Nate(80)

“Softball, honey.”

“From softball. Or soccer. I don’t care. Hockey. Speak for your goddamn self, Calihan, or better yet…don’t.”

Calihan gasped and shoved her chair, standing up.

I leaned back in mine. “You’re running?”

Her stormy gaze swung my way. “It worked for you last time.”

I stood, but I was slower, calmer. “No, it didn’t. Running hasn’t worked for me at all. I’m standing now, and I’m fighting.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Really? Because from where I’m standing, all I see is Nova’s daddy doing the fighting. You’re standing behind him, letting him do all the work.”

I felt the slap from that, too, but it wasn’t as bad as the others. She was right. I glanced over at Nate, who was watching me carefully.

“She’s right,” I said to him.

“Quincey.”

“Duke is my problem.”

“No.” This one came from Logan, and his tone was firm. “Listen, it was a dick move on my end to invite them. I did it for a reason, and I’ll explain it later. Nate will still be pissed, but he’s been pissed at me before and vice versa. He and I will be fine. But you and your family, you cannot take on your father. Sorry, but you can’t. He’s a special type of animal. Let me and Nate handle him.” He said to Nate, “You know why I called them, and I’m not apologizing for that.”

“We will talk later.”

“I approve, by the way.”

I frowned. What was Logan talking about?

Nate raised his eyebrows. “I can die happy now.”

Logan grinned, leaning back and reaching for his wine. “From an audience standpoint, you’re losing.” He was saying that to Calihan, but then his tone shifted again. It grew colder. “Also, Quincey’s family to Nate now, which means she’s family to me, so when you take her on, you should just assume you’re taking all of us on. Keep being a bitch, and we’ll start coming back for you.” His eyes slid toward Taylor. “Your turn.”

Taylor turned to me, then Calihan. Her eyes had been warm, sparkling before. There was a hauntedness in them now, one that ran deep, and I could feel it inside of me. It was that strong.

I frowned, already wanted to reach out to her, but then she turned to Calihan and spoke. “It’s not my place to say anything, and normally I wouldn’t, but you lost a sister. I’d think you wouldn’t want to lose another.” She held a hand up. “I’m saying that as someone who understands the pain you’re feeling right now. I understand it very well.”

I loved her.

Calihan looked taken aback.

She opened her mouth, scanning the table. Graham was watching me. Britney was watching me.

Calihan was alone. It wasn’t a feeling my sister grew up experiencing a lot.

Not me. That’s almost all I experienced.

A wave of emotion rolled over me, a good emotion.

“Calihan, you can be angry with me for staying away from the family. You can be angry if I hurt Mom, or Graham, or yourself because of my absence. You cannot be angry with me for Valerie’s decision, and if you want to be angry with me for loving Nova, then you and I are done because I will never give her up.”

She sucked in her breath, blinking back some tears. “You weren’t there. You weren’t around—”

“I was, actually. Nova was born, and I reached out. A lot. I was there when Nico tried coming back around.”

Graham spoke up, “She was there when Valerie got one of Nico’s calls.”

Calihan blinked again, weaving backward from the table. “I didn’t know that.”

“You’re mad that Val is gone. Be mad. Fine. That’s part of your grief, I get that. But stop taking it out on Quincey. You know what it’s been like for her living with Duke. You know.”

Calihan looked effectively shut up.

I was ignoring what Graham said, and I was choosing to appreciate Calihan’s silence.

She looked down, and a moment later, she sat down. Reaching for her wine, she held it toward me and gave me a forced smile. “Let’s hear about the new production you’re in, Q. And then I’d like to see any videos or pictures you have of Nova. My aunt card is dying to be punched.”

Logan looked at the guy on his left. “Who are you?”

It lessened the air around the table. Most everyone chuckled, relaxing, but then I glanced at Nate.

Not Nate.

Nate was not relaxed.

Nate was pissed.





43





Nate





We ate.

We drank.

We laughed.

I stewed.

Quincey, Taylor, and Logan all knew I was pissed. The others didn’t, and if they did, I didn’t care.

Once we left and were in the vehicle, Logan opened his mouth.

I shot him a look. “Not yet.”

He closed it and sat back.

We rode back to the house. Taylor and Quincey went inside.

Quincey glanced back, concerned. I shook my head. “We just have something to hash out. I’m sorry he called your family without your permission.”

Logan was waiting in the kitchen.

Quincey grabbed my hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “Go easy. It was a good thing he called them. Calihan and I needed to have that moment. It’ll make it easier to reach out, to be honest.”