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“He’ll be here in about ten minutes,” I replied haughtily. “He’ll see for himself that I’m perfectly fine.”

“Have you told him yet?”

I ground my teeth together, and then bit the inside of my cheek. The alternative was to lash out at my best friend, and I didn’t want to do that. “I’ll tell him when I’m ready, Maddy. Why are you pushing this?”

She pursed her lips, and I got the impression there was something she wasn’t telling me. I narrowed my eyes, and folded my arms across my chest. “What are you not saying?”

Maddy exhaled, and suddenly I noticed that she too looked tired, the bags under her eyes a dead giveaway. I’d been so consumed with my own issues that I didn’t stop to notice that my best friend was obviously dealing with something too. I thought about Jackson, but thought better of asking Maddy if he was the reason she was so strung out.

“Alex told me you guys bumped into Vaughan and his new girlfriend.”

The term ‘girlfriend’ made my stomach twist, and it felt as though my lungs were being squeezed.

“And?” I tried to play it off. It didn’t work.

“He said you were acting strange, and when he asked you who Vaughan is he thought you were lying.”

The twist in my stomach gave way to something else, something else more palpable.

Anger.

I was angry.

I’d known Alex for two weeks, if that, and he was acting like a jealous boyfriend. And Maddy was interfering.

“Is that why you’ve been pushing me to give him a shot? Because he’s jealous of Vaughan?”

Maddy went quiet, but I was too tired to put the pieces together right then. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Alex was out of line, Vaughan was nobody, and Maddy was trying to distract herself from her own problems by focusing on mine.

“Does he know about your Mom?”

I froze, and the anger surging through me continued to simmer. “No. Talking to him about my accident is one thing, but talking to him about my Mom is another. We’re not talking about this anymore. Feel free to let Alex know when he gets here, since you two are such good friends now.”

So much for not lashing out at my best friend.

THE DRIVE TO my Dad’s house was awkward. Maddy decided to go in her own car, and I was barely hiding my irritation with Alex. I didn’t blame him or Maddy entirely - I was all over the fucking place — but I didn’t need him calling her every time he was insecure. Because that’s what it was, right? He was worried about Vaughan for some asinine reason, even after I told him he wasn’t anyone important. I should have been nervous about Alex meeting my family, because five overbearing Davis men was no laughing matter, but I wasn’t at all concerned about whether or not they liked him. Or whether or not he got along with them.

I just felt…disconnected.

The introductions were stilted, and the only person who made an effort with Alex was Connor. But to be fair, they knew each other already. I stuck to Natalie’s side for the first part of the evening, but then Vaughan, Daniel and Callie arrived, and my evening took a nosedive into hell. Staci and Aiden were there too, and my Dad took more of a liking to Staci than he did to Alex. Fortunately, I was on my third glass of wine, and stopped caring. Of course my brothers noticed, and so did my Dad. No one said anything though, because they knew. They felt it too, the loss that always seemed to fill our home and family at this time of the year. So they kept quiet.

Callie laughed at something Alex said, and I noticed Maddy watching me. I turned my attention back to Natalie, who was talking to Staci about the baby. Liam and Aiden were talking to Connor and Vaughan, while Daniel sat content watching the rest of us.

We were almost done with dessert when we heard the front door open, and then shut. I frowned at my Dad. “Are you expecting anyone else?”

He stood up, shaking his head, and then I heard Maddy gasp. I looked up, and Jackson was standing in the open entrance to our dining room.

He cleared his throat. “What did I miss?”

He was dressed in jeans, combat boots, and a jacket. He also looked a little thinner, his beard hiding his angular jaw. It was my brother, but it also wasn’t. My Dad was the first to greet him, and then Aiden and Liam. Connor greeted him last, and when Jackson saw Natalie, he hugged her, and whispered a ‘congratulations’. My Dad must’ve told him about the baby.

He greeted Vaughan, and Callie - I had no idea he knew her? - And then did a fist bump with Daniel. The only people he had yet to talk to were me and Maddy. He caught my eyes, and I gave him a small smile, letting him know that I wasn’t upset with him anymore. Maddy, however, stayed silent, but I could see in her expression that she was struggling to keep her composure.

“Sit,” my Dad instructed. “I’ll grab you a plate.”

Jackson lifted his hand. “Thanks, Dad, but I’m not staying. I came to see Nat and Connor, and check in with you, let you know I’m back.”

He was talking to our Dad, but his eyes stayed fixed on Maddy.