Chapter 14 Indie traced the outside of Sylvia's house with her gaze. She was late. A good fifteen minutes late. Yet that didn't seem to add any motivation to get her butt out of the car and inside the house. What would Sylvia be like tonight? The mother-in-law from the start of her relationship with Colt, who was kind and nurturing and had made Indie feel like she was gaining a mother as well as a husband? Or the mother-in-law she'd turned into a few years later? The one who made Indie feel small and underserving. Come on, Indie. Just walk in. The sooner the night starts, the sooner it will be over. One deep breath, and she unclicked her seat belt before grabbing her apple crumble from the passenger seat. She wasn't the best baker, but apple crumble had always been her thing. Although, she had no doubt Sylvia would find something to say about it, probably when Colt left the room. Colt had wanted to drive her, but if she'd agreed to that, the man would have seen every one of her nerves. And yes, she absolutely should have told him about the snide comments from his mother, now that he was out of the military. He wasn't working a dangerous job anymore. They weren't trying to lower stress for fertility. She should have been honest with him by now. There'd been a few times when he'd asked if there was something going on between her and his mother, and the words had been right there on the tip of her tongue. But they hadn't come out. Maybe because of everything going on with his father. Or maybe she'd always find an excuse not to tell him because she didn't want to be the reason for issues between him and his mother. And there would be issues. Colt would lose his mind. She reached the door and paused. Maybe things would be better tonight. She almost snorted. Unlikely, but a girl could hope. She lifted her hand to knock, but the door opened before her fist hit the wood. Colt smiled at her, and just looking at him completely disarmed her. He was big and beautiful and sexy. And yes, something as plain as jeans and a white T-shirt made him look ridiculously hot. It wasn't fair. Her lips curved into a smile. "Hey." "Hey yourself. I was wondering when you were going to come in." "You were watching?" Crap. How long had she sat in her car? Five minutes? Ten? Longer? He stepped forward and slipped an arm around her waist, his lips hovering near hers. "Absolutely, I was watching. I would watch you all day, every day, if I could." Heat bloomed low in her belly. He kissed her, and even though his lips only touched her cheek, a warm shiver chased down her spine. The smile on her lips slipped when she stepped into the living room and spotted Sylvia in the kitchen. The older woman looked up from the cucumber she was slicing. "Indie, you made it." She dried her hands on a towel and crossed the space between them. When she pulled her into a hug, Indie tensed. She couldn't help it. After years of expecting the worst from this woman, she couldn't relax around her. When they separated, Indie forced the smile back to her lips. "Hi, Sylvia. Thank you for inviting me over." "Of course. I've missed having you in my home." Yeah, freaking right. A man stepped into the kitchen from the back door. It took her a moment to recognize him as Ben. She'd met him a few times over the years. He was older, maybe in his sixties, and there was a hardness to him. Despite his age, he clearly worked out. His arm muscles were thick, and even through the jeans, Indie could see the definition in his legs. Sylvia turned. "Ben, you remember my daughter-in-law, Indie. Indie, Ben will be joining us for dinner." Ben stepped forward and shook her hand. "It's nice to see you again, Indie." "You too." She turned back to Sylvia and held out the apple crumble. "I made a dessert." "Wow, an apple crumble. How brave of you." Indie frowned. "Brave?" "Well, if I remember correctly, you don't really bake or cook. Remember that goulash you tried?" Sylvia chuckled and turned, setting the apple crumble onto the counter. The goulash had been perfect. And Indie was pretty sure Sylvia hadn't even tried it. She'd put some on her plate but never touched it, only eating the potato bake she'd made. Colt wrapped an arm around Indie's waist. "I love Indie's goulash." There was a small tightening of Sylvia's eyes. It was so subtle, Indie almost missed it. "I didn't know you were a goulash fan. Maybe I'll make you mine next week." Sylvia slapped her hands on her hips. "Now, I hope we're all hungry, because I've made a lot of food and Ben's grilled up some bison burgers outside that smell amazing." The next twenty minutes were spent setting the table, finishing the food, and chatting. Sylvia did most of the talking, telling them about her book club and trips to the market. Something Indie had learned early on was that Sylvia liked to talk about Sylvia and Colt. And if the conversation ever switched over to Indie, Sylvia was great at switching it back. When they finally sat at the table, Indie was just serving herself a burger when Sylvia glanced at her. "Indie, I'm so sorry. I've been doing all the talking and haven't asked anything about you. How have you been?" "Good. Still running my photography business. Not much has changed." Sylvia's brows lifted. "Oh, you're still doing that?" "Of course she is. It's her job, Mom," Colt cut in, brows flickering. "I know, I was just clarifying." Sylvia forked up some potato salad. "I assume because you and Colt have been apart, you haven't done any more rounds of IVF?" Colt opened his mouth to respond, but she squeezed his leg under the table before answering. "No more rounds. We might actually be done with IVF." "Oh, that's good. It was so stressful for you both. I always wondered, if you really