She held up both hands. “I certainly did not.” Her eyes narrowed on her fiancé. “But if I did and G swore me to secrecy, I would’ve been well within my rights not to tell you a danged thing.”
“Of course,” Holt quickly backed down.
Nash snorted. “Whipped.”
“Like you aren’t?” Holt snapped. “You can’t even handle your thirteen-year-old nephew flirting with Maddie.”
“Enough,” Lawson barked. “When did this start?”
Schnitzel. Schnitzel. Schnitzel.Caden and I hadn’t come up with a backstory to tell people. They were going to see through us in two seconds flat.
Caden’s fingers tangled in my hair as he gazed down at me. “I’ve always known Gigi was special. It only takes a second in her presence to realize that. But when I came home this time, I just couldn’t stay away. She has this pull. Makes you want to lean in and get as close to that light as possible. Makes you want to do better. Deserve her. I’m just lucky she gave me a shot.”
My throat tightened. Had Caden gone to acting school while he was in New York? That performance deserved a freaking Oscar.
My mom shoved through the wall of my brothers and beamed at us.Oh, crud on a cracker.She looked so dang happy. “Caden.” She pulled him into her arms. “I’ve always thought of you as one of mine. This just makes it official.”
Red danger lights flashed in my mind. My mom would be planning a wedding before we knew it.
“Mom, it’s new. Don’t go crazy,” I said, panic digging in deep.
She released Caden and turned to me. “Don’t you tell me not to be excited when my girl hasn’t ever once brought a guy home before.”
“Technically, he brought himself,” I argued.
Nash choked on a laugh. “Burn, dude.”
Maddie smacked him.
“You guys set the table,” Mom called. “I need a few minutes with my girl.”
“But—”
She cut me off with a look. And I didn’t protest as she dragged me toward Dad’s office. I glanced over my shoulder to see my brothers descending on Caden with what looked like murderous intent. He just grinned at me and winked. Freaking winked. Who winked when they were about to get murdered? I was starting to think that Caden had a bizarre death wish.
Mom pulled me into Dad’s office and shut the door behind us.
“It’s really not that big of a deal. It’s new and casual,” I said, hoping to stave her off.
“Sit,” she ordered.
I knew that tone and immediately sat on the sofa. My mom lowered herself to the seat next to me and just studied me for a moment. “Are you happy?”
I swallowed hard, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn’t be an outright lie. “There’s been a lot going on. Between the attacks on Holt and Wren, and then Nash and Maddie, the craziness at work, Dad still recovering from his heart attack…”
Mom’s expression softened as she took my hand. “We’ve certainly had our fair share of drama lately.”
“Understatement,” I muttered.
“But are you happy with Caden?”
I fidgeted with the edge of the sofa cushion. “He’s not what people think.”
My mom’s brows pulled together.
“He’d do anything for his family, even though his brother and dad don’t deserve it. He has this gentleness with his mom unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He cares about the people around him and wants to make their lives better.” I’d known that just by the way he’d stepped in with Rance when he didn’t have to.
“You’ve always had a way of seeing the best in people.”
