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Desperate to lock myself into Alicia’s dad’s old office and stew in my own misery until my brain cleared again, I drove straight back to the brownstone, but as I turned into the driveway, I had to slam my foot on the brakes.

There was an unfamiliar car parked in my spot and the dark cloud in my chest turned into a raging storm. In all the time I’d lived here, I’d never once seen a car that wasn’t mine or Tasha’s parked in this driveway, and while it was technically possible that she’d simply invited someone over from class, I had a sinking feeling that more bad news had arrived at our doorstep—and that somehow, things were about to get even more complicated.

CHAPTER 28

ALICIA

After work, I walked along the sidewalk, excited about the plans I had to make dinner for Holden and Tasha before they got home from class. Over the course of the day, I’d decided that Holden had been right to slow things down and that I wasn’t going to overthink things between us anymore.

That feeling of family I’d gotten with them in the kitchen the other day had been at the forefront of my mind when I’d made the decision. As far as I was concerned, that level of happiness and the sense of belonging were sacred and worth protecting.

I knew that better than most, so before I worried about romance or being in love, I was going to do everything I could to bring something much more valuable to all three of us. Peace. Domesticity. The joy of a simple, home-cooked meal prepared by someone who cared.

Unfortunately, when I turned the corner to find a woman standing next to a sleek, luxury SUV parked outside the house, all the air got sucked straight out of my lungs and icy panic hit my stomach instead.

Aunt Nancy. What the hell is she doing here?

When I’d told Holden I still talked to my family on the holidays, I’d lied. While I liked to pretend I had relatives, I’d hadn’t seen the woman who’d raised me since I’d been eighteen. Almost ten years ago. We never talked, we didn’t write, and while I got the occasional text from my cousins, I hadn’t kept in contact with my aunt and uncle at all.

Which meant I wasn’t even remotely prepared for her being here, but I did know her presence meant bad things. Bad, bad things.

My fingertips turned to ice, my ears suddenly rang, and my vision swam with shock. For a second, I thought that maybe I could run, but Nancy turned around at the sound of my footsteps, sweeping a critical gaze over me before offering a thin, fake smile.

“Alicia, darling,” she drawled. “I’m glad you finally decided to show up. I’ve been waiting for hours. I must say, I’m shocked this old place is still standing.”

“What are you doing here, Nancy?” I asked, brushing past her while rummaging around my canvas tote for my keys and praying she’d stay far enough behind me that I could barricade her out of my house.

“Word travels fast, my dear.” She marched past me as soon as I’d unlocked the door, pushing it open and striding in without waiting for an invitation. “Do you remember Mrs. Jackson, our old neighbor? Well, she moved into a retirement home in the city a few years ago. Arthritis, you know. She couldn’t keep up with that big yard next door anymore.”

I stared at the back of Nancy’s head as her high heels clicked across the foyer, her hair shot through with silver highlights now, but still as immaculately cut into a short, sharp bob as always.

“Oh,” I said, swallowing another wave of panic. “Well, I’m sorry to hear about her arthritis.”

My aunt waved a manicured hand and my stomach twisted. Back when they’d first taken me in, the woman never even used to wear nail polish, but things sure had changed once they’d gained access to what was supposed to have been my nest egg.

“Never you mind about that,” she said dismissively. “She’s fine, but we keep in touch. Do you know they still get actual, paper newspapers delivered to the home every day?”

Nancy finally spun to face me, poison green eyes cold as they locked on mine. I didn’t bother responding. It didn’t even matter than it had been a decade since I’d last seen her. I still knew when she was only interested in hearing the sound of her own voice and this was one of those times.

“They get magazines too,” she said lightly, like it was an afterthought, but it definitely wasn’t. “When she told me she’d read that you’d married Holden Thayer, I nearly fainted, but then I looked it up for myself and here you are. The rumors were all true. You managed to save the house and marry into money.”

As she kept staring at me with that icy gaze, the atmosphere in the room became thick enough to choke on. I dropped my tote at my feet and moved to the kitchen, putting the island firmly between us.

“You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here,” I said, gripping the edge of the counter when it felt like my legs were about to give out. “Neither the house nor my husband are any of your concern.”

“Well, I’m not sure that’s true.” She strode toward me and lowered herself onto the stool on the other side of the island, her gaze instantly flicking to that top-of-the-line espresso machine. There was no doubt in my mind she knew what something like that cost, and that seeing it had cemented the reason she’d come here. “Your uncle and I carried an extreme financial burden after the accident, Alicia. We took you in when you had nothing and gave you a roof over your head. We fed you. We clothed you.”

My stomach flipped, but as soon as I’d seen her, I’d known this was why she’d come. There was no other reason for Nancy to have shown up out of the blue. “Are you implying that I owe you something?”

“I’m not implying anything. I think it’s only fair you recognize the debt you owe us, is all. A hundred thousand dollars would barely scratch the surface of what we spent raising you.”

Before I could even find the words to begin to explain how ridiculous that was, the front door slammed shut and Holden strode in, his jaw tightly set and his eyes dark and already raging. I had no idea what had caused his mood, but he looked like a walking firestorm until he stopped dead in his tracks, his piercing gaze landing directly on my aunt.

“Who is this?” he asked with absolutely no pretense of politeness or even civility.

Nancy didn’t even flinch, extending a hand toward him and leveling him with her best attempt at a smooth smile. “You must be Holden. I’m Nancy, Alicia’s aunt. My husband was her father’s brother.”

Holden glanced at her outstretched hand but didn’t take it. Instead, he looked at me and I didn’t know what he saw on my face, but whatever it was made him brush past her and walk straight to me. He slotted in behind my back like he belonged there, hooked one strong, heavy arm around my hips from behind, and pulled me flat against his chest.