Ryan took a step toward me, his face conflicted
Alec pushed him back. “Get out before you lose more than your pride.”
They were almost the same height but Ryan didn’t know that Alec was stronger than any normal human. He straightened as if he wanted to fight but pain still contorted on his face. I had landed a good hit. With one last look at me, he left.
“Looks like you just made a new enemy,” I told Alec.
His face turned dark. “I can deal with him.”
Following the line of Alec’s eyes, I saw the finger marks Ryan had left on my wrist. Good thing that Alec couldn’t see my neck from that angle. It felt sore, too. Ryan took getting Madison back a bit too seriously.
I rubbed my wrist and leaned against a table.
“Why did you follow him into an empty classroom?”
“Because he came to my house yesterday to talk. He wasn’t going to give up unless I finally spoke to him.”
“He was at the house? Why didn’t you tell me? He could’ve come to attack you.”
“I’m not stupid, Alec, and Devon was home anyway.”
Alec shook his head. “Oh great, is that supposed to calm me? That guy is as much of a suspect as Ryan.”
I shushed him. We couldn’t risk being overheard.
“Devon is innocent.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I think Yates knew about Madison’s pregnancy.”
“Are you sure?”
“No. I’m not sure. He didn’t admit anything, but he was jumpy and tried to guilt me into not talking about the affair or the pregnancy with anyone. I don’t know what to make of him.”
Alec closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. “I’ll talk to Major.”
“We need to get to class,” I said, knowing the look on his face too well. I turned to exit the classroom.
“You’re risking too much,” Alec whispered.
“I’m just trying to do my job, Alec. We always knew it would be risky.”
The following weekend I met the rest of Madison’s family at the barbecue Ronald organized to celebrate her recovery.
Madison’s paternal grandparents arrived first, with presents—chocolate truffles, money, and books. It felt wrong to accept anything from them, but I did anyway. Madison’s grandpa had a laugh like dry leaves and he put his cigar down only to light a new one.
The spicy smell of tobacco mingled with the smoky smell of the steaks sizzling on the grill. It was a cold and cloudy day but even that couldn’t dampen the mood. There were about twenty people there, but we could have easily fed twenty more with the amount of food piling up on the dining room table, not to mention the pile of steaks waiting by the grill. Madison’s cousins, aunts and uncles, godparents, and great aunts were all in attendance. There were so many guests that I couldn’t even remember half of their names. Luckily most of them just asked me if I was well and hugged me before they moved on to grab something to eat. They were a hungry bunch. Only Uncle Scott, Ronald’s older brother, and his wife, Aunt Cecilia, stuck to my side like superglue.
Uncle Scott, who had a mustache that curled around his lips like a constant frown, told dirty jokes about nuns and penguins that made my throat ache from laughter, while Aunt Cecilia giggled at each one as though she was hearing it for the first time. Watching them interact made me laugh even more than the jokes.
The whole house buzzed with laughter, conversation, chewing, and the occasional burp—from Uncle Scott. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been happier. The smile seemed to be permanently carved into my face, my muscles aching from unfamiliar use. Was this how my life could have been if I had been normal? In that moment, I wished more than anything that I could keep them; that I was more than an impostor with a borrowed family.
I turned around, feeling like I’d suffocate if I stayed with them for a moment longer. I headed for the kitchen, hoping to find a moment alone but instead found Linda frosting a huge buttercream cake. She didn’t hear me enter over the chatter coming from the rest of the house and I stopped for a moment to watch her as she spread the icing with a spatula. She had a small, happy smile on her face. Instinctively, my fingers closed around the rose pendant over my breastbone, drawing comfort from it.
Linda turned and dropped the spatula, clapping a hand over her heart. “Good God, Maddy, you scared me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I just needed . . .” I trailed off, not sure how to tell her I needed a reprieve from her family. She gave me a knowing look.
“I know. They can be quite overwhelming,” she said as she picked up the cake stand and headed toward the dining room. “I’ll be back in a minute.”