Brylee and Larkin nodded.
“Maybe Kaleb and I aren’t meant to be together,” Aleena said. Her breath caught painfully in her lungs. That thought made her feel like her heart was being torn from her chest.
“You don’t know that,” Larkin said in a rush. “I just don’t want you to lose him if you love him. I think we all have to make adjustments. We’re all new to this.”
“I should try, at least.”
“All three of us should,” Brylee said.
“I agree,” Larking said. “We’ll all act less needy, and maybe they’ll like us better.”
Aleena picked the doll back up and smoothed her hair. “The last thing I want to do is disappoint Kaleb.”
“We don’t have to make it obvious. When we go downstairs, I say we sit away from the men and maybe call them by their names more,” Larkin suggested.
“Yes.” Brylee nodded. “We all can do this, but we have to be subtle.”
The girls jumped when Darian yelled up the stairs to tell them it was just about time for dinner. They all stood and grabbed each other’s hands and marched down the stairs. When they got to the living room doorway, they paused until they found chairs away from their daddies.
All three sat and waited with their hands in their laps and no expression on their faces.
“What are you doing over there?” Darian asked Larkin.
“I’m sitting waiting for dinner, Darian.”
All three men’s eyebrows rose.
“What’s going on?” Kaleb asked.
Aleena shook her head and tried to smile. “Nothing, Kaleb. We’re just trying to be patient.”
Kaleb narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Aleena looked over at the other two girls. Her shoulders relaxed when they both smiled at her, giving her the support she needed. “I … we want to … be less…” She paused as she tried to think of the right word.
“Needy,” Brylee injected helpfully.
“Who’s says you’re needy?” Gage asked.
“Um, we don’t think anyone said it lately,” Larkin began. “But it’s always a good idea to grow as a person. Don’t you think?”
The other two girls nodded.
****
Kaleb looked at Darian and Gage, confused. He saw the same puzzlement on his friends’ faces, and it made him feel a little better.
“Sir, dinner is served,” Elder said from the doorway.
Darian stood. “Thank you, Elder. Let’s eat. We’ll figure everything out later.”
Kaleb stood and grabbed Aleena’s hand as she passed. Aleena pulled her hand from Kaleb’s grip and walked away.
The three men frowned when all three women trotted into the dining room and took the three chairs on one side of the table.
Darian took the head of the table, and the other two men took the other side, across from the girls. They watched as Larkin started to tuck the napkin in the collar of her shirt, pause, and then drape it over her lap. The other two followed.
Brylee cleared her throat. “May I have a glass of wine?”
Gage shook his head at Brylee. “No.”
Aleena glanced up at Kaleb. “I think a small glass would be refreshing.”
Kaleb’s head was spinning, trying to figure out what had happened to change his little.
None of the girls drank. They all were extremely lightweight when it came to alcohol consumption, and it didn’t take them long to get drunk.
Darian looked at the men. “I don’t think one glass would hurt. Do you?”
Gage opened his mouth to disagree and caught the look and smile on Darian’s face. He nodded when he understood.
If the girls were tipsy, they were more likely to talk about what was going on.
Darian called out to Elder. “Can you get the girls a glass of wine, please?”
Elder’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything. He was back with a tray with three wine glasses and a bottle of wine. “I brought red because it will go with the beef you’re having tonight.” He started to pour Larkin’s and saw Darian indicate to fill the glass. He filled them all to the top and set the wine down by Darian.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
“No, thank you, Elder.”
Kaleb and Gage coughed to cover their laughs when all three sipped at the wine and tried but failed to hide how much they disliked the taste.
Two maids walked into the room and set a bowl of soup in front of each person. The meal lasted for an hour, and in that time, Darian silently stood to walk up behind the girls and topped off their wine without them knowing until the bottle was gone.
The men watched the women slowly get drunk. The more wine they had, the louder they got, and the more they giggled.
“Why don’t we go into the office?” Darian suggested and stood. He snorted, and the other two men chuckled when the women stood, bumped into each other, and fell in a heap of arms and legs to the floor, giggling boisterously.
All three men were there to help get the girls untangled and stand up to their feet.
Aleena pulled away from Kaleb when he tried to wrap an arm around her waist.
“I’m good, Kaleb. I don’t need help.”
Kaleb stood back and watched her walk a little unsteadily into the office.
Gage slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry. We’ll get answers.”
“We better,” Kaleb grumbled and followed the rest into the office. He scowled as he came through the door when he saw the women squished together on one of the big chairs in the room.
Darian handed Kaleb and Gage a glass half-filled with scotch before he turned a chair to face the girls and sat, making himself comfortable.
“Girls.” Darian tried to get their attention. He watched as they struggled to fit in the chair.
Kaleb rolled his eyes. “Aleena, come here,” he demanded.
“No, thank you, Kaleb. I can sit
