Chapter 6 Family Dinner

"Please tell me you didn't invite Owen."

I looked at my mother with all the desperation of a woman on death row.

She wouldn't even look at me.

Mason and my father were helping her set the table, carrying dishes out of the kitchen like nothing was wrong.

"She did," my father said as he moved past us.

I rolled my eyes.

It's fine.

I can do this.

It's been a few days.

Just remember he doesn't exist anymore.

You can do this.

I repeated it in my head like a prayer.

I grabbed the baskets of bread and carried them to the dining room table. Catori was placing napkins while Dad set down a tray of bruschetta.

The doorbell rang.

All of us looked at each other.

The front door was always unlocked.

Dad shrugged and went to answer it.

A moment later Constantine walked into the dining room dragging a woman behind him.

Geesh.

I think he has a type.

Dark hair.

Long legs.

Pretty face.

This one was pale as a ghost though.

Must be the dark hair.

Catori immediately looked uncomfortable.

Interesting.

I got up and hugged my brother.

"This is April," he said.

Mom appeared from the kitchen carrying a serving tray. The second she spotted Constantine with a woman, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

He didn't bring many women around.

Actually, he barely brought any.

Introductions started.

I sat back down and stared at my phone.

Not using it.

Just staring at the lock screen.

Constantine was already reaching for whiskey.

Of course he was.

"Catori has a date tonight," Mason announced.

Constantine's entire body tensed.

I almost smiled.

For once, somebody else's drama was taking center stage.

Not mine.

Not Owen.

"Baby, please make sure you have condoms," Mom added casually.

My shoulders started shaking.

I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

Dad looked at me and immediately started fighting his own smile.

"Mom, she doesn't even know his last name."

Dad lost it.

Absolutely lost it.

He folded over laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach.

The rest of us stared at him.

Finally, he pointed at Mom.

"Your mother didn't know mine either."

Mom instantly turned red.

It was actually adorable.

After all these years, he could still make her blush.

She smacked his shoulder.

He responded by pulling her into a kiss.

Nobody reacted.

Because unfortunately, this was normal around here.

"Sure," I said. "But Catori hasn't even kissed anyone."

Catori froze.

Then turned bright red.

Jesus.

I needed to stop sharing her secrets.

I was a terrible sister.

I winced.

Definitely going to have to make that up to her.

Maybe I'd give her my firstborn.

Catori grabbed her cloth napkin and threw it at my face.

That did me in.

I folded over laughing.

"Traitor!" she yelled.

I tossed the napkin back once I regained control of myself.

Dad was saying something about Constantine being emotionally constipated.

Apparently he didn't kiss women on the lips.

Okay, Pretty Woman.

I was too young for that reference, but Mom had forced us to watch every good and terrible movie from the eighties and nineties.

I was educated.

"She's still a virgin," I muttered. "She's not sleeping with anyone."

"Thank God," Mason breathed.

The doorbell rang again.

"That has to be Grant," Mason said.

Constantine looked toward Dad.

"Grant Matthews?" he asked.

"Mason's friend."

"He's bringing his sons," Mom added.

"Ryan and Caden."

I'd never met them.

I vaguely remembered hearing Grant and Mason used to be close years ago.

At least Catori's secrets hadn't been spilled in front of strangers.

Yet.

She was still looking at me like she wanted to murder me.

"Don't kill me," I whispered. "Sorry."

She didn't look convinced.

Everyone turned toward the foyer.

A large man walked in beside Mason.

Definitely Grant.

Tall.

Broad.

Good-looking.

Behind him came a younger version.

Then the last guy stepped into view and stopped dead.

His eyes locked on Catori.

Mom hugged one of them, must be Ryan.

I barely noticed.

Because I was watching the third man.

"Caden, come in," Mason called.

My eyebrows shot up.

Caden?

Like Catori's date?

No way.

By the look on my sister's face, it wasn't a coincidence.

Holy shit.

"Well," Constantine said, lifting his whiskey, "now you know his last name."

