This is my home. We raised our boys here. Every memory of our family is here. All the birthday parties, the Christmas mornings, the late nights waiting up for the boys to come home when they were teenagers. A whole lifetime was held in those walls.
Robert notices me staring. “You okay?”
I nod quickly. “Yeah.”
But he doesn’t look convinced.
As soon as the SUV stops, Robert is out. I wait for him to come around, and when Paul opens the door, Robert holds his hand out to me. I place my hand in his, and warmth spreads through me as he helps me out of the SUV.
The second we walk inside, noise fills the foyer.
Cole rounds the corner first, and the smile on his face nearly breaks me. “Mom! Oh my God.” He wraps his arms around me and squeezes tightly. “It’s about damn time.”
I laugh, hugging him back. “Hi to you too.”
Luna appears behind him, smiling softly. “We missed you.”
“I missed you guys too.”
Footsteps sound behind us, and Knox walks into the foyer. Knox has been a part of our family forever. He may be Bennett’s best friend, but he’s also a part of our family. Robert depends on him like he’s a Kingston. His eyes go from me to Robert and then back again.
“Well, shit,” he mutters. “Miracles do happen.”
“Knox,” I scold, but he grins and leans down to kiss my cheek.
Then Bennett appears, and instantly, I notice the difference. He hugs me and says he missed me, but something is off, I can tell.
We all sit down to dinner, and conversation flows easily. Even though I haven’t been to family dinner in a few months, I have stayed in touch with my children, talking to them daily andseeing them a few times a week. Laughter fills the room, and I can’t stop smiling. This is good, and I’m glad I came.
But I can’t stop watching Bennett. His attention keeps drifting off from the conversation, and his shoulders are tense. Twice during dinner, his phone buzzes, and both times his face flushes as he looks at the caller ID and then quickly turns it over.
Interesting.
Robert doesn’t notice a thing because it seems he’s too busy watching me.
The dinner is loud and chaotic, filled with laughter and the boys giving each other crap, but it feels good. For the first time in months… it feels like the Kingston family again.
I glance over and catch Robert watching me. He’s quiet as he stares down the length of the table.
When our eyes meet, something shifts in his expression. It’s almost like seeing me here has a calming effect on him.
The conversation shifts when Knox casually says, “I saw Audrey Sterling today.”
Bennett immediately stills. It’s subtle, and no one seems to notice but me and Knox. It’s obvious he was looking for a reaction.
Robert keeps eating like nothing happened.
Knox glances at Bennett with a smug smile. Those two have been thick as thieves for as long as I can remember, and Knox’s comment just reinforces my thought that there’s something going on with Bennett and Audrey.
Cole groans. “Why are we talking about the Sterlings during dinner?”
Knox shrugs. “Because she’s living in our territory.”
Luna looks confused. “Why would a Sterling move here?”
Nobody answers immediately.
Then Bennett says a little too quickly, “Maybe she’s smarter than the rest of them.”
