Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
Ivy’s eyes widen. “What? She set the building on fire for real?”
Now everyone begins to laugh, except Ivy, who doesn’t have a clue what kind of family she’s gotten herself into. But she’ll learn soon enough. I’ll make sure of that.
Alistair clears his throat. “So … now that we’re all together, who’s up for a family dinner next weekend? Of course, Heath, Max, Elliot, and all the other kids are also invited.”
“Wait a minute, you mean Kai, Nathan, Uncle Felix, and Dylan will be in the same room?” Max asks.
“You got a problem with that?” Lana asks him.
“No, no, not at all.” Max laughs and puts his hands up like he’s calling out a truce. “I just thought it was weird.”
“Why?” Ivy asks curiously.
“Oh, Dylan and Kai, as well as Felix and Nathan have a very violent history,” Max whispers into her ear.
“Nothing to concern yourself with,” I add.
“The past is the past,” Alistair says. “So are y’all coming or what? Atlas, Orion, and Apollo will also be there, Heath.”
“What about Ivy? Is she welcome too?” Max asks.
“Of course, the more the merrier,” Dylan says.
“You’re awfully casual about inviting someone you don’t know,” Alistair says.
“Pfft. Of course, it’s not my house.” Dylan shrugs.
“Where is it, then?” Max asks.
“Torres Casino restaurant. We’ve got the whole floor.”
“Holy shit, Kai and Ares’s casino?” Max mutters.
“I don’t know if I like this idea,” Heath says, folding his arms.
“You should come,” Ivy says, wrapping her arm around his. “I’d like to meet your families.”
“Aw … who can resist that cuteness?” Max rubs his lips together.
Heath rolls his eyes. “Fine, fine, we’ll go.”
Ivy smiles. “I’m glad you changed your mind.”
“You won’t say that after someone pulls out a knife just for being offended,” I say.
“No. No, no.” Alistair raises a finger. “No weapons. No knives, no guns, no machetes, and no baseball bats. Nothing. That’s the rule at the family dinner table.”
I grin. “Who said anything about needing a weapon to inflict pain?”
Mom makes a face. “Felix, remind me to make sure Kai and Ares bought those plastic forks.”
“Your families sure are a violent bunch,” Ivy whispers.
I whisper back, “You don’t even know the half of it.” I grin like the psycho I am. “Welcome to the asylum.”
EPILOGUE
Heath
I sigh and put my phone away. “Why did I even say yes to this?”
Ivy throws her arm around my waist and drags me along. “C’mon, you’ll be fine. It’s just a family dinner.”
“You don’t know our history,” I say.
“My stepdad literally tried to kill me,” she says.
I nod. “Okay, fine, you win in the shitty family category.”
She winks. “Your family loves you. Even if you don’t see it.”
“I’ll just sit it out.” As we make our way to the restaurant, I keep tugging at my clothes. “Jesus, are these suits supposed to feel so tight?”
“No, your muscles are just that big,” Max says, licking his lips like he wants to take a bite out of me even though we’re all wearing the same thing. “You look handsome.”
I grab his chin and make him look even more. “And you look appetizing. Might take a bite out of you later after dinner.”
“Oh …” He blushes. “I’ll be your dessert.”
“Don’t go playing around without us,” Silas says.
“Family time first, then playtime,” Ivy says, winking.
“Playtime? Now you’ve got my attention,” I say, raising a brow as I pull both of them close. “I have a closet full of toys back at home that I can’t wait to use. On both of you. Maybe at the same time.”
“Dude, we’re in a casino. People can hear you,” Silas grits.
“So? I don’t care who sees,” I say, squeezing them against my pecs. “I fucking love these two.”
“Don’t claim her all for yourself,” Silas says, throwing me a look.
“Claim who?”
I come to a full stop from the sound of that voice, my whole body vibrating as though time has ceased to exist.
Cecelia stands in the doorway to the restaurant area, her arms casually folded, her blue-studded dress gleaming like the smile on her face.
“Cece,” I mutter, completely overwhelmed.
“We’ll let you two talk,” Silas says, dragging Max and Ivy away from me.
“Hey, little brother,” Cecelia says, tucking back her curly blond hair. “Missed me?”
“You’re here.” I’m still in disbelief. “How?”
“Mom and Dad begged me to come back. At least for a week or so.”
“Wait … begged?” I frown. “I thought Mom and Dad sent you off to that boarding school.”
She rubs her lips together, then sighs. “I’m sorry, Heath. They were lying to you.”
My fist balls. “Why?”
She averts her eyes. “Because I wanted them to. I asked them not to tell you.”
“What? But that doesn’t make any sense. They shipped you off to that boarding school, right?”
She shakes her head. “No. I went there because I wanted to.”
All this time, I was so angry with my parents for forcing her to go there and not telling me until it was too late. But it was all her idea, and I don’t know how to feel about that.