Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
PENELOPE
My dad’s house looks like it got swallowed by a wedding Pinterest board and spat back out on steroids.
I pull into the drive and just… blink. There are white lanterns on hooks, floral arches draped over the entryway, and the outside looks like this is a royal coronation instead of a last-minute engagement party.
Whoever Abi hired had no time to plan and still managed to conjure Martha Stewart’s fever dream.
There are too many cars. Too many people in things that shimmer. Too much everything.
I sit there for one beat, the engine ticking, the air-conditioning dying out, wondering how the hell this is my actual life.
Then I breathe, grab my tiny clutch, and step out.
The evening is warm enough that the air clings to me, especially with this dress hugging every inch of my body.
The royal-blue fabric catches the light, glittering across my chest, the slit flashing my leg every time I move.
My hair is twisted up into a messy-glam bun—loose curls, soft layers framing my face, earrings heavy and gold.
I look good. I know I do. That isn’t the problem.
The problem is I’m dressed like this for Abi.
I crouch and adjust the strap on my heel, lace-up stilettos that are sexy in a dangerous kind of way, then straighten and force myself toward the front door. If I can survive one night, tomorrow I get to see Silas and Gideon.
Neutral ground. Safe ground. My ground.
And I will survive Talon too. No sneaking away. No slipping into dark corners. No giving in to him, even if his mouth looks sinful and his hands look worse. I even told myself out loud in the car: Penelope, keep your panties on. For once in your life, keep your panties the hell on.
Inside, the air shifts immediately—cooler, scented with lemon, flowers, and the sharp tang of polished wood.
The foyer is ridiculous in that country-club old-money way, with gold candlesticks and fresh lilies everywhere.
The dining room off to the right has been transformed with crisp linens, champagne towers, and enough candles to burn the entire place down if someone sneezes.
I’m still taking it in when I catch sight of him.
Talon.
Black slacks. Black button-up that fits like it was painted on. Glasses perched low on his nose, hair pushed back, a smug dark-eyed gaze scanning the room.Tattoos peek at his collar, curling up his throat like temptation. He looks edible in that reckless, bad-decision way.
His eyes flick toward me and flare just enough to make my stomach jump.
Nope. I’m going to be a good fucking girl tonight. I grab a flute of champagne from a passing server and drink the entire thing in one gulp.
And then I choke.
Because over Talon’s shoulder—I see another tall frame. Broad chest. Familiar hair. Familiar stance. Familiar everything.
Silas.
Silas is standing in my father’s dining room. In gray slacks… blond hair slightly tousled, sea-glass eyes lighting when he laughs with some stranger, shoulders relaxed in a way that always undoes me.
My brain stops working.
What.
The.
Fuck.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe. I don’t even blink. My fingers go numb around the empty flute. My whole world tilts sideways like I stepped straight off a curb into traffic.
His eyes slide across the room, lazy and unhurried, until they find mine.
Silas goes still.
He looks at me as though he’s been slapped. Then he mutters something to the man beside him and strides over with that determined walk of his, the one I feel in my knees every time.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, voice too low and too stunned to hide anything.
I open my mouth. Nothing comes out, because I barely know my own name right now.
Before I can try again, a bright laugh cuts between us. A familiar, grating one.
Abi glides up like a queen entering court, wrapped in sequins, hair blown out to perfection, fingers curled around the arm of—
Oh no.
Gideon.
My blood goes cold.
Gideon stands beside her in khaki slacks and a burgundy shirt, sleeves rolled to show the ink on his forearms. His storm-grey eyes lift from Abi to me—and freeze. His jaw tightens as if he’s seeing a ghost.
If Silas looked slapped, Gideon looks like the ghost slapped him back.
Abi has no idea. She flashes her perfect teeth. “Penelope, darling, you made it.”
I’m pretty sure my soul leaves my body.
Silas.
Gideon.
Both of them are here. Both of them staring at me like the ground broke open.
I want to run.
I want to disappear.
I want to rewind time by twenty seconds and run my car into a mailbox instead.
“I…” I stammer, but the words tangle.
Abi beams, oblivious. “Oh! It seems you’ve finally met my brother-in-law. Well—former brother-in-law. Silas is Talon and Minxy’s uncle. God rest their father’s soul.”
I swear the room tilts even harder.
Talon’s uncle.
Silas is Talon’s uncle.
Talon—who I made terrible closet choices with.
Silas—who has been in my bed, in my head, in my everything.
And Gideon—who is staring at me with a look that says how are you standing in this house?
Abi’s hand tightens on Gideon’s arm like she owns him. “And this stoic man is my half-brother, Gideon.” She laughs. “Penelope, these are the important men in my life. And this—” she gestures between us like unveiling a portrait “—is my soon-to-be daughter.”
I feel my spine lock. “Stepdaughter.”
The word slices the air.
Both men react—tiny, stunned flashes in their eyes, almost identical. Silas blinks like he misheard. Gideon’s face goes blank in that dangerous way he uses to hide emotion. Talon—who has somehow materialized at my elbow—looks like Christmas came early.
But they all recover fast. Too fast.
Abi doesn’t seem to notice. “Penelope here will be Chad’s best woman at the wedding. Isn’t that sweet?”
It isn’t sweet. It’s vomit-inducing. But before I can say something petty and deeply satisfying, my father calls from across the room.
