We all clink our glasses, and continue eating. Halfway through our meal, something nudges my foot and I nearly jump out of my skin. I look down and see Spade pressed against the side of my leg.

Uh.

I glance at Ace, but he’s in the middle of talking to his father. I press my lips together and force myself to take a deep breath.

It’s just Spade.

I reach down and gently scratch behind his ears. Spade barks excitedly and presses closer. I can’t help but laugh and scratch again.

When I look up, Ace is watching me with a crooked grin. I return it.

I continue eating my food. Occasionally I see Xander looking at Ace as if he’s seeing his brother for the first time. It might be because Ace keeps poking and prodding at me with his fork, but I think it’s because of the bright smile on Ace’s face. It’s nothing new to me, but it seems like it’s new to Xander—and new to Ace’s father, too.

They’re truly trying, and it fills me with a strange sense of hope.

We end up in Ace’s room, and I toy with one of the stars hanging from his ceiling, lost in thought. Seeing Ace with his family was unexpectedly heartwarming, but it also stirred something uncomfortable in me, especially after my conversation with Miss Cannon. Could I ever have something like that?

I just don’t know.

“Karina.”

I look away from the star to see Ace sitting on his bed. “Yeah?”

“Sit with me for a second.” He pats the spot next to him. “I want to talk to you.”

My brows pull together. His tone is serious. “Okay.” I sit down facing him and cross my legs pretzel style.

“Your parents come back this weekend, right?” Ace asks, rubbing the back of his neck. “What’s going to happen then?”

I tense, not having expected that. I should have. I just met his parents. It’s natural he would ask about mine.

“With us?” I say, biting my lip. This is a hard question, because I don’t know how he’s going to take my answer. “I want to stay together. That’s not even a question at this point. But it’s not going to be...easy. For either of us.”

A wrinkle forms between Ace’s brows. “What does that mean? You said it before, too. You know I’m not going anywhere, right?”

I sigh. I was hoping to avoid this conversation for as long as possible, but now that it’s here, I can’t give him false promises. The only way for this—for us—to work is to keep it a secret as long as possible. He deserves to know that, too.