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“Hmm, well, that’s a tragedy and I need to remedy it immediately.”
I watched him scamper off to fetch the treats he’d brought, a tenderness glowing in my chest like embers. That boy was too cute for my own good.
Igreeted my brother and sister, and Allie, when they arrived for our family dinner. Most of us were pretty neutral about the almost-weekly event, but Mom loved it, so we all tried to make as much time as we could to indulge her. Dad had chased me out of the kitchen so I couldn’t feel too bad about him prepping dinner alone. The kitchen was his domain. Unless it was the morning, and then I was in charge of breakfast.
The group of us settled in the living room, Sidney patting the couch next to him to draw me over. Allie chatted with Nicky, and Sidney focused on me. “How’s work? Still enjoying the gym?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty good. Lux is a great boss.” Part of me squirmed at the question. My siblings were highly educated and driven—Nicky getting her Master’s of Library Science, and Sidney getting his degree in nursing and omega care—and I had always struggled. School had rarely interested me, though I’d tried. A year of general studies at a local college had proven to me that the educational system didn’t suit me. I had wanted to take to school the way my siblings had, but I’d made peace with being different from them.
“And the neighborhood work? How’s Mrs. Cardellini doing?”
I ran him through the people in the neighborhood he knew well enough to care about being updated on. I could never quite tell if he worried about me. He always got this look in his eyes when I talked about my life, but we hadn’t had a discussion about careers and ambitions since I’d decided not to continue with college.
I was sure he probably saw me still living at home and had questions that he never gave voice to. Moving out with him had never been an option. Even before Allie, his home was the hosting site for Heat Helping and I’d have been kicked out regularly for omegas he was taking care of. When I was little I’d thought maybe we would live together for a few years in our adulthood, but he’d moved out and I’d stayed here. I loved him without question and certainly didn’t begrudge him going down a path that nixed that little dream.
“Tell me everything about the honeymoon that won’t make me want to bleach my brain.”
Sidney snorted, dissolving into laughter.
I envied him a trip to the tropics with his wife. Allie was such a good match for him and I craved that down to my bones.
With Sidney and Allie firmly settled after their wedding and honeymoon, I knew Nicky was going to be in the hot seat. Mom had shown remarkable restraint—for her—and hadn’t said anything yet, but it was only a matter of time. She kept things pleasant until Nicky started telling us about her night librarian job and how much she was enjoying herself.
“Nicola.” Mom’s tone of utter disappointment wasn’t even directed toward me and still I shrank in my seat. Nicky shrank too. Mom had power like that. “You’re never going to find anyone at this new job of yours. You can’t just work all night because you dislike people.”
I wouldn’t ever say Nicky disliked people. She craved approval, and that people-pleasing tendency had put her in a lot more social situations than she might have done on her own. I had watched Mom shove her into plenty, and Nicky rarely had the heart to say no. I wasn’t brave enough either. Luckily Sidney was.
“Mom, leave Nick alone. She can work nights if she wants to.”
I had no idea why Mom was so opposed to a night shift. It seemed as easy as any other shift to meet people, especially since Nicky was probably less likely to be interrupted and have more time for actual conversations while she worked.
Mom rolled her eyes with a quiet huff. “You didn’t get your wife because you worked nights.”
I could see the gleam of mischief in Sidney’s eyes and braced myself for whatever was about to come out of his mouth.
“I mean, if you want to get technical about it, I definitely got with her because I worked nights.”
I super did not need the reminder that the two of them had gotten together because she had been a Heat Helping client. I knew what went on during a heat but I didn’t need that knowledge associated with my brother in any way.
Allie burst out laughing, and Nicky’s nervous laughter followed. When Nicky recovered, she turned to Mom. “Mom, you know I’ve been dreaming of being a spinster since I was little. You’re trying to crush my dreams over here.”
Humor had never worked with Mom in these situations, so I wasn’t sure why Nicky thought it would work now.
“We balance out, then, because you crush my heart each time you show up alone to a family dinner.”
Nicky crossed her arms over her chest and immediately threw me under the bus. “Luca shows up alone.”
I shrank further down in my seat as Mom’s gaze swept over me. The rebellious part of me wanted to tell them both to shush and that I would be more than happy to bring Luna to a family dinner, but the much smarter and more practical side of me kept that outburst smothered down.
“Lulu is my baby boy, and if he never finds anyone at all, that suits me fine. He can stay with us forever.”
Oh god.
I tucked into myself and tried to ignore most of the conversation, focusing on my spaghetti and meatballs. When dessert was finished, Nicky went for a nap to be ready for her night shift and the rest of us sat down to listen to Mom update us on the lives of everyone she knew, as well as all of their children and grandchildren.
The moment Mom sensed Nicky was awake, she dragged her out to play Monopoly with us, pairing her on my team. She was my only chance of winning. I had never had the same competitive spirit, but Nicky was downright terrifying when it came to competition games.
Once my brother and sister retreated for the night, I was left alone with my parents and promptly disappeared to my room and pulled up my phone.
