Chapter Text
“Another affair?”
Perhaps Grayson Hawthorne’s reaction was over-the-top, but he assumed there was a certain amount of frustration to be had upon learning that his now-dead father had been involved with another woman. That made three. Not that anyone was counting.
“It was a long time ago,” Zabrowski quickly explained, as if that changed much. “Seventeen years.”
“Seventeen?” Grayson repeated. “And there was a child?”
Zabrowski nodded. “A girl. I⎼⎼we⎼⎼thought you might want to meet her.”
Grayson challenged that statement with a stare. “What is she like?”
Zabrowski thought about this for several seconds. “Almost like a combination of you and your sisters.”
Grayson tried to imagine that and failed miserably. Gigi and Savannah were each their own person⎼⎼remarkably so. It was hard to picture their personalities combined into one. And he was just Grayson. There wasn’t much special about him.
He set his jaw. “I want to meet her. At least once.”
Zabrowski nodded⎼⎼like he hadn’t already arranged a meeting. “With or without your sisters?”
The question caught Grayson off guard, although it shouldn’t have. He pondered this for several seconds before answering. “They deserve to know what happened,” he finally said. “They should meet her as well.”
“We’ll get on it.”
Grayson tapped his fingers together. He didn’t want to feel nervous⎼⎼and really, there was no reason to feel nervous at all. He was just meeting a seventeen-year-old girl. His half sister.
Beside him, Gigi bounced up and down in her seat. “I hope she’s nice,” she said cheerfully. “And maybe likes coffee.”
On Grayson’s other side, Savannah rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that even if she was stone-cold, you would get along fine with her.”
The twins had taken the news that they had another sibling almost exactly as Grayson had expected. Gigi had freaked out a little, then bombarded him with question after questions about their newly discovered younger sister. Savannah had displayed absolutely no reaction, but she’d later admitted to Grayson that she hoped their sister liked her.
Grayson was personally hoping her personality leaned more towards Gigi’s than Savannah’s. It wasn’t that he cared less about Savannah, but Savannah made it pretty damn hard for anyone to care about her.
“Maybe she’ll like cats,” Gigi babbled on. “And then we can set up another meeting where she can meet my cats! Wait. Grayson. Is she going to come live with us?”
Grayson didn’t know. So he said as much. “I don’t know.”
“Where does she live now?” Savannah inquired. “Colorado, right?”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t she stay there?” Savannah continued. “Surely she lives with someone there.”
“Not her mom,” Gigi said, scraping at the carpet with the heel of her foot. “Right? Her mom died?”
“Yes,” Grayson repeated. “Her mother overdosed quite a few years ago. I would avoid bringing that up, if possible.” The information Zabrowski had found for them had been rather bare-bones, and Grayson highly suspected that some things were missing from the file. For example, it didn’t mention where she currently lived⎼⎼or any education records. It had, however, mentioned her mother’s death.
“Do you think our mom will like her?” Gigi asked. She pointed at Grayson. “Not your mom. Our mom.”
“Acacia will probably love her,” Grayson replied truthfully. He’d only met the twins’ mother a handful of times, but it was easy enough to say that she cared for him like he was her own son. Grayson had no doubt that she would treat this girl the same way.
The door cracked open, and a tiny girl with white-blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes slipped into the room. Grayson knew this must be his half-sister, although she looked much younger than seventeen. “Hi,” she whispered.
Grayson made the executive decision that, as the oldest, he should be running this interaction. He stood up. “Hello,” he replied. “I’m Grayson. This is Gigi and Savannah.”
The girl’s gaze ran methodically over the three of them in turn before she finally offered up, “I’m Sloane.”
“That is such a cool name,” Gigi said emphatically. “Okay, I have to know⎼⎼what are your opinions on cats?”
Sloane tilted her head to the side slightly. “Cats can move their ears one hundred and eighty degrees.”
Gigi’s mouth fell open. “Seriously? Are you kidding me? That is so cool! How did you know that? Do you know everything?”
Savannah gave her twin a warning look. “Calm down, Gigi.”
“Sorry,” Gigi apologized. “But seriously, do you know everything?”
