Eden

We returned to school after spending the holidays with my and Aiden's family. I have to admit. It was great to celebrate Christmas with a family who gives a shit, unlike the previous years—having Aiden added to the whole enjoyment. I can't believe I spent five years with someone like Wayne. I should have known a guy like Wayne was a waste of time.

"Why did your mood drop faster than the cousins when they lost to me?" Maggie asked.

Nash snickered beside her while eating a sandwich in the bakery.

"I was thinking about past holidays," I said.

"Why would you want to return to that miserable time?" She asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I was comparing this recent holiday to the previous ones. Then my ex popped into my mind." I pursed my lips, not liking the idea of giving Wayne space in my head.

"Why would you think of that asshole when you have tall, dark, and not-so-silent sitting beside you?" Maggie pointed at Aiden, sitting beside me.

Aiden arched his brow while Nash chuckled. "Will you stop calling me that?" Aiden asked.

"Why? It's true. I didn't know if you had teeth since you never smiled." She shrugged.

I chuckled.

"Yes, I have all my teeth. They're quite nice since my dentist approves of my dental hygiene." Aiden smiled, showing his teeth. "Never had a cavity and planned to keep it that way."

"Did you ever have braces? No one's teeth are that straight," Maggie said.

Aiden shook his head.

"You're lucky. I got to enjoy wearing metal in my mouth for a few years." She screwed up her face in disgust.

"Yeah, I remember that. Nathan and Noah called you hardwire. You put hot sauce in their drawers," Nash said.

Aiden and I laughed.

"How did you manage to sneak into their houses to put hot sauce in their underwear?" I asked.

"Nash used their spare key to sneak in when no one was home." She shrugged.

"Yeah, Uncle Rafe wasn't happy when he discovered what we did. Dad and West had to keep him from throttling us," Nash said.

"Nathan and Noah knew better than to antagonize Maggie. That's all on them," Aiden said.

With the truth about us out in the open, talking like we did wasn't so weird. However, hiding the truth from my parents during the holidays was hard. I had to hand it to Maggie. She figured it out before the rest of us did. I should have given her more credit than previously.

Diego and Marissa walked into the bakery and made a beeline to the table. They sat briefly before Diego got up and headed to the counter. I arched my brow.

"Diego forgot to grab his food," Aiden mentioned.

"Ah," I said.

Diego returned with a plate full of food and drinks before placing them in front of Marissa and himself.

"A bit hungry there, Diego." Maggie nodded to the mound of food before Diego and Marissa.

"I'm always hungry." Diego shrugged and shoved a donut into his mouth.

While we sat around the table and Diego ate, I glanced at the window and spotted who I thought was Wayne. My brows pinched together as people hurried past until he disappeared. I shook my head to erase the vision. There's no way that was Wayne. He was in jail for what he did.

******
Misty

I glanced at Eden and noticed her staring behind Nash and me. I glanced in the direction of her gaze and spotted a guy standing in the courtyard, glaring at Eden. Whoever it was had disappeared within seconds.

I watched Eden shake her head before plastering a smile on her face. Nixon and Kat entered the bakery and grabbed their food and drink before joining us, unlike Diego, who forgot.

"Where are the others?" Nash asked Nixon.

"Probably getting into trouble and dragging our asses into the mix," Nixon said before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I'll be happy when they lift this damn curfew," Kat said.

"Don't you enjoy cuddling, Kitty Kat?"

"Always." Kat smiled. "But it would be nice to do things after dark."

"There's things I could think of doing in the dark." Nixon wiggled his brows.

Ew, gross. No one wants to visualize a naked Nixon. I know I don't. I prefer a naked Nash.

Nash leaned into my ear and lowered his voice. "I know that look."

My lips curled into a smirk when I looked at him. Then it faded when I thought about that guy glaring at Eden.

"What?"

"I'll tell you later."

Nash raised a brow but said nothing. I wasn't sure if it would help if we discussed it now. I didn't want anyone to get any bright ideas until confirmation.

*****
Valentino

I learned to decipher Mags's moods quickly. She was holding something back from me. I didn't like it. It was like she was hiding something from me.

Nathan and Macey strolled into the bakery and joined us at the table.

"Where is your better half?" Nix asked Nathan.

Nathan grabbed a donut from Diego's plate. "Dealing with Daddy."

"Why?"

"Who knows why Uncle Rafe has clinging issues? It's not like we'll let anything happen to Noah. Nolan is getting Uncle Val to help with the situation."

Everyone looked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm staying out of that mess."

"Come on, Nash. You're the only one who Uncle Rafe will listen to where Noah is concerned. Reassure the man so Noah can enjoy the chaos of college life," Nix said.

Annoyance flooded me before I pulled out my phone and called Uncle Rafe. After interrupting his phone call with my dad, I soothed the five clinger with his fears. I also promised that nothing would happen to Noah, or he could kick my ass. It soothed the beast a bit.

Then, Dad called and lectured me about involving myself with Uncle Rafe's issues. I reassured my dad that I had everything under control. My dad threatened to beat my ass if I was lying. And this is why I wanted to stay out of family drama. It leads to someone threatening to beat someone's ass, namely mine.

"What is with Rafe? He seems more uptight than usual," Aiden mentioned.

"A lot has to do with our dads' pasts. Rafe is the only one who still has difficulty with it," I said, not divulging what happened to my dad and uncles. After seeing it firsthand, I refuse to discuss it with anyone.

Mags wrapped her hand around mine and squeezed it gently, easing the tension in my body. "Who cares if Rafe is overprotective of Noah? That's his business. I agree with Nash about staying out of it."

I glanced at Mags and smiled slightly, knowing she had my back.

"Consider it dropped," Nix said, cutting off the discussion about our dads.

Eventually, Mags and I left the bakery and headed to the house. We found Noah and Nolan hanging out in the living room when we arrived. We removed our coats and hung them up before joining them.

I sat in a chair, pulled Mags into my lap, and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Thanks, Nash," Noah said.

"For what?"

"Talking to my dad."

"Noah, Uncle Rafe worries about you."

"I get that. But it's not like I don't have you and the others to protect me if something happens. That's what I tried to tell my dad."

"Have you considered your dad still carries trauma from the past?"

"All the time. It's one reason I cut him some slack. It wasn't right what happened to him and the others." Noah stood up and turned to me. "How can anyone do that to a child? Tell me! Because I can't wrap my head around it to save my life!"

Mags moved from my lap so I could get up.

"I don't understand, Nash! I don't understand any of it!"

I pulled Noah to me as he buried his face into my chest and gripped the back of my hoodie. Nolan furrowed his brows in concern. I rubbed Noah's back to comfort him. We were angry about what happened to our dads, but it was nothing compared to Noah's anger. He just hid it better.

"Call Uncle Rafe," I told Nolan.

Nolan didn't hesitate to call Uncle Rafe and put him on speakerphone.

"Michael?" Uncle Rafe asked.

"River needs you, Uncle Rafe," Nolan said.

"I'm on my way." Uncle Rafe ended the call.

We exchanged glances while Noah kept his face buried in me. Which brother was coming with Uncle Rafe?