“It’s the perfect dress for you.”
“I meant—”
I finish buttoning my jacket and cut off her question with a kiss. A forceful grip on her chin, her lips soft against mine. “I know what you meant. And you’re coming to dinner.”
Haley has been fretting about the dinner since I told her about it. I’ve been pretending to be completely at ease with a fucking dinner party that my brother has demanded. Let him in the house once, and he’ll keep coming back. Of course, I am not at ease. Of course, pain has spidered out along my ribs from the added stress.
Nothing to be done about it now.
“Do you always dress up when your brother comes to dinner?” She’s peeking at us in the mirror.
“Lucian’s never been here for dinners. But for other family gatherings, we dress.”
A slow nod. “Have you been to one? Since I came to stay with you?”
“No.” Haley doesn’t ask why, but the answer is obvious. She was here, and then Ronan paid his visit, and so far I have missed one family dinner. I’ve missed other commitments as well. Commitments I’ve never told her about. Important ones. “Let’s go, darling. They’ll be here any minute.”
I usher Haley out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the foyer. We arrive at our place by the doors just as the doorbell rings. I didn’t give a shit what Lucian did the night I brought Haley home, but now I feel unsettled to have him here. It’s less tightly controlled than I’d prefer. My life is less tightly controlled, now that Haley’s in it.
Gerard opens the door to let in Lucian and Elaine. Haley steps closer to my side. She saw him at Caroline’s, but this is different. He’s sharp as a knife in his suit, a stark contrast to Elaine’s red dress. She’s a ruby come to life, her eyes as bright as his. A match.
Like Haley is a match for me now. She’s the one who chose black, and she draws herself up next to me, her chin lifting. If I didn’t know her, if I didn’t spend every available second drinking in her expressions, I wouldn’t know she was nervous. It’s not just Lucian, either. It’s Elaine.
Elaine, who might be Caroline’s wildest daughter, but who is still Caroline’s daughter. I can tell from Haley’s shallow breaths that she doesn’t think she measures up. But even without her hair shining in its twist the way it is, even without the dramatic makeup, she surpasses every other woman on the planet.
Lucian brushes a stray lock of hair back from Elaine’s cheek, the two of them making a portrait. Morellis are always putting on a show. He is no exception. He’s created a dark frame for Elaine’s red dress.
“Hello, little brother,” he says, glancing between Haley and me. “Haley.”
“Haley,” Elaine echoes, her pointed, perfect smile broadening. “I didn’t think I’d ever find another Constantine in this family.” She leaves Lucian’s side and links her arm through Haley’s. I hold my breath. “How are you?”
Haley allows herself to be led away, glancing back at me only once. I don’t hear her murmured answer. The touch was a risk on Elaine’s part, but Haley doesn’t pull away. This is perhaps the first time in history that Lucian’s presence has made a situation more tolerable. Less tense. Elaine can’t be with Lucian and be in league with Caroline.
When they’ve disappeared into the dining room, Lucian scans the foyer. The visible security. The lack of our sisters. “Where are the girls?”
Eva and Daphne. “Upstairs. They should be down soon.” A sigh escapes before I can stop it. “Daphne isn’t speaking to me.”
Lucian arches an eyebrow, watching my face with that pointed stare of his.
“The security in her loft is shit, so I made her move in here for the time being. And she has a stalker.”
He blinks. “What the fuck?”
“I’m taking care of it.”
Lucian slides his hands into his pockets, his posture casual. “You always did that. Take care of the family.” A pause. “It should have been my job.”
I look away, toward the dining room. Toward anywhere that isn’t him. I don’t want to get into the past, though it’s true. Lucian was always a cold motherfucker. Some of it came from living under our father’s influence, and his fucked-up behavior driving a wedge between us. Some of it was his inability to feel pain. And some of it was just Lucian Morelli.
“You’re back now. Aren’t you?” I will never expect for him to take over from me in any meaningful way, but with my back on fire and Caroline making unhinged promises to anyone who will listen, a part of me wishes he would.
Pointlessly. Foolishly.
“Yeah,” he says, eyes meeting mine. “I’m here to stay.”
“Were you waiting for us? How nice.” Eva descends the stairs with Daphne by her side. Daphne’s worn a gown of emerald green, her hair in loose waves, and Eva’s in sleek black with her hair in a twist that matches Haley’s. Eva is the only one to look at me on the way down.
“Of course we were,” says Lucian. “We have manners.”
Eva rolls her eyes. “Debatable.” But she leads the way into the dining room anyway, where Elaine and Haley are by the window. The six of us take our seats around the table. My staff spent the day rearranging the room, taking furniture out, and redecorating for this dinner. It’s understated, black and gold, and Lucian takes it in with an appraising glance. Eva waves the staff in as soon as we’re seated.
“You have enough room to fit all of us,” Lucian comments. “Do you plan on it?”
“Not fucking today.” Not ever. I have never planned to have all my siblings to dinner at my house.
“I can’t believe you left Lizzy out,” my brother needles. “You couldn’t have flown her here?”
“You put Leo in charge of the guest list?” Eva asks the question with faux shock on her face. “You’re lucky he let you in.” True. “Which one of you forgot Eden?”
“No one forgot Eden,” I sigh. “No one forgot Carter. No one forgot Tiernan. If you missed me this much, Lucian, all you had to do was call. You didn’t have to insist on a dinner party.” I invited Eden but she declined to come. She’s probably in some unsavory part of the city stirring up trouble. Carter is the quietest of all the Morellis. Serious. And a fucking genius. He went to Oxford for college and stayed overseas, preferring it to the drama of home. And Tiernan—Tiernan is my father’s hired hand. He’s always been so determined to get our father’s approval that he’s let himself be used to hurt, to maim, to kill.
“You invited me,” Lucian says, a glint in his eyes.
“You mean he didn’t throw you out,” answers Eva.
“Not yet,” says Haley. Eva snorts. The tension breaks. And it’s dinner, and not some high-stakes negotiation like it is at the Morelli mansion.
It’s different, without my parents here to fuck it up. Daphne won’t look at me, but Eva is a good host. She asks Haley about a book she’s read and Elaine about a new restaurant that opened in the city.
“You should try it,” I tell Eva, when Elaine finishes describing the place. I’ve hardly heard her, but Eva looks interested. “I finished the security review yesterday.”