By the time I’m placing the shepherd’s pie on the table, the twins are hovering like starved lions.
“Where’s Asher?” I ask them, straightening the cutlery the twins laid out haphazardly.
“Brooding upstairs. I think he misses his mum,” Ronan offers, and I nod, like that’s probably what’s causing his behaviour today.
The doorbell rings, and I freeze, glancing up at the twins, who are frowning.
“Who would that be?” Jude grumbles, and I shrug, heading towards the front entrance.
“Tell Asher lunch is ready.” I ignore the twins flicking each other with the cloth napkins I laid out, and duck into my bedroom, reaching under the dresser to grab the gun I have taped there.
I quickly check it’s loaded, and then slip into the passage to open the front door with the gun just out of sight behind my leg.
“Took you long enough,” Alexander snaps, shooting me a glare before pushing past me, and I have to fight every instinct in me to not point the barrel at his head and pull the trigger.
“What are you doing here?” I snap, closing the front door before slipping my gun into the drawer in the hall table.
Alex ignores me, stepping into the main living area to greet the boys, including Asher, who is tugging a t-shirt over his head, covering up the sculpted ridges of his abs.
How sad.
“Happy Easter, boys!”
The twins stop fooling about, stunned at their dad’s voice, who looks just as pompous as every other time I see him with the tailored pants, white shirt and blue knitted vest.
Gag.
“Uh… What are you doing here?” Ronnie asks, not so politely, but it doesn’t sway the grin on Alexander’s face.
“Can’t a dad pop in to see his sons for Easter?”
“Maybe you could have called and met us somewhere else so Mum wouldn’t have to endure you,” Jude hisses this time, and I don’t miss the way Asher is biting the inside of his cheek as he tries not to smile.
“Well, she’ll have to endure me, I’m afraid. I came to see what you thought about the news?”
The twins frown and look at each other in confusion.
“News?” they ask in unison as they turn back to their dad, and Alexander has the nerve to look shocked as he turns to me.
“You haven’t told them yet, Lilian?”
“Don’t you dare!” I hiss, taking a step towards him with a pointed finger raised. “Don’t you dare pretend like this is my job to do. It has nothing to do with me.”
“What are you talking about, Mum?” Jude asks and I flinch, realising how bad this is going to look. Me knowing their dad’s secret after all this time and never telling them.
I fucking hate Alex for this!
“Come on, Lily. You said you would tell the boys, and it’s been a long enough wait. They need to know.”
I storm up to Alex and snarl in his face. “You coward. You were the one that didn’t want to tell them. Don’t put this on me.”
“Tell us what!” Jude yells, gaining our attention, and I look at the twins and Asher as they all wear the same confused expression.
Shit.
“Maybe Asher could go somewhere else while we talk as a family,” Alexander sneers. “Perhaps to hisownhome.”
“Actually, this is his home. He’s not going anywhere,” I snap, pushing past Alexander and gesturing to the table. “Boys. Sit. Eat your lunch before it gets cold.”
