Paige is next to enter, thanking me as she walks by—and, my Lord, that woman is gorgeous. Her blonde hair is in a cute bob just below her chin, and she’s so stylish. And when her husband walks past me, nodding politely, I kind of want to laugh because he and Beau look like they would hit it off. Both are covered in tattoos, and both kind of look terrifying, even though they aren’t.
Closing the door before Bampie can scold me, I stand next to Hendrix as everyone chats for a few minutes before heading toward the living room.
We let everyone else go before us, and Hendrix leans down, bringing his lips closer to my ear. “To be honest, I thought your dad was scary, but I think his dad might be worse.”
“Just wait until Papa talks to you,” I mutter, glancing over as his eyes grow wide. “It’ll be fine.” I wink. “Probably.”
Saint comes trotting down the stairs, instantly giving Hendrix a head nod like he’s hot shit, and I shove my brother’s chest as I walk by.
“Nice of you to finally join us, Sainty,” I tease him, knowing he was probably upstairs, talking to some girl.
The kid can’t keep the women away from him—and he knows it too.
“I had to come down and watch Hendrix deal with Uncle B, Papa, Bampie, and Dad.” He starts laughing. “Good luck, dude. You’re gonna need it.”
He’s right. My grandfathers know no bounds. Let’s just hope someone will do something stupid tonight, and that will take the pressure off me and Hendrix.
HENDRIX
“Did you ever think we’d be sitting in a room full of rich people?” Lilly utters to me. “I mean, for real. I kind of feel like if you pinched me, I’d wake up in my old bed at our old house, freezing and hungry.”
Reaching for her leg, I squeeze it, and she fights back a yelp—I’m sure not wanting to bring attention to herself.
“Yeah … no,” I mumble, subtly gazing around the table. “Didn’t see this in my cards—that’s for damn sure.”
“Do you think we’ll ever, like, get used to this?” she whispers quietly. “This wholefamily and holidaysthing?”
I look around the room again, taking in the sounds of all the laughter and different conversations happening at just one table, and I shrug. “I don’t really know.”
“Yeah, me neither,” she says lowly. “But it’s better than the alternative, isn’t it?”
Pulling my eyes from everyone, I look at my sister and give her a small grin. “Yeah, Lil, it sure is.”
She smiles at me because we both know that’s the truth. We may be feeling out of sorts at this table, but we also know that we’re in a much better place than we used to be.
Paige whispers something to Lilly before they smile at each other, and I can tell right away that my sister is comfortable around her and Kolt. Kolt taught my sister how to drive so that she could get her license. He helped her get her first car, though she wouldn’t let him get anything too extravagant because she said it wasn’t needed.
Kolt is the dad she never got to have, and even though I long for that, I’m so glad she has it.
When Paige says something else to Lilly, I glance over, and my eyes meet hers. I’ve always heard you can tell a lot from a person’s eyes, like what kind of person they are, and there’s just something inside Paige’s eyes that confirms she’s good. I can’t explain it, but I know she loves my sister—I can feel it.
Beau and Mila’s kids showed up about ten minutes ago, adding to the chaos, but honestly, I don’t really mind. It’s a little overwhelming, but that’s all right.
“Hey,” Isla whispers next to me, leaning her body closer to mine. “You okay? I know this is probably a lot to take in.”
She isn’t joking; it sure is. But it’s all good because I’m here with her and her family. And my sister gets to be here too.
“Yeah, babe.” I nod. “I’m good.”
My hand finds hers under the table, and I lace our fingers together. It may be loud in here. So loud that I can barely form a thought. But I think I know what this noise is …
I think it’s what a family sounds like. And to be honest, I like it. A lot.
THIRTY-ONE
ISLA
The team gatherson the ice for practice, but Coach isn’t anywhere to be seen. Which isn’t like her—at all.
