blab about something like this.” I crossed my arms. Keeping things from people was kind of a sore spot for me.
“It’s not that we don’t trust her.” Tyler smiled at me warmly. “It’s that it’s safer if she’s kept out of it. For her.”
Grudgingly, I nodded. I’d happened to be right next to Alec when this all happened, but would they have told me had I not been? I had the clearance now. Tyler would certainly have discussed it with me had I pressed for information, but they would’ve probably preferred to keep me out of it, just like Dot. Because it was “safer.”
Well, I was there, and I did hear. I couldn’t undo that. All I could do was focus on the issue at hand and try to be useful if I could be. All I could do was prove they didn’t need to keep hiding things to protect me.
Twenty
I’d been to Dot and Charlie’s house dozens of times. I’d had sleepovers with Dot, been around for dinner, hung out with Olivia and Henry. Yet as we drove in Tyler’s Escalade toward their house, a bit of nervousness still twisted my gut.
Josh took my hand. “What’s going on?”
I glanced toward the front—Ty and Alec were engaged in a soft conversation as Tyler drove through the leafy streets of Bradford Hills.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I’m just a little nervous. It feels really . . . formal or something?”
“It’s just dinner.” Josh squeezed my hand. “There just happens to be more of us tonight.”
We were on our way to Sunday dinner. Lucian and Ethan were being driven in the car behind us, a Melior Group vehicle with armed guards led the way, and one brought up the rear. Jamie and Marcus had to work, but Kyo was going to be there too, representing Dot’s harem for the night. She’d been referring to each of the men as her “boyfriend,” and none of them were seeing other people. It wasn’t uncommon for Variants to be in polyamorous relationships, but whenever I asked her how it was going with them, she insisted they “weren’t putting a label on it.” I called bullshit every time. They worshipped the ground she walked on, and now Kyo was coming to family dinner—shit was getting serious.
When we pulled up, the big metal gates opened to admit the cavalcade of cars, and we drove to the main house.
As the driver of the car behind us lowered Lucian in his wheelchair, we all headed toward the front door. Another pang of nervous uncertainty shot through me—should we knock?
Ethan bounded up the stairs, beating us all there, and let himself straight in. He left the door wide open as he disappeared toward the kitchen, yelling about basting the turkey or something. I chuckled, some of the tension easing. He’d really wanted to do the cooking but had to work on an assignment, and Olivia had ended up having the dinner catered.
We spilled into the large kitchen and dining area, everyone saying hello and hugging. Henry uncorked several bottles of wine, and Alec handed me a glass.
“Thanks.” I smiled and brought it to my lips. I’d never really had wine and wasn’t sure if I liked it, but as the burgundy liquid hit my tongue, I moaned a little in surprise and appreciation.
Alec smirked at me. “I’m starting to think you have expensive taste.”
“Why?” I took another sip.
“That’s a Chateau Margaux Merlot.” When I gave him a blank look, he elaborated. “It’s, on average, one hundred and fifty dollars per bottle, depending on vintage.”
“Holy shit.” My eyes widened at the unassuming liquid in my glass, and Alec took a slow sip of his own.
After a moment I shrugged and kept drinking. I hadn’t grown up with drivers and houses with bedrooms in the double digits, but they had, and there was nothing wrong with enjoying the finer things in life. Galileo knows, we’d all had enough shit to deal with—we deserved it.
“We used to do this every Sunday when we were kids.” Alec had one hand in his pocket, the other holding his wine glass as he looked out over the room of laughing, talking people—our family.
I frowned. “I thought Olivia and Henry didn’t move here until after my mom and I left?”
“They didn’t.” Alec wrapped an arm around my middle in an uncharacteristically sweet gesture, and I melted into his side.
It was Lucian who answered me. He pulled his wheelchair up beside us and gave me a warm smile.