Page 68 of Unfulfilled Promises
Seth
We had barely gotten started on some new data James uncovered from Giovanni’s phone when we heard a squeal that sounded unnatural. Jumping up, everyone raced down the hallway, ready to throw down with whoever was stupid enough to come inside Rhys’s house.
When we got to the kitchen and saw Regan and Hannah laughing until they were almost in tears, it was the kind of thing we all needed at that moment—lightness and good spirits. I glanced at James, and he gave a knowing nod before he spoke. “Why don’t we have dinner and deal with the rest of this later?”
“Let’s eat,” Rhys declared, and his guards gave a nod before leaving us alone.
It looked like there was more than enough, but their job wasn’t to eat with us—it was to protect the grounds and home against anyone who wanted to bring harm here. I respected their decision to leave us as a family to eat, and I knew that’s what we were. With each new revelation, we gained a new member of the family until we were a hodgepodge of neurosis.
Hannah got up to go to the oven, and when Regan tried to stand, I gently placed my hand onto her shoulder and asked, “What do you need, baby?”
“I need to help Hannah with dinner,” she remarked, and Devlin stepped up.
“I’ll help with dinner. You rest. Deal?”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before she replied, “Deal.”
She watched as he pulled down plates from the cabinet and Lucian started filling glasses. James began to plate pasta then handed it to Booker, who poured sauce over the noodles. Caldwell took the plates and placed them on the island next to Hannah, who was slicing delicious-smelling bread and placing some on each plate. When Devlin grabbed forks from the drawer and napkins from the holder, I swear, Regan nearly fell off her chair.
“Why hasn’t anyone helped me up until now, since you’re all so skilled in the kitchen?” she jokingly asked, and it was James who replied.
“Anytime someone gets in your kitchen, you run them off with your perfection. Since this is messy, it’s hard to screw it up. Otherwise, I have no doubt you would be running the show, injured or not.”
She looked up at me and admitted, “He’s right. I am a bit of a control freak in the kitchen.”
“A bit?” Hannah laughed. “You smacked my hand with a wooden spoon when I tried to help ice cupcakes.”
She held her hands up a little and replied, “Okay, I’m a nutjob in the kitchen, and James is right, it’s hard to screw up spaghetti.”
The group laughed, and I kissed her, no longer afraid to show her all the affection she deserved. Helping her from the stool, I grabbed two plates and offered, “I’ll get you settled and come back for our drinks.”
“I can help,” she whispered.
“Once you’re healed, I’ll take the training wheels off, but until then, please let me take care of you. I almost lost you before we had a chance to see how amazing we’re going to be and I can’t take that chance again.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she sniffled as she said, “Damn, Johnson, way to sweep a girl off her feet.”
James walked past, and I saw him glance at me, giving me a look of approval as he took his plate into the dining room. Regan followed me, and I placed her plate next to James and across from Rhys and Hannah. Mine went next to hers, then I pulled her chair out and helped her get situated before turning to grab our drinks and utensils.
When I returned, I saw her and James speaking quietly, and she nodded a few times as I sat down. James looked at me and said to Regan, loud enough so I could hear, “Talk to him and make sure that’s okay. He’s the one who’s going to be watching out for you, so he’s got to be onboard.”
I was about to ask what he was talking about when Devlin stood from his seat, drawing everyone’s attention. He looked around at the small gathering before he spoke. “Four years ago, I made the decision to tell my story, thinking it would help someone. Or maybe it was me being boastful that I’d finally gotten my lamb. Whatever the reason, I know all the bullshit we’ve encountered is directly tied to that decision, and I’ve already spoken with Elise because she deserved to be the first to hear this, but now, I think I can say it to everyone.” He glanced around the room before admitting, “I was wrong to shine a spotlight on our world, and I’m asking for your forgiveness. If’ I’d kept my mouth shut, none of this would’ve happened, and I’m so sorry for all the pain I’ve caused.”
A few people started to speak, but it was Regan, my beautiful woman, who stood and responded to his statement. “You can’t blame yourself for all the drama any more than I can. We were all pawns in Sergey’s quest for power, and even if you hadn’t spoken up about you and Elise, everything would’ve still played out the exact same way. There isn’t one thing that has happened that you could’ve stopped, and like Stella reminded me, you need to give yourself some grace.”
She sat back down, and I took her hand under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze to let her know how proud I was of her. Rhys and James smiled at her before James looked at Devlin. “Brother, you and I spoke at length about you speaking up before you uttered a single word. And I’ll tell you the same thing I said all those years ago. The truth shall set us all free. If you hadn’t spoken up, then we wouldn’t be here, working to put the final nail in the Syndicate’s coffin.”
Devlin retook his seat, and Lucian looked at him before speaking. “We lost too many years as a family because of Sergey and his lies, and I agree with Regan and Stella. We all need some grace. We’ve all made mistakes, and we’ve all had to face our demons, but none of us allowed Sergey’s poison to infect us, and for that, we should all be grateful.”
Hannah lifted her glass and said, “A toast.” Everyone raised their glasses as she said, “To family and truths. May we be plentiful in both.”
“Here, here,” Booker said, and I chuckled as his usual outburst.
“Let’s eat before it gets cold. Then someone is going to tell me about what you’ve uncovered and what the next move is,” Regan remarked before she lifted her fork and began to swirl her spaghetti around the tines.
We ate and had good conversation, enjoying each other’s company. It wasn’t often we had the chance to do this, and I hoped that in the future, dinner parties would be a part of our lives. They allowed us to unwind and relax, something we all struggled with.
After dinner was finished, Hannah stood and offered, “I’ll clean up, and you guys can talk in here so Regan doesn’t have to move more than necessary.”
