Jackass.
“Actually, I thought she could do better.”
Four and Lou rushed inside the family room before Jamie could retort, so he settled for flipping her off while Bee’s attention was diverted.
“We’re missing a couple of assholes,” Jamie announced as he looked around. “Where’s Wren and Ever?”
“Wren is…gone again,” Lou supplied with a subtle lift of her chin designed to fool us into thinking she didn’t care. “Ever was right behind us, but then his old man asked to speak to him in his office. Does anyone know what that’s about? Moneybags did not seem like a happy camper.”
In the blink of an eye, the playful expression on Jamie’s face disappeared. Smooth as a button, he lifted his arm from around Bee’s shoulder, stood, and slipped from the room. Yeah, he definitely knew something. And because I knew him so well, I didn’t have to wonder for long if he was behind it.
The girls had already forgotten I was even in the room as they talked, so I took advantage of their distraction and followed Jamie into the hall. I saw him rushing through a set of double doors, and I started after him. Mr. McNamara’s office was on the farthest end of the west wing, which meant we’d have to pass through the gallery, grand foyer, and library to reach it.
Jamie, who had his hand wrapped around one of the knobs, didn’t seem at all surprised when he glanced over his shoulder and found me standing there. With a finger to his lips in warning, he pushed inside, leaving the door open enough for me to hear the voice of Evelyn McNamara—Ever’s mom.
“Son, there’s something you should know.”
“Just a minute,” Mr. McNamara interrupted. There was a pause, and then, “Jamie, we could use some privacy.”
“I’d say you’ve had enough of it for eighteen years.” Through the crack, I could see Jamie defiantly cross the room and then lean against the wall between two floor-to-ceiling windows. “Proceed,” he said once he’d gotten comfortable.
I could just make out the resigned sigh of his uncle before Mrs. McNamara began speaking again. “It’s about your father,” she announced. The way her gentle voice shook, I knew whatever secret she was about to divulge wasn’t going to be good and that Jamie knew exactly what that was. “I don’t quite know how best to say this, but Thomas isn’t…well, he isn’t your real father, dear.”
Unable to see the expression of anyone else in that room, I focused on Jamie after too much time had passed in a silence so complete, I swore I could hear the grandfather clock ticking down the hall. Judging by the dip in Jamie’s brows, he felt as confused as I was, although for different reasons.
Ever still hadn’t spoken.
Anyone else would have been sputtering in confusion, spouting questions, and making demands. I knew that had it been me standing in that room instead of Ever, there’d be at least one hole in the wall by now.
Say something! I silently urged my best friend.
As if hearing my internal plea, Ever’s voice, dripping sarcasm and venom, finally filled the room. “It’s bad enough you lied to me, but to believe I hadn’t already figured that out is insulting to my intelligence. I took an elective in Human Anatomy and passed with flying colors.”
“We should have told you sooner,” his not-real-father admitted. The sorrow in his voice couldn’t be mistaken. It couldn’t have been easy to acknowledge that the son he raised since he was a baby wasn’t truly his. “It was my idea to keep it a secret, and it was my ego that caused your mother to leave. I’m sorry, son. I take responsibility. For all of it.”
“Should you be calling me that?” Ever shot back, causing Jamie and me to wince.
Damn.
“You are still my son.” The sharp edge of Mr. McNamara’s tone left no room for argument. Unfortunately, Ever had never been easily cowed.
“I was never your son. Isn’t that why we’re in this room?”
I started to push in to get my best friend the hell out of there before he said something he could never take back. Jamie seemed to read my mind, meeting my gaze through the crack of the door. The subtle shake of his head kept me at bay. Whatever was happening here needed to play out, and I could tell by the nervous look in Jamie’s brown eyes that the McNamaras were far from done.
A small sound behind me had me spinning around, and I barely suppressed a groan when the girls filed into the library one by one. Quiet as a mouse, I quickly moved from the door to meet them in the middle of the room.
“What’s going on?” Tyra whispered.
I was grateful that her instincts were sharp enough to sense that none of us were supposed to be here. I gave her a look, letting her know that it wasn’t good, and I’d fill her in later. Over the months, we’d been able to establish a silent line of communication that apparently still had its kinks. Tyra had deftly stepped around me and made her way to the door, despite my dismissal, with Lou and Bee hot on her heels. Like Jamie, Four hadn’t hesitated to slip inside the office.
At least she left the door cracked.
“Four, could you give us a minute?” Mr. McNamara requested.
Like Jamie, she refused to leave. “What’s going on?”
This time, Evelyn was the one to speak, and her voice was surprisingly chilly. I’d only ever known Mrs. McNamara to be warm and kind. “We’re speaking to our son about a private family matter. He’ll be with you shortly,” she assured Four dismissively.
I guess her propensity for kindness made an exception for the daughter of the woman her husband was sleeping with. I was sure that if circumstances had been different, Evelyn would have adored Four. We all did despite her being nothing but trouble since she came to Blackwood Keep.
“She stays,” Ever dictated. “Or I go.”
“Sweetheart,” Mrs. McNamara attempted to gently reason, “this situation is more delicate than you realize. We’re only thinking of you and what could happen if this information falls into the wrong hands.”
I frowned at that because… Dramatic much?
“I also passed English with flying colors,” Ever retorted slowly, “so I’m sure you understood me the first time. She stays, or I go.”
Being the sickeningly sweet good girl that Tyra was, she released a squeal of shock at Ever’s blatant defiance.
“What was that?” Mr. McNamara inquired.
“Nothing,” Jamie quickly lied. “Just get on with it.”
Coming to stand behind Tyra, I placed my hand over her mouth before bending low to whisper in her ear. “Quiet, pip-squeak.”
Eyes wide and apologetic, she nodded obediently, and I rewarded her with a kiss on her cheek. Lou and Bee pretended to gag at my display of affection, and I rolled my eyes to the ceiling, praying we weren’t caught before the shit hit the fan.
“There’s more,” Mr. McNamara announced. I could hear the creak of leather and imagined him shifting awkwardly in his desk chair. “Your biological father is Sean Kelly, the man you were named after.” If Ever was surprised by the news, he sure as shit didn’t express it. Clearing his throat, Thomas started again. “As you know, we were best friends—”
Jamie snorted at that before his uncle could finish, and I wondered what he knew but wisely wouldn’t divulge himself.