Page 190 of Filthy Rich Santas

As soon as he takes a seat, Meg scoops up Baldwin and heads into the kitchen, no doubt to prepare the snacks she mentioned.

“Caleb,” Lana whispers, her spine still straight but her voice quivering.

“Lana,” he replies, his face a storm of emotions as he stares back at her.

I’m immediately on edge. Which fucking sucks, because this isCaleb. I’m definitely not alone in that, though. Tristan and Beckett straighten up too, all of us instinctively moving closer to Lana.

“Just a heads up,” I say, my voice low. “You’re gonna want to think about whatever’s about to come out of your mouth next. Your sister’s been through enough tonight.”

Tristan backs me up, his usually gentle demeanor hardening. “If you’re here to give her a hard time?—”

“I’m not,” Caleb cuts him off, his gaze still fixed on Lana. Then he glances at each of us, his eyes narrowing a little. “I just… I need to understand what’s going on.”

“We may be friends—” Beckett starts.

“Exactly,” Caleb snaps before he can get any further. “You’re my friends, so what the actual fuck?”

“Language, boys,” Meg calls out from the kitchen.

Caleb’s mouth works open and closed for a moment with no sound coming out, then he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks Lana, his voice tight with hurt. “About any of it? The lupus.Jesus, Lana. Lupus? How long have you known? And… andthis.” He waves a hand, taking in all four of us. “I’m your big brother.”

“I know,” she says quietly.

“So why am I just hearing about everything tonight? Likethat.”

She runs a hand down her face. “I mean, in my defense, it’s not how I was planning on telling you.”

“Wereyou planning on telling me?”

She sighs, chewing on her lower lip for a second, and it takes everything I have not to butt into this conversation. We need to have our own talk with Caleb, but right now, this is between Lana and her brother.

Her eyes get glassy again, but no tears fall as she lifts her chin. “I don’t know. I think so. But honestly, Caleb, it’s not all about you. My lupus diagnosis is new, and I’m still coming to terms with it. And me and the guys? That’s also new.”

Caleb grits his teeth, then huffs out a breath. “I mean, I’d hope so.” He eyes all three of us. “How new are we talking? Is this why you all offered to drive across the country with her?”

I roll my eyes as Tristan snorts and Beckett huffs out a breath, shaking his head.

Lana laughs. “I wish.” She bites her lip again. “I… really care about them.”

“All of them,” Caleb says flatly, not making it a question.

She gets that fierce, sexy fire in her eyes as she stares him down. “Yeah, Caleb. All of them. This is what makes me happy.Theymake me happy. And they are your friends, so I’d think you of all people would understand what amazing people they are.”

He holds her stare for a second, then slumps back in his seat, looking at the ceiling. “Fuck.”

Meg bustles back into the room with a tray of Christmas cookies and drinks. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Sorry, Grandma Meg,” Caleb mutters sheepishly. Then he looks back at Lana. “And you’re right. I do understand that these three guys… aren’t horrible.”

Beckett chuckles, and when Caleb’s hand twitches in his direction, I’d put money on Grandma Meg’s presence being the only reason he doesn’t flip Beckett off.

Which means our friendship is still okay.

At least, mostly.

Which is fair. I get that this shit caught him off guard, but I can see that he’s trying his best not to be a dick about it. He just has to wrap his head around it.

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