Page 115 of Hate To Be Mine

“I’m not late. I’m exactly on time.”

“Which for you means late.” But Mimi was smiling as she said it, already moving down the steps to wrap Bernadette in a hug. “Bernadette, darling, I’m so glad you could join us. Come in, come in.”

I watched my mother fuss over Bernadette, complimenting her dress, asking if she was hungry and if she needed anything. And then she asked if I was treating her well.

“You know I can hear you, right?” I asked.

They both ignored me.

Bernadette handled the rapid-fire questions like a champ.

“Mom, let her breathe,” I said, rescuing my girlfriend before Mimi could start planning our wedding.

“I’m just being hospitable.” Mimi linked her arm through Bernadette’s. “Come, dear. Let me show you the house. Sebastian, make yourself useful and help your brothers with the wine.”

And just like that, Bernadette was swept away into the Blackwell vortex.

I found my brothers in the dining room, Adrian and Briggs already deep in conversation about something legal and boring. They were way too serious all the time. Elizabeth was there too, glowing with that pregnancy thing that made Adrian look at her like she’d hung the moon.

“Snack buddy!” I called out.

Elizabeth’s face lit up and we met in the middle of the room for our customary fist bump, the sacred greeting of midnight kitchen raiders everywhere.

“How’s my favorite sister-in-law?” I asked.

“Your only sister-in-law,” she corrected. “And I’m good. The baby’s good. Pickles are better.”

“That means it’s a boy,” I declared. I was just pulling shit out of my ass, but it sounded good.

“The Blackwells need more women,” Mimi said, sweeping back into the room with Bernadette in tow. “I mean, you have the one girl cousin in LA, but even she has all brothers. Which is why I’m thrilled Bernadette is joining us. Another ally in my war against male stubbornness.”

“We’re not stubborn,” Adrian said.

“We’re decisive,” Briggs added.

“We’re right,” Dash finished.

“Bernadette, you know everyone, of course,” I said, moving to her side. “But this is your first official Sunday dinner. It’s kind of a rite of passage. Like hazing but with good food.”

“And wine,” Elizabeth added. “So much wine. Well, not for me right now, but normally.”

“Should I be worried?” Bernadette asked, but she was smiling.

I pulled out a chair for her at the table, the one between Elizabeth and me that used to be empty. “Your throne, my lady.”

She rolled her eyes but sat. I took my own seat beside her, feeling ridiculously pleased with the arrangement. Another woman at the Blackwell table. Another person who’d chosen to be part of this chaotic family instead of running screaming in the opposite direction.

And she had chosen me.

The staff brought out the first course, and conversation flowed as easily as the wine. Bernadette fit right in, laughing at Dash’s terrible jokes while keeping up with Briggs’s dry legal talk. Adrian and Elizabeth were in their own bliss bubble.

“So, Bernadette,” Adrian said during a lull in conversation, his CEO voice coming out. “Sebastian tells us you’re joining Blackwell as our safety coordinator.”

“If the offer still stands,” she said, glancing at me.

“It stands,” I confirmed. “I already had HR draw up the paperwork. You start next Monday.”

“Seriously?” she asked.