Jaded Hearts
Chapter 39

Matt

“I can’t believe you made my mom cry, Matt.”

“I didn’t! If we’re pointing fingers, you did. All I did was tell her that the wedding would be in Italy, but you’re the one who chose the location.”

“False. You suggested we get married in Palermo, not me. I would’ve been fine with any of the hundreds of beaches we have here in California.”

After Robert had officially given his blessing for me to marry Taylor, Nancy began discussing plans and ideas she had. I made a note to myself to link her up with my mom, and then they could plan all they wanted. Nancy asked if we had thought of where we wanted to have the ceremony, and I told the truth.

I didn’t expect her to cry, and Taylor downplayed how much her mom had wanted to go to Italy.

“Fine. But you could have told me how much this meant to her. I would’ve made it more special instead of just blurting it out.”

“Don’t worry about her; she’ll be fine. She’s probably already moved on to picking out the perfect hat for her to wear each day she’s there.”

“I’ll make sure that she had the best time. And I’m sure my mom will show her around, so hopefully, she has the trip she’s always dreamed of.”

We arrived at my parents’ house a little before noon, and I was starving. I never knew that nerves would drain me of all my energy like this. I parked in front of the house and went around to help her out of her seat. Before her feet touched the ground, my mom was outside, wrapping her arms tightly around Taylor.

“I’m so happy to see you, bella! I couldn’t believe it when James told me the news. How do you feel, sweetheart? Is the baby giving you any trouble?”

Taylor laughed. “Hi, Giana. I feel good today, but I am a little hungry.”

“Of course you are! Come, let’s get inside and get you fed. I made the most amazing frittata with bacon, spinach, and tomato. You’ll love it.”

She hooked her arm in Taylor’s and headed back to the house, never once even acknowledging my presence. I grabbed Taylor’s purse from the seat then followed them in.

Mom had set a small table outside in the backyard and had it loaded with food. Dad was already sitting down and waiting for us to arrive when we walked out.

“Hi James, it’s good to see you again,” Taylor said as she walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

My father gave her the warmest smile and placed his hands on her face before returning the k**s on her forehead. “You’re such a beautiful girl. Here, sit by me and tell me how your day had been. And I also want to know how your trip was.”

He helped her in her chair and sat down to her left. When mom took the seat on Taylor’s right, I realized I was on my own today. Taylor pulled out her phone from her pocket and began showing my dad some of her favorite pictures from the trip while mom piled food on a plate for her.

I just sat back and watched them interact with one another. I had to admit that I loved how my parents had fallen so hard for Taylor. They saw her as a daughter almost instantly.

“Matthew, aren’t you going to eat anything, sweetie?”

I must’ve been daydreaming because I didn’t even notice when my mom had placed a huge plate of food in front of me. “I’m sorry, Mom! This looks great. I was just in my own world for a second.”

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Your momma loves you too, sweet boy.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

We all began to eat while Taylor happily chatted about her time in Rome. “The Coliseum was incredible. I would love to go back. There’s so much to see, but the tours seemed so short.”

“Just sneak off. That’s what Giana and I did. I’m pretty sure Matthew was conceived in a dark corner of The Coliseum. Maybe that’s why he’s such a good fighter.”

The tea I was drinking came flooding up and shot out my nose. “Dad! What the hell? I don’t want to hear about that!”

“Oh, cut it out. Since when are you so squeamish about s*x?” he asked.

“The second the s*x involved my parents, that’s when I became squeamish.”

“Where do you think you got ‘Thor’ from? It wasn’t from your mom, I’ll tell you that. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Taylor threw her head back, laughing, but Mom at least had the decency to hide her giggles behind her napkin.

“Wow. I can’t believe you remember that. You have no idea how embarrassing that was for me,” Taylor said.

“Of course, I remember. I can’t ever forget, especially since Giana now calls me ‘The Incredible Hulk’.”

“Dad!!”

* * *

After the most awkward meal I’ve ever had, Taylor FaceTimed her mom and passed the phone to mine. The two hit it off and soon had plans to meet up this week to discuss the wedding, the baby, and whatever else excited grandmas-to-be talk about. While they were still happily chatting, Taylor came and sat in my lap.

“We should head back soon. Tyson has his call to Drew today, and I’m sure the guys will be there to listen in. You don’t want to miss it, do you?”

I looked at the time. We had one hour until the call, so we did need to get on the road. “Hey, Dad! We’re going to be heading home now. Can you grab your wife and get Taylor’s phone back, please?”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and laid my head on her chest. It was a relief to have both sets of parents know what was going on and be onboard. It was one less thing to worry about.

“I thought my mom was going to smother you to death.”

“She was close, but that’s alright. She’s just excited. I understand.”

Just then, Mom walked over and passed the phone to me. “I have a lunch date with Nancy on Wednesday. Don’t worry about a thing, you two. We’ll have the baby shower and the wedding all planned out. You won’t have to do a thing!”

