Apparently, today was that occasion.
I walked into the house to the sound of something detonating. Yelping, I flung myself on to the ground and covered my head with my arms. The overnight bag I’d packed with a few extra shirts Piper lent me went flying across the shiny marble floor.
“Oh, fuck. I didn’t mean to scare you that bad,” Abel said after snorting with laughter.
I peeked out from under my arms and saw the long-haired man walking toward me, an enormous bottle of champagne overflowing with fizzy liquid in one hand and a saber in the other.
I groaned. “Dude, what the hell!”
He grinned, put the bottle and the saber down on the round table in their lobby, and came over to help me up. “Didn’t think you’d be this jumpy.” He tugged me into his arms and gave me a tight hug. I sighed and returned it, feeling the heaviness in my heart lift by an inch from being back with my family.
Out of the four guys, I was closest with Abel. He could be grumpy and unreadable at times, but we’ve gotten along well from the moment we first met, and that connection has only grown stronger over the years.
When we broke apart, I eyed the enormous bottle that was still leaking some liquid. “What are you celebrating with that thing?”
“You staying with us.” He leaned down to pick up my bag off the floor. “Ade was really happy when you messaged.” His gaze softened. “Are you okay? When Ade told me about your neighbor, I was ready to get everyone organized and go nuclear on his ass.”
“It is what it is,” I said with a shrug. “Could have been way worse. But I do need to find a new place ASAP.” In my message to my sister, I didn’t get into the details of what happened last night, but I told her I couldn’t stay at Kaz and Mason’s anymore. She must suspect something had happened.
I followed Abel into the massive kitchen, where Silas sat hunched over an iPad.
“Hey, Mol.” He grinned at me from under his beard and hopped off the stool to come give me a hug. Silas’s hugs were an experience. I felt like a little girl when the giant man enveloped me with his tree-trunk-sized arms.
“I missed you guys,” I told him when he released me. “Feels like it’s been ages.”
“It’s been a while,” he agreed. “I hear from your sister that we have a lot to catch up on.”
I winced. “I guess so.”
Silas frowned lightly as Abel returned to the island with three champagne glasses in hand.
“Where’s Ade?” I asked, looking around the place. “And everyone else?”
“Ade, Ezra, and Cole went out to pick up some groceries,” Abel explained. “Should be back soon.”
“Don’t you have someone to do that kind of stuff for you?” I joked, poking Silas’s rock slab of a stomach.
“They wanted to go,” he said, slapping my hand away. “Something about missing doing normal people stuff. It’s always a bit hard adjusting to real life after a long tour like the one we were just on.”
I became occupied with my nails. “I feel bad intruding on you all. You must be exhausted.”
Silas barked a laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re all thrilled you’re here.”
“Here.” Abel handed me a glass filled with sparkling liquid before giving another one to Silas. “To reuniting with family.” He raised his own glass and smiled at me, easing some of my discomfort.
When my sister and the others got back to the house, she ran at me and pulled me into a crushing hug. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said, rocking me from side to side. There was something about finally being back with my sister that shattered my tenuous control over my emotions. A ball lodged inside my throat.
When I didn’t say anything, she pulled away, her brows furrowed in alarm. “Mol?”
I could feel her partners’ presence around us, worried and watchful, as tears pooled in my eyes. I sucked in a shuddery breath and pressed my face into her shoulder. “It’s over. Everything between us is over.”
* * *
We were in the bedroom Ade had prepared for me, a generously sized space with a bay window looking out to the backyard, a fluffy carpet, and walls painted a deep shade of green. My sister shooed the guys away and told them we’d come out when we were ready, but not before asking Cole to bring us something to snack on.
We sat on the queen-sized bed, nibbling on some fruit and taking tentative sips of champagne. The mood was far from celebratory, but the alcohol made my words flow more easily.
I told her everything from the very beginning. The college party, the shock of discovering the identity of Last Rites, the arrangement with Kaz, and the short-lived relationship between the three of us.
