having this discussion.” Joe tilts his head back. “I want to make sure that you all are in agreement with meeting this young woman and possibly bringing her into the family. If she wants that.”
“She’s our sister,” Felise says. “Of course we agree.”
“What if we hate her?” Magan asks.
Solid point, in my opinion.
“We won’t hate her,” Felise says confidently. “She seems lovely.”
Magan’s mouth turns down in a doubtful dip.
“Trace?” Joe looks at me.
“I… I really don’t think I should have a say in this.”
“You’re family. What do you think?”
“I think you should meet her.” That part I’m unequivocal on. “Then you’ll have a better idea of what kind of relationship you want with her.”
Joe nods. Then he turns to his wife. “Cassie?”
Learning that her husband has a child from another relationship must have been a shock to her. But her voice is steady when she says, “I already told you… of course you must meet her. And I’d be happy to welcome her into our family.”
“I love you.” Joe kisses Cassie.
She touches his face. “I love you too.”
“Okay.” Joe looks around at all of us. “I’ll arrange to meet her myself. Maybe for lunch or something. And if she’s agreeable, I’ll invite her to meet all of you.”
Holy shit. This is… whacked. Sure as hell not what I was expecting when they invited me over.
What does this mean for me? I’m not really family. But this girl is.
Then I’m ashamed of my selfish reaction. My place in this family has always been a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Not because of Joe or Cassie—they’ve been nothing but welcoming even when I was an asshole. Not even because of Felise or Magan. They’re like my pesky little sisters who could annoy the hell out of me, but they’ve never once made me feel like I don’t belong.
It’s all in my head. The feeling that I owe them. That I don’t deserve to be part of this family after what I did. That I have to prove myself worthy of being one of them. The fear of failing at that and losing them.
Cassie presses her hands to her cheeks. “Well. This has all been unsettling. Is anyone hungry?”
I grimace. I forgot all about the promised dinner and have sort of lost my appetite.
“I’ll make pizza!” She jumps up and whisks away into the kitchen.
“Is she okay?” I ask Joe in a low voice.
He nods. “She’s amazing.”
Whew.
He stands too and follows Cassie to the kitchen.
“How about you two?” I look over at the twins.
“I’m good,” Felise says. “I’m kind of excited, actually.”
Magan’s not so cheery. “I’m freaked out,” she admits. “This is bizarre.”
“What about…” I pause. “She’s half Rucker.”
Magan nods, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. “Yeah. Does she even know she’s a witch?”
“I don’t know.” Felise tilts her head. “I guess we’ll find out.”
This could be a disaster.
“Pizza’s ready!” Cassie calls.
“That was some quick conjuring,” Felise mutters as she pushes herself up out of the chair.
I grin and follow the girls to the kitchen. Now the air is scented with Italian spice and garlic and three large pies sit on the big island. Cassie sets a stack of plates beside them.
“Help yourselves!” she urges us.
Recognizing the determined cheer in her voice, I walk up to her and put my arms around her.
She leans into me for a moment, hugging me back. “You’re a good boy, Trace.”
Shaking my head, I move back. “A boy? Come on.”
She laughs and hands me a plate.
We fill our plates with pizza and Caesar salad and sit at the big dining table.
“I need a beer,” Joe says. “Who else?”
“I’d love a big glass of wine,” Cassie says. “Really big. Huge.”
He grins. “Trace? Beer?”
“Why are you asking him before us?” Felise demands.
“You live here. Get your own drink,” Joe replies.
She makes an outraged noise, and I laugh.
“I’m kidding. What do you want? Red? White?”
“Rosé.”
“Jesus,” Joe mutters. “Do we even have that?”
“We do because I bought a bottle the other day,” Felise replies. “Never mind.” She twirls her finger, and a glass of pink wine appears in front of her.
Magan shrugs and does the same.
“What’s new at the Charming Chalice?” I ask Felise and Magan.
They own a small shop in Uptown that sells crystals, spell oils, incense, poppets, herbal ingredients, candles, and a bunch more stuff.
“We’ve started selling spell kits,” Magan says. “For those who can’t or don’t want to write their own spells.”
“Huh.”
“The kits have everything you need,” Felise adds. “They’re really popular.”
“That’s great.”
I’m proud of