“Mother?”
His mother stood there, her lip trembling and her eyes full of tears.
“I’m sorry, Damien.”
He frowned. “What are you sorry about?” He offered a hand, but she shook her head.
“Just hear me out.”
His chest tightened and something akin to panic filled him. The pain drifting from his mother was raw, and he had a feeling she was going to do something big.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I lost a part of my heart when Michael died,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I let it consume me. I let it turn me into a ghost of who I was. And you suffered for it.” She swallowed hard. “I am so sorry.”
“I know, Mom.”
“You’ve been such a good son,” she said, the tears spilling from her eyes. “I didn’t want you to find a mate to control you. I just wanted you to be happy. Because even if I don’t look like I do, I love you, son.”
Damien had waited years to hear those words. He wasn’t sure how to react. He knew she was being honest, and it made him feel good, but sad at the same time. To know the death of his brother had affected her to the point a part of her died along with Michael was hard.
“Mom, I love you too,” he said, meeting her half way. He offered his hand again, this time she took it and walked inside.
He hugged her and felt the love of his mother, the love he’d waited years to have envelope him. It felt great.
“I’m so sorry I’ve been half a person, Damien.” She pulled back her face awash with tears. The usual makeup was gone and she wore a casual pair of jeans and sweater. She even looked younger. “I promise now that you found your mate, I will be the mother I should have been, and the grandmother your children will need.”
He smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot. I want you to love Sky as much as I do.”
She gave a soft smile. “You love her and that’s enough for me. I love her too.”
A sniffle sounded from behind him. Damien turned around to see Sky wiping tears away with the sleeve of her pajama top, her hair up in a bun.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you guys,” she said, “but that was so sweet.”
“Come here, love,” Damien held out a hand to her. She padded over barefoot toward them. She stopped beside him, and he let go of his mom to grab her hand. “Mom, this is Sky. She’s my mate.”
His mom gave Sky a warm smile. “We’ve met. I knew Gerri would send the perfect woman for my son.”
The moment felt right for what he’d been planning. His mother’s presence made it that much more special with the words she’d spoken.
“She is perfect,” he said, turning to Sky, dropped to one knee and pulled the box in his back pocket out. “And if she’ll have me, I would love for her to become my wife and mother of my children.”
Sky started crying again.
“Oh, sweetie,” his mom gasped. “Why are you crying?”
“Hormones,” Sky hiccupped.
“Um, honey, he’s waiting for your answer.” His mom laughed.
“Yes!” Sky mumbled between sobs. “Yes! I’ll marry you and have your babies, Damien.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and stood. They kissed and his mother clapped.
“I wasn’t trying to hijack your proposal,” his mom said, “but I am so glad I got to see this.” She grinned, and her whole face transformed into a younger version of herself. “This is the best day ever.”
He chuckled and kissed Sky in the forehead. “It gets better.”
Sky nodded and smiled at his mom while wiping away her tears a second time. “I’m pregnant.”
His mother gasp and clapped. “This is wonderful! I’ll leave you two to celebrate and spread the news to my charity friends.”
His mother kissed both of them. Then she hugged Damien hard again. “I love you, son. Please, please never doubt it or forget it. I plan to show you more often.”
He hugged her back and then looked into her eyes. “What changed, Mom?”
She sighed. “I had a few sessions with that therapist you recommended years ago and have attended some meetings on coping with the loss of a loved one due to drugs.”
“I’m so happy for you, Mom. This will make a big difference in your life.”
She met his gaze and nodded. “It’s been hard, but I needed to face things. Plus, I have you. You are my son too, and you didn’t deserve to have the mother I was. I’m sorry for all the years of coldness, but I am working on changing it all.”
“I love you, Mom. Thank you for what you’re doing.”
She nodded, kissed his cheek and then left.
Damien closed the door, turned to Sky and led her to the picnic on the carpet. “Come, love. I have a delicious meal planned and a movie for our date night.”
She cupped his cheek and leaned forward to kiss him. “Don’t ever change. I love you, Damien.”
“I don’t plan to, and I love you more, Sky.”
He planned to make a large donation to one of Gerri Wilder’s foundations. He would never be able to give her enough thanks for bringing his mate into his life. He might not have expected to get a mate, but having one was pure perfection.
THE END