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Felicity spared Graham a look, taking confidence from his nod. He was right; she could do this. Now, surrounded by people who loved her and her children, was the best time to put it out there.
“Yes. And no.” She set her napkin on the plate. “Amber has no family and, as you know, your father’s parents died a long time ago.”
“Aunts? Cousins?” Nick poked the half-eaten orange sticky bun with the tines of his fork. “A neighbor?” His smile was strained.
“There is no one.” Felicity cleared her throat. “He’s going to come live with us.” She paused, watching Honor nod and Nick’s face turn beet red.
“Are you shitting me?” Diana asked, her food falling from her fork to the table. “How is that fair? Seriously?”
Felicity ignored her parents’ reaction to Diana’s outburst. “It’s not. None of this is.” She shook her head. “I know it. It’s going to be a big adjustment—for all of us. But it’s the right thing to do.” And the only other option—unless she was okay saddling her eighteen-year-old with a toddler.
“For the baby, yeah.” Diana stopped, turning to look at Nick. “You okay?”
Nick didn’t answer—he couldn’t. His jaw was so tight, Felicity feared he’d crack a tooth.
“If we didn’t bring him home, then what, Jack would wind up in foster care? Right? An orphan?” Honor shook her head, those blue eyes filling with tears. “And he’s not an orphan. We’re his family. He’s our brother.”
“No, he’s not,” Nick snapped. “He took Dad. He broke our family.” The accusation in his eyes was razor sharp. “And you’re bringing him home? My home. So now he gets you, too?” His voice broke.
She was up, heading around the table—but Nick was faster. He shot out of the kitchen, stomped up the stairs, and slammed his bedroom door with enough force to rattle the china in the hutch.
“What else can you do, Filly?” Her father’s hand descended on her shoulder, turning her to face him. “He’s upset. He has every right to be upset—you all do, if we’re being honest here. But he’ll come around. Nick’s got a good head on his shoulders and a tender heart.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her gently, patting her back.
Felicity wanted to believe that, she did. But Diana was right there—the living, breathing representation of what she worried Nick would become. Angry, volatile, twisted, and manipulative. And while she didn’t want to think he’d ever be a danger to himself, there were times she didn’t know what he’d do—what he was capable of.
And right now, he needed her. Even if he didn’t want her. There was nothing she could do or say to make this better. Chances were, she was the last person he wanted to see right now. He wouldn’t listen to Honor, her parents, or Charity. The last person she wanted him talking to right now was Diana.
Still wrapped in her father’s embrace, Graham sat—staring after Nick. When their eyes locked, he stood. “I’ll go,” Graham said, not waiting for an answer before he followed Nick upstairs.
…
Charity wasn’t surprised. She’d known, without Filly saying so, that Jack was coming home. Where else could the little monster go? He was all alone in the world. Still, Nick’s reaction was heart-wrenching. These kids had been through too much—and the hits just kept on coming.
But she’d spied a silver lining. A really big, really beautiful silver lining. Graham Murphy was crushing on her sister—seriously crushing. Not just an “I want to take you to bed tonight” but the “I want to wake up to you every morning” sort of thing. The potential for something big and real and lasting. The sort of thing she had no experience with but recognized when she saw it. Years ago, her sister had looked that way at Matt. Her parents still looked like that, most of the time. It was a warm, unspoken connection that communicated volumes.
This morning, Graham Murphy had looked at her sister that way. And when he realized Charity had seen it—he turned an adorable shade of red.
With any luck, things were going to be extra crowded here at the family homestead.
Honor and Nick.
Jack.
She and the stranger in her belly.
And, eventually, Graham and Diana.
All of them—one big happily family. Good thing it was a big house.
“We’ll get the dishes,” her mother offered. “Why don’t you and your father take your coffee onto the deck? Breathe a bit?”
Charity started clearing the table, needing something to do. Luckily, Honor and Diana followed her lead, the loaded silence turning unbearable. Best way to diffuse tension? Laughter. She did her best to ease the tension in the air, launching into the time one of her tour members tried to shoplift a replica of the Coliseum under his shirt.
Over and over, her gaze returned to the porch. Felicity was up and pacing while her father sat rocking. There wasn’t a thing she could do—except distract.
“What happened?” Diana asked, pulling her attention back to their kitchen cleanup.
“I talked his way out of a fine.” She shook her head. “My Italian’s not that great but…” She shrugged.
