“Hi.” Julian swept Bridget into his arms and picked her up, hugging her close and spinning her around as if she were a child and not his mother. “I missed you, Mom,” he whispered in her ear before putting her down.

Passengers were still spilling out of the same sleeve Julian had just exited, and others were camped in the gate’s sitting area, waiting for their boarding calls. Calling her Mom would have raised a few eyebrows even in Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood and the best plastic surgery money could buy.

“I missed you too. You have no idea how happy I am to have you back for good.”

Julian lifted his duffle back from where he’d dropped it on the floor and wrapped his other arm around Bridget’s shoulders. “Tell me about the guy you are shacking up with. I need to be mentally prepared to meet the dude if I’m going to cohabit with him.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Nah. If you’re happy, I’m happy. I’m old enough to share my mom with someone who cares about her and not get too jealous about it.”

“As soon as Turner’s place is ready, you’ll have the apartment all to yourself. As the keep’s doctor, you will probably be one of the last ones to move to the new location.”

Julian shook his head. “I still can’t believe you’re leaving the clinic to me. I don’t think I’m ready to go solo.”

“You won’t. I’ll still be there if you need me.”

“Good.”

They took the escalator down to the baggage claim and waited with everyone else for Julian’s suitcases.

“I’m proud of you,” he said. “What you’re doing is important.”

“The whole thing is Turner’s brainchild.” She didn’t want to take credit for something she hadn’t done. The truth was, however, that originally it had been Kian’s idea, and he’d asked Turner to investigate. But Victor had taken it to a whole new level of complexity.

“I’m still waiting for you to tell me about him.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Is he charming? Does he make you laugh?”

Bridget chuckled. “Not really. But he is brilliant, and talking with him is a pleasure. He knows a lot about a lot of things.”

“So you fell for his brain?”

“He is also very handsome, but he is not the type I used to go for. Turner is not tall, and he has no hair.”

“A short, bald guy? And super smart?” Julian snorted. “I’m going to be sharing an apartment with Dr. Evil.”

“Who?”

“The villain from the Austin Powers movies.”

Bridget huffed. “Not even close. Dr. Evil was flabby. Turner is all muscle. There is not an ounce of fat on him. He has an amazing body for a guy his age.”

“Which is?”

“Forty-six.”

Julian shook his head. “An old, short, bald guy.”

Offended on Turner’s behalf, Bridget crossed her arms over her chest. “With beautiful blue-gray eyes, an eight-pack, and incredible charisma.”

“So more like Vladimir Putin than Dr. Evil. Gotcha.”

Bridget rolled her eyes. “I’d better stop responding because you’ll just keep going. Turner is like no one else. Incomparable. He is a unique individual.”

Julian laughed as he hefted a suitcase off the conveyor belt and put it on the floor next to Bridget. “Just teasing. I’m sure he is a great guy.”

He helped a woman with her luggage and then had to chase after his other suitcase, which in the meantime had gotten away from him.

Should she tell Julian more? Prepare him better?

It was true that Turner was like no one else. He required some getting used to, and the first impression he left on people was that of a cold, hard man. He was off-putting to most.

“Turner has some issues,” she said as they made their way to her car. “He is not an emotional guy, and at first glance he appears cold.” She chuckled. “Also the second and the third. But the weirdest thing about him is that he doesn’t emit any scents.”

Julian cast her an amused look. “Good, I would’ve hated to share an apartment with a stinky human.”

“I don’t mean like that.” She took a quick glance around to check if anyone was listening to their conversation. “No emotional scents. I’ve never encountered any human or immortal who had none. He is an anomaly.”

Julian’s eyes sparkled with humor. “Maybe he is an alien?”

“Right.” Bridget clicked the doors of her car open and got behind the wheel as Julian loaded his luggage in the trunk. “You have that in common,” she said as he got inside and buckled up.

“What? Don’t tell me my father was not of this world.”

Bridget laughed. “Dream on. An illegal alien from another country is the most you can hope for.” She eased out of the parking spot. “I meant your fascination with UFOs and aliens. Turner loves stuff like that too. He is always looking to solve one insoluble mystery or another.”

Julian clapped his hands. “Oh, goodie, we are going to be best friends,” he said in an excited high-pitched voice.

Her son’s quirky sense of humor never failed to amuse her, but the question was how Turner would react to it. Hopefully, the guy’s smarts included comprehending jokes and not getting offended by Julian’s never-ending stream of funny nonsense.

“Why do you keep calling him by his last name?” Julian asked.

She shrugged. “A habit, I guess. He rarely tells people his given name, which is Victor by the way, and everyone calls him Turner. I bet he thinks of himself as Turner and not as Victor.”

“What should I call him? Because I’m not going to call him Dad. I just wanted to put that out there.”

Bridget laughed. “You need to be careful with those jokes around Victor. I’m not sure how he is going to react to them.”

Julian leaned back in his chair and let his head drop on the headrest. “If he is as smart as you say he is, he’ll get it.”

“I hope so.”