"There you go," Chris' mom says, placing a steaming cup of coffee in front of me.
I take a sip, put it back down and toy with its handle, thinking about how I should start this.
"What do you want to know about my son?" Chris' mom says, making my eyes go wide.
She laughs. "I've been young, too, once. I know you're curious to know some things about him. And I'm afraid Chris is not exactly an open book kinda guy."
I give her an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry if I'm stepping on any boundaries."
She laughs again. "Honey, there's no boundary when it comes to you and him. You're the only one who has every right on him."
I look up at her confused.
Her smile looks a little guilty. "He asked us not to say about this to anyone yet. But since you're here yourself, wanting to know about him, I think it's safe to tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
"It's been over a month since Chris had declared to me and his father that he wants you as his mate."
My mouth gapes open. "But he didn't tell me that!"
She sighs. "I don't know what's going on in his mind either. But we respected his wish to keep his declaration just between us for now."
"But... But how could he say that to you and then go out with Jennifer in front of me?"
"Chris is going out with Jennifer?" his mom asks with a frown between her brows.
Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen Chris go on a date with Jennifer, except for that one time when we all went to the movies.
"Kind of," I tell her.
She opens her mouth to say something but the doorbell rings. She places her hand on my thigh. "I'll be back soon, we need to talk about this," she says and leaves.
To distract myself I pick up the coffee and move around the house. But my thoughts are plagued by Chris' confusing actions.
I absentmindedly walk past the shelf full of photos, only to abruptly backtrack to its front and take a good look at the photo that caught my attention.
Seeing the woman's face I stand frozen till the cup slips out of my hand and shatters on the ground.
Hand slightly trembling I grab the photo and bring it close. The boy in the photo is Chris. The man behind him is Chris' father. And then...
"Sorry about that. So where were we?" Chris' mom says coming in.
I quickly get down to clean the mess.
"That's okay, leave it, Belle. I'll have it cleaned later."
I steady my breath and ask her calmly, "Who is this?"
She leans and takes a look at the picture. Her face turns sad before it looks back at me. "I think it's best if you hear it from Chris himself."
"Please," I quickly say, letting my emotions slip out. I'm desperate.
Chris' mom sighs. "Okay. But before that, I need to know something from you."
"What?"
"Do you love my son?"
I'm momentarily surprised by the unexpected question. Then I look away from her, feeling my face go warm. "Yes," I whisper.
"You want him as your mate?"
