Page 109 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

I went to the fridge for my own. The moment the top was off, the front door opened again and the chatter of voices was like someone had found the house’s volume dial and cranked it to the max.

“Christ, they are loud,” Knox muttered.

“You don’t get to complain.” I shot him a glare. “This was your idea.”

“Actually, it was mine.” Lyla waltzed into the kitchen with three plastic containers, each a varying shade of green. “Hi, Winslow.”

“Hi, Lyla.” Winn waved, and I was glad she was taking it in stride.

Winn was going to be a part of my life—no ifs, just facts—and my family invaded. It was their nature. Hell, I invaded too. Though usually it was by stopping to see them at work instead of showing up on their front doorstep.

Talia and Eloise came in next, the former carrying a platter of preformed burger patties and the latter with a pitcher of sangria.

“Hey, Winn.” Talia set the burgers down, then rounded the island to pull Winn into a hug. “How are you? How’s Covie?”

“I’m good. And he’s feeling great. Slightly annoyed at the amount of vegetables I’ve introduced to his life.”

“Good.” Talia let Winn go, making space for Eloise, who also gave her a hug.

“Hi, Winn.”

“Hi, Eloise. How’s your hotel?”

“Amazing.” My baby sister beamed. “Technically it’s Mom and Dad’s hotel but . . .”

“They’d be lost without you.” I moved closer to pull her into a sideways hug. “Hey, kid.”

Eloise’s blue eyes sparkled as she smiled up at me. “Hey, big brother.”

“You doing okay?”

She nodded, relaxing into my side. “Just busy. You know how it is during the summers.”

The Eloise Inn was the heart of Quincy.

And Eloise was the heart of the inn.

“Eloise is my favorite sibling,” I told Winn.

“Uh . . .” Winn’s eyes widened, looking to my other siblings. “Are you supposed to say that out loud?”

“We all have favorites.” Knox chuckled. “Lyla is mine.”

“Griff is mine,” Lyla said, popping the lid on one container, flooding the kitchen with a savory smell that made my stomach growl.

“You all have favorites. Really?” Winn laughed, then pointed between the twins. “And you two aren’t each other’s?”

“I love Lyla most because we shared a womb,” Talia said. “But my favorite is Matty.”

“Where is Mateo?” I asked, keeping one arm around Eloise while the other tipped the beer bottle to my lips.

On cue, the front door burst open. “Party’s here!”

“He was in charge of beer.” Knox came over and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Hope the sheets in the guest bedrooms are clean.”

“Hell.” I tipped my face to the ceiling.

So not only were my siblings invading to have dinner, but they were also going to get drunk and sleep over.