“Hell,” Amy said. “I was happy with the one. He still keeps me on my toes.”
“Nix is fantastic and you know it,” Aunt Callie argued. “I can’t imagine he ever gave you any problems.”
Amy laughed.
“Oddly enough, Tommy was my easiest baby,” Aunt Callie said as my cousin Tommy shouted something filthy across the room. “And look how that turned out.” She met my eyes, grinning. “Good luck.”
“Oh God,” I mumbled, making all of them laugh.
“Don’t worry,” Amy said, reaching out to rub Olive’s back. “This one’s too sweet to ever shout obscenities across a crowded room.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” my mom said with a laugh. “In this family, you haven’t reached adulthood unless you’ve swore like a trucker at someone across a crowded room.”
I grimaced. She wasn’t wrong. My parents hadn’t ever told us that swearing was bad, they’d just taught us to know our audience. We’d known to only curse at each other until we were old enough that it wasn’t seen as disrespectful to other adults. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be quite as progressive with Olive. There was something inherently gross about hearing a four-year-old dropping f-bombs, even if it was funny.
“Hey, I almost forgot—Cam said to tell you he’ll see you in the morning. He went home to see Trix and the boys,” my mom said.
“He couldn’t say goodbye?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see if I could catch him.
“He’s been gone for over two weeks,” my mom answered unsympathetically. “He wanted to see his woman and his kids.”
I swallowed back the urge to snap at her as guilt made my stomach churn. I understood, so clearly, what she was insinuating. I was the reason he hadn’t seen Trix or the boys in two weeks. I had no right to get bent out of shape because my brother had left without saying goodbye. I had no right to make any demands at all—not when all of these people would be rearranging their lives to help me.
“I was surprised I didn’t see her here,” Aunt Callie said.
“After all of the stuff with Rose,” my mom replied with a grimace, “she didn’t want to freak the boys out by dragging them to the club in the middle of the night.”
“Where is Rose?” I asked. I’d noticed that she still hadn’t appeared. I’d also noticed that Leo had vanished the moment we got to the clubhouse, and I hadn’t seen Lily. I didn’t ask about her, though. Beyond the fact that my pride wouldn’t allow me to ask, hearing that my sister didn’t care enough to be there when I got home was something I wasn’t up to dealing with at the moment.
“Rose’s home with Mack and Kara,” Aunt Callie replied. “Rebel and Charlie were spending the night, too, so they said they’d see everyone tomorrow.”
“I hope Molly doesn’t drink tonight,” my mom said. “I’m going to need her help on breakfast.”
“Everyone’s coming for breakfast?” I asked, my stomach knotting. I was having a hard time dealing with the partial crowd that was surrounding us.
It felt like too much information, too many moving parts. After being away for so long, the sheer number of people to keep track of was overwhelming. I knew, of course, who belonged to who, and I could list off every single person in our extended Aces family—but actually being in the center of it was completely different.
“Yep,” my mom replied. “Brunch, really. I’m not waking up before noon.”
“She says that like it’s surprising,” Aunt Callie said to Amy.
“I always get up before noon,” my mom argued.
“Always?” Aunt Callie countered. “That’s a bit of a stretch.”
“Nine times out of ten,” my mom said.
“Two times out of ten,” Aunt Callie said with a laugh.
My mom looked at me. “Hello, a little loyalty here?”
“I haven’t lived here in almost a decade,” I replied with a shrug. “I have no idea when you wake up.”
“How are you my daughter?” my mom asked, looking at the ceiling. “How did I raise such a Benedict Arnold?”
“You need sleep,” Aunt Callie said with a laugh. “You’re getting loopy.”
“That’s fair,” my mom grumbled. She reached over and pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my temple. “Brenna got you set up?”
“Not yet,” I said, scanning the room over her shoulder. I couldn’t see Brenna, but I was sure she’d find me eventually.
“She’s got some rooms ready,” my mom said as she let go. “Sleep good, sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Afternoon,” Aunt Callie joked out of the side of her mouth.
“Get some rest,” my mom said, ignoring Aunt Callie. “You’re home safe now.”
After quick hugs with Aunt Callie and Amy, the former including a pinch on the ass that made Aunt Callie yelp, my mom sauntered away. I loved that she always seemed like she fit right in no matter where she was. She was comfortable in her skin like no one else I’d ever met, but I also envied her confidence. Of course, she would feel comfortable in the Aces clubhouse—my grandpa had been the president before he was killed—but her ability to stride into a room and make it her bitch didn’t end at the gates.