SWNOVELS Chapter 89
#Chapter 89 – Rehearsal Dinner
A few hours later, when the boys have been neatly dressed in their first suits of the weekend, there comes a knock at the door.
I smooth my hands over my own black cocktail dress and go to answer it. I let out a whoosh of breath when I see that it’s Victor.
“Come in,” I say, opening the door wide for him. As soon as he enters, though, I close the door quickly.
He turns to me, frowning a little. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, raising my hands to check and see that my hair is still in place. I laugh a little. “Your mom just spooked me a bit, is
all.”
“My mom?” he says, turning fully to stare at me. “My mother came to see you?”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding. “Didn’t you know?”
Victor slowly shakes his head back and forth and I can see him processing. “What did she say to you?”
“That your family was going to be hard on me,” I say. “I’m grateful for the warning, but I admit, I’m more anxious than I was
before.”
Victor glances back at the boys. “Did she see them?”
I nod. “She was really nice to them. She said they reminded me of you.”
He nods, considering. “My mother is a...tactical woman. I wanted to be here when she met them, but clearly, she had other
plans.”
He turns his full attention on me, then. “She’s not wrong, Evelyn,” he says. “I should have warned you before – my father, my
brother, they will take Amelia’s side and see you as an interloper. But it’s nothing you can’t handle.”
I laugh a little, sardonically, and press a hand to my forehead. “Should I even go to this dinner, Victor? Honestly, the boys are
safe here – they can go alone –“
Victor smirks at me and takes a step closer. “Well well,” he says, repeating his mother’s phrase. “I didn’t think it’d take so little to
scare you off, Evelyn.”
I glare at him, narrowing my eyes, feeling my will turn to steel within me. “I’m not afraid of anything,” I say, meaning it. Victor
nods, satisfied, and turns back to the room where the boys are lounging on the couch, discussing how fast they would go if they
did go over the falls in a barrel.
I watch him go over to them, their enthusiastic greeting, and am grateful, suddenly, that Victor knows me well enough to
challenge me in a moment like this. A few minutes ago I was shaking in my boots – well, stilettos – but now, I feel ready to face
anything, teeth bared.
“Come on, boys,” I say, and the three of them turn to face me. “Let’s go get this over with.”
The dining room, downstairs, roars with noise at the start of Victor and Amelia’s rehearsal dinner. Laugher and conversation ring
from the room as we enter it and I see my boys shy back a little bit. I realize, suddenly, that of course this is likely the most
people they’ve ever seen together in one room.
“Courage, boys,” I say, leaning down to whisper in their ears. “You have nothing to be afraid of – these are your family, and
they’re all so excited to meet you.”
I bite my lip as I stand up, hoping that it’s true. Victor gives me a warm smile and an encouraging nod. We each take a boy by
the hand and walk into the room.
I look around, noticing that Amelia is already here, laughing her tinkly little laugh amongst a throng of admiring friends and family.
I don’t recognize anyone, but she holds court in the center of the room, firmly confident and in control.
“Well well,” a voice says, and I turn towards it, getting a little sick already of what must be a family phrase. My eyes meet a tall
Alpha standing in front of me, his green eyes merry and a little wicked. I blink and glance between him and Victor, shocked at the
resemblance. This must be his brother.
“Rafe,” Victor says, putting out a hand to shake his brothers. “I’d like you to meet Evelyn Ortega, and, of course, my boys, Alvin
and Ian Ortega.”
Ian boldy steps forward and holds out his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Rafe takes Ian’s hand and laughs, charmed. “Well, very nice to meet you too, sir. And which one are you?”
“I am Ian,” Ian says firmly, and then puts an arm around his brother’s shoulders, pulling him forward a step. “This is my brother
Alvin. He’s a little shy.”
Alvin nods, clearly steeling himself, and anxiously puts out his hand as well. “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance,” he
says softly.
Rafe laughs, but I’m glad to see it is a gentle, pleased laugh, not one to make Alvin feel ashamed. Rafe shakes his hand. “Well, it
is very nice to meet you too, Alvin. We’ll see what we can do about making you come out of your shell. Did you know, I am your
uncle? Your dad’s brother, in fact. Younger, of course,” Rafe looks up to give Victor a wink.
“An uncle!” Ian says, looking back to me with excitement in his voice.
“We haven’t had one of those before,” Alvin says, encouraged by Rafe’s kindness. “We’re getting all kinds of new family, but
you’re our first uncle.”
Rafe laughs and straightens up, still smiling down at both of them. “I’m quite glad to have the honor of being the first.”
The boys beam up at him, equally charmed, and I’m surprised again at the visual likeness between all four. It’s remarkable, how
easily my boys fit in with this family.
“Dad’s looking for you,” Rafe says, putting his hands in his pockets in the same way Victor does. “He wants to meet the boys.”
“I guess we should go find him,” Victor says, clearly excited to introduce his father to his sons. “Are you ready for a new Pop-
pop?” He asks, smiling down at the boys.
They almost jump with excitement and he laughs, gesturing for them to go deeper into the room. As the three of them go, he
raises an eyebrow at me. You okay? I can see the question in his face as he walks away.
I nod, smiling after him, I’ll be fine. He nods with a small smile and turns his attention back to the boys.
“What was that?” Rafe asks, looking at me curiously.
“Hmm?” I ask, turning my attention back to him.
“That,” he says, nodding between me and his brother. “That looked, if anything, like a mind-link conversation between you two.”
“What?” I say, drawing my brows close in confusion. “No, he was just –“
But then I stop, realizing –
“It doesn’t matter,” Rafe says, interrupting my thoughts. “Whatever’s going on between you two, I just hope I can get in on it.” I
snap my focus back to his face, taking in the ugly sneer that twists his lips.
“What?” I hiss.
“Come on,” he says, taking a step forward and running a crooked finger down the length of my arm. “We could have some fun.
Everyone knows what you and Victor get up to in that little shack you have in the back yard. What’s the sharing of a w***e
between brothers?” He croons. “You’ll barely notice the difference.”
I smack his hand away and take a step back, baring my teeth at him. “Get your hands off me.”
“Ohh,” he says, smirking, and closing the distance between us. “I like ‘em feisty.”
“You will keep your distance from me,” I snarl, not giving up any room as he takes another step forward. He’s seeking to cow me
into moving back another step, but I won’t let him.
“Come on,” he whispers nastily. “You can even call me Victor if you want to –“
At that, I slap Rafe directly across the face. He smirks, raising a hand to his red cheek. “Ouch,” he says, sarcastic.
The room goes silent as every single person in it turns to stare at us.