Page 68 of Restrained

With an easy dismissal, my mom laughs lightly. “No. Not just because of your hair color. The shape of your faces. The cheekbones. Your eyes.”

Penelope folds her arms, not chancing a look at Hayden. “Our eyes aren’t even the same color.”

“They have the same little golden flecks and the same pain in them, Penelope.” My mom’s voice is firm.

I see Baz and Vivienne standing in the doorway, but Viv is holding onto his little shoulders, keeping him in place.

Lincoln places one arm around Penelope’s waist. “Let’s just stay for dinner.”

She pushes him away, and I hate the rejection I see in Linc’s eyes. “No.” She turns back to Hayden. “I don’t know what your game is, but I won’t be a part of it.” She looks at Linc, remorse in her eyes. “I’ll see you at home.”

Her head dips as she turns toward the door, reaching for the handle, and as she’s opening it, Hayden’s voice is all that can beheard. “Slatewas a tough mom to have. And if anyone knows that, it’s me. Because she was my mother too.”

Penelope freezes, her expression full of sorrow and confusion as she looks at Hayden over her shoulder before she jerks open the door and leaves.

Well that was brutal.

I place my hand on Hayden’s back, trying to soothe the tension, but he’s rigid as he watches her leave.

Asher stands from the stool, walking over to Baz and scooping him up. “You hungry?”

Baz giggles as he dangles upside down in Asher’s arms. “Yes!”

He carries him to the table, and everyone quickly grabs food from the stove and brings it to the table. I’m surprised to see Lincoln is staying, but he moves to a chair across from Baz and Ash.

My hand rests on Hayden’s lower back, uncertain of what to say. “I’m so sorry. I thought she would at least give you a chance.”

His body turns to face me, his head tipping down as he uses his finger to lift my chin up. “I’m happy to be here with your family. I don’t do anything I don’t want to.”

I don’t completely believe him. Part of me knows he’s here for me. I keep my voice low, staring into his eyes, “We can make a break for it. Grab wine and run.”

He smiles, looking behind me at the table. “I think I'm done running.”

My chest flutters with hope, which should frighten me, but he kisses any fear away with the briefest meeting of our lips, and then he takes my hand as we make our way to the table. I sit down, and he sits between my mother, who’s at the end of the table, and me.

Tony sits at the other end, and Vivienne takes a seat next to Baz across from Hayden. Everyone fills their plates, and mymom turns to Hayden. “How did you find Penelope? If you’ve never met. How did you know to look for her?”

I don’t want him to be uncomfortable, but he doesn’t seem to falter. “I was looking for our mother.”

“You hate your mother, though,” Asher says as he takes the slice of turkey off his fork with his teeth, staring him down, not trusting him.

Not surprising.

“I do.” Hayden again does not flinch. He turns back to my mother. “She wasn’t a mother, but she was still my mother. I guess curiosity got the best of me.”

My mom nods. “Where you come from is important.”

Lincoln hasn’t said much, which, depending on his mood, isn’t really that odd for him. He stares at Hayden, studying him. “Why didn’t you just come and knock on our door? Tell us who you were?”

“What’s the fun in that?” Asher snorts as he takes another bite, the bitterness in his tone heartbreaking to me. I look at Baz, who’s none the wiser to all the tension at the table as he drinks his chocolate milk happily, humming a song to himself in his own little world. He reminds me so much of Asher at that age, carefree and happy until his teen years, a couple of years before all our lives changed forever.

I sometimes wonder what I could have done to keep him that carefree kid.

“Asher,” I warn, “Hayden is here as my guest not someone else for you to punish.”

His shoulders shrug. “Oh come on, Lols...” His head tilts to the side, and I want to kick him, but I remember I’m an adult nearing thirty. “Hayden here looks like he likes it a little rough.” He nods to Hayden’s eyes, still purple from my fist.

I cringe. My mother didn’t mention that when she was looking at his face earlier, and Asher didn’t say anything untilnow. For some stupid reason, I really thought it was going to slide by.

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