She was still smiling faintly at the exchange when Leo returned, his expression more serious than when he’d left.
“Adara’s fine,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Still asleep with Fizz and Snuggles.”
“But?” Estelle prompted, sensing there was more.
Leo took her hand, his thumb tracing circles on her palm. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
The warm bubble of contentment burst as Estelle sat up straighter, pulling the sheet with her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Leo said quickly. “It’s just...” He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Last night was perfect. You and Adara being here, it feels right.”
Estelle nodded cautiously. “But?”
Leo met her eyes directly. “But I can’t keep my family in the dark much longer.”
Family. The word landed heavily. Estelle’s fingers tightened around the sheet.
See? Too good to be true,she said bitterly.
Wait,her dragon cautioned.Let’s hear him out.
“Your family,” Estelle repeated, the word feeling strange in her mouth.
“The Thornbergs,” Leo said gently. “My parents, my brothers, my cousins. They’re involved in each other’s lives. We’ve always been close. And they notice things.”
“Like when someone suddenly starts spending all their time with a woman and her child,” Estelle said, her voice flat.
“Yes.” Leo squeezed her hand. “I’m not saying we need to make some big announcement. I’m just saying they’re going to realize something’s changed with me. And if I don’t give them some kind of explanation, they’ll start looking for answers themselves.”
The implication was clear and terrifying. More people knowing about her and Adara meant more risk, more exposure, more ways for Margaret to find them.
He’s right, though,her dragon pointed out reluctantly.His family will notice. Better they hear it from him than start digging.
Estelle pulled her hand away, wrapping her arms around her knees. “How many people are we talking about?”
“My immediate family? My parents, five brothers, three of them with mates. Extended family is bigger, aunts, uncles, cousins...”
“And they all know each other’s business,” Estelle guessed.
Leo’s smile was rueful. “Pretty much. It’s not malicious. They just care. Maybe too much sometimes.”
Estelle tried to imagine it, a family so woven into one another’s lives that absence was noticed immediately, that changes were discussed, that someone new would be met with interest rather than suspicion. It was so far from her own experience that it felt almost unreal.
“What would you tell them?” she asked cautiously.
“The truth,” Leo said simply. “That I’ve met my mate. That it’s new and we’re taking things slow because of Adara.”
“And they’d accept that? They wouldn’t push for more?”
Leo’s hesitation told her everything.
“They’d push,” she concluded.
“They’d be curious,” he amended. “They’d want to meet you. Eventually.”
Estelle closed her eyes, imagining a room full of strangers, no, not strangers, Leo’s family. The thought made her feel queasy.
“Tell me about them,” she said finally. “Your family. What are they like?”
