Owen didn’t say anything. He blinked at me and mostly ate in silence. He had a strong resemblance to Gideon, eyes a little lighter than his black ones, but the same hair color and facial structure. Olivia, on the other hand, had deep-reddish curls but the same brown eyes as her brother.
We ate quietly for a little while, the chicken parmigiana cooked perfectly, and I realized I hadn’t had a home-cooked meal since before Tenny had gotten sick. She’d always made the best dishes. Since she’d passed away I’d been going with whatever I could heat up quickly.
“Penn.” Dean interrupted the silence. “I really do want to thank you for what you did. You didn’t have to do that, and you risked your life. It means more than you know to us.”
I scanned the room. This family, so much love clear on their faces. I’d seen adoration for me in Tenny’s eyes many times through the years. While memories of my biological parents had faded over time, I knew for certain I’d never seen love shine through their eyes at me.
“You’re welcome.” I needed to finish this dinner and get out of this house. The praise, the appreciation, it was nice but unsettling.
All through dinner Gideon’s gaze was on me. I didn’t have to look at him to know; it was burning a hole in the side of my face.
Once dinner was done, I folded my napkin onto my plate and pushed my chair out.
“That was, delicious, Rita. Thank you all for having me, but I do have to get going now.” I stood, and there were a few gasps.
“You can’t leave,” Matteo argued. “Those people are after you. Look at your arms.” I’d pulled my tattered sleeves down, but it didn’t do much good.
“The bad people?” Olivia’s lip trembled. “Are they gonna hurt you some more, Penny?”
Well shit, she called me Penny. I walked to her and kneeled. “No one has ever called me Penny before. Penn is actually short for Pennsylvania.”
“Weally?” Olivia smiled. “Did your mommy name you that?”
I shook my head. “I was raised by a woman named Tennessee; she named me that.”
“You didn’t have a mommy?” Her lip was quivering again.Jesus Christ.
“I’m okay, Olivia. Tenny took care of me.”
I didn’t get a chance to prepare myself, and she lunged at me, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck, and little sobs filled my ears.
“Please don’t go, Penny. Please. I don’t want the bad people to hurt you.”
I looked at the faces surrounding the table, hoping someone would help me with this, but all of them, minus Owen, who was licking sauce from his fingers, were quite smug.
“I don’t live here, Olivia. And I promise I’ll be safe. Don’t worry about me. Besides, didn’t you say I was Batman?”
She pulled away, tears staining her cheeks. “Yeah.”
“So, there you have it.” I gently patted her arm and stood. No one was wearing smug expressions anymore. “I’ll call for a ride share.”
“No.” Gideon stood.
“Gideon, you’re not keeping me here.”
He huffed a laugh. “Believe me, if I demanded it, you would be staying right where you are. But you’re not a hostage. If you want to go, I won’t stop you. But there’s no need to call a ride share. Alex can take you home.”
“Oh.” My skin tingled thinking about him forcing me to stay. His dominance was a vibe that fell off him in waves. “That’s nice, thank you.”
“Gideon,” Dean hissed, but Gideon held up his hand.
“If he wants to leave, he can.” He stepped closer to me, and I craned my neck to see his face. “Alex will give you my phone number. If you have any issues whatsoever, call.”
I could argue, but it was pointless—I wouldn’t need to contact Gideon after tonight.
“Okay.”
Once hugs from Olivia, Rita, and Matteo, and a handshake from Dean and Gideon were done, I left the house with Alex.
