Two weeks later, Mother walked into Dad’s studio. The first time Monique had seen her in a month.
“What on earth are you doing here?” Mother demanded.
Monique sucked in a breath. “Didn’t want to study in France. And Dad offered me a job. So I’m here, learning from the best at what I do.”
“But school. Your designs could be so much better.”
Father walked in. “Her designs are brilliant. She’ll surpass me in no time. And I didn’t have formal training, either. I simply trained under my parents.”
“You are a special case,” Vivian muttered.
“And so is our daughter. She’s already made two outfits for Fashion Week.”
“You’re going to let her put her clothing in your show?”
“Of course I am. This line is our line.”
“But school was so important to both of you.”
Father shook his head, a smile on his lips. “She didn’t want to go. She’s here now.”
“This whole time?” Mother snapped.
Monique nodded. “Yes.”
“Where are you living?”
Father answered easily, “In an apartment a few blocks away. She’s perfectly safe.”
“With that freak of nature that school would have kept her from?”
Monique practically shouted, “Mother, I love Erik, and we are together. Get over it.”
Her mouth fell open. “You’re living with a man outside of marriage?”
“It’s the sixties. No one cares.”
Mother stormed out.
Father chased after her. Monique went back to work. Then she slumped onto the stool and dropped the scissors. She never understood what her mother’s issue with Erik was. Probably never would.
In the long run it didn’t matter. Nothing she’d ever said deterred Monique’s love. It grew stronger every single day, though her mother constantly tried to squash it. She couldn’t understand what her mother feared.
The door opened and Monique’s head snapped up.
Her mother managed a strained smile. “Come to dinner tomorrow night.” She took a slow breath. “Bring Erik.”
“Sure.” She smiled.
“I promise not to interfere, though I worry he’s all wrong for you.”
Dad entered and turned Mom to him with a grin. “Your mother said the same about me, Dollface.”
“You’re right, and she was wrong.” A smile finally graced her lips. “I worry for Monique. Especially with Erik training with the mages.”
“He’ll never be a mage, Mother,” Monique reminded. “He turned down a mage who wanted him because he’s in love with me.”
Her chest rose and fell before she grudgingly admitted, “He’s a good kid, baby. I can’t imagine he would hurt you on purpose, but I still fear he will.”
“He won’t.”
“Come to dinner. Please?” Mother asked again.
“Tomorrow night. What time?”
“Seven.”
She walked to her mother and hugged her. “Give him a chance.”
“I will,” she promised.
* * * *
“Dinner at your parents?” Erik asked.
“Please. Mom wants you there.” Monique batted her eyelashes.
“I’d do anything for you, Mon. Of course I’ll go.” His shoulders dropped. “Can’t help worrying she’s going to give me hell for this arrangement.”
“You like this arrangement, don’t you?”
“You in my bed every night? I love this arrangement. I never want it to change. But Vivian has never truly liked me. She only tolerated me because of my mother.”
“True.” Monique gave him a smile. “She promised to try.”
“I said I’d go. I’ve never held anything against her. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do. And I’m sorry she’s ridiculous about us. She’ll never change what we share.”
He grinned and scooped her off her feet. “I won’t let her.”
* * * *
The next day, Erik followed Monique into the El Dorado. The building’s architecture was beautiful. It had stood for decades. That part worried him. But even in his old building, he wasn’t bombarded by ghosts.
Monique did the talking, and they were sent up to the apartment. In the elevator, Erik took a sigh of relief. There were voices, but he was able to push them away and keep himself sane.
The elevator stopped and Erik followed Monique down the hall. “Why so nervous?” Monique asked.
“Old building, lots of apartments. Potential to be bombarded. So far so good, though.”
“Oh.” Monique frowned. “You know, maybe my mom would relax if she saw you do your thing. You know, the part she hasn’t seen.”
“She’d fear me even more.”
“I don’t know. She knows your abilities helped save a woman.”
“That didn’t make her treat me any better.” He sighed. “It’s fine. I’m keeping them at bay. And I can only keep trying to show your mother I’m neither a mage, nor someone to fear.”
She leaned over and kissed him before ringing the bell.
Her father answered the door.
Erik smiled. “Good evening, Armand.”
“Hey, Erik. Good to see you.”
Erik gave him a hug. “Thank you.”
Monique hugged her father. “Hey, Dad.”
Vivian walked into the room with a smile. “Evening, Erik, Monique. A pleasure to see you both.”
Erik met her gaze. “Good to see you too.” He hoped it stayed that way.
“How is training with mages every day?”
Shrugging, he answered, “Both good and bad. Most of the mages treat me like I don’t belong. I’m learning a lot, though.”
Her brow pinched. “Like you don’t belong?”
“Yeah. They don’t like that someone who isn’t a mage is training alongside them. I’m not the only one. There’s a druid, a psionic, a shaman, and several others. We stick to ourselves, for the most part.”
“But your magic is like a mage’s. You wield all their spells.”
“Yeah, but I have other abilities that freak them out. And there are a lot of spirits on the campus. It took me a few weeks to tune them out.”
“They really don’t accept you?”
He shook his head. “No. They don’t. Probably even less than the shaman in the group after I brought a corpse back to question.”
She glanced down at the floor, then looked up with a brighter expression. “I hope you can change their minds.”
“Me too.”
For the first time in years, he started to think Vivian might accept him into their family after all.