Page 79 of Fake It For Him

Now, I was happy I had, surprised at how good it felt to feel like part of the Reid family unit. Guests were milling around behind them, but they’d rushed over to us as soon as we’d walked into the parlor.

One by one, I saw them noticing my nose and they didn’t even greet us before they started asking questions, speaking over each other as they drew to a stop in front of us.

“Who tried to rearrange your face this time, Cal?” Finn asked, the concern in his eyes not what I’d have expected to see from him.

“Oh, my god. Are you okay?” Freya frowned. “That looks terribly painful.”

Mom came up and cupped my cheek gently in her palm, her eyes cloudy with worry. She inspected my nose like she was trying to figure out if it was broken. “Good heavens, Calan. I hope you pressed charges.”

Dad grunted, and his gaze cooled as he reached for his phone. “I’ll call our lawyer.”

Ella stiffened at my side. She was worried I was actually going to let him do it. “There’s no need for that, Dad. Thanks. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m okay. Really. I’m fine.”

Dad sighed as he surveyed my face. “This isn’t a good look right before Freya’s wedding. I wonder if they’ll be able to hide the bruises for the pictures.”

“They’ll be gone by then,” I said confidently and brought my gaze to my sister’s. “If not, I’ll finally let you put makeup on me. I won’t ruin your pictures. Promise.”

She chuckled but shook her head. “I’m not worried about what you’re going to look like at the wedding, Cal. I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay? What happened?”

Ella stepped in, coming to my aid when she realized I didn’t really know how to handle this situation. I didn’t want to throw her friend under the bus. They weren’t speaking to each other right now, but I knew how much he meant to her.

Eventually, they would make up, and when they did, I hoped to be able to smooth things over with him. I’d been surprised when he’d thrown that punch, but I didn’t hold it against him. Not really anyway. He’d been trying to protect Ella and I couldn’t fault him for that.

So while I hesitated, Ella smiled and explained what happened. “One of my friends flew off the handle a bit. We were having an argument, and when Calan tried to calm him down, he lashed out.”

She wrapped her hands around my arm, holding me close as she met each of their gazes in turn. “I’m sorry. It was my fault. If it hadn’t been for him trying to protect me, he wouldn’t have looked like this. The bruises are fading fast now, though. I’m quite sure he’s right that they’ll be gone by the wedding.”

Finn was the first to accept her explanation. He grinned and even cracked a joke. The first he’d made about the incident in Edinburgh.

“At least it’s not as bad as the busted nose I gave you, huh? Those bruises lingered for a couple of weeks.”

At first, I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I didn’t know if this meant I could joke about it now too, but when he stepped forward and clapped me on the shoulder, I returned his grin and decided to lean into it.

“And yet, neither of you managed to break it. I guess it just goes to show that I’m the strongest of us all.”

He laughed. “Or the most hardheaded.”

As he and I exchanged an understanding look, I felt strangely hopeful. This felt like the beginning of real forgiveness from my brother. It was the most I’d felt like we might just be able to fix things since he’d found out what I’d done, and I’d be damned if it didn’t feel good.

Great, even.

Mom beamed at us, tears glistening in her eyes. She put her hands together in front of her chest and drew in a deep breath to compose herself. “Well, I think we should get back to the party. It’s wonderful to see you both here. Ella, I’m so glad you managed to join us after all. You look beautiful, darling.”

She blushed. “Thank you. So do you.”

Mom accepted the compliment with a graceful smile, inclining her head toward the bar. “Get yourselves some drinks. Dinner will be served in about twenty minutes, and after that, we’re gathering in the TV room to watch some carols by candlelight.”

“Watch carols? What do you mean?”

Mom grinned. “As part of Isle of Reid’s Festive Outreach program last year, we gave some video equipment to an orphanage. They have some older children there who are aspiring film makers, and this year, they’re going to be using that equipment to stream the orphanage’s caroling. They’re hoping to gain some attention for the organization and themselves with it. We promised we would watch.”

“Oh, right. Sounds good.” I glanced at Ella, who was looking at Mom like she was in awe of her.

“That’s amazing,” she said. “I hope they achieve what they’ve set out to. If you’d like, I could write a piece on the event. It won’t make as much of an impact as going viral on social media, but it might help a little bit.”

“That would be incredible,” Mom agreed. “These children could use all the help they can get. The orphanage also always needs more donors and people who are willing to donate their time to do things like maintenance, so the more eyes they can draw to their plight, the better.”

Ella nodded slowly, excitement radiating from her as Mom smiled. “Thanks for offering, Ella. It sure is going to be useful having a writer in the family.”