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When I return from the kitchen with the glass in hand, father and son are sitting opposite each other, still in complete silence. I almost roll my eyes at their identical posture and expression. Desmond accepts the glass with thanks, and I turn to sit on the sofa beside Evan.

Normally, I’d sit on the opposite end to Ev, trying to keep as much distance between us as possible, but after the events of the last few days, I can’t deny that things have changed between us.

I know this meeting isn’t going to be easy for him, and I want nothing more than to comfort him. So if sitting as close as I can without being overtly obvious is the best I can do to give him some of my strength, I will do it.

The silence stretches on, and neither man even so much as shuffles, making me feel really fucking uncomfortable. You could slice the tension in the room with a knife, and it’s making me really bloody nervous.

In my brain, I’m screaming for one of them to speak first, but when it becomes quite clear that neither wants to break their ridiculous glaring competition, I take a deep breath and cut through the bullshit.

“How are you doing, Desmond? Are you well? I hope Von is doing okay, too,” I ask, my words tumbling out far too quickly.

Both sets of eyes flick to me, and some of the tension in the room is defused. Evan looks confused, like he can’t understand why I’m being polite, but I had to say fucking something.

Desmond gives me a small smile, like he’s grateful I spoke first. “We’re both quite well, thank you. How are you keeping, Teigan? I can’t imagine it’s much fun being stuck here.”

I shrug my shoulders, very aware Evan is watching me to see what I’m going to say. “Actually, it’s been okay. Evan’s been teaching me self defence, and I’ve found ways to keep myself occupied. I’m doing well, so I can’t complain.”

“Evan has always been good at self defence, and I imagine he’s a good teacher,” Desmond replies, pride for his son dripping from every word.

Evan doesn’t seem to care about the compliment, and lets out a huff instead. “Look, let’s just get past all this polite bullshit and cut to why you’re really here,” he snaps, his hand balling into a fist on his knee as he struggles to keep his emotions under control.

Without thinking, I shuffle closer to him, so that my arm is pressed against his, hoping the small amount of comfort will be enough to help calm him down.

When he lets out a shuddered breath, I sigh in relief that it worked. I don’t know how else to help him without taking his hand in mine, and his father would definitely have questions about that.

“And what exactly is the reason for my visit then, Evan?” he asks his son, though his eyes flick over to me, like he’s trying to see if I know.

“Since Teigan and I have been living here together for weeks, it was only a matter of time before we actually started talking to each other about the past. Did you really think your involvement would remain a secret?” Evan seethes.

“My involvement?” Desmond asks, sounding far too calm.

That’s when it occurs to me… Desmond doesn’t know which particular event Evan is referencing. He stopped me from saying more at the previous family meeting, but given the way his eyes keep flickering to me, he thinks I’ve finally told Evan the truth, which I haven’t. At least, not yet.

Before Evan gets the chance to reply, I cut in first, keeping the conversation on track. “We know you’re responsible for breaking us up when we were teens.”

Desmond seems to relax then, letting out a small sigh. “Oh, that.”

Evan’s eyes widen as he leans forward slightly, his expression more menacing than before. “That? You say it like it's nothing. You ruined our fucking lives, Father,” he shouts, raising his voice more than I was expecting.

Not bothered how it will look, I lay my hand on top of Evan’s knee, squeezing slightly to reassure him. He relaxes just a little, taking in a short breath.

Desmond’s gaze swaps from me to Evan and back, taking us both in, including my hand on his knee. His face remains neutral, but there’s a sparkle in his eyes telling me he’s holding back a smile.

“Look, I can’t take back what I did, nor will I. At the time, I believed I was making the best decision for this family. I knew what I was doing would hurt you both, but I did it anyway. You were young, and I figured you’d both move on once you were separated. I never expected you to still have feelings for each other all these years later.”

Evan splutters, his face flushing in a really cute way. “We’re… I mean… It’s not…”

His words trail off, and I pick up where he left off. “Things between us are complicated, and we have a lot to work through. Most of it because of you interfering.”

I keep calm as I speak, but there’s no hiding the accusatory tone. When Desmond shrugs his shoulders like it doesn’t matter, even I’m a little wound up.

“As I said, I can’t take back what I did, nor would I. I am sorry you were both hurt, but I did what I did for the good of the family. Evan, you are my heir, and I couldn’t have you moving away and abandoning all we had worked towards.”

Evan throws his arms up in a huff. “But that was my decision to make, Father. Not yours. It’s my life, and I should get to decide how I live it. If you had taken the time to find out, you would have known I planned on returning to my rightful place when Teigan had finished university.”

Desmond shakes his head, rolling his eyes like he’s speaking to a child. “I knew that. I also knew that once you got a taste of freedom, you’d never have returned. Once you saw how great a real life with Teigan could be, there was no way you would have wanted to return to rule by my side. It wasn’t a risk I could afford to take.”

“But that was my choice to make,” Evan shouts.