“You’ll lose your precious teaching job. You’ve fought your entire adult life against me to keep that job that pays you pennies. Are you really ready to give up your calling for a child?”

I bristle and level Nathan with a glare. “I’m not a child.” His words curdle, though, still stinking long after he’s spoken them.

Callum says losing his job is fine. He doesn’t care. Still, the guilt is a smack of reality, punishing me.

“I’ll manage,” Callum says, shrugging. “I always do.”

There’s a quiet standoff where neither man speaks. The rest of the family, including myself, wait out the awkwardness while biting our tongues. Finally, Nathan huffs and waves a hand in the air.

“Sit. Jamie’s prepared a delicious meal. We can deal with these matters another time.” Nathan walks over to the head of the massive table and takes a seat. “Hugo, did you ever meet with the city planner?”

Just like that, the awkward conversation is over.

Callum relaxes, which, in turn, makes my muscles loosen. He guides me over to a chair, pulls the seat out, and then pushes me closer to the table once I’ve sat down. Gemma plops down beside me and leans in.

“Told you it’d be awkward as fuck.” She squeezes my thigh. “You’re doing great. I’m glad you’re here.”

Dinner isn’t as bad as I feared. Now that Nathan is essentially ignoring the big elephant in the room, the conversation becomes friendly and everyone sort of talks all at once. I may not like Nathan very much, but I hope eventually the tension between him and Callum can subside.

I’m lost in the chatter when a coldness settles over me. All the hairs on my arms stand on end. I quickly glance at everyone seated at the table, but no one else seems to notice anything amiss. Eyes bore into the back of my head. A shudder passes through me.

What the hell is going on?

I turn my head, looking over my shoulder. Standing, like a statue, in black jeans and black hoodie that covers his head and shadows his face, is a massive man. I thought Callum was big, but this guy is a giant. His shoulders are broad and muscular. With a frame like his, he could probably tackle any dude in the NFL with ease. Who is this guy and why is no one concerned?

“Jude,” Callum murmurs. “He’s…just don’t pay any attention to him. He doesn’t like it.”