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He didn’t try to make conversation on the way back to the Four’s house, which I appreciated. That was one of the things I’d always loved about him—how he never felt like he needed to fill the silence.
When we were inside the house, he led me into the kitchen. I took a seat at the large island, taking my phone from my bag while he disappeared from the room. I needed to speak to Hailey. She was the only one who knew about Zayde, even though her finding out had been an accident, and maybe she could give me some perspective on my conflicted feelings. I sent her a quick text and then replied to Joseph’s message asking how I was getting on.
“Oh, hi, Fallon. I hope you slept well?”
I looked up from my phone to see Jessa, followed by a yawning Cassius, who was only dressed in a pair of navy boxer briefs. Jessa caught my glance.
“You get used to all the boys walking around like this. Actually, Cass prefers to be naked—”
“But apparently, it’s too traumatic for my sister. Not like I’m showing my dick off, anyway. I wear an apron.”
“Do you remember that time you got burned by the bacon fat?” Winter appeared in the doorway with a smirking, shirtless Caiden as Cassius moved to the fridge. Cassius shot her a wounded look over his shoulder as he began pulling out ingredients.
“Thathurt. Bloody bacon.” He dumped the food he was carrying next to the oven and then grabbed an apron, tugging it over his head. When he turned around, I got a clear view of the words written across the front—If you like my meatballs, you’ll love my sausage.
“Nice one, mate. I’m starving.” Weston strolled into the kitchen, shooting Cassius a grin as he made a beeline for the fridge. I instantly averted my gaze. What was it with these guys hanging around in just their underwear? This was something I’d never experienced before, and yet everyone here seemed to be treating it like it was a normal, everyday occurrence.
Grabbing a bottle of orange juice from the fridge, Weston passed it to Lena, who had entered the kitchen and taken a seat at the island across from me at some point while I’d been distracted by Cassius’ apron. Her pink hair fell in a curtain across her face as she bent her head over her phone, tapping at the screen.
Caiden moved into my line of sight, and suddenly, there was way too much tattooed, toned flesh on display wherever I looked. None of it interested me.
Until.
A throat cleared, and I lifted my gaze from the safety of the island countertop.
Fuuuuck.
Zayde was standing in the doorway, gripping the frame, his lips curved into a smirk as he watched me take him in. I was helpless to resist dragging my gaze across every inch of him, all those tattoos that covered his arms and torso. I could feel my cheeks heating, and I knew that the flush would be obvious to anyone looking at me.
And then he pushed off the doorway, turning towards the oven, and I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp, shock thrumming through my system.
His back was covered in tattoos, as his front was. But across his shoulder blades was a pair of angel wings. The exact same wings that were on the necklace he’d given me so long ago. The necklace that was in the box of possessions I’d asked the receptionist at the sanctuary to throw away.
Tears blurred my vision, and I blinked rapidly, wrenching my gaze away from his back to the safety of the kitchen island. With the best timing, my phone chimed softly with an incoming message alert, but as soon as I read the words on the screen, bile rose in my throat, the shock of Zayde’s inked acknowledgement of me almost forgotten as I was pulled straight back into the present.
Joe:Visiting Dad today before they move him to the new prison. I won’t force you to come, but he might appreciate a message. I won’t excuse him, and I know it’s been hard for you, but it’s been hard for him too. He’s lost everything Fal. No pressure though. I know he did a lot of wrong things especially to you x
How could he even ask me to send a message? There was no way that was happening. Eventually, I would face my father because I needed to do so to get some closure, but in the meantime, I wouldn’t be initiating any contact with him.
“Fallon?”
I raised my head to find Winter studying me, her gaze too sharp and knowing. I had to be careful. I didn’t want to end up in a situation where I’d be asked questions that I didn’t want to answer. But maybe it was okay to share this.
“Sorry. I had a message from my brother. He’s going to visit my dad today.”
Silence instantly fell, only broken by a loud crack as Cassius dropped an egg into the saucepan from a height. My words were temporarily forgotten as everyone stared at him.
“Mate, what are you doing?” Caiden cocked his head, eyeing the second egg that Cassius was now holding over the pan.
“It’s a hack. You get perfectly cracked eggs if you do this.” Shooting me a wink, he opened his fist, and the second egg dropped, cracking into the saucepan. Cassius immediately scooped out the shell, giving Caiden a smug smile. “See?”
Caiden shook his head, the corner of his mouth pulling into a smile, and I marvelled at how different the Four actually were when they were in their own territory, at ease with one another. There was a lightness to them that I would have never imagined would exist if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.
Winter leaned into me. “Are you okay?” she asked softly as the others began to talk amongst themselves, working together to set the island with plates and cutlery, making mugs of tea and coffee as Cassius fried eggs and bacon.
I nodded. “I don’t really want to talk about it, but I wanted to tell you in the interest of transparency.”
She squeezed my arm. “I understand.” Her voice lowered. “But for what it’s worth, I know something about bad parents. My mother…she was awful. I told you about Cade taking a bullet for me last night by accident, so you might as well hear the rest. She was the one to pull the trigger.”
