I’m elated that I get to be included in their mayhem instead of simply witnessing it. That and the wine flush my cheeks as I laugh. “Well, I’ll have to send my share of banning texts, I guess.”
Celeste flutters her thick lashes as she huffs a small chuckle. “Liam will appreciate that. He likes to harass the house with group chats.”
“No doubt,” Ivy says before singing her request for more of the goods. “I bet Ty is romantic.”
I glide my finger along the rim of my glass and bite back aboastful grin. “For sure. I mean, our time has been brief. Although, because we’ve been around each other for years, it feels like longer. And he’s already doted on me: cooking, ordering my favorite foods, making my coffee the way I like, drawing me a bubble bath, buying me a guitar that is more than an instrument—it’s a relic of one of my idols. And you’ve both seen my collection, so you know that, to me, a vintage guitar is better than gold. Even if he didn’t realize the significance, he knew it would be special to me. He gets my music obsession, and he encourages me to talk about my mom.”
They spout responses as we all sip our wine, but the mention of my mother has me switching gears because I think Ty is withholding something, and everything has happened so fast that I haven’t been able to corner him about it.
“That day in my room, why did you give me the phone?”
Ivy doesn’t falter; she jumps right in. “I didn’t like your brothers keeping you from us. It was a tough spot for me to be in because I respect them, care about them. But we love you. We all do, and I needed you to know we’d be there for you, that you could always count on us.”
I love that answer, but they were both in that room with my brothers, discussing my ancestry, which they hid from me.
“You respected them enough to hide that I wasn’t a Noire and loved me enough to give me a phone should I need to call you,” I allow, but I tack on the part that hurts. “But didn’t respect me enough to tell me the truth or insist that they did?”
“We did encourage them to tell you the truth,” Celeste interjects, swirling her cabernet. “Multiple times. Well, I kept my mouth shut because I’m still new to them. But the rest did.”
That aligns. I remember Gage saying they should tell me. That’s when he mentioned Jax and me finding out if we got sick, which is what led me to search medical records.
“It wasn’t our secret to tell, Rena.” Ivy rolls her lips in, guilt coasting over her freckled skin. “That’s why I gave you the phone. Ididn’t want to get in the middle. To reveal things or break their trust. That was the best way I could show up for all of you.”
“Okay,” I concede because she really was in a bind. “But now, if I’m truly part of your family, your secrets are mine. Right? So, tell me what the deal was or what I don’t know about the fire.”
Ivy’s face twists in indecision as she grasps my hand. “You are part of our family, but this conversation is best had with Axel. He loves you so much. I couldn’t live with myself if I answered questions that should be directed to him and tore you two apart.”
Irritation flares in my veins even though I understand where she’s coming from. “Does Ty know?”
Celeste fields that, but her response skirts the truth. “He wasn’t in that part of the meeting with us.”
That’s not ano. So, he’s still hiding things from me. Possibly for the same reasons as Ivy. It’s noble. I love that they care about my family. And Ty and I haven’t had much time together, so maybe he’ll spill eventually.
As I’m taking a deep breath to center myself, a commotion filters out to us. Booming voices meld together into an angry racket, and my throat grows dry. I dash for the source of the uproar, the girls both keeping pace. Celeste is the first to gauge the situation, immediately retreating toward Felicity’s room. Ivy grabs my hand as we emerge to find all five of my irate brothers shouting at Ty, who is clearly distressed, while Liam, Gage, and Wells surround him.
“What the fuck do you mean, you’ve been here with her for days?” Axel growls.
That’s bad. He’s usually the calm and collected one.
I rush for him, wrapping my arms around his waist, which instantly softens his features.
He hugs me back, a ragged breath billowing out. “I’ve been out of my mind, Rena.” He grabs my face to tilt it up to him, and his sapphire eyes glisten with hurt. “God, if anything had happened to you …”
“I’m sorry.” Tears drip down my cheeks. The sight of his pain is disarming. “I needed time to process things. I didn’t mean to—”
Ryker’s bellow eclipses my apology. “You were stowed away here with her? For days. Are you fucking my sister, Ty?”
Axel winces, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fucking hell.”
Maddox, Cash, and Jax all utter similar expletives. No doubt that none of them want that image in their brains. Ryker is not known for tact or beating around the bush, but it’s still a shock to the system.
“I married her,” Ty provides.
And the world stops spinning. No one moves or breathes or responds for three agonizing beats.
In a swift second—one slow-motion heartbeat—Axel peers at me for confirmation and stomps toward Ty, issuing a punch to his jaw. Ty does nothing to block it. He just takes it, his head flying backward as he shuffles his feet to maintain his balance.
“Axel. Stop!” I screech.
