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I swallow hard at that because… I don’t even know if that’s true. I’ve definitely been steamrolled before. “That’s very kind of you to say,” I murmur.
Bella smiles. “Don’t worry about it. Xavier’s a big sweetheart if you let him be, and he’ll be on your side anyway. So it’ll work out.”
“You think so?”
She nods. “I know so. And if he starts to be a pain, just give me a call, and I’ll come straighten him out. Or I’ll whisk you away for a girls’ day out or something. We’ll see a movie and get our nails done and you can tell me all about whatever he did to piss you off.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. It sounds wonderful, having the sort of relationship with someone where we can do things like that. It’s the kind of thing I always wanted from my mother, but she never was the type for spa days and lunch dates with her daughter.
“Thank you, Bella,” I say, meaning it completely. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Please do! Here, let me see your phone.” She takes it when I pass it over and plugs her number in. “There. Now I’m only a call or text away if you need a break from all the Alpha pheromones you’ve just married into.”
“Thank you,” I say again.
She smiles one more time and then moves on, presumably to go make sure her brothers aren’t doing something outrageous.
Dominic steps out of the crowd a moment later, coming up to me with a raised eyebrow.
“Are you hiding?” he asks.
I shake my head immediately. “No. I was talking to Xavier’s siblings for a while. And catching my breath.” I admit that last bit with a sheepish smile.
He nods, and there’s no trace of disapproval on his handsome face, so that’s something at least. Xavier shows up a moment later, smiling but looking a bit tired around the eyes.
“I hear you met the horde,” he says. “My siblings,” he clarifies when I just look confused.
“I did. They were really nice. I like your sister a lot.”
He grins. “I thought you would.”
I glance curiously at Dominic. “Did your family come?” I ask him. “Should I meet them too?”
His face hardens, his eyes going cold. “No. They wouldn’t dare show their faces here.”
It’s a cold and to the point answer, and I blink in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his mood. It’s clear that there’s a story there, and judging from the tone, it’s something that involves a lot of anger on his part.
“Excuse me,” Dominic says, and walks off again.
I wince because now that’s two of my new husbands I’ve managed to piss off and make walk away from me. I’m doing a great job of putting my foot in my mouth.
“Don’t take it personally,” Xavier says, like he can sense the direction of my thoughts. “From what I understand, Dominic’s parents were awful, and he’s never forgiven them.”
“Oh.” There’s that word again, but it feels like I don’t know what else to say. It’s better than just blinking stupidly at Xavier because I’m so surprised to hear that. I didn’t know that aboutDominic, of course. I don’t know a lot about any of them, I realize. On the surface, they’re these perfect, unflappable Alpha men. They run their company and exude confidence and charm, at least in Xavier’s case. Dominic is always so strong and commanding, and it’s hard to think of him as being a child once, let alone one with parents who treated him badly. There’s more them than I realized, obviously.
They’re more complex—more human—than I first thought. Under the veneer of being powerful, untouchable billionaires, they’re maybe just… normal people. With hard pasts and struggles like anyone else.
“Bella didn’t talk your ear off, did she?” Xavier asks.
I shake my head. “No, she was lovely. It was really nice to meet her, and I want to get to know her better if I can.”
He smiles. “I’m sure she’d love it. But what about you?”
“What about me what?”
“I’m guessing since we didn’t get introduced to anyone, your family isn’t here? Is it just that you want to keep it from them, the whole arrangement, or…” He trails off, looking at me curiously.
I bite my lip, trying to figure out how much to say. Xavier is the one who’s the easiest to talk to, the one who doesn’t make me worried I’m going to put my foot in my mouth and fuck everything up, but I still don’t really know him. At the same time though, I’ve met his siblings and learned something new about him in the process, so maybe a little give and take is only fair here.