Blythe slides into the seat next to me, and I throw my arm around her shoulders.
"Well, this is normal," Nolan says.
Dax tries not to laugh. "Hey, I'm Dax. I think we met last year."
"Yeah, I remember you guys. I'm Blythe."
Saige crosses the room with Arcadia at her feet, setting plates in front of me and Blythe first before returning for two more. I can tell Blythe is confused about what's going on—not only because she didn't expect me to ask her to stay, but because of Saige's weird mannerisms and uncomfortable presence.
I'm sure she can tell something is off here. I kind of like that, too.
Saige sneaks a piece of toast to Arcadia before bringing plates over for Dax and Nolan. "If the dog shits all over the floor, Saige, you're cleaning it up," I tell her.
She shrugs, still refusing to look in my direction, and before she leaves the table, Dax grabs her by the wrist. "Hey…" He pauses, and I watch him rub the inside of her wrist with his thumb, waiting for her to look at him. "Have you eaten anything, Saige?"
She shakes her head. "I'm fine."
He pulls her onto his lap. "I can hear your stomach. You've got to eat, baby."
"Dax…I don't…"
But he ignores her, cutting his toast and then holding out the first bite for her to take. "I'm not asking, princess. I'm telling you."
I know Saige doesn't want to sit on Dax's lap and let him spoon-feed her. Hell, everyone at this table probably knows that—including Dax. But she does it anyway, opening her mouth and slowly taking the fork into her mouth without looking at any of us.
And somehow, my dick swells again. I wish I were wearing anything other than grey sweatpants right now.
Dax smiles, then takes the next bite for himself. "Mmm, this is really good."
"It is really good," Blythe says. "Thank you for breakfast…Saige, right?"
Saige nods as Dax feeds her another bite.
"You're meeting the family today, Blythe," Dax says. "This is Elias's little sister."
"Oh, wow," Blythe says. "Really? How cool. I didn't realize you had a sibling here."
"I'm not his sister," Saige says, her tone dripping with animosity. Blythe doesn't miss it, and I can tell she's even more confused about the dynamic.
But what do I care? At least I get to watch Saige squirm…even if it is on Dax's lap.
"She's my stepsister," I explain.
Saige turns, wrapping an arm around Dax's neck and then whispering something in his ear.
"Yeah, go ahead," he tells her.
She gets up, grabs her backpack from the barstool, and then heads for the front door. "I have a class at nine," she says to no one in particular. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Saige," Dax says when she's halfway out the door. She stops to listen to him. "Make sure you eat lunch, okay? Everything's fine."
She doesn't answer before pulling the door closed behind her.
I shouldn't be all that surprised to see him going soft for her. Dax doesn't actually care about anyone aside from Nolan, but he likes feeling needed by desperate people. I've watched him over the years, taking home shiny, broken things and keeping them warm in his bed until he tires of them, and then putting them back in worse condition than he found them, completely unfazed.
After this weekend, Saige is definitely desperate and broken. But he won't work on her.
Nolan finishes first, leaving for his run, and the three of us finish our breakfast in uncomfortable silence, clearing the table ourselves since I can't make Saige do it for us.
