“Come on,” Steven says to Gail. “Let’s go and let them process all of this.” He looks about the room, to his friends sitting shell-shocked at the dining table, his children, Luke’s siblings. “I love you all very much. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you had to find out about Dom this way.”

He stops in front of Jules, his face in absolute torment, as he gazes down at his daughter. “Jules,” he whispers.

Jules jumps up out of Nate’s arms and launches herself at her father, holding him tightly. “I love you so much, Daddy.”

“I love you too, baby girl.”

Jules hugs her mother and sniffs loudly as she pulls back and we all watch them walk out the front door.

“Fucking-A,” Caleb whispers.

Chapter Sixteen

~Caleb~

“He fucked around on my mother!” I yell and pace the living room, still mad as hell an hour after everyone has left after the meeting.

“Caleb…” Brynna begins but I cut her off.

“Do not try to defend him.”

“I’m not,” she shakes her head. “But honestly, your mom is right. It happened a long time ago.”

“Everything he taught us was a fucking lie.” I push my hand through my hair and stare out the front window into the dark yard. The sun set a long time ago.

“No it wasn’t, Caleb. Did you ever stop to think that that man was teaching you based on his own mistakes? He didn’t want you to make the same ones he did.”

I exhale and close my eyes.

Damn her for making sense.

“Your dad loves your mom fiercely. It’s obvious to anyone who sees them.”

“I have a brother I didn’t even know about!” I exclaim and pace the room again.

“He didn’t know either. There’s no way that if Steven knew he’d fathered a child he would have abandoned him, Caleb. You know that.” She watches me pace, her face calm and eyes watchful, and I suddenly feel like a dick.

“You’re right,” I mutter and pull my hand down my face. “He wouldn’t have. But it’s fucking bullshit that he left my mom right after I was born.”

“It’s called being human. Frankly, I’m relieved that the Montgomerys aren’t as perfect as they all look from the outside.” She chuckles and I scowl at her.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on, Caleb. Your parents are still happily married, all of you are super-model gorgeous, you all get along with each other.” She ticks off each point with her fingers. “You have one brother who is a freaking professional football player, you’re a SEAL…”

“Was,” I interrupt, but she keeps going.

“You’re all successful. It’s like none of you could do any wrong, and you’re this cookie cutter perfect family. Well, surprise, you’re all human after all.” She shrugs and watches me carefully, as I stand here and just stare at her.

“Matt likes kinky sex, there is nothing perfect about him,” I inform her, trying to keep a straight face.

“Oh, get real, you like the kinky shit too,” she waves me off, but I smile wolfishly at her.

“Not that kinky, but I wouldn’t mind tying you up sometime, Legs.”

She laughs and shakes her head, then stands and crosses to me.

“Give it some time,” she urges and wraps her arms around my waist. “You might find that Dominic is a nice guy.”

“He could be a homicidal maniac. An asshole. A Denver fan,” I cringe and shudder at the thought, making Bryn laugh and for the first time all day, I feel my body relax.

“He might just be a regular guy who wants to know what his biological father is like,” she counters with a grin. “From what I remember when we met him at lunch, he’s handsome.”

“You met him too?” I ask, surprised.

“Briefly, yeah. Your dad was trying to get them out of there fast when he saw us. He seemed normal.” She fiddles with the button on my shirt, but before I can ask more questions, there’s a knock on the door.

“Expecting anyone?” I ask her with a raised eyebrow.

“I called my mom and asked her to bring the kids home. I miss them.” She grins shyly and I kiss her soft forehead before opening the front door. Two small girls and an eager dog come bounding inside, with Brynna’s parents close behind them.

“Thanks for bringing them home.” Brynna smiles at her parents and hugs both girls close.

“No problem. They were ready to come home anyway.”

“Grandpa says we’re bad for his high pressure,” Josie informs her mother with a serious face.

“He says we’ll give him vagina,” Maddie joins in and I snort before catching the laugh that wants to come out of me.

“Angina,” he corrects them and rolls his eyes. “You’ll give me angina.”

“That’s what I said,” Maddie counters.

“We’ll head out, honey.” Eloise hugs Brynna close and kisses my cheek as she passes by.

“Thanks again, Mom. And don’t forget that Monday night is our monthly night out with the gang, so the kids will be back with you that night.”

“No problem,” Eloise smiles.

“I don’t think we’ll be going to that, Bryn,” I begin but am met with a glare from Brynna.

“I will have a cop, a SEAL, a professional football player and a former UFC fighter with me, Caleb. I will be well taken care of.” She props her fists on her hips and looks at me like I’m nuts.

“I guess when she puts it like that,” I shrug and smile. Her parents laugh as they leave and the girls immediately start chatting about their night with their grandparents.

Bix wanders over to me and I settle on the couch with him half in my lap and half on the couch. With all of his training, he still hasn’t figured out that he’s not a lap dog. I’m content to scratch his belly and gently massage around his bad ear, earning moans of pleasure from the big goof as the girls talk excitedly to their mother.

She’s such a good mom.

She smiles happily at the girls and gestures for them to join her on the loveseat adjacent to where I’m sitting, settling one on each side of her, wrapping her arms around them and kissing their heads.

I wish I’d seen her with them when they were babies. What a sight it must have been to watch her soothe them, cuddle them.

Nurse them.

“My tooth is loose!” Josie tells her excitedly.