Sloane blinked. “No.”
“Okay, yeah, that was probably a dumb question,” Gigi admitted. “No one knows everything.”
Grayson, meanwhile, was trying to piece together her personality. She was clearly smart, so maybe that was what had reminded Zabrowski of him in her. She looked a lot like Savannah. As for Gigi? He didn’t know. Hopefully, she did not have an addiction to caffeine that made her go off the walls.
“Next topic of discussion,” Gigi continued.
“Juliet,” Grayson said, before the conversation could turn to coffee. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle that.
Fortunately, his choice of words did the trick. Sloane turned her gaze to him. “Juliet?”
“That’s my birth name,” Gigi explained proudly. “I go by Gigi, though.”
Sloane frowned slightly, her forehead creasing. “Gigi can be a nickname for several different names, but it is not usually used as a nickname for Juliet.”
“I guess I’m the first!” Gigi declared.
“Not necessarily,” Savannah muttered.
Grayson steered the conversation back on track. “So,” he said, hoping a brilliant conversation spark would strike him. The one that did was less than brilliant. “Sloane. Tell us about yourself.”
Sloane rocked back on her heels. Her fingers tapped together, and Grayson blinked in surprise. Did the two of them really share a nervous habit? Sloane thought for several seconds before looking back at Grayson. “Like what?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
Sloane shrugged, shifting her gaze to the floor.
Grayson had a sudden suspicion of what was going on. “Did you ever meet our father?” he asked. “Before he died.”
“Yes,” Sloane said quietly.
Grayson swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. “Did he tell you that you weren’t good enough?”
Sloane looked up in surprise.
Grayson plowed on. “Did he tell you that you weren’t worth anything? That you didn’t deserve his affection?”
Sloane blinked several times before she replied. “How did you know?” she asked softly.
“Lucky guess,” Grayson replied, just as quietly. His heart squeezed.
Gigi’s gaze bounced between them like she was watching a tennis match. “Okay, so, here’s an idea that is not stand around and talk about Dad and be all sad and depressed,” she announced. She glanced at Savannah before smiling innocently at Grayson and Sloane. “We could go out.”
In Gigi’s world, going out apparently had the unspoken for coffee at the end of the phrase. This was how Grayson, Savannah, and Gigi found out that coffee had the same effect on Sloane that it did on Gigi. Grayson could have swore he heard Savannah muttering “Why me, God?” several times during the few hours the four of them wandered around, but she denied it every time he brought it up.
After a few hours, Gigi’s energy started to wear off. “I feel it coming,” she declared.
“You feel what coming?” Sloane asked. Grayson took this as a good sign, since she had rattled off practically nothing but statistics for the past few hours.
“The Caffeine Crash,” Gigi said dramatically. “Both words have a capital C.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s when she passes out for three hours,” Savannah interrupted.
Gigi bounced on her toes. “It’s not quite here yet,” she decided. “Hey! Idea just struck.” She pointed above her head. “Is there a lightbulb up here?”
“Um… no,” Sloane replied.
Gigi sighed. “Maybe next time. You can come back to the house with us! I bet our mom will love you.”
“Is she your mother, too?” Sloane asked Grayson curiously.
Grayson shook his head. “None of the three of you are ever going to meet my mother if I can help it.”
“What if you can’t help it?” Gigi asked, wiggling her eyebrows in what was probably supposed to be a mysterious way. It did not have the intended effect.
“Hopefully, that never happens.”
“Why?” Sloane and Gigi asked in unison. Grayson made another mental note that giving them any form of coffee would only lead to disaster.
“Actually, never mind,” Gigi decided seconds later. “I’ll ask Avery.”
Grayson was not above gloating a little. “Perhaps she won’t tell you.”
“She will,” Gigi insisted. “Avery loves me.”
Sloane didn’t ask who Avery was. Maybe she had come up once or twice in the general conversation and Grayson did not remember.
Skye’s not ruining these girls, Grayson thought fiercely. Not in the way she ruined my brothers and I.
They headed back to the Grayson house, thankfully before Gigi’s caffeine crash. “Mom!” Gigi yelled as Savannah unlocked the front door. “We’re home and we have a friend!”
