I reach the room only a moment after James. If the guys were surprised, I would see it on their faces. They aren’t. Did they know he was coming back so soon? Or do they know better than to put anything past him by now?

They don’t even look surprised that I’m down here with them. I’d expect a question about how I managed to get out of my room, but I get nothing. There doesn’t seem to be any confusion over where Mom is, either. As a matter of fact, I’m the only person confused.

“How was the trip?” Colt asks while Nix pours the shakes into two bottles. I guess they’re on their way to the gym. For the first time ever, I actually want to go with them. I’ll clean the bathrooms if I have to. Whatever they need.

“It was fine. Amanda stayed behind. You know me, there’s no getting away from work.”

“We’ll stay out of your way,” Colt murmurs. He won’t look at me. Neither of them will look at me.

“I was thinking just the opposite,” James offers in the same jovial way.

Nix shares a glance with Colt. “What do you mean?”

“I wanted to take the opportunity to spend the day with my kids. Including Leni, of course.” He shines his smile on me, and my skin crawls like I just touched something slimy.

I finally find my voice. “I have work scheduled. I’ve been tutoring kids online and—”

“You can reschedule. Believe me, if a man in my position can reschedule a call, you can reschedule a tutoring session with some kid.”

“Didn’t you say you came home early because of a call?” I blurt out.

That might’ve been a mistake. The boys stiffen, and James’s smile slips a little. “I can do what I want.” It’s the flat determination in his voice that makes me shudder. I wonder what else he’s talking about. What else does he want? What else is he going to do? Because he is definitely not talking about work.

He blinks rapidly and seems to shake himself. “Why don’t we watch a movie? We haven’t used the movie room in much too long. It just sits there, ignored.”

“I didn’t know there was a movie room,” I whisper, looking at the guys for understanding and getting nothing.

James throws his hands in the air. “See? That’s what I mean. I spent all that money getting things put together, and we hardly ever use it. That ends today. I declare this Family Day.” He gestures to his sons, waving a hand back and forth between them. “Pop some popcorn. Grab some drinks. I would love chips and dip if we have any.”