“They’re lucky to have you, too,” Liz said sweetly. She must have noticed how emotional her words had made me, because she smoothly steered the conversation back around. “We don’t have much extended family anymore, but our immediate family is growing practically by the hour.”

“Literally, if Alex’s muddy jeans are anything to go by,” Bram said, quietly but not quietly enough.

I couldn’t read his tone, and my throat tightened in embarrassment as I stared down at my plate. It was hard to know if Bram was teasing or not.

“Ani, you need to put out more,” Alex replied conversationally as his hand found my knee beneath the table. “My brother’s clearly frustrated.”

“I will literally claw your face off,” Ani ground out. “Don’t bring me into this.”

“Enough,” Dan said, his voice calm. “I know good goddamn well that you didn’t mean to embarrass anyone at this table, Abraham, but maybe you’d like to apologize anyway?” It was posed as a question, but it was absolutely an order.

“That came out wrong,” Bram said instantly. “Just giving you shit, Alexander.”

“Not the time or the place,” Alex murmured back.

“Noted. Sorry.”

The table went silent for only a second before Morgan spoke up.

“You’re from New York, right?”

I raised my head and locked eyes with the only other person at the table who felt what I did. She was the only other outsider. These people were kind and welcoming, but the two of us were still finding our places in a very tight-knit family. It was like being the new kid at school, wondering where you’d fit in when everyone else already had their groups of friends.

“I was actually born in Missouri,” I said, giving her a grateful look. “My parents moved there from New York before I was born.”

“That must have been a culture shock,” Alex’s uncle Mike commented.

“Yeah, I think it was,” I replied. “Moving from Missouri to New York when I was a teenager was a big adjustment.”

“I bet,” he said, nodding.

“It must be hard living so far from your family,” Trevor said. His voice was so kind that I almost cried then and there. Alex had described Trevor as the best of their group, the kindest, the most selfless, the sounding board, and I suddenly knew exactly what he’d meant. Trevor was just…good. I couldn’t explain it any better than that.

“It is hard,” I said, clearing my throat. “But I like it in Missouri, and we visit each other when we can.”