ALAYNANothing is more shocking for Mom than seeing me come home with Jason and Khal late at night after having spent vacation at home two months ago. I pull her into a bear hug the moment she opens the door.
“Mom!”
“Alayna?” her tone is almost questioning. “You’re here.” She looks back and forth from me to Jason. “And Jason? I’m glad you two found each other again,” her gaze shifts to Khal. “Khalid Turner, is that you?”
“Hello, Mrs. Hart,” Khal smiles.
“Hey, Mom.” My brother embraces her as well.
“My darlings!” She grins. “I’m surprised! You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
Jason releases Mom. “Yes, uh, Mom, listen to me. I don’t have much time to explain, but can you wake the kids?”
Her smile fades, and she frowns. “What is going on? Oh, my goodness, J! Are you injured?” Mom’s eyes dart to Jason’s arm. The blood on his bandage is more visible now.
“I’m okay. It’s just a scratch,” Jason says, using the same words as before. “But you have to listen to whatever Laynie’s going to say.”
“My boy.” Mom holds his face and looks back at me. “Alayna?”
“Mom, I have a lot to say to you, but we have to move out very fast. Let’s pack everything we can. We have to get out of here for a, um, very short time,” I say calmly, so I won’t worry her much.
She gapes at me in shock. “Alayna, you’re scaring me. What’s happening?”
“Please, Mom, I can’t explain here.”
“Alayna Hart!” She wags her finger. “I remember your father was like this before he—”
I reach for her hands. “Mom, please. This is not like before, okay? The only thing I can tell you is that we need to get out of here now. Please...She pauses. “Is this important?”
“I’m here with Jason, and I know it’s odd timing. Not for the holidays, so I’m here because, yesStill, she looks at me unbelievingly. “But your twelve siblings to—”
“Mom!” I scream. “I’m sorry, but don’t worry about it, okay?”
“But the way you’re acting is already making me worry. Fine, I’m going to wake them then. But you owe me an explanation,” she says firmly as her gaze becomes fiery. “And Khalid, I just saw you in the street this afternoon.” Mom raises an eyebrow at the two men. “Jason, come and help me upstairs.” I sigh in relief. At least Mom still trusts me without a clear reason.
Jason and Khal follow Mom.
“I’m going to make a call.” I pat my pockets, then my bag. “Wait! I don’t have my phone. I must’ve left it in the hotel!”
Jason stops in the middle of the stairs. “Take mine.” He draws out his phone and tosses it to me.
I catch it. “Got it, thank you.”
“Hurry up,” he reminds me, then disappears upstairs.
I type Brandon’s number quickly, but it is already saved in Jason’s phone as “Master Lucien.” He answers right away.
“Jason?”
“Brandon, it’s me...”
“Oh God, Alayna,” he says breathlessly, as though it’s a relief hearing my voice. “Where are you now? Are you safe?”
“I’m home with my mother. Listen, Jason told me that you have to get here, take your cousins and Pauline; he’s sending more bodyguards to you, and Cassius knows the place, but are you okay? You got hit too,” I say everything in a rush.
“I’m fine, Alayna. Don’t worry. Stay where you are, and we’ll be there. Cassius, we need to...”***While packing, we are also having a hard time waking everyone up. Our youngest, Mirabelle, is crying her lungs out.
“I want to go to bed! I want to sleep! Mommy! I still want to sleep!” she screams enough to wake up the neighborhood while kicking her feet on the floor.
I grunt. “Spencer, could you give Mira something to make her stop? My ears feel like they’re exploding—”
“But who made my little girl cry?” Cassius appears at the door three hours after I called, and Brandon steps inside after him, together with one of the twins.
“Nice cozy home,” Carmelo says, nodding as he surveys the house. He seems used to giving compliments regardless of the situation. It almost makes me smile.
Mira stops. Her adorable little face looks up as Cassius approaches her. “Cassius! It’s Cassius!” she screams again, and her cries change into pleasant giggles.
“Come here.” Cassius lifts Mira to his arms and fondly strokes her back. “Don’t cry. Why are you crying?”
Mira pouts. “Laynie made me cry. She woke me up.”
He laughs, and even if Mira almost shattered my ears with her screams, I find her very cute. “I’m sure Laynie didn’t want you to cry. We are going somewhere really nice. Do you want that?”
A grin spreads across her face. “Yay! I want to go! I want to go!”
“All right, we will go if you don’t cry, okay?”
“Okay.”
“But I’m also wondering, where is my kiss?”
Mira pecks Cassius’s on the cheek and hugs him again. “Yay!”
