Chapter 17
DORIAN
Everything hurt and I was dying. Okay, not quite that bad but sometimes it felt like it. After all, I had been through worse.
I rubbed my knee and winced at the slight twinge in my ribs since I had moved too hard.
Well, fuck.
You would think I would be used to this whole being injured and figuring out how to deal with it thing, but apparently, I had forgotten how. Or I was losing my damn mind.
“Everything okay?”
I looked up to see Sophia standing there, her hands in front of her body, that soft and worried expression on her face.
Emily stood behind her, also looking just as worried, and I hated myself just a little bit in that moment.
I wasn’t used to being the big brother to little sisters. I was used to being the asshole middle child who could grin his way out of most things.
And now two of my sisters were worried about me, and all I could do sometimes was yell and growl.
I needed to get over myself. After all, I would be okay, I had pretty much gotten the best out of the deal when it came to Harper after all.
Though the accident had taken ten years off my life, at least when it came to thinking about how Harper had been hurt, we were okay. And I had gotten far luckier than I had ever dreamed.
“Well, with that smile on his face, I suppose he is doing fine.” Emily walked into the room, leaned forward, and kissed the top of my head.
I had been sitting at the edge of the bed, trying to get the energy in order to get up and get downstairs to meet the family for dinner.
For the first time in far too long, every single Cage in my generation would be there.
The mothers weren’t planning on being there, and for that I was grateful.
My mother wasn’t invited, and the other Cage mom had begged off, saying that she was going to take the grandmother’s prerogative to watch the babies.
Sophia and Cale would be happy to have a few moments to themselves, even surrounded by so many of our siblings.
“What do you mean?” I asked Emily, feeling awkward all over again.
“You’re thinking about Harper, and with that smile on your face, I suppose you’re going to do just fine.”
I narrowed my gaze at her, wondering why she reminded me so much of Flynn. Genetics were such a weird thing.
“Is this what happens when you have younger sisters? You have to deal with their teasing?”
“Pretty much. And I’m not even the youngest.”
“That is very true,” Sophia said as she leaned over to grip the cane I had rested on the other side of the bed.
My leg was killing me, and I was stuck using the cane for a bit longer.
The wounds, the burns on the side of my body were finally healing to the point that it didn’t hurt as much as it had even two months ago.
But the new wounds from the storm weren’t being nice.
“I always forget that you’re not the youngest,” I teased Emily.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s because Phoebe is married and happy and all of that lovely glittery stuff. She cut in line, and if we were in regency time, I would have to have a speech about having no prospects and being a burden.”
I snorted. “I’m sure we can find you a nice man who likes potatoes.”
“You know Pride and Prejudice?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Of course, I do. Wellesley loves it.”
Both women made cooing sounds, and I rolled my eyes.
“You know, it shouldn’t surprise me that the two of you found each other, especially because she is Joshua’s little sister, but now that I see you two together, it just makes sense.”
“Damn right it makes sense,” I said as Sophia grinned.
“Well, if you know a nice small town guy who’s looking for maybe forever and maybe not forever, send them my way,” Emily said as she fluttered her eyelashes.
“I’m not going to send anyone your way. Because then I’d have to kick their ass.”
Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?
“I’m sorry, but you’re my little sister. I have to be the overprotective asshole. I didn’t get a chance to be that way with Phoebe and her husband.”
“Is that really how it works?” Sophia asked.
“And you’re telling me that Isabella or Kyler didn’t act all growly and possessive with anyone you dated when you were younger?” I asked.
Sophia cringed. “Isabella was always the one that tended to do research and interrogate our dates. But she likes Cale, so I guess I was okay there.”
“She let you marry him.”
“And you act as if I didn’t do my own reconnaissance,” a deep voice said from the doorway and I looked up to see Kyler Cage Dixon standing there, leaning slightly with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was far longer than it had been the last time I saw him, and the dark circles under his eyes told me that while his world tour was kicking ass, it was also kicking his ass.
“Kyler! You made it!” Emily said as she threw herself into her brother’s arms. He caught her in a blink, that smile on his face wide and true.
“Of course, I came. I had to make sure this asshole stops hurting himself.”
I rolled my eyes as I tried to stand up. I couldn’t help the groan that escaped my lips, and suddenly Sophia was there, helping me.
“I broke my leg once when I was younger, and it was still during the time when I was growing, and between that and the fact that I refused to stop dancing, I resented the hell out of having to use a cane. So I completely understand.”
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.
“I know you said you were going to plan on selling that old place, but I want it.”
I blinked. “What?” There was no way I’d heard him right.
Hudson wouldn’t look at me, his voice gruff. “The old cabin. The Ackerson place. I want it.”