Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain #2)(188)

Mom, Carrie, Mack and me all stared at Tate. Then I moved to him, pressed my front to his side and wrapped my arms around him.

“Dad’ll handle him with care, Captain,” I whispered, my head tipped back to look at his profile and he twisted his neck to look down at me.

“I know that,” he whispered back and then his eyes went to Mom. “I’m pleased you’re here, Jeannie.”

“Family looks after family,” Mom replied softly, her eyes came to me and then went back to Tate. “But you already know that, don’t you, Tate?”

“Yeah,” Tate answered.

“You want coffee?” Mom asked, wisely changing the subject.

“Yeah,” Tate repeated.

“You take it black,” she muttered and walked to the cupboard.

I pressed into Tate, my body relaxing.

“Wow!” Carrie exclaimed and my body got tense again as I looked at my sister. “That is a pretty kitty.”

“Her name’s Princess Fancy Pants,” I blurted, Tate’s arm gave me a warning squeeze, I ignored it and finished. “She’s Tate’s.”

Carrie’s eyes flew to Tate and she giggled. “You named your cat Princess Fancy Pants?”

“Holy f**k,” Mack muttered.

“Her name is Buster,” Tate declared.

“Her name is Buster?” Mom asked, handing Tate a coffee.

“I like Princess Fancy Pants better,” Carrie decided.

“Tell your sister, she calls my cat that, she’s ejected,” Tate said to me as he took the coffee from Mom and I tried not to laugh.

“Um… Carrie, I was just joking,” I clarified. “Tate and Buster are tight. He’s protective and he really doesn’t like Princess Fancy Pants.”

Carrie watched Buster wind her way through Tate and my ankles and her lips were twitching when her eyes went to Tate then came to me and she murmured, “Right.”

“It’s going to be a long day,” Mom noted, her eyes on Mack. “Mack, pass me a cupcake.”

Mack grabbed a cupcake and handed it to Mom and I slid away from Tate and went to the sliding glass door. I looked until I found them, Dad and Jonas standing out in Tate’s drive, Jonas’s arm lifted to point at something.

I felt Tate move in behind me then I felt his arm around my chest pulling me into his body. I knew he was watching too and I knew he saw it when Dad said something to Jonas which made Jonas tip his head back and grin at Dad like he was exceptionally funny something my Dad could be. I knew this because Tate’s arm tightened reflexively.

Tate’s lips came to my ear.

“Special,” he muttered, I lifted my hand to curl my fingers around his forearm and I held on as I fought back tears.

* * * * *

Tate parked the Explorer in the parking lot of the funeral home, my family following us in their rental and parking on Tate’s side.

I undid my seatbelt, opened the door and jumped down then stilled when I saw Jonas had also jumped down and was instantly accosted by an older woman with lots of blonde hair. She was wearing a brightly colored gypsy skirt with sequins stitched in a pattern around the hem and little bells jingling at the bottom; a hot pink gypsy top that had flowing sleeves gathered at the wrists and a tie that gathered at the neckline; scuffed, fawn suede cowboy boots and lots and lots of silver and turquoise jewelry at ears, neck, fingers and wrists.

“Bubby baby,” she whispered, latched onto Jonas so that Jonas’s face was stuffed into her ample cle**age. His hands were at her waist in a way I couldn’t tell if he was trying to push away or hold on and she was rocking him roughly back and forth.

I got close. “Um, can I help you?”

She lifted her head to look at me with dark brown eyes flecked with tawny, eyes I knew very well.

Tate’s mother.

Wow.

Something washed over her face as she stared at me and I didn’t know her but I knew that something was not good.

I felt Tate round the hood of the SUV as I saw my family round the back.

“Mom?” Tate asked and she tore her eyes from me to look at Tate.

She unceremoniously let Jonas go so swiftly he listed to the side and she said, “Buck, baby.” Then she threw herself in Tate’s arms.

I moved to Jonas, pulling him carefully to my side with an arm around his shoulders, his arm slid along my waist and I looked at Tate to see he was holding his mother but his eyes were aimed over her head at me.

“I can’t believe it, baby, I can’t. I heard and I couldn’t believe it.” Her voice was heavy with tears, she tipped her head back and Tate looked down at her when she finished. “You must be devastated.”

“Mom –” Tate started.

“I mean Neeta,” she went on.

“Mom –”

“Your Neeta,” she continued.

“Mom, you wanna –”

“I never thought I’d see it, it’s like the end of an era. You were born two halves of a whole,” Tate’s Mom proclaimed then wailed, “Buck, baby, how’re you gonna live without your other half?” And she collapsed in Tate’s arms, her sobs clearly audible because they were loud.

I watched Tate’s jaw get tight as his eyes went over his mother’s head to find mine.

“Babe, take Jonas inside,” he ordered.