CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Raina
I continue to make small talk with Ava and Lennox, who tells me she grew up across the street. That surprises me since every house on the block looks like peasant dwellings. But that means she and Shane grew up together. And I heard something that he was supposed to marry her sister.
Interesting.
The brothers return from the office, and families break into their huddles, parents doting on children to get them ready to eat.
Connor immediately joins me, but averts my eyes for some reason. Instead, he calls over his nieces to hand out the candy and tells them about my first trip to the emporium. They respond with screams of joy.
The scent of roasted lamb and yeast rolls drifts through the air, mingling with the earthy perfume of wood polish and old family leather chairs.
Dinner is served in a massive dining room with a Chippendale-style table big enough to seat sixteen. An elegant sidebar sits on one side, and a glass breakfront with sparkling stemware and traditional china stands tall on the other.
Griffin welcomes me to my first Quinlan family dinner with no hint of whether I’ll be invited back. Odd.
He says grace, then everyone, and I mean everyone, says, “We’re one.”
Instead of Amen.
It’s a little culty. But kind of sweet. I could get used to it. Everyone digs into the food and breaks off into individual conversations. The kids eat at a table in the kitchen with adorable Sadie appointed as the monitor.
I dig in, watch, listen, and learn.
Everything deep in my bones was built to resist this. My mother kept us hidden and isolated. But my heart aches for this kind of togetherness.
After the meal, Sabine stands and throws everyone out, saying she’ll clear the plates herself with the house manager, Caroline.
I grab stuff off the table, insisting I’d love to help, but Sabine says with an accent as thick as her brothers, “Put those plates down, Missy, if you want to keep those hands.”
Oh-kay. I gingerly step away from the table. But Sabine gives me a smile and winks.
Next, coffee is brewing, cookies are passed around, and the kids get cranky from the sugar high.
Connor appears behind me. “Time to go, Venom.”
I follow him to the truck, aware of every breath he takes. After the meeting, he said very little to me.
He’s even quiet on the drive. He’s tense, I can feel it. And it’s only getting worse.
“Thank you for tonight.” I break the silence. “That meant more than you know.”
He doesn’t say anything until we’re back at his apartment. Once inside, he sits me on the sofa, tension rolling off him in waves.
I steel myself as my pulse roars in my ears. This has all been too much for him, I bet. It’s getting serious, and he’s not ready. For marriage. For kids.
For me.
He looks at me, jaw tight.
Connor then says the words that make my heart shatter, “Raina, we need to talk.”