Page 88 of If You Were Mine
I leaned forward and kissed Sophia’s cheek. “I hate it. But I’ll be okay. After all, we all know it could have been worse.”
She reached forward and squeezed my hand, and I looked up into Kyler’s narrowed eyes.
“Something you want to say, little brother?
“I don’t know if I like the fact that so many of you are older than me,” Kyler said with a snort. “And I’m just here to say that I’m glad you’re okay. It must have been scary, not able to get to Harper the way you needed to.”
I swallowed hard as Emily wiped away a tear. “Well, it all works out in the end,” I said, trying to sound far more positive than I felt. But then again, with Wellesley at my side, maybe I could be that positive guy. The guy who just made things make sense.
“Are we having a party in here?” Flynn asked as he stole Emily from Kyler’s arms and hugged her tight.
The two beamed up at each other, and that’s when I knew there was a reason that the two got along so well. They were like two sides of a coin.
With so many years lost between all of us, not knowing that the others existed, it was nice to see the connections forming. I didn’t know all of my siblings well, but I was damn well going to learn them.
After all, I had gotten my second chance, and my third.
“We were just making sure the old man could hobble his way down the stairs,” Kyler said dryly. Sophia smacked him in the chest, and he just smiled.
“Love you.”
“Oh fuck off,” she said, and I burst out laughing.
“I didn’t know you cursed,” I teased.
“Well, you’re just going to have to get to know me. And now, I’m going to go find my husband, because all of you make me insane. And he’s the only calm one.”
“That’s because he’s not related to any of us,” Emily said with a sly smile, and I just laughed and made my way to the door. Kyler reached out and gripped my elbow as I stumbled a bit, and I didn’t even resent him for it.
After all, we were family.
Somewhat learning each other.
We made our way downstairs, and I was grateful that Aston once again had a large enough house for all of us. This one might be on the lake, but it was still enough space for the group.
Ford, along with his husband and wife, Noah and Greer, stood off to the side, laughing at something that Paige was saying. She leaned against her husband Cain, and that’s when I remembered that Noah and Cain were cousins.
Our family was complicated as hell, but that family probably could match us in our craziness.
Sophia was already in Cale’s arms, the two whispering to each other, and I held back a smile at that. They were so damn happy, and since I was just as happy with Wellesley, I couldn’t really make fun of that anymore.
Aston, Blakely, Isabella, and Weston were all in the kitchen, working on wine and appetizers, and since nobody else was helping, I had a feeling that everyone had been kicked out of the room before I’d even come downstairs.
Weston’s brother and twin sisters were also in the living room, speaking with James and Theo. What was funny was that I usually saw Theo more than anyone. He was a chef and owned one of the best restaurants in Denver, and now that I was up in Cage Lake so often, I didn’t get to see him as much. I was going to have to change that though. After all, I missed my brother. I missed my family. I had been hiding from everybody a little too often these days.
“Hey, there you are.”
I looked up as Hudson came forward, a scowl on his face. There was something going on with him, and I had no idea what it was. But maybe one day he’d actually let me figure it out. My family had given me enough time to deal with my own secrets, and then they had badgered me until I told them the truth.
In the end, it hadn’t felt too big of a secret. Because it was just genetics. It wasn’t real. Not in a sense that it should matter to me.
Every single person in this room was my family in some connected way. And that’s all that mattered.
After all, technically I wasn’t blood related to half of the people in this house right now. But I didn’t care about that. Not anymore. And I knew they sure as hell didn’t care.
I was a Cage because of the people in this room, not my mother’s indiscretions, and not the asshole man who tried to raise me and failed.
“What’s up?” I asked Hudson as he came forward.