She blew us a k**s and walked off into the house.

“But I wanted to plan our wedding. And we haven’t even picked a date yet.”

“I doubt that matters, baby, but let’s get home and see what’s going on with Tyson.”

* * *

When we arrived at the house, I headed straight for the cells, and Taylor went up for a nap. I didn’t want her anywhere near Tyson ever again. I didn’t care if he was helping us or not; I still didn’t trust him.

I was the first to reach the cells, and I found the guards still there, vigilantly watching Tyson. “You three can go now. We’ll take it from here and get a fresh team for tonight,” I told them.

“Yes, Gamma.”

Tyson was still chained to the wall, but a lot of his injuries had already begun to heal.

“You’re looking better. I’m sure Morgan will be happy to hear that.”

“What do you want, dude? Did you come to gloat?”

“No, what’s the point in that? I’m here to replace Drew so I can finally rip his throat out. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“If I would’ve known what he did to Taylor, I would have murdered him the very first time we met. If I hadn’t left town, he wouldn’t have had the chance to hurt her.”

“It’s in the past now; you can’t change it. But if you feel like you have to make up for anything, just help us catch him. That will be more than enough.”

Tyson looked me in the eye and c****d his head to the side. “You should probably know that I’m in love with her.”

“Everyone knows that. It’s obvious.”

“Don’t you care?”

“Not really, no. She’s the embodiment of perfection—any man would fall for her. But I’m completely secure in our relationship, and I give her everything she could ever want or need. I know that she’s mine forever.”

“You sure about that? I haven’t even turned on the charm yet. Sunshine used to melt when we were kids, and I put the moves on her.”

“First of all, don’t let me hear you call her sunshine again. Use her name, or don’t speak of her at all. Second, just because I’m being cordial does not mean we’re friends. You’re getting really close to crossing a line, and I have no problem kicking your a*s and putting you back in your place. And third, she’s not a kid anymore. She’s a woman—my woman.”

Kade and Xander came down the stairs holding the keys to the chains and cell as well as Tyson’s cell phone.

“You ready to do this?” Xander asked.

“As soon as you unchain me, I will be.”

Kade unlocked the cell and walked in, looking Tyson over.

“I can really see the family resemblance. It would crush Morgan if I had to kill you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Stop f*****g threatening me. I said I’d help you, and I will. Once it’s done, we’ll all go our separate ways and never have to see each other again. As long as you dogs take care of my girls.”

Kade punched him in his still swollen and broken ribs, causing Tyson to g***n in pain. “Sorry about that. My hand slipped,” he said as he reached over and unlocked one of the chains.

“I’m gonna whoop your a*s for that. My cousin won’t be able to save you.”

“I look forward to it.”

Xander handed Tyson his phone, and as soon as the clock hit 2:30, he made the call.

“I’m going to say whatever needs to be said to keep his trust. Just remember that,” he told us while the call was connecting. The phone rang a few more times before Drew finally picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I’m back home, and I’ve got good news. Taylor has agreed to go out to dinner with me.”

“Perfect, when?”

“This weekend. The Gamma will be busy with some pack bullshit, so I’ll be keeping her busy until it’s over.”

Even though he was lying his a*s off, it still pissed me off to have to stand here and listen to him talk about my mate like this. Like she was unfaithful and would run off with another man as soon as I was too busy for her.

Nothing was further from the truth.

“She was never like this when she was mine. She was an angel, untainted and pure. Now she’s just a whor—”

“I told you already, mutt. If you disrespect Taylor one more time, I’ll put a bullet between your f*****g eyes right after I take care of the Gamma. Watch your mouth when you talk about her.”

“When did Hades become so damn sensitive?! Just let me know when you have her, and we can move forward with Matt.”

“Make sure you’re ready to confirm the hit when I call. Bye.”

Tyson tossed the phone to Kade when he was done and rolled his shoulders.

“Since that’s done, is there any way I can talk you fellas into unchaining me? Twenty-four hours is a long time to be on your feet and unable to move.”

Xander looked over to Kade, who just shrugged. “I don’t care. It’s not like he can get out, especially since the guards will still be here,” he said.

“What about you, Matt?”

I thought about it, then had a realization. “He could have shifted and popped the chains as soon as he woke up if he wanted to. For some reason, he didn’t, so I say we take them off.”

“Nah, we had dampeners installed while you were in Italy. He can try to shift if he wants, but they will electrocute the s**t out of him,” Xander said while removing the second chain.

“You behave down here, and we’ll have some food sent down to you,” he added.

“Can you have Morgan bring it? I’d love to talk to her. She and Mitchell were always my favorite cousins.”

“I’ll ask her if she’s okay with it. If not, we’ll send an omega,” Kade replied.

We left him in the cell and headed back upstairs. When we were out of earshot, I asked Xander, “Did we really have dampeners installed?”

“They won’t be in until next week, but he doesn’t have to know that.”