Acacia appeared down the hallway, and her grin practically split her face open. “How lovely,” she noted. “What’s your name, honey?” she asked Sloane.
“Sloane,” Sloane replied.
“She’s my new best friend,” Gigi declared.
“Perhaps we should talk,” Grayson told Acacia.
Gigi shrugged. “I’ll give the grand tour. You’re helping, Sav.”
“I never agreed to that,” Savannah replied, glancing at Acacia.
Acacia waved her hand in response. “Go ahead, sweetheart.”
Savannah groaned but followed Gigi and Sloane down the hall.
Acacia waited all of thirty seconds before jumping straight to the point. “She’s Sheff’s, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Grayson replied. “I don’t believe she needs any lodging, but the girls wanted to meet her.”
“So did you,” Acacia observed. She studied Grayson. “You seem very protective of her.”
Grayson stiffened. That wasn’t necessarily how he’d wanted to appear. But then again, he was visibly protective of the twins. Why not his other half-sister as well?
“She met him,” he said, his voice quiet. He didn’t need to specify who he was talking about. “He didn’t want her.”
“I would suspect as much,” Acacia said softly. She shook her head. “He was always hard to please.”
That is an understatement, Grayson thought. He shook himself out of his reverie. “I should go find the girls.”
“You tell Sloane she is always welcome here,” Acacia instructed. Her eyes met Grayson’s. “Just like you are.”
Grayson nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I will.”
He found the girls on the back porch. “I’m throwing a party tonight,” Gigi declared by way of greeting. “Everyone is invited.”
Grayson chose not to bring up what had happened at the last party of Gigi’s he had been to. “Are you sure that is a good idea?”
“I’ve never met an idea that wasn’t good,” Gigi replied seriously.
“What about that time you ate glue?” Savannah asked dryly.
“Oh yeah,” Gigi said. “Savannah has all the dirt on me.”
“You ate glue?” Sloane asked, sounding confused.
“Of course! Who didn’t?”
Grayson, Savannah, and Sloane all raised their hands.
Gigi groaned. “You guys kill me.” She paused. “Idea: we throw a very small party. Us. Your brothers and their girlfriends-slash-wives.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “Rohan.”
“No,” Savannah said emphatically.
“Maybe Mattias,” Gigi continued, as if Savannah hadn’t spoken.
Grayson shot that one down. “No.”
Gigi raised a finger in the air. “But yes to the rest.”
“What about Lyra?” Savannah asked.
Gigi smacked her forehead with her palm. “Of course Lyra! How could I forget? Gray, text Lyra right now and tell her we’re throwing a very small party. Oh, and text your brothers too.”
Grayson rolled his eyes but did as she asked. Hopefully, Gigi would stay true to her word and keep this event small.
“Ten people,” Grayson coaxed. “Three of them you have already met.”
Sloane shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She’d excused herself twenty minutes ago, which had led to Grayson wanting to make sure she was okay and tracking her down. He’d found her in the library, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall.
“It will not be a big deal,” Grayson promised. “If anyone tries to make it such, I will kick their ass and potentially recruit a brother or two to help me.”
That got a small⎼⎼very small⎼⎼smile out of Sloane. “What’s it like?” she asked quietly, her gaze on the floor. “Having brothers?”
“When you have my brothers?” Grayson replied. “Hell. But it can also be enjoyable. I’m sure the twins would be extremely honest in their opinions of me as a brother.”
Sloane peered up at him. “I think you’re a good older brother,” she said.
Do not cry, Grayson instructed himself. Do. Not. Cry.
Out loud, he quietly said, “Really?”
Sloane nodded.
Grayson sat down on the floor next to her. The two of them sat there in comfortable silence for several minutes before Gigi barged in. “There you are! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Sav! I found them!”
Savannah followed Gigi in, looking rather flustered. She pushed her hair out of her face. “Gigi found more coffee,” she said darkly.
“I can see that,” Grayson replied.
Gigi bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “We have two hours. Let’s get cracking!”
