Page 29 of The Forever Rule

“We went by partner,” the other mother corrected.

I blinked, counting the adults in the room. “Twelve?” I asked, my voice slightly high-pitched.

“Busy fucking man,” Dorian whispered.

Hudson snorted, while we just stood and stared at each other.

This could not be happening. A secret family? No, we were not that cliché.

“I can’t do this,” Phoebe blurted, her eyes wide.

“Oh, stop overreacting,” my mother scorned.

“Do not talk to my daughter that way.” The other mother glared.

“It was always going to be an issue,” Mother continued. “All the secrets and the lies. And now the kids will have to deal with it. Because God forbid Loren ever deal with anything other than his own dick.”

“That’s enough,” I snapped.

“Don’t you dare talk to us like that,” the shrewd sister snapped right back.

“I will talk however I damn well please. I am going to need to know exactly how this happened,” I shouted over everyone else’s words.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Phoebe run through the door. Ford followed and then the tall willowy one joined.

“Shit,” I snapped.

“Language,” Mother bit out.

I laughed. “Really? You are going to talk to me about language.”

I looked over at James, who shrugged, before he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled that high-pitched whistle that only he could do.

Everyone froze as Theo rubbed his ear and glared at me.

“Winstone,” I said through gritted teeth. “I take it we all have to be here in order for this to happen?”

He cleared his throat. “At least a majority. But you all had to at least step into the room.”

“Excuse me then,” I said.

“You’re just going to leave? Just like that?” my mother asked.

I whirled on her. “I’m going to go see if my apparentfamilyis okay. Then I’m going to come back and we’re going to get answers. Because there is no way that I’m going to leave here without them.”

I stormed out the door, and thankfully nobody followed me.

Of course, though, I shouldn’t have been too swift with that, as the woman who had to be the eldest sister practically ran to my side, her heels tapping against the marble.

“I’m coming with you.”

“That’s just fine.” I paused, knowing that I wasn’t angry at these people. No, my father and apparently our mothers were the ones that had to deal with this. I looked over at the woman who Mr. Winstone and the mothers had claimed was my sister and cleared my throat.

“I’m Aston.”

“Is this really the time for introductions?” she asked.

“I’m about to go see your sister and my brother to make sure that they’re fine, so sure. I would like to know the name of the woman that is running next to me right now.”

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