“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. I just didn’t know you felt that way. I bet Jared would be an amazing father.”

“He would be,” I nodded. Her words stung me, something I hadn't expected.

The afternoon was long. Bex hadn’t called with news of Jared, and the wait was making me grumpy. Jared always called, unless he was in trouble, and because he knew that I knew that, he should call. A lot.

After my last class, my feet couldn’t move fast enough to the Beemer. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed, the same time searching my purse for keys.

“He hasn’t called,” Bex answered.

“Something’s wrong. Have you talked to Claire?”

“Yes. Nothing’s wrong; he’s just busy.”

“Then he would have called!” I said. Just as I slammed the phone shut, the Beemer and Bex came into view.

“Get in, we’re going to Woonsocket.”

Bex laughed without humor. “No, we’re not. Jared said to take you to Titan, and then home. We’re to wait for him there.”

“Well, I don’t work for Jared, nor am I trying to earn the big brother approval, so get in the car or move.”

Bex did neither. “I have orders, Nina.”

He wasn’t as easy to persuade as Jared, because he wasn’t worried about making me angry. I had to try a different approach. He might look like a man, but he was still a thirteen year old boy.

“Bex Gabriel Ryel, if you move a finger to keep me here, so help me, I will call your mother and tell her you used your Hybridness to restrain me against my will!”

His stoic expression wavered as he considered the consequences. “Fine,” he said, his entire body relaxing. “Get in the car, I’ll drive.”

I pushed up on the balls of my feet to kiss his cheek. “Thanks, Bexster!”

His face screwed into disgust as he wiped the place where my lips touched his cheek. “Yuck!”

With Bex driving his typical speed, the trip took less than twenty minutes. He sat in silence; pouting, and no doubt planning the excuses he would offer Jared.

When we arrived, I gasped. St. Anne’s was a work of art, looming with both authority and elegance over the quiet town. As beautiful as was the outside, the interior was breathtaking.

Meticulously detailed murals of angels and saints adorned the walls and ceilings, with a larger one as the focal point. The painting was of Jesus, his arms outstretched, surrounded in light, and rows of angels, who basked in his glory. The entire room was inspirational, and a strange feeling came over me as I walked down the center aisle.

Row after row of wooden pews bordered our way to the alter anchored at front of the church, where Jared and Kim stood with a priest.