want a child, why don't you adopt?" Her muscles tightened. She hated when people asked that. It was shocking how often that was the automatic question from most people. "Adoption is not a replacement for infertility, Sylvia." "Well, of course not, but you tried the natural route. And sometimes nature has the final word, you know?" The muscles in Colt's thighs bunched. "Mom." "I'm not saying it to insult anyone. I just think there's a reason some people can't reproduce. To try to play God in this arena feels unethical and-" "Stop." Indie flinched at Colt's tone. Sylvia's eyes widened too. Even Ben's fork paused halfway to his mouth. "How Indie and I extend our family is between her and me." Indie's heart tapped at an eager rhythm, partly because of Sylvia's words and partly because of Colt. Because of the anger in his voice toward his mother. He'd never spoken to her like that before. At least, not in front of Indie. Was this why Sylvia had become so unkind toward her? Because she thought Indie's use of IVF was unethical? The shock on his mother's face shifted to annoyance, then a forced smile. "I'm sorry. You're right. It's between you two." But the second Colt looked away from his mother, she glanced at Indie. And there was such coldness there. Accusation even. Because she blamed Indie for the way Colt had just spoken to her? Or was there more to it than that? Colt watched his mother closely. He was noticing things tonight that he'd never seen or heard before. Small comments here and there. Little digs that could almost pass as innocent. About Indie's job, her cooking, her appearance, and what the fuck was that comment about IVF? His mother had never said anything like that to him, or even around him, before. Had she said these things to Indie before? Is this what she'd been hinting at? Had this been an ongoing thing he wasn't aware of? He glanced at Indie as she ate her dessert. The corners of her lips tipped up slightly, and to most, she would look happy. She wasn't. Her lips were too thin for the smile to be real, and there were strain lines beside her eyes. While his mother and Ben spoke, he squeezed her thigh and leaned over to place a small kiss on her cheek before whispering, "Are you okay?" "Of course." Too quick, and not even close to true. "I need you to tell me the truth." "Let's just finish the meal. I'm really okay." He stared into her eyes, searching. For what exactly, he wasn't sure. He only looked up when Ben's chair scraped back against the hardwood floor. "I should go clean the grill. Colt, will you join me?" And leave Indie alone with his mother when he had no fucking clue what was going on? That was the last thing he wanted to do. But he needed to talk to Ben about his father. And maybe Ben had information for him. He looked back at Indie. "Are you okay if I go outside for a few minutes?" "Take all the time you need." He still didn't want to go. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time enjoying the softness of her lips against his before reluctantly lifting his head. As he rose, he glanced at his mother to see an emotion on her face that he couldn't place. Maybe concern. Maybe unease. What the hell was going on? Whatever it was, he was sure as hell going to find out tonight. He cleared the plates from the table and set them by the sink before following Ben outside. "We need to make this quick," he said, the second they were outside. Ben stopped at the grill. "Everything okay?" "I'm not sure. Did you notice anything off in the way my mom interacted with Indie tonight?" "Off how?" Colt shook his head. "Don't worry about it. That's my job, not yours. Any update on Gordon?" "I've checked everywhere. Every motel. The RV park. I contacted Airbnb owners. As far as I can tell, Gordon's not renting any accommodation in Amber Ridge." "What does that mean? That's he's living in his car?" "Maybe. Although he doesn't have a car registered in his name, which means he's either not driving, is using a fake ID, or is driving a stolen vehicle." Jesus. "I'll let Jesse know. Maybe he can look out for stolen cars, or even get his deputies to check the streets for someone sleeping in a vehicle. I'll get him to check abandoned houses too." "Good idea." Ben looked around before glancing back at Colt. "Sylvia didn't want me to tell you but...he was here the other night." "What?" "The silent alarm gave him away. Because you weren't home, I stayed the night. I took off after him but lost him around Fourth Street. He's also been calling your mom, but she hasn't answered any of his calls. He even left a message on her phone." Ben took out his cell and hit a few keys before playing a voice message on speaker. "Sylvia. It's me, Gordon." Gordon's voice was gruff, and it made fury pulse between Colt's ears. "I need to see you so we can talk. I know I've made a lot of mistakes. I'm trying to do better. Let me make amends." "Bullshit." The word was out of Colt's mouth before the message had ended. "He expects us to believe that?" "He expects your mother to believe it." "What did she say when she heard it?" "Nothing. She went quiet and walked away." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "The other times he's been back...has she ever considered letting him back into her life?" "Not once." "Good." Ben watched him closely. "It's because of you, you know." "What is?" "The reason she would never take him back. She hates herself for allowing you to be around him for eight years. And she hates him too." "She said that?" "Not in those exact words." Colt shook his head. "It's not her fault. All the blame lies on the bastard." "It's not me you should be telling." With a long exhale, he opened the back door. That's when he heard his mother's words.