All I want is to have a little while of peace before I finally come clean to Mom and Vinny.
And god, Si is going to freak the fuck out.
He’s going to call Patrick.
He’s going to call Lottie, which honestly might be worse.
I think I’m ready for it all when Troy puts the car in park in front of the big brownstone, but I’m really not prepared for Mom’s worried frown.
“I’m fine.” I try to placate her while I grab my bags from the back and wave Troy off. “Go to sleep, man. Thanks for picking me up.”
“Get in here.” Mom’s tone promises trouble, but I still bend down to kiss her cheek noisily when I climb up to the front door.
It’s ten thirty here, and since I’ve barely played this last week and since I never get used to the timezone on the East Coast, I’m wide awake. Mom, on the other hand, is wearing an oversized white winter puffy coat that hits her ankles and thick socks, which really isn’t enough for the icy wind, so I take her hand and drag her in with me.
“Who’s around?”
She’s worried enough not to tease me about how I should ask directly about Eli.
“Everyone except Eli, he’s working on some big project.”
Well damn.
“He knows everything anyway,” I mumble, more to myself than anything, but I see it’s a big mistake when Mom drops her coat to the floor then snaps a hand to her waist and stares me down like she’s on a runway.
“Oh, does he?”
Shit.
“Of course he does, Mom. I needed to talk it through with someone who wouldn’t go off on a killing spree.”
She’s going to be so pissed when she finds out Dad and Uncle Paul know too.
“When you say everyone else . . .”
“I mean everyone else, Alexei.”
Now I’ve done it.
Still carrying my duffle and dragging my suitcase behind me, I follow her into the kitchen where...
Yeah, everyone except Lottie and her husband Colin are sitting at the long farm table set against the back window.
Right.
“You didn’t tell them anything?” I ask, looking Dad in the eyes then Uncle Paul.
“Only Elle,” Uncle Paul murmurs, nodding at his wife and Si’s mother.
“Okay.” I sigh and drop my bags before rounding the table, greeting everyone.
Wolf looks as grumpy as ever, so does Hawk’s husband, Derek, but they both accept quick hugs. CJ, Wolf’s husband, holds on a bit longer, and Hawk clings to me for almost a full minute before I push him away gently and hug Michael. I clap Vinny and Si each on the shoulder, then kiss Ally’s cheek, shake her son Corey’s hand, hug Uncle Paul and Aunt Elle, and finally collapse—even if only for a moment—against Dad’s shoulder.
“Is there anything I can eat? I’m starving.”
Is it a distraction tactic?
Yes.
