29. Alana
ALANA
“Sorry, Reece took forever to get dressed,” someone called out as soon as they walked out of the house.
My head turned almost immediately, and if I hadn’t forced my jaw to stay in place, it would’ve been on the floor.
I’d seen pictures of Eden’s older sister online, and I knew she was awfully pretty… little did I know how pretty she was.
I swallowed thickly as my eyes involuntarily wandered down her perfect body. Skinny legs, flat stomach—She didn’t even look slightly pregnant.
Brooke’s smile was so radiant, it lit up everyone’s face as she walked toward the table where we were all seated. She exuded confidence with every step. Her curly, blonde hair framed her face so beautifully, I could’ve cried at how perfectly it was styled.
Her husband was close behind. He was tall and, much like his wife, put on a smile that could’ve blinded people.
Reece wrapped an arm around Brooke’s waist, pulling her close as they joined us at the table. “Just because you finished your makeup two seconds before I was fully dressed, doesn’t mean I took longer to get ready, mi princesa.”
“Uh, yes, it does,” Brooke replied, laughing before she went to hug her parents.
“Married life, am I—” Reece cut himself off when his eyes landed on me. Suddenly, his smile faded into a look of surprise, though I wasn’t sure why.
Well, my head was trying to tell me he was judging me. That he thought Eden could’ve done so much better than me, which he would’ve been right about.
Eden deserved someone who fit in with his family. If I looked around, I felt like an alien at a fashion show.
Everyone in his family was gorgeous. Super dressed up in probably expensive as fuck clothing, wearing brands I was too poor to even know. They were all so nice, too, but, God, they all made me stick out like a sore thumb.
And everyone else at the table was just as beautiful as the Desrosiers-Kings. If someone told me they were all models, I wouldn’t have doubted it for a second.
Then there was me.
While I was dressed up, thanks to Eden and his money, I still felt so out of place.
This right here was a crowd I didn’t belong in.
I wasn’t half as pretty as they were.
I couldn’t relate to anything they were talking about.
Whether it was hockey, figure skating, any other sports, or their super relaxing vacations at whatever rich resort, in countries or islands I’d never heard of.
I couldn’t even relate to their family dynamics because, in my family, we didn’t ever sit down together to have a meal.
“You must be Alana,” Reece spoke, holding out his hand to me.
As I reached out to shake his hand, Brooke gasped loudly.
“Wait, you actually brought her?” Brooke rushed to the other side of the table, tapping her brother on his head before she squeezed between us on the bench.
“Hello, Eden, my dearest brother. I’ve missed you sooooo much.
God, I’m so glad to see you again. I don’t know how I survived the past two weeks without seeing your beautiful face,” Eden spoke, mocking a high-pitched voice.
“And, oh, my, I haven’t even called you because I was too busy screwing my husband from left to right.
Just kidding, but I still forgot to call.
” Then his voice lowered again. “Don’t be so dramatic, Brooke. But I’m glad to hear you missed me.”
Everyone at the table started to laugh as Brooke pushed her hand into Eden’s face, still keeping her eyes on me. “Oh, hush, Satan’s spawn,” Brooke said, giving her brother a playful shove. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Alana. My sister has told me so much about you.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what Nova could’ve possibly told her about me. We spent a couple of hours together weeks ago, but we hadn’t really delved deep into personal details as we were focused on shopping.
I gave a polite smile, trying to hide the discomfort that had settled in the pit of my stomach.
Before I could say anything, she continued. “You are so pretty. I mean, I saw pictures, but… wow.”
She must’ve been lying. It was the nice thing to do. “Thank you,” I managed to reply anyway, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“Can I get my girlfriend back now?” Eden asked. Then he looked past me at his brother-in-law. “Please take your wife away from my future one.”
It took everything in me not to look shocked or appear even slightly surprised by Eden’s comment.
My future one.
Eden and I had no future.
“Only because you asked so nicely,” Reece replied before he walked behind Brooke. He wrapped his arms around his wife, lifting her and carrying her away from us.
“Hey, we don’t flirt with our sister’s partners,” some blond guy who wasn’t Eden’s dad but looked around the same age said.
Next to him, a blonde woman who could’ve been his sister for all I knew, laughed, then slapped him. “Sofia and I accepted Colin and your little affair a long time ago.”
Colin was Brooke’s brother-in-law as far as I knew. At least all the articles I’d seen claimed he was. So I assumed the blonde one was his wife. But I still had no idea who the blond guy was.
I wasn’t even sure I was supposed to care who all these people really were.
“What Colin and I have is special, Lily,” the blond guy said, looking at whom I recognized as Colin with a hand held over his heart. “A true partner in crime.”
“Dial it down a notch, Dad,” Jamie said. God, he looked like a spitting image of his father, except he had brown hair. “We get it. You’re Uncle Colin’s work husband or whatever. No need to keep reminding us all.”
“Work husband?” Colin sounded almost offended. “Aaron and I are bound by blood, not just a contract. I didn’t marry his sister for nothing.”
“That’s not technically what the phrase bound by blood refers to,” a much younger, black-haired kid said. He was seated next to who I assumed was his father.
Guess he was the smart kid in the… family? Well, I suppose they were one big family, even if not all blood-related.
I couldn’t continue listening in on their conversation as Eden then decided to finally close the gap Brooke left between us. His hand immediately laid down on my thigh underneath the table.
As soon as his skin made contact with mine, my breath hitched. The warmth of his touch sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn’t help but wonder why it had to feel so… good.
Why didn’t his touch pull out the usual reactions from me? Why wasn’t I disgusted by it?
Eden leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing against my ear as he spoke in a low voice, “I hope they don’t overwhelm you too much. My family can be a lot sometimes.”
I turned my head slightly, meeting his green eyes that were filled with concern. Suddenly, I wondered why, even when he looked worried, he always looked at me with this softness in his eyes. I hadn’t once seen it when he was talking to anyone at St. Trewery.
Did he even notice it?
“They’re… nice,” I replied, trying to sound nonchalant even though my heart was racing.
“I’m not sure if you’re trying to convince me or yourself of that. But either way, Ally-Bear, I promise you, by the end of the day, you’ll love all of them.”