Page 9 of The Temptation of Truth

Her house is never quiet. It’sneverbeen quiet where Sav is. She’s always buzzing with energy, and for someone who hates being alone—who feels her skin start to crawl the moment silence descends—Sav is the most welcome kind of chaos.

I release a sigh of relief and start to kick off my shoes, then I’m nearly bowled over by her troublemaker of a dog.

Chaos. Always.

“Good God, Ziggs.” I drop to my knees and give her some scratches while her whole body wags along with her tail. “You are such a menace, aren’t you, you big moose. Yes, you are! You’re a big lovable pain in the ass.”

“Oh, you’re talking to Ziggy. I thought the Caveat boys were here.” I glance up and find Brynnlee, Sav’s fiancé’s daughter, smirking down at me. “Although you said lovable, so I guess I should have known.”

I laugh and push to standing. Sav’s soon-to-be stepdaughter is nothing but sass and snark these days. Twelve going on sixteen. I find it entertaining, but I know it’s not always the case for her parents.

“You ever think you’re too hard on them?” She curls her lip, and I laugh louder. “Okay. Point taken.”

“Honestly, I don’t mind Rocky and Beckett. Heck, even Crue is tolerable most of the time.”

“But Ezra,” I say knowingly as I follow her into the house.

“But Ezra,” she says with a sigh, her voice matter-of-fact in her assessment. “He’s the most irritating and immature person I’ve ever met.”

I don’t get a chance to respond because it’s travel prep mode the second I step into the living room. Sav’s on the phone giving orders to someone. Torren is loaded up with two duffel bags and two rolling suitcases, and Jonah is standing at the kitchen counter, cutting up some fruit for the two-year-old strapped into a booster seat beside him.

Torren glances at the door, then at me. “Kat outside?”

I force a smile and shake my head. “Nope. Something came up last minute. She’ll meet us in Auckland.”

I don’t miss the sympathy in Torren’s eyes or the completelackof surprise. Everyone probably saw it coming but me. I’m grateful when he changes the subject.

“Your stuff loaded?”

“Already at the airfield.”

He laughs. “Should have guessed. You’re always the first ready.”

“Hey, I only have to worry about me. I don’t have to wrangle and pack for any significant others, kids, or pets.”

“I miss those days.”

“Liar.”

He winks at me, then lugs the baggage out the door, so I join Jonah in the kitchen. Teddy, his daughter, is all smiles, with a face covered in goop. I give her some love, careful to miss the mess, then snag a grape from the bowl in front of Jonah.

“No Kat?” he asks.

I ignore his question and pop the grape in my mouth, then nod to the food-wearing two-year-old.

“Snack time?”

“First dinner.”

“First dinner is my favorite dinner.”

He gives his daughter some grapes just as Sav joins us. She plants a kiss on Teddy’s head, making her giggle that adorable baby giggle, and then she turns her mischievous smile on me.

“Ham’s going to meet us at the jet. He had to pick up hisniecefrom the bus station.”

My eyes go wide. “His niece? Why?”

“She’s the tutor he found for Brynn.”