“She’ll tell us when everyone is here.” From her spot at the opposite end of the table, Auntie Gray cocks an eyebrow as if daring anyone to challenge her. “Where are Dane and Bram?”
“Right here.” Two more men, nearly identical to the giants already seated at the table, join us.
Wait. Actually, I’m fairly certain one of themisidentical to Colt. Looking from one to the other, I blink rapidly to clear my vision.
“Nothing wrong with your eyes,” Colt says with a flash of a smile. “We are, indeed, twins.”
Other Colt smiles, but it isn’t quite as wide as his brother’s. He strikes me as a bit more reserved, a bit… darker. “I’m your Uncle Bram, little one.”
Something about the names I’ve been given tickle my brain. “Axel, Bram, Colt, Dane, Elias, Ford, and Gray. Is your mom just a big fan of the alphabet or something?”
As soon as the words slip out of my mouth, I wish I could take them back. On every face I see some variation of the same grief I saw on Axel’s face earlier.
“Sorry. I’m sorry, that was thoughtless of me.”
“It’s all right.” From the end of the table, Ford smiles, though it’s tight at the edges in a way that has guilt twisting in my chest. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I did. Axel told me and I just… wasn’t thinking. I’m really sorry.”
“No more apologies needed, little one,” Colt says, leaning over his twin to squeeze my arm. “We all make mistakes, and you’re probably very overwhelmed right now, huh?”
“A bit, yeah.”
Strong arms tighten around my waist. “She loved musicals.” Axel’s voice is thick with emotion. “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was her favorite. All the brothers are named in alphabetical order, and she thought it would be fun to name us all the same way. She wanted to get to J, but she stopped with Grayson because she said she’d never make anything more perfect than our sister.”
A muscle jumps in Auntie Gray’s cheek before she blinks and clears her throat. “There will be plenty of time for tripsdown memory lane later. Right now I’m more concerned with the present. Namely, as Elias said, how our little niece ended up stranded on the side of the road in nothing but a wedding dress.”
Six sets of eyes turn to me, and it’s all I can do not to squirm on Axel’s lap. To give myself time to adjust to being the focus of all this very dominant energy, I pick up my hot cocoa and sip.
And nearly orgasm right on the spot.
“Holy shit. This isamazing.”
Nearly every gaze that’s locked on me hardens, with the exception of Ford who has to hide a smile behind his mug.
Axel’s voice is a low growl in my ear. “That cocoa will be much less tasty if Daddy has to wash your mouth out again, little girl.”
“Sorry.” Embarrassment heats my cheeks, and I tell myself it’s more from being scolded like a child in front of everyone than the guilt of breaking another rule. “I forgot.”
“If you forget again, you will be going right over Daddy’s knee at this table before you get more soap in your mouth. Understood?”
Leaning into my Little girl role—because why not? If they’re going to treat me like one anyway, I might as well see if I can use it in my favor—I push my bottom lip out in a pout. “I was just trying to compliment Auntie Gray’s cocoa.”
“You can do that without the naughty words, little girl.”
“I’ll try. But it’sreallygood cocoa.”
“Now that we’ve handled our little one’s potty mouth.” Auntie Gray’s tone is dry but amused as she raises a brow in my direction. “Tell us what happened, Melanie.”
“Well… as you can probably guess, I was supposed to get married today. But I didn’t really want to so I said ‘I don’t’ and jumped out a window instead.”
All around the table, Axel’s siblings stare at me with varying degrees of surprise. It’s kind of fun to see, actually, but my amusement is short-lived.
“You didwhat?”
Uh-oh. “Daddy” is not happy.
Clearing my throat, I shift on his lap, refusing to turn and meet his onyx gaze. Not that it matters much when every single man—and woman—at the table has his exact eyes.
