Chapter Fifty-Five
Grace
“Ilove cheese,” Riley commented, as she helped herself to some off Evan’s plate.
We were now on the cheese course, where we each got a tiny wooden board filled with tiny cheeses along with some fruit, nuts, and honey.
“I don’t remember what present course we’re on, but here’s mine.” Jett handed me a small red box with gold ribbons.
“Thank you. Present course?” I took the box. So many presents. I felt spoiled.
“I feel like we should be giving you a present with each course? But we got distracted,” he admitted.
It had been scary enough to discover there was an active shooter at Briar. Creed had been beside himself because that just wasn’t something that happened here.
While the professor was okay, the idea that someone was looking for me, so they went for him, made guilt churn in my belly.
I opened the box, revealing a pendant–a peach carved out of jade.
“Jett, it’s beautiful. Thank you,” I breathed, wishing I could lean in for a kiss. Later.
Brennan looked bashful. “I suppose I’ll give you yours as well?”
Did they all have something for me? He handed me a small blue box.
“Is that from Stephanie’s?” Riley’s eyebrows rose as she stole more of Evan’s cheese.
“Yes. They do nice engraving,” Brennan replied.
Riley and I had browsed all the beautiful things there, and she’d told me that she really wanted a tiara from there for her excellent eighteenth.
Taking off the lid of the blue box, I saw a gold bracelet with music notes engraved. Knowing Brennan, I studied the notes for a moment, humming them.
Oh? I hummed them again. Oh.
“Are these the opening bars of the third movement of Kirkorov’s 4th?” It was pretty much my favorite piece here, though I loved Volkov.
Brennan beamed. “It is.”
“Thank you.” Yet another thoughtful present.
Spencer helped me put the necklace on while Wes slid the bracelet on my wrist.
“I might as well give you yours.” Evan handed me a little tissue-wrapped packet, as the server cleared the plates.
Undoing the tissue, I found an incredibly detailed bracelet of seed beads made into mauve and peach flowers and green vines, with letters spelling out peaches.
“Did Rose make this? It’s so pretty.” It probably took her a ton of time, too. I held it out so that Wes could put it on my wrist, too.
“She did,” Evan replied.
The server brought dessert. “A trio of mini desserts–a tropical fruit pavlova, strawberry chocolate mousse cake, and a fig tart.”
The sommelier brought our last course of drinks.
“These dishes are all so fucking cute. We should have shit like this when we play doll tea party.” Riley took another photo.
“That sounds lovely. Taste.” Spencer held the tiny tart up to my mouth.
The delicate combination of tastes exploded across my tongue. We finished our desserts.
“I have the last gift,” Spencer finally said, handing me an envelope.
I opened it. Inside was a picture of a peach and white swirled soft serve cone.
“Princess Peaches, a delicate combination of fresh summer peaches with bourbon vanilla?” I read off the description next to the photo.
“Spencer, did you just name an ice cream flavor after her?” Wes gave him a look.
“I did. Thank you for the idea–and the flavor name. It will be a new, permanent flavor in the cafeteria. Don’t worry, we’ll still have the same number of rotating flavors,” Spencer added to Riley.
My heart burst. “That is amazing. Thank you.”
Spencer’s lips met mine. “I know all you want is love and ice cream. Now you have both.”
I didn’t miss how he smirked at Wes, who rolled his eyes.
“You didn’t all have to give me presents. Thank you so much, I feel so loved,” I told them.
Wes focused on me. “As you should. Every single fucking day. Because you’re our peaches and we love you with all our hearts.”
The server brought us some candy and the bill.
“Should we go home?” Brennan stood and helped Evan up.
“Dibs on Peaches tonight.” Evan reached over and tagged me.
“That’s not how it works.” Wes made a face.
I thought for a moment. “Why choose? Can’t I just have you all?”
“Um, children present,” Riley snorted as we went out front to wait for the valet to bring our vehicles.
Spencer draped an arm over my shoulders. “Did you like it, Darling?”
“I loved it.” I pulled him down for a kiss.
“Grace, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” A man rushed over to me.
“Who are you?” Spencer snarled, pulling me close, with Wes at my side.
