Page 175 of Always: A Legacy Novel

“A thousand times over, Catherine, if that’s what you need.”

“I need you, Cross.”

“You’ve already got that, too.”

Yeah, she did.

Fall made way for winter quickly. Catherine barely even knew it was happening until she stepped out of her Lexus on her last day of school before Christmas break, and felt the first snowflakes fall.

She stared up at the afternoon sky, taking in the gray clouds and the white tufts falling down. Usually they would get their first snowfall a little earlier in December, but it held off this year.

Catherine didn’t even mind the chill.

She also didn’t notice the black car parked in her family’s driveway until she damn near ran into the back of it. She didn’t recognize the vehicle, and guessing by the sticker on the license plate, it was a rental.

Once inside the house, the voices filtering down from the kitchen made Catherine head that way. She didn’t even bother to kick off her shoes, or put her jacket away. Not when she heard a familiar male voice, followed by her parents, and then a woman’s response. A woman Catherine didn’t know.

Sure enough, Catherine found her parents, brother, and a pretty, young, unknown redhead sitting around their dining room table. Michel had only come home from Detroit for one month during the past summer, and on a couple of holidays the year before.

“I thought you weren’t coming home for Christmas this year?” Catherine asked from the entryway.

All eyes in the room turned on her.

Michel flashed a smile. “Nice to see you, too, little sister.”

Catherine stuck out her tongue at him. “Seriously, no one thought to tell me?”

Her parents passed a look between one another.

Catherine wondered what in the hell she missed.

“Well, you see …” her mother started to say.

“It was a surprise for us, too,” her father finished awkwardly.

Catherine ignored the strangeness happening, and looked to the woman sitting beside her brother. “Hi, I’m Catherine.”

“Gabbie,” the woman said, smiling.

She had vivid green eyes, and red hair that was not quite as deep of a shade as their mother’s. Pale like cream, with freckles dotting her cheeks and nose, she was very pretty. Certainly not Italian, but pretty. There was a nuance to the woman’s words, like she had just a hint of an accent, but not one that Catherine could place easily.

“Holy shit,” Catherine said, looking to her brother, “you brought home a girl.”

The realization came on like a tidal wave. Catherine was sure her eyes had stretched wide, because what the fuck? Michel never brought home woman to meet them. He certainly liked women enough, and apparently jumped from female to female without much thought or care to have a real relationship, but that was it.

He never stuck to one.

He certainly never brought them home.

Michel’s lips quirked up as he said, “Yeah, I guess I did, Catty.”

Dante chuckled. “Sort of.”

Gabbie’s cheeks heated with a red tint.

Catherine was suddenly reminded that something was not right here. Her parents’ strange behavior, Michel’s lack of explanation, and the stranger sitting at their table … something was going on.

“What did I miss?” Catherine asked.