. "Victoria would dish."

"Well, the deputy mayor can do whatever she deems appropriate." Seven looked down her nose and rolled her eyes with a smile. Then she put the car into drive and pulled out. They followed the familiar small-town streets toward where her mother's nursing home was. Adelia fiddled with the radio and switched from station to station.

"Sweet Hills feels so quiet," Seven said.

"What do you mean?"

Hmm. What did she mean? "Some places in the world are in upheaval, and we're flipping the radio stations. Forty-eight hours ago, I was trudging through a jungle after Special Forces saved my children. There should be parades and confetti on the streets, headlines on the top of the Sweet Hills Sentinel, but no one knows."

"You haven't shared."

"Some things are so monumental, it seems the universe should know." Seven turned and accelerated down the main thoroughfare.

"I know you got married and haven't mentioned it." Adelia tucked a leg under the other on her seat. "Why don't we start there?"

Her fingers tensed around the steering wheel even as her heart fluttered. She was Mrs. Seven Michaelson. Or would she keep her last name like with Johnny? What was she thinking about? Vegas weddings were a problem to fix, even if the sex was mind-blowing and the man was one of a kind. "We were drunk."

"Not something I hear you say very often."

"It was a mistake, and I barely remember anything." Which wasn't true, and every time she closed her eyes, more memories fought through to permanently embed themselves in her memory. "I didn't mention it because it's not news."

Adelia sighed. "I can't believe the pre-Vegas discussion about a possible crush has morphed into a post-Vegas discussion about your nuptials."