Two hours, as it turned out, was not enough time for Gigi’s cup of coffee to wear off. Of course, there was always the potential that she had slipped off and downed another cup, but perhaps Grayson would never know for sure.
The doorbell rang.
Gigi squealed. “Someone’s here!”
Savannah and Sloane looked remarkably less delighted by this prospect.
“Everything will be fine,” Grayson reassured them.
“You say this now,” Savannah noted. “But have you ever been at a party with Gigi where her caffeine hasn’t worn off?”
Within twenty minutes, all seven of Gigi’s invitees had arrived. Nash was the first to pull Grayson aside. “Who’s the blonde girl, little brother?”
“Who, Savannah?” Grayson asked crisply.
Nash shook his head. “Don’t mess with me. The one I don’t know.”
Grayson glanced at Sloane. Avery⎼⎼bless her heart⎼⎼had struck up a conversation with her, and it at least appeared to be going well. “Her name is Sloane. We share a father.”
“Really,” Nash said, drawing the word out. “Anyone else here know?”
“Myself and the twins,” Grayson replied.
“Makin’ an announcement?”
“I’m hoping to avoid it, since I promised her we would not make a big deal out of this.”
Nash scrutinized Grayson. “Well, well,” he said⎼⎼almost proudly. “You’re protective of her already.”
This made Nash the second person to say that. “So I’ve heard.”
“Did she ever meet him?” Nash asked quietly. “Your father?”
“Yes,” Grayson replied, just as quietly. “It went about as well as you might expect.”
Nash swore softly under his breath. “If he wasn’t dead, I’d⎼⎼”
“Who’s protective now?” Grayson asked smoothly.
Nash gave him a look. “Don’t try me, little brother.”
“Grayson!” Avery called, waving him over.
This gave Grayson a good excuse to leave his conversation with Nash before he ended up getting his ass kicked. He strode over to Avery and Sloane. “Something wrong?”
“Not wrong,” Avery replied, her eyes sparkling. “You didn’t tell me you had another sister!”
“I only learned this recently,” Grayson replied, watching Sloane to try and gauge her reaction. She seemed comfortable around Avery.
Lyra sidled up next to them. “What’s going on?”
Grayson seized his chance. “Lyra,” he said, “this is my half-sister Sloane.”
Lyra’s eyes went wide. She glanced from Grayson to Sloane and back to Grayson, her gaze turning accusing. “You didn’t tell me you had another sister.”
Avery snorted. “I just said the exact same thing.”
“I did not know,” Grayson replied.
Lyra turned to Sloane. “Hi, I’m Lyra.”
“Hi,” Sloane said.
“Where have you been living?” Lyra asked conversationally.
Sloane tapped her fingers together. “Colorado.”
“Oh my God,” Lyra said, noting her tapping. “Gray does the exact same thing.”
Grayson shrugged. “Nervous habit.”
“No way,” Lyra said delightedly. “This is so awesome.”
“My nervous habit?” Grayson asked.
“No, the fact that you share one! I can see a resemblance,” Lyra said. “This is so exciting!”
Xander slid his way smoothly into the conversation. “Greetings, Avery, Grayson, Lyra, and blonde girl I do not know. How goes this fine evening?”
“This is Sloane,” Grayson said.
“Grayson’s half-sister,” Lyra added emphatically.
Xander looked from Sloane to Grayson. “You’ve been holding out on us,” he declared accusingly.
Sloane looked somewhat terrified.
“I do think you will like her, Xan,” Grayson replied.
“You’ve been holding out on us,” Xander repeated.
“This is a recent development.”
Xander looked around conspiratorially. “Who knows about this? Everyone? Am I the last to know?”
“The five of us know,” Grayson replied patiently. “Plus the twins. And Nash.”
“I’ll tell Jameson and Max,” Avery volunteered, and disappeared.
Xander grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Sloane. “What are your opinions on scones?”
“I’ve never had a scone,” Sloane replied, tilting her head to the side.
Xander gasped dramatically, his hand flying to his chest. “Never had a scone? Why, this is blasphemy! And tomfoolery! Grayson Davenport Hawthorne, get this girl a scone!”
Grayson obliged, mostly because Xander was prone to tackling.