“Felt the need to disobey?” she reprimanded.
“No, I felt the need to catch the jerk who knocked me in the head.”
Holiday sighed. “You were unconscious, Della. The doctor said for you to take it easy. I didn’t want you running around.”
Della knew Holiday argued because she cared, but … “It was important to me. I don’t like…” Her throat tightened with frustration and she felt the sting of her sinuses as tears threatened. Ignoring the feeling, she tried to explain again. “I want to work for the FRU. I thought if I could figure this out, Burnett would see I’m not a weakling.”
Holiday looked surprised. “Burnett doesn’t think you’re a weakling.”
“Yes, he does. He told me he didn’t think I have what it takes to work with the FRU.”
She made a face. “I don’t think … He has a lot of respect for you, Della.”
“Not enough that he thinks I’d be a good agent. He even said there were easier ways for me to make a living. And he knows how badly I want this.”
Holiday’s gaze filled with empathy. “If he was trying to discourage you, and I’m not saying he was, it’s probably because he’s a male chauvinist pig.”
Della was shocked by Holiday’s confession. She’d thought the fae would defend her husband. “That’s what I thought,” she said. “It’s because I’m a girl, isn’t it?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love that man more than life, and he is the way he is because he cares so deeply, but it’s true, he’s more protective over a female than a male. And if this baby is a girl, I have a feeling she and her father will be having a battle of wills from day one.”
“It’s not fair,” Della said.
“I know it’s not. But…” She pointed her finger at Della. “… if there’s one thing Burnett looks for in an agent, it’s obedience. If you can’t follow orders, he’ll never trust you on a mission. And that, young lady, is your issue. Lucky for you, I decided not to call him when I didn’t find you here.”
Della wanted to argue that her going to the falls hadn’t been so much disobedience as a necessary slip of the rules. She had the words on the tip of her tongue, but swallowed them.
“I’ll work on that,” she finally said. Della even wondered if this hadn’t been Holiday’s plan all along to get her to see her own flaws. Yes, Holiday was that good at manipulation … well, maybe not manipulation, but with encouraging someone to see the error of their ways.
Holiday smiled. “Good, and I’ll work on making sure he doesn’t let his chauvinistic ways interfere with your goals.”
“Thank you,” Della said.
Holiday rested her palms behind her and leaned back. Her round belly was even more apparent with her back slightly arched. “Now that we got that out of the way, can we talk about what happened this weekend at your parents’, and then about last night?”
Della pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly. “Do we have to?”
“Have to? No. But I would like it if you confided in me.” She looked at Della. “I know you don’t like talking about personal issues. I can respect that you’re vampire and that makes you a little less open. I’m married to Burnett, who thinks he can solve his and the world’s issues with no help from anyone. But even my big bad husband is learning that it’s not a weakness to confide in someone.” She glanced up to the sky and then back to Della. “I can feel your pain, and I wouldn’t be doing my job as counselor if I didn’t try to help.”
For one second Della considered telling Holiday about her uncle, but the fear that if he was alive and not registered with the FRU, had her reconsidering. Holiday would probably tell Burnett, and he might feel obligated to report it. “Nothing is going to help with my parents,” Della said, deciding that, while she couldn’t tell Holiday everything, maybe some things were safe.
“What happened?”
“Same ol’ story. They see all the changes that being vampire has brought on as some kind of rebellion on my part. I’d tell them the truth if I didn’t know it would be harder for them to accept than anything they suspect is wrong.” Her chest grew heavy. “I hate disappointing them. I hate…” She swallowed. “I hate knowing that I’m hurting them.” Tears filled her eyes and she glanced away. “I don’t feel like I belong in my own family anymore.”
She swiped the tears crawling down her cheeks.
Holiday placed a hand on Della’s shoulder. The warmth of the fae’s touch eased the pain in Della’s chest. As much as she hated needing a reprieve, she savored the comfort. No wonder Burnett fell for Holiday. The woman’s touch was magical.
“I know it’s hard to live with a secret between you,” Holiday said. “And it’s so unfair. I also know it would be easier to do what most vampires do, to let them think you’re dead. It takes courage to do it this way. I admire you for doing it. And as hard as it is, I’ve seen this work.”
“How can it work when they … think I’m a lying drug addict.”
Holiday sighed. “As soon as you’re an adult, and they recognize that you are a functioning member of society, they’ll assume that you just went through some tough teen years and outgrew it. This way, you can and will maintain a relationship with them. If you go the other route, you’ll lose them forever.”
“I’m not sure I won’t lose them anyway,” Della said. “I think they’re already giving up on me.” Her dad didn’t even talk about her.
“No, they haven’t,” Holiday said. “They love you. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t care. Your mom calls me at least once a week just to check in.”
“But not my dad,” Della said, and in spite of knowing it wasn’t so, she held her breath that Holiday would say differently.
“He’s a man. Men deal with things differently.”
Yeah, some men just stop loving you. For some reason, she remembered Steve and the doctor’s daughter. Was Steve on his way to giving up on her?
Della hugged her legs and let the silence settle in. The fact that her mom was calling sent a wave of fresh emotion inside her … or was it relief knowing at least one of her parents still loved her?