Chapter 12

“Where the hell are we going, Gabe? I have to go home and change,” she whined in the passenger seat, almost at the point of tears as Gabe drove them to God knew where. Because she'd left her car at home, he'd insisted on dropping her off, saying he had somewhere to be. The second he took a wrong turn from the house, I knew we weren't going there anymore. Now, if only she could get him to tell her where he was taking her.

“Stop your whining. You sound like a five-year-old.” He rolled his eyes.

She frowned at him, deciding to keep shut. After all, she would know in a while. Her legs were killing her in these heels, and all she wanted was to dip them in warm water for like two hours.

He finally pulled over in front of a big mansion. It wasn't a house, of course not. He switched off the engine and she didn't need him to tell her to get out. She was too mesmerized by the sight in front of her to notice.

Her parents weren't poor. Quite the contrary, in fact. Her mom had been a very famous surgeon and her dad was an obstetrician. They'd both been in the medical field. She never had any interest in medicine so she opted for Business. All in all, they had been more than comfortable. She'd seen wealth, ridiculous wealth at that, but this was just something else.

She walked past the gate after Gabe talked into the intercom and they were buzzed in. Her legs carried her at their own accord, and she was stupefied as she took in the sight. It was beautiful. The grasses were trimmed to length, and there was a water fountain in the middle of the huge compound.

The entire place screamed wealth.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of the door.

“Whose house is this?” she asked the chuckling Gabe beside her, who was obviously amused at her reaction.

He shrugged in response as the door opened.

Her jaw dropped.

Jesus. Where were they?

“Would you like a picture? It'll last longer,” the figure in front of her said with a smirk which looked ridiculously familiar.

“Shut up, EJ, and get out of the way.” Gabe rolled his eyes as he pushed him aside.

“Yeah, keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there,” EJ called out to his retreating figure.

She couldn't move. So, this was the infamous EJ. Damon's younger brother. Jesus. He was fine. She didn't have words to describe it. His cheek bones were sharp, she was sure it could cut through glass. His eyes were a bright blue, like the ocean. Above his eyes rested a thick mane of curved hair, which mirrored that on his head. It was dark brown, just like his brother. They had a striking resemblance.

He was clad in a plain white T-shirt and blue denim jeans. On his feet were a pair of timberlands. Lena inhaled. She was extremely sure he left a trail of heartbreak in his wake.

“You gonna just stand there, or are you gonna say something?” EJ raised a brow, a hint of a smile on his face.

She inwardly facepalmed. Her dignity had been shattered. “Uh... Sorry. I... I'm Lena. Lena Donovan,” she stuttered, fully aware that she probably looked like a surprised fish.

His brows shut up. “Lena? The Lena? Oh shit, this is fucking gold.” He burst out laughing and she couldn't help but notice how very sexy the curse word sounded on his lips.

His words registered in her head and she raised a brow. “What do you mean, 'the Lena'?”

“Munchkin, everyone has been talking about you and what a dear you are. They forgot to add sexy too.” He gave her a wink and she was sure her heart skipped a beat.

“Leave her alone, you idiot,” Damon said, coming up from behind him.

She felt her knees weaken. I didn't know he was going to be here. Was this a family dinner or something?

“Hi,” she said lamely.

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Hey. You look beautiful. I see you didn't go home from the office.”

She blushed because he'd said that to her earlier today.

“Oooh, she blushes. Fucking gold,” EJ muttered, chuckling to himself as he turned and walked away, and the resemblance hit me again.

They looked so much alike, it was frightening.

“Fucktard.” Damon rolled his eyes.

“If you're talking behind my back, then you're in a real good position to kiss my ass!” EJ called out from somewhere inside the house and Lena couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth.

“He's a handful,” she commented.

“Tell me about it.”

He came close to her, his hands wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer. She smiled, because he'd been doing a lot of it lately, when he got the chance. His lips connected with hers, and she felt the heat ripple through her. It felt like they were a thing now, though she didn't ask him because she didn't want to come off as presumptuous. Besides, there was still the issue of Vanessa.

From somewhere in the house, they heard a piercing scream.

“Uncle EJ, I am going to kill you!” the tiny voice squeaked.

Lena looked up at Damon with raised brows, but he just guided her into the house. They went straight to the kitchen, and to her surprise, it was packed full of people.

Behind a very jumpy EJ was a little girl with bright blue hair. She was running after him with a scowl on her face, clearly annoyed.

“That's Ella, my niece,” Damon said with affection in his eyes as he stared after her.

“Uncle EJ, you're dead to me!” Ella screamed as she chased him round the kitchen counter, his laughter seeming to piss her off even further.

A young woman picked her up as she swept by, “Calm down, you. What's happened?”

Little Ella squirmed and fought for freedom, all the while pointing to her blue hair. “Uncle EJ put blue dye in my conditioner. Now I have to look like one of those blue Smurfs in the cartoon!” she wailed, throwing her arms in the air dramatically.

