Page 24 of Perfectly Yours
“I’m sorry.”
I shake my head, caressing one of his cheeks in my hand as my thumb rubs over the small mark on his cheek from the sauce. “Don’t apologize. This is your house just as much as it is mine. You have every right to kick someone out as I do and I’m proud of you. Now, go take your greasy mess over to the couch while I go cuss out my mother.”
Savin sags against my chest, angling his chin up so that I can still see his face. “I really don’t like her. Goddess, I know that’s terrible to say but fuck, I do not want her anywhere near us.”
I lower my head to kiss him, savoring his taste and bringing the sweetness of his scent back out. “I’m not that big of a fan either, baby.”
“You gonna tell her? I was willing to let whatever needed to happen, happen. But this…”
Savin isn’t wrong. My mother’s disregard for my relationship isn’t new but shoving someone into our space is and I won’t stand for it. “I will. It’ll be official at brunch next week. I don’t want to leave her with nothing but I can’t have her in our space. Go eat. I need to scream at my mother.” A wild smile spreads across Savin’s face and I sigh, “Yes, I’ll make sure you can hear it.”
He presses a kiss on my lips and then saunters off, grabbing the food by the door and then plopping onto the couch. The stuffed cheesy soft pretzels and loaded nachos are one of many things that Savin enjoys and I couldn’t say no with those puppy dog eyes staring up at me as we left the production company.
Seeing that Savin is settled, I whip out my phone as I swipe a finger through the lingering sauce on the wall. One taste tells me that Melli had a way with food, something that’s always been a sore spot for my mother. Savin doesn’t cook. He has no desire to and I would rather he not. He’s tried a few times and we both decided that having a chef of some kind was best.
“Mom,” I start the moment the dial tone ends. “Seriously?”
“Melli just came crying to me and told me-”
I cut her off immediately. “You sent an Omega to our house.”
There’s a few moments of silence and then a hefty sigh as if she is disappointed with me for not accepting Melli’s advances. “Savin isn’t fit to be your mate, sweetie. I’m not sure if you’re just infatuated with his looks but you need someone to support you in your career and Savin-”
Savin hisses from his place on the couch and as much as I want to take this call into the office, he asked to hear it. He stuffs a rather large section of pretzel into his mouth, glaring at me as his cheeks puff out. Goddess, he’s adorable when he’s angry.
Focusing back on my mother, I tell her the same thing I’ve been telling her for a while. Only this time, there’s a lot more anger to go with my words. “This is disrespectful to me and my mate. You had no right to do that. I asked for your help because some of the tasks fall through the cracks but setting me up on blind dates the same way you did before I was married is disgusting. In sickness and in health is what I promised Savin. Is what I still promise him. Is what I promise him every fucking day. I won’t break that because my mother believes he isn’t good enough for me. I’m barely good enough for that pure soul. I’ve been lenient and maybe too much so that you think you can still spew that kind of hatred.”
“I was just trying,” she pleads. She does this, tries to make me feel bad for my choices and when I berate her for messing with my life, she tries to guilt me into believing that she was just trying to help.
I drag a hand down my face, furiously rubbing my beard to keep from throwing a punch at the wall. Making my way over to the couch, I drag Savin into my lap to give me something to focus on. “Oh, I know what you were trying to do and it won’t work. It didn’t three years ago and it won’t now. If you can’t respect my choices and my house, then you have no business being anywhere near my family.”
“Macon Astor.”
“I might be your son but that doesn’t mean I have to give you access to my family.” I hang up on her, knowing that the monthly brunch we have will end next week. I’m not mad about it but it’s going to be one uncomfortable meal. Savin curls into my chest as I steal a pretzel and stuff it into my mouth. A bit of grease will take some of the anger away. A good hard fuck as I praise my Omega will take away the rest.
My biggest worry is exploding at my mother in a public place. We can’t afford the press but I truly need her to understand that she has made our space unsafe and I won’t just stand by as my Omega suffers in mind and soul because of something I can prevent. I should have done this sooner but I’ve been holding on, hoping that she’ll turn over a new leaf. She hasn’t and it’s time to let her go.
I find a booth in the back of Oasis Eats, a high-end eatery that my mother salivates over. They serve caviar, salmon, and mimosas like they’re going out of style. Neither Savin nor I find much joy in eating out in public, choosing to bring food into our home or asking the chef to prepare something. The few occasions that we have enough time, I prepare us a meal but that’s far and few between.
Savin leans against the wall, his jaw pulling tight as he stares ahead. High-stress situations aren’t good for his health but he wanted to be here and I can’t deny him. If his health takes a turn for the worse, however, I’m carting him out of here regardless of whether my mother is mid-sentence or not.
The snap of a camera makes my head turn. Someone is sitting a few seats away, trying to seem inconspicuous and failing. Of course, my mother has set something up so that this conversation doesn’t go astray. My mother walks around a corner and my heart sinks into my stomach at her attire. She’s dressed for the occasion, wearing a large black hat and a tight velvet dress. A tight smile sits on her face as she slides into the booth across from us, removing her hat and angling her body so that the photographer will capture the best pictures.
A waitress brings us three mimosas in elegant glasses before rattling off a list of menu options, my mother choosing the most expensive entrée. I pick a salmon entrée, Savin ordering bruschetta to the disgust of my mother. With him so close to his heat, his desire to eat changes on a dime. “Mom, I see you brought a friend with you today.”
She waves it off. “They come with the territory.” She takes a gentle sip of her mimosa, licking her lips before, glaring in my direction, vitriol in her words. “If you had chosen that pretty girl I sent you-”
Savin’s scent goes sour and I grab his hand beneath the table to keep him quiet for a little longer. I will absolutely give him his moment to let my mother know how he feels but I need to let her hear this one more time from me. “Choosing a prospect for another mate or someone I should be married to is disgusting. I am already married. You have to accept Savin. He’s my mate and not going anywhere.”
I catch Savin’s expression out of the corner of my eye but when he’s usually curling into himself, this time he’s ready to fight. He wants to spit fire at the woman who thinks she owns a piece of my fame and I can’t blame my mate for wanting to do so.
“I won’t,” she spits, taking another sip of her mimosa.
I nod, knowing how this was going to play out. The only difference is that today I get to walk away and leave her behind. A camera shutters and I grit my teeth, trying to keep my emotions in check and my face as neutral as possible. “Then you don’t accept my choice. These meals and the hand you have in my life are no longer beneficial to either of us.” She gasps at my response, a hand placed over her heart as if this isn’t news to her. A smile spreads across my lips as I squeeze Savin’s hand, leaning over to press a kiss to his temple—a signal to let go.
Savin moves from sweet, innocent Omega to a fury burning in those gorgeous eyes, his face contorted in anger. I lean forward to make sure that the next camera shutter catches my back and not my Omega. “You’ve never cared for me, Aayla, never. Even before I was sick. You thought I was too much or not enough, too proud or too shy. I can’t live up to the expectations that you have for your son’s mate. But here’s the thing you don’t fucking understand,” his breath hitches in his throat but I continue to hold onto him, giving him strength.
An Omega speaking to an Alpha like this? Society would balk and scream and ruin this man’s career but I won’t let that happen. Savin has every right to put my mother in her place.