“I doubt that,” I say but shake my hair out, arranging it around my face. My hair tie is missing, and I find it on his wrist. “Are you going to give that back?”

“Nah,” he says, lacing our fingers and pulling me toward his house. “I’ll hold on to it for you.”

The whole family is at the table again, but this time I sit beside Ace. Still, I expect dinner to be awkward.

It’s surprisingly not. The weird tension that was there last time seems to be mostly—if not completely—gone. I keep glancing between Xander and Ace, expecting a fight to break out, but neither of them seem inclined to pay attention to each other.

“Ace tells me you’ve been tutoring him in English,” Albert Clyde says, gazing at me thoughtfully. Ace? I wonder. Not Alistair? “How’s he doing?”

“He’s actually doing really great, Mr. Clyde. Today he corrected me about something. I’ve never been prouder.” I grin at Ace. “He’s improved so much already.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Albert says. There’s a small smile on his lips, which is shocking. I was expecting change, but not this much. Ace looks similarly amazed by it. “So you two are really dating now?”

I wince. “Yes. I’m sorry about lying to you before. I hope you don’t think less of me for it.”

“I would never blame you for going along with my son’s...wild inclinations.” Albert looks almost fond as he stares at Ace. It’s surprising, but it makes my heart warm all the same. “He explained the situation to me. I understand you’re part of why he felt comfortable enough to talk to me in the first place.”

“I didn’t do much,” I say, cheeks burning. “Your son is a lot braver than he gives himself credit for.”

“Yes,” Albert says, eyes crinkling. “He is.”

“Yuck,” Mia says jokingly, but she’s also smiling brightly. “Too many feelings.”

“I agree,” Xander says.

I turn to glare at him, but his expression is solemn—mildly curious, even—as he looks between his dad and brother.

“You two get enough love,” his stepmother, Tina, says with a laugh. “Let Ace have his moment.”

They’re trying. The realization hits me like a brick. Ace told them the truth, and they’re trying. Xander is keeping his comments to himself, and Albert is making the effort to reach out to his son.

“To Ace,” I say, holding out my glass of water. He deserves a toast after all this.

“You’re embarrassing me,” Ace says with a smirk, but holds up his glass.

I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t look embarrassed.”

“I’m not,” he admits. “Too happy for that.”