Page 63 of His Reckoning

“She threatened to,” Cole says.

Livia, another sister, smiles from the other end of the table. “She always threatens.”

My father finally looks up. “You working too much again?”

“I’m fine.”

“You always say that,” he sighs.

“And I’m always right.”

He studies me for a moment, then nods once like the conversation is over.

My mother reappears, carrying a bowl of pasta the size of a small planet. “Enough talking. Eat.”

The plates start moving around the table. Wine gets poured while voices overlap. The same way they have every Sunday for as long as I can remember.

Cole nudges my arm. “So …”

“So …”

“You still have that roommate?”

“She’s not a roommate.”

“What is she then?”

“Temporary housing situation.”

Cole smirks. “That’s not what the internet says.”

I sigh. “You ever going to let that article go?”

“Not likely,” he replies.

Brooklyn leans forward immediately. “What article?”

Chase, my youngest brother, grins. “Oh, this should be good.”

Cole lifts his glass. “Sawyer has a mystery woman living in his penthouse.”

Livia gasps dramatically. “Scandal.”

My mother freezes halfway through serving pasta. “What woman?”

“It’s not like that,” I say.

Cole laughs. “That’s exactly what someone says when it’s like that.”

“It’s Melissa’s friend.”

My father raises an eyebrow. “And she lives with you?”

“Temporarily.”

My mother narrows her eyes. “What’s her name?”

“Kayla.”