“They weren’t originally,” Atlas says. “But they saw us leaving and couldn’t resist.”
“I wanted to see your home, Barfred,” Abigail explains, and her green eyes brighten with delight as she peers around the small space.
Abraham laughs, loud and hearty, before his warm gaze collides with mine. He takes my hand in his. “How could I resist, knowing you’d finally decided to settle down?”
He’s seen so many years of my life as I worked beneath him, so it should be no shock that he’s invested in what I do and my happiness. But it still feels… odd.
“Well, thanks for coming,” I respond quietly.
“And with a younger man, at that,” Theodora adds, shaking her head as she smiles at Landon.
“Uh, yeah.” My eyes nervously dart between them. “It’s not in a weird way. It just… it happened that…Well—”
Abraham comes to my fumbling rescue just as Landon starts to snicker from somewhere beside me. “Don’t fret, Barfred. I don’t care who you date, as long as it’s not one ofmysons.”
My body tenses. Does he think that I’m a bad partner? Does he find me displeasing or upsetting? The idea that Abraham thinks I’m not good enough for one of his children makes me antsy, if not a bit hurt.
But he seems to read this on my face, just as Landon can read me, because his grip tightens on my hand. “I only mean that it’s not suitable for a family to fraternize in that way.”
“Family?” I repeat, and I can hear my own shock. My own disbelief.
Sure, I’ve considered the Chastains my family for a long time now, but I didn’t thinktheyfelt the same way. I’m just… I’m just the cook. If you ask Landon, I’m merely their servant, nothing more.
Movement beside me catches my attention, and a moment later, Landon is squeezing my bicep as if he’s acknowledging my internal meltdown.
“Yes, family,” Theodora offers with a smile. “You’ve been family for a long time now, haven’t you? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought kindly of us after all this time.”
“No, I have!” I insist. “I just didn’t think that you all… well, that you thought the same.”
Suddenly, I feel like an insecure teenager standing before them.
“We do,” Abraham says. “Even Julian and Jeremy are family to us. Oscar as well.”
“And we care about you, too,” Julian interjects.
“I think I would rather my Julie be with an older man than have jumped from a cliff to his death,” Jeremy adds, but he’s grinning at his son and Atlas as he says it.
A few chuckles fill the room as Landon says, “You know, I feel like I’m the only one whoisn’taware of why that had to happen. But that’s fine, as long as everyone can acknowledge how mistreated I am.”
I resist the urge to mention thatAbigailalso has no clue about either incubus this family has encountered, just as Julian rolls his eyes, approaches Landon, and puts him in a headlock. I watch the two of them struggle, smiling despite myself. Landon just looksso fucking happy.
“Alright,” Atlas beams, “give us a tour! Then we’re going to dinner!”
“Dinner?” Atticus repeats, his eyes widening. “Atty, I amnotspending the entire afternoon with this lot.”
“Come on, now, son,” Abraham chastises. “You can spend time with yoursweetheartlater. He lives with us, after all.”
Cameron blushes straight down to his toes, leaning further into his boyfriend as Atticus huffs and gives his father a dutiful nod.
I think that since his exorcism, the boy has gotten sassier. Can you believe it?
“Besides, we haven’t gone out for dinner insolong,” Theodora adds.
“Let’s go somewhere fancy,” Abigail pleads, scurrying over to where Julain still stands next to Landon and taking his hand.
Julian bends over, picking her up with one smooth motion as he says, “I vote Checkers. Could you imagine everyone’s faces when they see all ofusshow up?”
“Could I invite Cas, then?” Cameron asks quietly, and Atticus gives him a stern nod, watching as Cameron slips out the front door to most likely give thisCasa call.
