“Mrs. Goode,” Felix grinned, his whole face lighting up. “You haven’t aged a day.”
Mom snorted, but let him go. “Charming as ever,” she said. “Always hoped that’d rub off on Kieran, but…”
“Hey,” I said, holding the flowers toward her. “Felix brought these for you.”
“See? He’s my most civilized son,” she said.
Morgan brought her flowers literally all the time—but then, he was a florist.
Meanwhile, Felix looked like he was going to pass out from shock at being called Mom’sson. She’d always called him her fourth son when we were little, but it’d been in a gentle, teasing kind of way.
Now, it meant so much more. Even forme, it meant a lot to hear.
I hadn’t realized how much I still missed Felix until I saw him again. Hearing Mom treat him like family, as though no time had passed at all, felt great.
“I’ll get a vase for these,” Mom said, taking the flowers. “Make yourself at home, Felix.”
“Thank you.” Felix grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and then turning to me. “You look good,” he said, glancing up and down.
I was wearing halfway decent, intact, unstained jeans and a button-down today.
Carter had already given me hell over it, but he’d eventually admitted that Ididlook good.
“Thanks,” I said, hoping the rush of heat to my cheeks wasn’t showing. WhenCartersaid it, I’d been relieved.
Felix saying it felt different. Maybe because I hadn’t seen him in so long.
“Come into the kitchen? Everyone else is in there,” I said, holding my arm out to let him go ahead of me.
“Holy shit,” Morgan said as soon as Felix walked into the room, staring wide-eyed at him. “Have you somehow broughtF. G. Harristo lunch?”
Shit.
“I know that name,” Carter said. “Where do I know that name from?”
“He writes those books,” Morgan enthused, staring at Felix like he was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen. “TheHearthfireseries, you know the one. With those covers.”
Felix backed up a step, colliding with my chest and then jumping as he did.
I curled both hands around his shoulders, steadying him and squeezing tight.
I hadn’t expected anyone to recognize him. Well, I’d expected Mom, Aiden, and Devin to recognize him, but notMorgan.
Or Carter, for that matter.
“Right, I remember picking one of those up in a bookstore. Love those covers.”
“Really?” Felix asked, obviously surprised.
Carter blinked. “Uh. Should I… not… like the covers…?”
“No, I just, umm. It’s fine. It’s. I’m actually not used to being recognized, it doesn’t happen a whole lot. I’m sorry, I’m being weird.”
“No, we’re being weird,” Devin said, pushing the chair across from him out with his foot. “Sit down, you’re family.”
With my hands still on Felix’s shoulders, I felt the tension melt out of him at that. Mouthing a silentthank youto Devin, I gave Felix a nudge over to the table, pulling his chair out the rest of the way for him and sitting down next to him.
“Sorry,” Morgan said, clearing his throat. “Just surprised to see you walk in here. I guess you’re Felix?”
