Page 82 of Filthy Rich

But Ardath laughs. “Educated people need to scale things back a few levels when they’re here.” She shakes her head in commiseration, clearly talking to Octavia. “You get used to it.”

“I guess when you save people as part of your job, you get used to adjusting the vocabulary you use,” I say.

Ardath’s still smirking as she ducks into my old room to sleep. It was turned into a spare bedroom about eight minutes after I moved out. I guess I should be grateful they didn’t take the opportunity of the vacancy to adopt another kid.

Not that any of us were ever formally adopted, but you know.

“Hey, does anyone want to play a game?” Dave asks.

“Dad and his games.” Killian scrunches his nose. “No, thanks.”

“I love games,” Octavia says. When Dave practically sprints across the room, she smiles, and I realize she might have been serious.

“You don’t have to,” I hiss. “He’ll get over it.”

“I really do love games,” she says. “I was an only child, so when I was a kid, I’d make my brown bear and my giraffe each pretend to pick a game piece—and we’d play Monopoly.”

“That may be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Killian says.

Octavia sticks out her lower lip. “Oh, no. Do you feel sorry enough for me that you’d like to let me beat you?”

Killian frowns. “I know you’re baiting me, but I still find myself saying yes.”

I slap his back, and this time, no clothing falls to the ground. “Good man.”

In the end, we all get roped into playing a bizarre, 3D printed version of Settlers of Catan. When Easton and Bea show up, arms full of wedding samples they want us to evaluate, they get roped into joining us, too.

The party isn’t anything special.

Seren makes my favorite pie while we all argue over resources and something called a development card. I don’t win, but to my surprise—and Dave’s—Octavia does.

“It’s because she was so nice,” Dave says. “Everyone kept making trades they shouldn’t have made.”

“And no one was watching her road length,” Killian says. “Jake, your girlfriend’s a bigger snake than you.” But he’s smiling, and so is she.

It’s funny, but somehow, even with all these people who care about me, I never really felt like I fit. I didn’t think that would ever change, but by bringing an outsider, I finally feel like I belong. That makes me think. . .

Maybe they haven’t changed.

Maybe it was me all along.

As everyone jokes and chats around me, Octavia zinging Killian as much as he goes after her, I wonder what might have changed me. Octavia told me to trust Dave and Seren. She made me tell them what’s been bothering me—scaring me—for the past few years, and she was right.

It wasn’t the horrible threat I worried it was.

My dark view of the world, my experience with so very many dishonest, untrustworthy people had colored my view. My dad must have counted on that when he sent me the photos. For the first time, I know the truth, and now I feel like there’s nothing in the world that can ruin this day.

Until I hear Killian going head to head with Bea.

She trots out the same threat she’s used for years. “I’ll tell them about the funnel.” She scowls. “Unless you apologize.”

I consider coming clean to everyone. I’m tired of her holding it over our heads. But before I can say anything, Ardath walks into the room. “You will not tell them about the funnel, or I’ll tell them about your thing.” Ardath never jokes.

She’s the strangest person in our family, hands down.

I’m a little bit terrified of her, honestly. She’s a good person, but she’s weird. All she does is work, and when she’s not working, she’s sleeping. When she’s not sleeping, she does and says as little as she can, and then she leaves.

If someone told me she was a drone, I’d believe them.