Kane rips himself from Dad’s hold and heads toward the desserts. Dad squeezes my shoulder hard. “Do not make me tell you two to stop it again. I will make sure you’re both on shit duty for the rest of the goddamn year.”

I narrow my eyes. “You wouldn’t…”

“Watch me,” he warns.

“Okay, okay.” I suck in a deep breath, and Dad finally releases me.

“They’re just as hardheaded as you,” Mom mutters as they walk off.

“Oh we were never that bad,” Dad tells her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

I sit down on the couch next to my sister, who smirks and shakes her head.

“Shut up,” I tell her.

“And you wonder why I’m the favorite child,” she mutters, flipping through pictures of horses on her phone.

“It’s because you’re a suck-up. Always have been.” I nudge her shoulder.

“You’ve already got one sibling pissed at you. Wanna make it two?”

I chuckle. “I think it’d be more fun if I did. So you fuckin’ Payton?” I glance over at him, who’s not so subtly watching Kaitlyn.

“God, you act like you’re thirteen still,” she throws back. “But to answer your nosy question. No.”

“You mean not yet,” I sing-song.

“Be quiet,” she tells me, then stands and goes to the dessert bar. This time, I follow her.

I pass Harper and Kenzie chatting, and they give me a goofy grin like they were busted talking shit. I’m tempted to sit down and join them just so I can hear what’s being said about me these days, but I decide to pass. The last thing I need is more drama.

I grab a few cookies, then make my way around the room and pretend nothing is weighing on me. After taking our annual family Thanksgiving photo, I head toward the front door. I’ve had enough socializing today.

When I’m home, I grab a beer from the fridge, kick off my boots, then sit on the couch. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I take it out to see Hadleigh’s name.

Hadleigh: Sorry I missed today. Heard about the black eye.

I smirk. Of course she’s keeping up with what’s going on. I’m sure Harper’s filling her in on every little detail she hears.

Knox: Yeah, from who?

She sends me an eye roll emoji, though I already know the answer.

Hadleigh: I don’t want you two fighting because we went on a date. I was hoping if I didn’t show up today, things would settle down, and we could go back to normal.

This makes me laugh.

Knox: Normal? Don’t think so. Also we’ve been fighting our whole lives, so this is no different.