Just like Dad.
“And it looks like it just got a little bigger,” Bryden replies with the same warm smile still on his face.
“Mm,” I mumble as I lower my eyes to the floor.
“You two are just in time to join us for lunch. Sandwiches okay?” he asks as he motions for us to follow him into the kitchen.
There’s a girl standing there with her back to us making the largest pile of sandwiches I’ve ever seen. In a weird way, it makes me grateful that it’s just Richter and I because there’s no way I would have as much patience as she seemingly does right now.
“Xoe,” Bryden greets the girl. “Sweetheart, say hello to Richter and Skylar.”
When she turns around, I feel a pang of jealousy swell inside of me. She greets us with the same smile as her… um, father? And she’s damn beautiful too.
It’s when I take a step closer to Richter and manage to wriggle my hand from his grip to slide it around his waist. Her eyes take us both in, but they linger longer on him, and while I’m not entirely happy about the situation our legacy has bestowed upon us, I won’t let him leave me.
Not for her.
Not for anyone.
But my brother glances down at me with a curious smile on his face, then drapes an arm around my shoulders before he turns his grin back toward Bryden and Xoe.
“So, we meet again,” he jokes lamely with her.
She returns his grin and nods as Bryden watches the exchange from where he’s now leaning against the counter.
When our eyes meet again, I bite my lower lip and look away.
He’s so much older than us, almost Dad’s age when we were born, that I find it hard to believe that even Luke Greene was able to keep a secret like this for so damn long.
“Lunch will be ready soon, Daddy,” Xoe says to Bryden after she tears her eyes away from Richter. “I’ll have them on the table shortly.”
“Thank you, Xoe,” he replies with a smile as he pushes himself away from the counter. She takes a step toward him, anticipating a reward of sorts, and when he gives her arm a squeeze, I can see the hope deflate inside of her like a balloon.
Maybe he’s a Greene after all, I think with an eyeroll as we follow him into his family’s living room.
“My son Casey will be along shortly. He’s just finishing up his chores then he’ll join us,” Bryden tells us with a smile as the rest of us sit down to eat. I glance around the table, stealing quick glances at everyone, wondering how it’s possible to be so damn happy, but sigh when I notice Cleo isn’t here.
“Ah,” Bryden says with a knowing nod when he notices my demeanor. “Heather, can you please fetch Sierra and Cleo? They’ve got sandwiches waiting for them here.”
I look excitedly at Richter who takes a deep breath when our eyes meet. I can see the hope starting to shine in his eyes and I know that we’re sharing the same thought.
Maybe if she sees us both together, she’ll remember.
He rests a hand on my thigh as the Heather girl gets to her feet and leaves the room.
“Skylar?” Bryden begins thoughtfully. “Tell me something about yourself. I’m very interested in getting to know my family, and I hope you feel the same way.”
I turn my attention toward him as I push my plate away and fold my arms on the tabletop. I can see the momentary flicker of anger in him at me rejecting his ‘lunch’ but when he clears his throat, it’s gone as quickly as it showed up.
“There’s not much to say if I’m being honest. It’s just Richter and me. We live in our Dad’s house and have been alone for a lot longer than I think either of us care to be.”
I don’t mean to sound as snappy and bitchy as I do with my last words, but if Cleo recognizes me, I have every intention of getting her out of this home. I won’t let her come with me and Richter, but maybe I can find a place where people like her are all the same and she can be taken care of by someone with the qualifications to do so.
Bryden raises his cup to his lips, his eyes holding mine the entire time, and when he sets it down, I can see the flicker of Dad again.
It seems like there’s a war raging inside of him at my behavior and if Luke wins, we’re all fucked.
Which, of course, happens to be the Greene family way.
“So, Bryden,” I reply in a mockingly cheerful voice. “Tell me something about yourself. I mean if we’re family and all, you should at the very least be willing to share. In every sense of the word, of course.”
He lets out a good-natured chuckle as he sets his cup down, and with the shake of his head, picks up his sandwich and takes another bite.
I grit my teeth but do my best not to show my frustration on the surface.
Once he sets his sandwich back down on his plate, he reaches for a napkin to wipe his mouth. This game of cat and mouse I intended on playing isn’t working out as well as I thought it would. I keep dangling the damn bait in his face and while he shows signs of falling for it, he’s managed to keep his composure throughout.
Fine, I think, let me try something else.
“So, who’s your mother?” I ask him in the same mocking manner. “It can’t be Darby. Know how I know? Because our mother would never leave any of her children behind.”
Bryden smiles as he leans over and whispers something into Xoe’s ear before leaning back in his chair again. Still no answer, no slip of the
