Jo lifted her head slightly, narrowing on me. “Our mom told us you were coming months ago. What happened?”
I stopped short. “What?”
But before I could get any more information, I was yanked back.
Into Grayson.
I blinked up at him as he dragged me into an alcove. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t like you talking to them.” He glared at their retreating figures.
“They’re your siblings—”
His glare slashed to me. “They’re not my siblings.”
“But—”
“Their existence is the reason my father is dead!”
His anger silenced anything I would have said.
I pulled my elbow free. “They were just about to tell me something! Apparently they were expecting me in Scotland. Maybe it has something to do with the coin—”
“Don’t believe anything they say,” he cut me off.
A minute ticked into two, and I remembered what Josephine had told me months ago. According to her, Grayson and the rest of the Crowne children didn’t speak to hers.
“Do you really not speak to them?” I asked.
He shrugged. “There’s nothing to say.”
My hand glanced my stomach. “Will Lottie’s child treat mine that way?”
“It’s different,” he growled.
“You’re right…” I quirked a tight smile. “It’s worse… You know, they probably miss him just as much as you do.”
Fiery blue eyes slashed to mine. “I don’t miss him.”
“We could be different. You could be different. You don’t have to hate them, we don’t have to hate each other.” I covered my stomach. “We could be a family. Isn’t that what you want?”
“They’re not family. They never were.”
“Then what am I?”
He gripped my face. “You’re my wife.”
“I’m living as a mistress. I’m living as the other woman.”
Grayson’s thumbs dug into my cheeks. “You’re a queen, little wife. You’re my fucking queen.”
“I can’t talk to anyone, I have to stand behind everyone, and these kids, your brothers have grown up in that life. If we want better for our kids, we have to be better, Grayson. Don’t you think maybe you could be a little biased about them? You sound like your grandfather.”
He dropped me like I was fire.
I reached for him, to soothe the ache on his face.
“I mean—” but before either of us could say anything more, the hallway was flooded with people.