Cassius winks at me. “It’s the trick,” he mouths.
I laugh but almost jump when I feel Brandon’s hand slip around my waist and his sandalwood scent filling my nostrils and warming my senses. A million butterflies stir in my belly. The anger about his never-ending secrets is still in my system, but I’m worried about him too.
“Hey...” I spin around and wrap my arms around his neck.
He tucks me inside his arms, nuzzling my hair. “Are you okay? I was worried too.”
“We’re fine. No one got hurt.” I release him so I can look at his beautiful ash-colored eyes.
“But where are the others?”
“Arianna is taking everyone to Kansas City first,” he explains while breathing in my scent. “Since we still have patients with us, we need to be extra careful. We came here so we could leave together.”
“AhemOh, God. Of course. She doesn’t know yet. “Um, Brandon, this is my mother, Elizabeth Hart, and Mom, this is Brandon Lucien. He’s my, um...”
“Your boss, I know.” She nods, but her tone is curious. “Welcome to our home, Mr. Lucien.”
Brandon smiles back and shakes Mom’s hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Hart. Just call me Brandon.”
“What a good-looking family!” She clicks her tongue as her eyes dart to Cassius again. “But...”
“Uh, Mom? Brandon is actually my, um, b-boyfriend,” I stammer. I’ll deal with it later too.
Carmelo whistles. “Here we go.”
Cassius elbows him. “Cary!”
Her eyes widen. “What? W-what is happening?”
“Mom, it’s a long story. I will tell you everything, but since everyone is here now, we should leave.”
“Is this true?” Mom goes on, looking at Brandon.
Brandon keeps his smile. “Yes, ma’am. I am.”
“I need an explanation,” she demands, her tone rising.
I move close to her and whisper in her ear. “Please, Mom. It’s embarrassing. I told you before that Cassius is just a close friend.”
She glares at me. “Nope, nope. Alayna, I don’t think I like your behavior now. This isn’t how you were raised. And I still need an explanation.”
“Okay, fine, I promise. Just not now. All right!”“Laynie, is there a TV there?” Kit, the second youngest, asks.
“Our TV broke last week, Laynie,” Michelle, the third eldest says.
I look back at Mom. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“We don’t want to bother you with such small things,” she says softly.
To my surprise, Brandon moves over to my brother and bends down in front of him.
“What is your name?”
“Kit. “Of course, there’s a TV there, Kit,” Brandon says. “You can watch anything you want and as long as you want.”
Kit’s face brightens, and a pleasant grin flashes across his face. “I want to watch SpongeBob!”
Rosy nudges her younger brother on the side. “Kit, no, that’s embarrassing.”
Brandon laughs. “It’s all right, sweetheart. And what’s your name?”
“Rosy,” she replies, her face bashful and her eyes down.
“Rosy. A beautiful name for a pretty girl. I think you have to teach me everyone’s name, is that okay?”
She nods. “O-okay...”
Brandon springs up, and our youngest pulls the hem of his coat. “Mister?”
He grins. “Yes, darling?”
“Does Laynie have two boyfriends?” Mira asks innocently.
“Mira!” I squeal, feeling the blood on my cheeks. I crouch and cover her mouth. “I’m sorry, she can be so inquisitive.”
The other kids laugh. I roll my eyes.
I’m glad Brandon didn’t take it seriously. “No, it’s all right.”
“Mira?” Cassius takes my sister back in his arms. “I am Laynie’s friend, and we are very close, but she is much closer to this mister. You’ll understand that when you grow up.”
Mira smiles again. “And I will marry you when I grow up!”
Cassius laughs softly, showing her dimples that probably charm the little girl more. “Why do you want to marry me?”
“Because you are like my prince. I read that the prince has gold hair... and a nice smile... and he’s tall!”
“Fine, I’ll marry you, but let’s listen to Laynie first and behave, okay?”
“Okay.”
Cassius releases Mira, and she sprints toward Tracy’s side. “I told you, Cassius is going to marry me.”
“Shut up,” Tracy scolds her in a whisper. Mira pouts.
“Now, that is tricky,” Cassius remarks, frowning.
“Thank you,” I whisper at him.
“Uh-huh. I see it now,” Brandon suddenly says. “Should I get jealous?” he whispers in my ear, but there’s a hint of a smile on the corner of his lips.
“You’ll get to know them.”
Or will he ever? I still can’t forget about our conversation earlier. He’s going to leave again. We will need to talk.
“Guys,” Jason says, reappearing with Khal and carrying two suitcases in each hand. “It’s getting late. We’ve got to move...”