“What are you doing here, Abel?” The air whooshed out of me. What the actual fuck?
Abel was the middle of my three brothers I’d been raised with and four years younger than me. I hadn’t seen him since the day he and Solomon had come to my university, stolen my truck, and trashed all my things, after I’d defied Rosalind and left for my new PhD program.
Puzzlement flashed in his blue-grey eyes. My eyes. Rosalind’s eyes.
“You shouldn’t be here. If they catch you, it won’t be a good thing.” I had no idea if Abel inherited Rosalind’s designation. While I didn’t really like him, I didn’t want the Office of Designation Management to get a hold of him either.
“Catch me? What are you talking about? We’ve been looking for you. You’re hard to find.” His voice was so sincere that one could almost believe him.
If not for two minor details. We’d grown up on another world, and he smelled of neutrons.
I could feel all the confusion through the bonds with my guys.
“You were just as awful to her as Solomon. There’s a reason why she went no contact with you. Now get the fuck out of here,” Wes snapped, taking a step forward, look menacing.
Wes knew all about my brothers. Abel idolized our brother Solomon and did everything he told him to, including terrorizing me.
“She’s our sister. You need to come with me.” Abel grabbed my wrist.
Spencer punched him in the face. “Don’t touch my mate. She told you to leave. The authorities have been called.”
People were watching, and a few were on their phones.
“Hey, that’s assault.” Abel put his hand to his face.
Hmmm… here that depended on a lot of things. In this case, probably not.
“I’m not your sister,” I retorted. “Rosalind is my aunt, not my mother, and Dad, sadly, is not my bio-dad. How did you even get here?”
Horror struck me. Was he the one who’d confronted the professor?
“What? Of course you’re our sister.” Confusion crossed Abel’s face.
“This is taking too fucking long.” Solomon strode over. He was a large, broad guy who favored his dad, with his dark hair and eyes.
“Solomon, leave,” I growled. Fuck. Of course, Solomon would be here, too. Holding up the professor seemed more his style. Shit.
The valet pulled up in Jett’s car.
“Get out of the car,” Solomon yelled at the valet. “Grace, get in.”
“No. Why do you even want me?” Two of my brothers were here? What?
Sirens echoed in the distance.
“I don’t. Get in the car, Grace.” Solomon laughed and brought out a strange gun.
“Stop, police.” Jett charged, gun out.
Before I could blink, my brother fired at Jett, Brennan, Wes, and Spencer in rapid succession. All four of them slumped to the ground. Evan literally held Riley back.
“No, let me at them,” Riley yelled.
“Solomon, no.” I charged at my brother, anger flaring inside of me. How dare he?
He shot at me with his weird gun.
Pain seared me as I froze. Literally I froze. It wasn’t bullets; it was some sort of stun gun. Oh. The guys were okay, just frozen. I could see Evan on the phone, literally trapping Riley between the restaurant and the wall. People were filming us, and the sirens grew louder.
Solomon kicked me. “You fucking ruin everything.”
Two years younger than me, Solomon had looked down on me from a fairly young age, catching on to all the ways my mother degraded me even before the bad things started. He’d even mess up my room when I was out. I got punished, he got ice cream.
“You fucked up Mom’s shit, and she’s pissed as hell. So here I am, once again, cleaning up your messes,” he sneered.
I wanted to answer. But I couldn’t. Whatever he’d shot me with wouldn’t let me say anything.
My heart skipped a beat. Rosalind was dead, wasn’t she? Solomon was the one who told me she was dead. Dad went to her funeral.
“She said Mom and Dad aren’t her parents.” Abel squirmed. “That guy we saw today looks a lot like her.”
Shit. They’d gone to the professor to find me. But how did they know to go to him? Why were they here? How were they here?
Even if Rosalind was alive, how would she know that I’d contacted my bio-dad?
“She’s a liar. We know this.” Picking me up like I was a sack of feed, Solomon threw me into the car and climbed into the front seat.
“Which guy did she dream of?” Abel asked.
“Come on, Abel,” he yelled.
He hopped into the car, and they drove off with me.
Rosalind was alive and once again, mad at me for something.
Fuck.