Having it confirmed that he was right eased all my fears, and I was able to relax a little.
“Where is Max?” I asked, missing him.
“Our husbands needed a meeting with him,” Lexa said. “They should be in the parking lot, but depending on what they have to do, they might have had to take a drive.” She moved so she was sitting in the corner of the couch and folded her long legs under her. “Don’t worry about him. Max can take care of himself. We want to know more about you.”
“There isn’t much to know,” I signed with a shrug. “My parents died when I was young. I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle because there was no one else… At least, not that I knew of. Kelli… She came as a big surprise.”
“For us too,” Lexa agreed. “Kelli didn’t grow up here like most of the people in our family. We all thought the only family she had left was River.”
Curiosity got the better of me. “Can you tell me about her?”
“Kelli?”
I nodded.
“I don’t know a lot about her past, but what I do know, most of the world does too. Kelli’s dad was a senator here in California. He was dirty, and when her mom died, Kelli blamed him. To the point that she unleashed all his secrets. The man went crazy because he lost everything. And he tried to kill her.”
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to learn about my newfound aunt, but that was definitely not it. From what Kelli had told me earlier, her father would have been my grandfather. Realizing what the man was capable of—and trying to kill his own child, at that—made me grateful my mom had been adopted into a wonderful family that had showered her with love. That had taught her how to love in return.
“Kelli was shot in the chest,” Lexa explained further. “Her dad died the same night, though. A heart attack or something like that. I don’t really remember. I was only like five at the time. She married my uncle Colt not long afterward, and a year or so later, River was born.”
“But what is she like?” I asked.
Lexa scratched her cheek without the scar on it for a moment before answering. “She’s smart and mouthy at times. A bit of a hard-ass. She tells you how it is. Doesn’t sugarcoat anything, for anyone—no exceptions. She always says it wastes too much time. But she can be incredibly kind, and when she loves you, she makes sure you know it.”
I let all of that sink in, realizing I already liked the woman who was my last link to my mom. When I lost her, I’d thought I’d lost all connections with her. But discovering Kelli—and even River—renewed that connection for me. As hard as the day had been, it had also been a blessing.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel so alone in the world.
For the next hour, Lexa and Tavia told me about themselves, with Lexa mostly translating for Tavia because the younger woman would get so animated that she would forget to talk slowly and I wouldn’t be able to understand anything she said. I enjoyed getting to know them both, but I especially loved it when they talked about their babies. The love that shone from their eyes when Lexa mentioned Finn or Tavia told me about all of Rai’s milestones seemed to light up the room, and I couldn’t look away from either one of them when they did.
Both babies were with Raven, so they had the evening free to hang out with me. But I got the feeling she was the only person either of them trusted enough to babysit to enable them to be so at ease.
“I have to go back to New York tomorrow,” Tavia said with a sad twist of her mouth. “We really only meant to stop in for the graduation and subsequent wedding, but when you showed up, and then Gian wanted to talk about your uncle, Theo decided to stay overnight.”
“Wait, wait.” I stopped her, my blood turning to ice with fear for the man I loved. “Are you saying that Max is meeting with your husbands to discuss Uncle Tony?”
Tavia’s mouth closed, her gaze going over my shoulder to Lexa, as if asking how she should answer. Turning my head, I caught Lexa speaking behind my back. “…doesn’t know,” were the only words I read before she clamped her mouth shut.
“I don’t know what?” I asked.
She kept her mouth closed, and I focused on Tavia. After spending a little time with them, I’d already realized Tavia was the sweeter of the two and possibly the easier to break if they were keeping secrets.
“What…don’t…I know?” I spoke the words, hoping they were loud enough for her to hear.
“It’s just that… Well, you think Max is so sweet and all…” Tavia’s shoulders dropped. “And he can be. Don’t get me wrong. I love him. But he’s…”
I glanced quickly back and forth between the two sisters when she stopped speaking, trying to figure out what the heck I’d missed. “He’s what?” I demanded, frustrated with them. “And what does that have to do with him meeting up with your husbands to talk about my evil uncle?” I jumped to my feet when neither responded to my signed question. “Don’t you understand that he’s in danger? Tony could hurt Max!”
Grimacing, Lexa waved me back down, urging me to sit. “Relax, sweetie. You have nothing to worry about. If anything, I would be more concerned for the safety of your awful uncle than my baby brother.”
That she had so much confidence in her brother’s ability wasn’t reassuring at all. Max was too gentle and kind. She was out of her mind if she thought my uncle wouldn’t tear him apart within seconds, despite how beast-like he was in appearance.
Without thinking about it, I ran to the door and flung it open. My only thought was to find Max and make sure he was safe.
His wide shoulders took up most of the stairs as he climbed them with two other men. Seeing me, he stopped, and his metallic-blue eyes turned hungry as he took in what I was wearing. Then his nostrils flared, and he sprinted up the last of the steps before pushing me back inside and slamming the door in the other two’s faces. “Where do you think you’re going dressed like that?” he demanded, his eyes trailing over me possessively.
“I was worried about you.” I tried to explain.
“Go put some clothes on,” he instructed, a muscle ticking in his clenched jaw. “Everything covered up.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I wore less than this to the reception.” His shirt alone covered more of me than my dress had earlier.
“Don’t remind me,” he signed, his hands fisting. “I’m trying really hard not to think about all those assholes getting to see so much of what is mine. Clothes. Now.”
Glaring at him, I stomped over to where my bag of clothes was and carried it to our room. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, I gathered my hair into a ponytail before walking barefoot back into the living room.
The two men who had been at the door with Max were now inside, but they hadn’t taken a seat yet. The bigger one was covered in more ink than Max, his hair cut military-style. I knew from the pictures on the walls that he was Ben, Lexa’s husband, and also the sheriff. The other guy, Theo, was leaner, his hair a little longer on top. He was married to Tavia, but just looking at him, I got the feeling he wasn’t nearly as sweet as his wife.
Yet he was the first one to offer me a smile when I returned. Winking, he sat on the arm of the couch beside Tavia.