Things had officially become interesting.

"You two know each other?" Mason asked.

"Oh, they know each other," Constantine added.

Ouch.

Someone was feeling possessive.

April elbowed him in the ribs.

He ignored her.

"That's her date tonight."

The room went quiet.

Caden grinned.

Catori smiled.

Conversation slowly resumed.

Mason looked pleased.

Way too pleased.

Meanwhile, Constantine looked like he wanted to commit several felonies.

Catori and Caden leaned toward each other.

Whispering.

Smiling.

Her phone kept lighting up.

Meanwhile, I checked the time.

Still no Owen.

Why was I even looking?

Why did I care?

Catori suddenly turned bright red.

I took a bite of bruschetta while watching her stare at her phone.

Constantine was smirking.

His own phone sat in his hand.

Was he texting her?

Then, out of absolutely nowhere—

CRACK.

Catori slammed her glass over her phone. She was actively smashing it to bits.

The screen shattered.

Everyone froze.

Well.

That was dramatic.

"Is everything okay?" Mom asked carefully.

Catori took a breath.

Then another.

Composed herself frighteningly fast.

"Some asshole texted me something nasty."

She picked up the broken phone.

"Sorry. I overreacted."

The phone looked like it had survived a car accident.

"I guess I need a new one."

"Who?" Mason asked immediately. "What did he say?"

"Mason, baby. Calm down."

The second the words left Mom's mouth, the room shifted.

Oh shit.

Mom slipped.

My eyes snapped to Dad.

He was grinning into his drink.

The room had definitely noticed.

Catori's eyes widened.

Mom looked horrified.

Well.

That secret wasn't staying buried much longer.

"Just some sad idiot who's never going to get anywhere with me," Catori said.

Then she looked directly at Constantine.

Brave.

I respected it.

For a split second, something dark flashed in my brother's eyes.

Then it vanished.

"Replace it before you go to San Francisco," Mason said, already trying to redirect the conversation.

Catori and Caden resumed talking.

Constantine looked one inconvenience away from homicide.

God.

He really was in love with her.

I'd never seen him like this before.

Then, because apparently I hated myself, my thoughts drifted back to Owen.

Again.

Do I love him?

Had I loved him all this time?

The things Mom and Dad told me on the balcony kept replaying in my head.

The staring.

The teasing.

The years he'd stayed away.

The confession.

I checked the time again.

Dad caught me.

Then my eyes drifted to the empty chair across from me.

For the first time ever...

I genuinely missed the asshole.

I was still furious.

Still hurt.

Still wanted to punch him.

But I wanted to see him.

Catori and Caden disappeared into the house. Something about showing him the studio. Sure.

Mom and Dad had moved on to bragging about Constantine.

Because he is genius-level smart.

Could've fooled me.

"Your IQ is really that high?" April asked beside him. "Could've fooled me."

"Even smart people do dumb shit," I said from his other side.

Then I narrowed my eyes.

"What did you text her, you moron?"

Without a word, Constantine slid his phone across the table.

I looked down.

Read the message.

Then immediately dropped my forehead into my hand. Something about fucking her hard. I wish I never saw it. My eyes burn.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I know."

"You actually sent this?"

"I know."

"Oh my God."

"I know."

April snatched the phone.

Three seconds later she was laughing so hard she nearly choked.

"This is catastrophic."

"I know."

But my attention drifted again.

To the empty chair.

To the clock.

Still nothing.

No Owen.

Then Mom quietly leaned toward me.

So quietly nobody else heard.

"He said he's not coming."

Everything around me kept moving.

Glasses clinked.

Conversations continued.

But suddenly I couldn't hear any of it.

My stomach dropped.

I stared at the empty chair.

At the place I'd been pretending all night I didn't care about.

And for the first time since I slapped him...

I realized I hadn't been worried Owen would show up.

I'd been terrified he wouldn't.

My phone buzzed in my lap. Unknown number. I open the message.

Jason.

You should call Owen.