“What’s up?” Lio asked.
Before Hen could answer, Jon stepped through the doorway as well. The four of us filled the small space to the brim. Hen’s eyes flicked between Lio and me.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were awfully quiet this afternoon.”
Lio’s hands tightened almost imperceptibly where they rested on my hips.
“Just frustrated. That’s all.”
Hen moved forward to take a seat in the chair I’d been sitting in. “Is it the thing with Dad? You and I haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet, but I knew you’d be upset.”
I squirmed and shot a glance at Lio before speaking. “Please let me leave you two in peace. Clearly you need some time to catch up.”
Lio’s dark blue eyes met mine. “Will you wait for me in my room? It’s the one with the stained glass in the bedpost.”
He’d shown me the room the night before when we’d “snuck” into the royal apartments upstairs. I’d gone apeshit over the glass bedpost. Of course that was his room. Jesus.
I felt my nerves kick up at an external confirmation he was, in fact, the royal personage in this castle. “Yes. But please take your time. I’m going to call home first and wish Grandpa and Doc a Merry Christmas.”
When I stood up, Lio grabbed my hand and pulled it to his lips for a kiss before winking at me. My heart did stupid shit, so I turned to leave the room as quickly as possible. Before I got to the doorway, however, Hen stood up and pulled me into her arms for a hug.
The gesture shocked me.
Her smooth voice whispered into my ear. “Thank you for being here for my brother. Merry Christmas, Felix.”
I gave a sort of freaked-out nod before hotfooting it out of the room like my ass was on fire. What had she meant by that? It was weird enough to even meet the sister of a hookup, but to have her thank me for… what? Having sex with her brother? Fuck. What was that about?
I made my way back to my guest quarters and pulled out my laptop to do a video call back home. While I didn’t have cell coverage at Gadleigh, I did have access to their Wi-Fi.
After the call was answered on their end, I saw a clear image of Doc and my cousin Saint in the background. Before Doc even had a chance to greet me, I spluttered. “Saint! Holy shit, what are you doing home? I thought you were still overseas.”
The big guy turned and grinned at me. Despite the muscle-bulked frame, his face was all baby, and I felt a wave of relief pass over me to see him safely home.
“Otto and I decided to pack it in once and for all,” he said into the camera. I could see they were in the kitchen and assumed Doc had kept the laptop set up in hopes I’d call.
“What do you mean? Like, retirement? For real?”
He nodded, and I could see Doc’s grin grow wider. Doc slipped his arm around Saint’s waist. “Can you believe it? They got in late last night as a surprise. Didn’t tell a soul they were doing it.”
I felt a small tick of homesickness niggle at me. Saint and Otto had come home from the Navy, and I hadn’t been there to celebrate with everyone.
“I’m so happy for you. What are you going to do with yourselves now?”
In the background, I could see the familiar hunched shoulders of my cousin Otto as he grabbed a beer from the fridge before approaching the computer and edging Doc out of the way.
“Hey, Felix. Sorry we missed you, but Grandpa and Doc said you’ll be home soon,” Otto said with a kind smile. God, how I’d missed those two guys during their deployment. They’d both been in for several years, and I’d always imagined at least Saint would be a lifer. I wondered what had caused him to change his mind.
The reminder of my dwindling time at Gadleigh left a hollow in the pit of my stomach, but I tried to hide it with a smile.
“Yep. I’ll be home soon. Hope you’ll still be there in Hobie when I get back?”
Otto glanced at Saint before nodding at the camera. “Yeah, buddy. We’ve got some job leads in Dallas, but in the meantime we’re staying here in the bunkhouse with the pups. I think Grump has officially fallen in love with Saint here.”
I laughed. My grandparents’ coonhound was a sweet old thing with long ears and a grizzled face. “Don’t let Sweet and Salty see you guys playing favorites, or Salty will bite your ankles off. She’s a bitch.”
Doc came back in the frame with a mock glare. “Hey now, that’s my sweet baby you’re talking about.”
“Sweet baby, my ass,” Saint muttered under his breath. “Damned thing near took my feet out from under me this morning on my way over here for breakfast.”