Page 19 of Eleven of a Kind

“My brother was going to say that you’ll be in there a long time,” Nathan said. “And the sales associate will try to talk you into things you don’t need. Right, bro?” Nathan glared at him.

“Um, yeah,” Conner said.

“So, cousin,” Simon said. “What was the story with you and Riley’s mom?”

“There is no story.” I tipped the bottle to my lips. “We met, spent the summer together, and apparently she got pregnant.”

“Dad!” Riley shouted. “Can you come here?”

* * *

Grayson

“It’s so weird hearing my brother being called ‘Dad.’”

“I know.” Jackson chuckled. “That’s how we felt when Ella came to live with Nathan.”

“What’s the real story with Gabriel and Riley’s mother?” Simon asked. “I can tell there was more to it.”

“To be honest, I think he really loved her. He was different that summer and broken up when we returned to Harvard. He wouldn’t talk about it and told me never to mention Ariana’s name again.”

“Different how?” Stefan asked.

“Heartbroken. When we got back to Harvard, it took him a long time before he’d even look at another girl.”

“Is she the reason he’s so adamant about women and relationships?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I guess I never really thought about it. But you all know that our father played a significant role in that too, at least for me. Maybe Gabriel used him as the excuse when it was about Ariana all these years. Like I said, he wouldn’t talk about her again after that summer.”

“Quiet. Here he comes,” Sebastian said.

CHAPTER7

Gabriel

After we left Pottery Barn and thousands of dollars later, I took Riley to the Apple store to get a laptop.

“Can I get an Apple watch too? That way, I won’t miss any text messages.” She smiled.

“Your phone is glued to your hand. You don’t miss any text messages. We’ll stick with the MacBook for today.”

“Fine.” She sighed.

After we got home, she took her laptop to her room, and I went to Nathan’s house.

“Hey, Gabriel.” Sofia smiled.

“Hi, Sof. Where’s your husband?”

“I’m right here.” Nathan walked down the stairs. “How did shopping go?” He grinned.

“You didn’t tell me how expensive that place was.”

He hooked his arm around me. “But it’s for your daughter, and that’s all that matters. Besides, if we had to spend all that money, it was only fair that you did too.” His arm tightened around my neck.

“You’re a douchebag.” I laughed as I pushed him away.

“Just wait until she starts asking you for your credit card.” He pointed at me. “Your life just got really expensive, cousin. You better start seeing more patients than you already do.”

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