The woman's gaze traveled to EJ, glaring at him. “Elvis Joseph! How many times do I have to tell you to act your age? You're twenty-five for God's sake. Stop acting like a child.”

EJ rolled his eyes, his head rotating with the movement. “Whatever, Soph. Besides, it's fun watching my chipmunk squirm.” He reached forward to flick at Ella's forehead, his breath coming out in little chuckles as she scowled at him. She just looked adorable, really.

“That's Sophia, my older sister. Ella is her daughter,” Damon explained and she remembered he'd said he had a sister. She was pretty; Lena wasn't surprised.

She was going to say hi but Sophia seemed to have a lot on her plate, so Lena decided to exchange pleasantries later.

They walked into the dining room. It was large, to say the least. The dinner table was a ten seater, and again, Lena was reminded what a large family it was.

“Oh, she's here,” a woman with long dark brown hair and a slightly subtle accent smiled up at her. Her first thought was, oh hell, she's beautiful. And she was. Her eyes were a dark color, just like her hair. Her lips were full, her cheekbones razor sharp. Her nose was pointed and it gave her a very sophisticated look. “Lena honey, you're welcome to my home.” She walked up to her, and I noticed she was tall. At least tall enough for her age, she would have probably been in her late forties. “I'm Claire, the mother of the moron standing next to you.”

Lena smiled in return, the warmth in Claire’s eyes instantly drawing her in. Damon rolled his eyes next to me but a smile rested on his lips. He seemed so at home; it was refreshing to see this part of him.

“It's nice to meet you. You have a wonderful family.”

“I thank God for it every day,” she said with a chuckle. “A bit of a handful, they are, but I love them anyway.”

“I still think it's a miracle I got you as my mom,” Damon piped up, his hands wrapping around Lena’s waist. She noticed his mother didn’t seem to mind and vaguely wondered what he had told her. Did Claire not know about Vanessa?

“And I still think it's a miracle I managed to get you out of me.” Claire glared at him, making him roll his eyes.

“Kiss ass,” EJ muttered as he walked into the room.

“EJ, stop being such a grouch and go call your father. Tell him dinner is ready and our guest has arrived.” Her warm eyes snapped to Lena.

Reluctantly, EJ stood and left. Sophia and Gabe walked in with different bowls, placing them on the table and left to bring the rest.

“Is there anything I can help with?” she asked.

“Sure, why not?” Claire said. “If you'd just help Damon set the table.”

Damon piped up, “Help me?” he said with surprise. “I wasn't even going to do it.”

Claire shot him a look, “You don't actually have a choice. Now get moving.” She swung around and left, heading to the kitchen.

Damon grumbled next to her but got on with the work. Laughing behind him, Lena busied herself with the task at hand. She still didn't know why she was here, but she was guessing it had something to do with either Claire or Damon requesting her presence.

It was a big family; she loved it. It felt so homey. And Claire seemed able to handle everything on her own. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Lena wanted a big family too. With maybe four kids. She chuckled at her thought. She probably needed rest.

The table was set under five minutes and everyone got seated. Damon sat at one head of the table, and she had to seat next to him. EJ sat at the other hand of Damon, opposite her.

Claire was seated next to her husband, Christopher, who sat at the other head. The first thing Lena noticed about him was his striking blue eyes. Seriously, it ran in the family. His hair was blond, with streak of gray hair from age, so obviously his children hadn't gotten that from him. He oozed authority, alright. He was a big man, with broad shoulders. Almost as big as Damon. Let's not forget his beautiful sculpted face. He might've been more than fifty, but he didn't look a day over forty. Age had brought some wrinkles to the space under his eyes, but they were only noticeable when he smiled. Lena had forgotten Damon told her his father was English, so she was taken aback when she heard him talk. His accent was as smooth as silk.

“Lena, it’s nice to finally meet the girl who has my first son's panties in a twist.” He smiled at her, his beautiful teeth a sparkling white.

Her face heated, and she smiled back. “You too, Mr. Peters. It's a pleasure to meet you, too. You have a beautiful home.”

“Ah, call me Chris. Don't make me feel old.” He waved a hand in dismissal.

“But you are old, Dad,” EJ said with a snort.

“Shut up, boy. I can still knock your teeth out anytime,” Chris scolded, amusement glittering in his eyes.

“Yeah, right.”

Lena snickered, as her eyes moved to Sophia. She hadn't seen her husband anywhere around, but she didn't comment. She was seated opposite Claire, at the other side of Chris. Lena noticed her hair wasn't all that dark. Just the root. The tip was a sandy blonde.

Little Ella was next to EJ, her blue hair matching her big round eyes. She was beautiful, very. In fact, the entire Specter family was breathtaking.

God help her.