“Abi, come here for a moment, sweetheart.”
Abi glides away, leaving me alone with—
Silas.
Gideon.
Talon.
Three men I’ve kissed.
Two men I plan to sleep with tomorrow.
One man who had his fingers in me in a closet not that long ago.
The silence between us isn’t just awkward—it’s choking.
I swallow hard. “Okay… someone needs to tell me what the hell is happening.”
Silas drags a hand down his face. “I didn’t know. I swear to you, Penelope. I never connected you to—” He gestures vaguely toward the house, toward the world we’re standing in. “This.”
Gideon’s voice comes out low. “Same.”
His eyes burn into mine like he’s trying to read every thought, every secret, every memory. I feel stripped bare.
Talon looks at me, then Silas, then Gideon, like he’s replaying something in his head and suddenly the picture makes sense.
“You…” He points between the three of us slowly, brows pulling together. “Do you—know my uncles?”
My stomach drops. Hard.
I force my voice out. “No.”
Silas and Gideon answer at the exact same time. “Yes.”
I whip my eyes toward them, feeling pure panic fill my chest. Silas winces. Because they weren’t supposed to say that out loud, not here, not now—not in front of him.
Gideon squares his shoulders as if bracing for impact. Talon watches all three of us with a look that’s half amusement, half suspicion.
“Well,” Talon says, leaning back on his heels like he just got handed the juiciest gossip in the state, “looks like somebody’s been busy.”
I glare at him so hard his smirk twitches, but it doesn’t fall. If anything, he enjoys it more.
Silas steps in front of him slightly, voice tight. “Talon. Don’t.”
Gideon’s tone drops even lower. “This is not the place.”
Talon lifts his palms in mock surrender, eyes never leaving mine. “I’m just saying… It's interesting. My TA knows both my uncles. Very interesting.”
“Stop talking,” I hiss.
“Why?” he asks softly, too softly. “You told me you didn’t date.”
Gideon’s attention snaps from me to Talon so fast the air shifts. His voice drops, low and sharp. “You’re the student.”
Talon blinks once, then shrugs like he’s been caught stealing cookies instead of trying to blackmail his TA. “Depends which part you’re asking about.”
Silas’s head jerks back. “Student?” He looks between us, confusion turning into something darker. “What the hell is he talking about, Penelope?”
My stomach pitches. “Not. Here.”
But the damage is done. Silas’s eyes are already on Talon, narrowing, calculating.
“You’re the one pushing her?” Gideon asks, voice dropping into that gritty tone he only gets when he’s barely holding his temper. “The one not backing off?”
Talon doesn’t deny it. Of course he doesn’t.
Gideon exhales through his nose, a sound that’s half anger, half realization. “Unbelievable.”
Then, because this night wasn’t unhinged enough, Gideon suddenly turns to Silas.
“Is this her?” he asks. “The woman you mentioned last week? The one you wanted me to meet?”
Silas stares at him, jaw tensing… then nods once.
“Yes,” he says. “This is her.”
My lungs cave in. The room tilts.
And then Silas fires back, eyes narrowing. “What about you? Is she the one you told me you were seeing now outside the club? The one you said you were getting serious with?”
Gideon doesn’t even hesitate.
“Yes.”
Everything inside me goes still.
Talon looks between them, then at me, and lets out a low, delighted, “Holy shit.”
I want to vomit into the nearest decorative vase.
Gideon actually laughs—quiet and disbelieving.
“This isn’t funny,” I snap, voice trembling.
“It’s a little funny,” Gideon says. “You were so worried we wouldn’t get along… and we’re best friends.”
The words punch the air out of my chest. “Best… what?”
Silas lifts a hand, almost apologetic. “We’ve known each other for years.”
“But—how didn’t you know?” I demand. “How did nobody put any of this together?”
Silas gestures vaguely, frustration etched across his face. “We don’t talk about our time at Velvet or give out names. Ever. That’s the rule.”
Gideon nods. “And in our personal lives, we don’t bring up anyone we’re seeing until it’s serious. Keeps things clean.”
Silas runs a hand over the back of his neck. “I figured if tomorrow went well, and if things clicked between me and the other guy, I’d tell Gideon about you.”
“He was going to show me pictures,” Gideon adds dryly, “and then let me do my creepy background check.”
“I don’t need a background check,” I mutter.
“You’d be surprised,” Gideon says.
Talon watches the whole exchange like it’s the finale of a drama he’s been secretly rooting for.
“So,” he says slowly, smiling way too wide, “you’re seeing both my uncles.”
I glare at him so hard he laughs again.
Silas steps closer to me, voice low. “Penelope, we didn’t know.”
Gideon mirrors him on the other side. “And we’re not upset with you.”
My throat closes. “I— I’m not upset with you,” I manage. “I’m just… overwhelmed. All of you knowing each other, being fucking related—” My voice cracks. “I wasn’t ready for this.”
“Valid,” Gideon says.
Silas nods. “Absolutely.”
Talon snickers. “This family is going to be a disaster.”
“Talon,” I snap, “shut up.”
He adjusts his glasses and grins. “Yes, ma’am.”
The room spins again, my heart pounding, my brain going static.
Three men who know each other.
Three men who know me.
Three worlds smashing together in the middle of my father’s engagement party.
And I have no idea how this night is supposed to keep going.