Page 21 of Rebel Hawke

Astrid elbows me in the ribs, and I twist toward her and glare.

“What?”

She purses her lips and leans in closer while the rest of the family continues to eat and chat. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

Fuck.

“Have not.”

I take another huge bite, giving myself time to consider a way to dodge and weave my way out of this interrogation. Of course, she waited to do it at Sunday dinner, knowing I would never miss it and would be stuck sitting next to her where I couldn’t escape.

Devious woman.

She pinches the sensitive skin on the back of my bicep, and the sharp sting makes me flinch and jerk away from her.

“What the hell, Astrid?”

All eyes at the table dart to us, and I swallow the rest of my bite and clear my throat, trying to think of an explanation.

Astrid plasters on a bright smile, playing on her generally sweet nature to convince everyone everything is fine. “Sorry, twin stuff!”

Dad knows better than to believe nothing is going on and shoots daggers at us from across the table with hard emerald eyes while Mom hides her laugh behind her hand. Of anyoneseated around us, she understands the unique relationship I share with Astrid, and she also knows that when my dear sister has something on her mind, her reserved shyness suddenly disappears and she becomes a force to be reckoned with.

I lean closer to her, growling between my clenched teeth. “Will you knock it off? I’mnotavoiding you. I’ve just been busy.”

Her blond brows rise. “Oh, really? Because I stopped by the gym Friday morning, and Jenkins said you were there Thursday but then bailed Friday and told him you weren’t feeling well…”

Fucking hell.

The old man ratted me out.

I tear into my garlic bread, chewing deliberately slowly as I scan the table to see who else might have overheard that little tidbit of information. But thankfully, everyone is engrossed in various conversations or bickering about something petty like we always seem to at these Sunday dinners.

Pope and Alessandra fawn over Benjamin in her arms while Storm holds out hers to try to take him from them…

Caroline and Saint are deep in a discussion with Bishop that has her rather animated and obviously annoyed…

Stone and Nora talk with Coen, who looks anything but pleased with the topic of conversation…

Angelina and Jude chat with Storm and Landon while Byron and Luca engage in their own private tête-à-tête…

Jack and Isaac struggle to keep Viviana focused on eating when she wants to go play with Charlotte, who isn’t listening to Kennedy or Cass…

Dani leans in to whisper something to Savage, who seems to be taking everything in the same way I am…

And Nana watches it all quietly while eating leisurely, appearing unconcerned with the chaos around her.

But I don’t let that innocent, quiet façade fool me.

The matriarch of the Hawke family hears and sees everything. Which means I need a legit excuse for why I skipped my workout Friday and stayed holed up in my place all day—and yesterday, on top of it—binging reality TV instead of suffering another catastrophic failure against the bag.

“I had a migraine. I’m good now.”

Astrid sits back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Mhmm.” Her lips press together firmly. She examines me a moment before she shifts closer, lowering her voice. “And that prevented you from taking my calls?”

Frankly, I’m surprised she didn’t show up at my place and force her way in.

It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time she—or others—have done it. Boundaries don’t exist for the people around this table. Typically, it’s a good thing to be so close-knit and to know I can always rely on every single member of the family for anything atanytime. But when I just want to wallow in self-pity and ignore my problems…it makes it really fucking hard.

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