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I swear our woman sags in relief. Was she worried we were going to bring up the night we shared at Club Ecstasy? That is not a conversation we’re going to have in front of our parents. Hell fucking no.
I give her a chin lift when she glances at me, and Lachlan is staring at her so hard that she’s actively avoiding his gaze. I don’t blame her; our oldest brother can be intense and right now all his energy is directed toward her.
“Everyone has been very nice and welcoming,” she gives the most placating answer possible, but we’ll take it.
“You can come to us if you have any issues,” Lachlan practically growls at our woman.
Fire flashes in Lennon’s eyes as she looks him over. It’s a split second of seeing beyond the façade she has in place and my cock takes notice instantly. I do not need a fucking hard-on during family dinner, but it was inevitable being this close to her.
“I’m sure I won’t have any issues,” Lennon spits the words and the implication that she won’t be coming to us is clear as fucking day. She gives him a tight smile, maybe to soften the blow or to make it seem like a normal interaction, but it’s awkward as hell. Dad and Abigail don’t seem to notice; maybe they don’t want to. “I’ve made friends with Gia. She’s great.”
“She is. There’s a reason she’s the building’s receptionist. She’s a terrific way to introduce clients to the business,” I interject because I want her eyes on me again.
Lennon nods. “We’re going out this weekend,” she blurts the words and then blushes slightly like she didn’t mean to say it out loud.
Lachlan clenches his jaw, but he doesn’t say anything. It’s for the best. We all know Gia is in a happy relationship. At least she’s not making friends with one of the single women in the office who will take her out to try and find some dick. That shit isn’t happening.
“Dinner’s ready,” Abigail interrupts and nods toward the food on the kitchen island. “Grab something and take it to the table so we can eat.”
I hop up along with my brothers and pick up a platter. Lennon hesitates and I see something like regret or maybe resentment cross her features. It makes me wonder if it’s because of the ease we have with her mom, but what did she expect?
As we sit around the table, an uncomfortable feeling settles around us. I can see how much Abigail and dad want to push through the awkwardness, but I don’t think there’s any way around it.
As the food is passed around and we start to eat, the conversation is stilted and slow. I know why. We all know why. Well, Dad and Abigail know most of the reason.
They have no idea my brothers and I were balls deep inside of our stepsister only days ago.
It’ll eventually come out because we aren’t giving up on having Lennon as ours. She’s supposed to be in our lives, and it has nothing to do with our parents being married. She’s the woman we are supposed to spend the rest of our lives with.
It’s going to take her some time to get on board with everything. We’ve already spent years waiting for her to move. We can wait a little while longer to prove to her what we already know to be true.
Dad, trying to take some of the pressure off those of us at the table gives Abigail a soft smile and announces, “Now with Lennon in town and taking her place at the company, we’ve started to make plans for our first trip this summer.”
Lennon gives her mom a huge smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “That’s great,” she chirps. “Where are you going? What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to go for two months at first,” he tries to assure us, as if we’re worried. Maybe Lennon is, but I’m not and I know my brothers aren’t as well. “That way we can come back and assess how everything went and then make real plans for when I can fully retire from Winston Realty.”
“Our first trip is going to be a river tour in Europe,” Abigail is pretty much bouncing her seat and Lennon shoots her an indulgent look.
The rest of the dinner is spent talking over our parents’ travel plans. They deserve this time. We all know it and we won’t be standing in their way.
Not even Lennon who clearly isn’t sure about being here or about staying. She doesn’t have to say it. We all know she’s thinking it, but we’ll ignore it.
For now.
I can’t wait until we get the chance to confront Lennon about the night we spent together and what we want from her in the future. She’s going to push back, but she has no idea who she’s up against.
Lachlan won’t be able to stand it. He’s going to want to make this right between us and then do whatever he feels necessary to bring her into our lives. Permanently.
I sit back in my chair and watch Lennon as she tries to stay present in the conversation and be excited for her mom. She has no idea how fucking beautiful or adorable she is right now.
She’ll know soon enough.
Then we won’t let her forget.
CHAPTER 7
LACHLAN
