“Yeah, but they weren’t you. I only liked you,” Devon says.
“I’d never kissed anyone before that night,” Elijah admits. “I was a bit socially awkward.”
I blink up at them, unsure of what to do, but Elijah fixes that and spoons another mouthful of his delicious dessert into my mouth.
I can’t speak; I can barely think. I swallow hard.
“I was your first?”
Devon laughs. “Don’t be so shocked. You were wild and my best friend’s younger sister and absolutely gorgeous, and we were caught in your gravity.”
“I was all legs and a complete disaster.”
“You were adorable and full of fire.”
I blink up at them. “My fire’s out.”
“No, it’s not. You just have it hidden.”
The front door opens, and I hear Dad singing La Vie En Rose. He has always loved that song, said it reminds him of the day he met my mother. He spins Mum into the lounge room, twirling her round and round. They don’t even look at us; they just spin, eyes locked on each other.
I sit still, wondering if they will even notice us. When I was little, I thought it was embarrassing, and when I got older, I was slightly mortified by how much I envied them.
Now, it’s just another part of home that I have missed more than I can believe. Dad hums another song while Pops leads my siblings inside. The volume of the house turns up to a hundred, and Ivy and Daphne come over and steal Danger out of my arms, not even blinking at Elijah who is still sitting on me.
Sebastian walks in and starts arguing with Imogen. I sit back on the couch because, in all the chaos, Dad is still slowly shuffling Mum aroundthe room singing to her, and she’s completely oblivious to the world around them.
“That is an incredible skill,” I say quietly, thinking no one is listening.
Devon leans in and kisses the side of my head. “Perhaps one day it can be you blocking out the world with a sexy alpha singing to you.”
I shake my head, not believing him, but I can’t look away from my parents. Elijah stands up, and I sit forward.
Dad stops and sings the last line of the song, dipping her elegantly. When he pulls her up, she wraps her arms around his neck, and they kiss.
Mack strokes his hand down my back. “You can have it anytime you’re ready.”
I don’t know what he means, but it doesn’t matter. That’s not true. I know what he means; it’s just impossible. Suddenly, I have a thought. I know what to do; I know how to help fix me.
“I want to go cliff diving.”
Elijah chokes.
“Well, there we go. Hello, Rebel,” Devon purrs.
“How about tomorrow we spend the whole day doing all the things that Sofia would have done?” Mack suggests.
“Some of the things. There are a lot of things I am not prepared to do anymore. I’m not crazy.”
“I’ve heard some stories of what you got up to. Is there anything you’d like to share?” Mack teases.
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“Mmm hmm, we can talk about it all later.”
“No, we can’t.”
“Yes, we can.”
