Perfect Together by Kristen Ashley

I nodded.

Her eyes went beyond me, and she murmured, “Oh boy, prepare to curtsy.”

I turned and watched Colette swan in wearing a forties style green dress with a keyhole neckline and dotted lace Dior kitten heels with the signature side ribbon.

It was simple, but as women like her were wont to do, she made it fabulous.

And then, it actually hurt to further watch no one give a damn she’d arrived.

On the one hand, you couldn’t act alternately queenly and cattily to everyone you knew for years and expect them to continue to kiss your feet. That kind of crown always got tarnished and people learned to avoid the strike of claws.

On the other hand, this was her home, her party, and the woman had cancer eating away her life.

So I shot a look to Sabre, but I should have known.

Before my son caught it, Remy was approaching his mom.

“I cannot tell you how glad we are that you guys are back together,” Katy said, and I tore my attention from my husband escorting his mother to her husband, grandchildren and the drinks cabinet. “And I mean no offense, Beau would be ticked if Remy came to town and he didn’t see him and all of you. And I missed you like crazy. It’s about time you all came back. But what gives with the formal invitation? We all knew it was just a matter of time before you guys sorted it out. Is it a thing with the older generation to throw a soiree when a couple is reunited?”

“First, Phoenix is lovely in December, the perfect place for a family Christmas away from home, where you also might attend the fabulous remarriage of your friends on Christmas Eve,” I hinted. She grinned, and then I gave her some more news. “But Remy has also been estranged from his parents, and they’re trying to make amends, so this is about them giving him a ‘comfortable’ night with his buds.”

“Only Colette would think to force me into a pair of heels as a ‘comfortable night’ with Remy’s buds.”

“She also has terminal cancer.”

“Holy shit,” Katy whispered, her gaze racing to Colette.

I nodded even as I lifted my martini to take a sip before I went on, “So I figure this is a kind of a last hurrah, though for her sake, I hope she has more of them before she gets…” I didn’t finish.

“Yeah,” Katy agreed.

Clare approached and immediately said, “I’m so sorry, Wyn, I made you feel weird. It’s just—”

“I shared, babe, it’s cool,” Katy muttered.

Clare looked relieved.

“I’m the one who needs to apologize. I put my foot right in my mouth,” I said.

“You didn’t know,” Clare replied.

“I didn’t, and you must know, I hate that for all of you,” I returned.

She nodded with a mumbled, “Thanks, sweets.”

“This reminds me, I need to have a word with my eldest,” I noted.

Clare caught my hand so I didn’t move away. “You really didn’t know. It’s just…”

“I have a daughter, honey, so I don’t know, but if anything happened…”

Neither of us concluded our statements.

Both of us got it.

And not only didn’t I want to think on it in regard to my daughter, I really didn’t want her to think on it any further in regard to hers. But more, I suspected she wanted to think on it much, much less.

I squeezed her hand, let it go, and even though I wanted to, I didn’t hug her or anything that might signal to Nat we were talking about it. Instead, I smiled at them both and then turned away and took another fortifying sip as I made my way to Sabre.

Apparently, during my discussion with Katy, a détente had formed, because he was chatting with Julien.

“Can I steal my son?” I asked Jules.

“Sure, Wyn,” Julien replied, then he took off in the direction of where Manon, Yves and Lou were now together and talking.

“You want me to save Dad from Grandma?” Sabre asked.

“I want you to steer clear of Natalya.”

It was then I realized with the way that got his back up, he really was smitten.

“She’s a friend, Mom.”

“You be absolutely appropriate with this information, Sabre,” I demanded quietly. “But she had some trouble a year ago and it’s made her timid around boys.”

“What kind of—?”

He blinked his eyes slowly before they moved through the room to land on Nat.

Then I watched, both proud and frustrated, as my son firmly shrugged on the mantle of alpha protector.

All right.

Maybe there were times when Remy had been too good of a teacher.

“Sabre,” I said warningly.

He jerked his attention to me.

“You mean some guy hurt her?” he demanded.

“It’s none of our business, you just need to—”

“She’s always been hilarious. Like one of the guys. She was fun to have around, even when she was a little kid. And tonight, she hasn’t said dick…to anybody.”

“Sah—”

“So some fuck fucked with her?” he growled.

Oh boy.

“Sabre,” I said low, but sharp.

“What are you guys whispering about?” Manon asked, bellying up to us, dragging her younger brother and her father with her.

I glanced and saw that Katy, Beau and Guillaume were now attending Colette.