Chapter 166

Julian’s POV

I didn’t know what to make of the visitors to my door, but if they were genuine, I didn’t have it in me to turn them away. Alice had already bonded with Aunt Kathy, and Penny was an honest sort.

Tony was the one who gave me the most pause, but as he was the one who had been attacked, if he showed Alice he was okay now, maybe that would help calm her down and get her to move forward.

Not wanting to make this decision without consulting Amber and Alice, I invited them into the living room. While they settled in, I headed back upstairs.

Alice was sitting on the bed, her feet dangling over the side, with her blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

Amber stood near her, watching her protectively. As I walked in, Amber looked over at me. “Who was it?”

“Aunt Kathy, Penny… and Tony,” I said. Amber’s mouth opened, but I replied quickly before she could say anything. “They say they want to check on and visit with Alice. Tony seems more level-headed now, and says that he wants to apologize to Alice.”

“You believe that?” Amber asked.

I shrugged, somewhat helplessly. “I don’t know what to think,” I admitted. “But I can’t figure out why else he would be here if not for that.”

Amber frowned as she considered my words. I had been thinking about it too, since seeing Tony at the door. If he wasn’t genuine, why come here at all? Why try to fix things with Alice?

Despite everything, he was still my family, and therefore Alice’s family too. Blood was supposed to be thicker than water.

Amber and I both looked at Alice then, eager to hear what she wanted.

“You don’t have to go visit them if you don’t want to,” I told her, wanting her to hear the words from me, though I was certain Amber felt them too.

“Your father is right,” Amber said. “We can send them away. Just say the word.”

Alice wrapped the blanket more fully around her, closed in the front with both hands. Her voice was small. “Aunt Kathy is here too?”

“She is,” I said.

That seemed to be enough to convince her. “Okay. To see Aunt Kathy.”

She was such a brave little girl. I didn’t need more ways to be proud of here, yet here they were.

“Can I take my blankie?” she asked.

“Of course,” Amber said.

I went down the stairs first, with Amber and Alice following me. Alice stayed to her mother’s side like glue.

When we entered the living room, Aunt Kathy, Penny, and Tony were all still standing there, as if they had been uncertain whether they should sit down. They looked past me then, seeing Alice. Aunt Kathy immediately moved closer.

“Oh, Alice, dear,” she said.

Alice stepped forward too, and immediately lowered her head. “I’m so sorry!”

Everyone in the room froze, including me. Her apology had been gestured toward all three visitors, but her eyes were on Tony, the most aggrieved.

Tony seemed as surprised as the rest of us at Alice’s quick but honest outburst. Immediately he softened. “I’m sorry, too, Alice. I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did.” When Alice lifted her head to look at him more fully, he continued, “You are so brave for dealing with your condition. You must be so scared.”

Alice’s bottom lip trembled. She bit down on it while she nodded.

“Well, no harm, no foul, I always say.” Tony held out his arm and we could all see that the skin had healed. There was no mark on him to tell the tale of what happened. Presumably his shirt had been destroyed, but no one mentioned that right now.

Aunt Kathy got down on one knee, no easy task for a woman her age, and held out her arms. “Now, give your Aunt a hug, huh?”

Alice sniffled, but rushed forward into Aunt Kathy’s arms. Aunt Kathy held her tight. Penny grinned, and Tony seemed pleased.

It seemed as if this issue for the time, at least, was resolved.

At the end of the hug, Alice’s stomach rumbled so loudly that we all heard it. Alice immediately covered her stomach. Penny giggled.

“Are you hungry, honey?” Aunt Kathy asked.

Alice nodded.

“I’ll make you something,” I said. “I was starting to, before the doorbell rang. I just need a minute more.”

“I’ll come with you and help,” Aunt Kathy said.

“Stay with Alice,” Amber said. “She’s very fond of you. I’ll help Julian.”

Aunt Kathy seemed surprised by Amber’s offer, but nodded. I glanced at Amber and together we walked into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Amber lingered near the doorway, peeking out at the group in the living room.

I was slightly bemused. I couldn’t understand why she would volunteer to come into the kitchen with me if she wanted to keep an eye on them, unless perhaps she was trying to catch them in the act of something.

After a moment’s watching them though, presumably nothing happened, because she walked over to me near the counter. I was starting the sandwiches. She took over finishing them.

“I like Aunt Kathy and Penny,” Amber said, “But I don’t trust Tony.”

“I don’t either,” I said. We were definitely on the same page there, but other than being a playboy leech on his family’s fortune, he hadn’t really done anything to warrant immediate suspicion. “But he is still family.”

Amber shakes her head. “You keep saying that like it means something.”

“It does mean something,” I said. I regretted that Amber couldn’t know my family the way it should be. I’d kept her secret too long, giving my family time to attach to Olivia instead, when they should have been growing closer to Amber.

Amber was the woman I had always loved, even then. It was my fault that she didn’t have the best relationship with my family now, because of my actions then. I was desperate to try to fix these things.

I knew Tony could be suspicious and strange, but I hoped even he would eventually get on Amber’s good side.

I wanted us all to just get along. I needed my reign as Alpha to be successful.

Even if I seemed to have really bad luck at it.

Alice’s POV

I liked Aunt Kathy a lot, and Penny was nice. I was glad to see them again. Though I didn’t really like Cousin Tony, I was relieved to have told him I was sorry. Even if I didn’t like him, I didn’t want to hurt him.

Everyone was sort of sitting around now. Well, Aunt Kathy, Penny, and I were sitting on the couches in the living room. Cousin Tony was still standing. He was walking around looking at all the pictures.

Aunt Kathy and Penny weren’t really looking at him, they were talking to each other. So they didn’t notice like I did when Tony picked one of the pictures of the wall. I couldn’t really see what he was doing, but it looked like he was trying to put something on the back of it.

I hoped it wasn’t chewing gum. A boy at school stuck chewing gum under my desk once and it was so gross.

Too curious not to ask, I called out, “What are you doing, Cousin Tony?”