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“Why the hell didn’t we hear about it ahead of time, huh?” Elina asks, hands on her hips.
“He didn’t know ahead of time,” Niko explains, which isn’t as helpful as he thinks.
“And now?” Elina presses. “What do you have to say for yourself, Kipp? Because we’ve been waiting weeks for some sort of explanation as to why one of our favorite people didn’t tell us he was married of all things, and you’ve been here over an hour and still haven’t said a word!”
My mouth opens and closes uselessly.
“Well?” Elina says.
“Paidiá,” Niko’s mom cuts in, the Greek word meaning children. “Let Kipp breathe.”
I shoot her a grateful smile.
“I’m sure there’s a very good reason he’s been keeping secrets from us,” Mamá Adamos adds, which makes my stomach fall somewhere in the vicinity of my feet.
“I was drunk,” I blurt inside this blue-tiled kitchen that has held some of my favorite memories over the years. My favorite memories amongst my favorite people.
It’s funny how the Adamoses have been more of a family to me than my own blood. From the first time Niko brought me home for a big, traditional Greek meal with his big, Greek family, I felt accepted. And although I knew my own family would disapprove of what happened between me and Teddy, I think I dreaded telling these people how badly I fucked up even more. Would I disappoint them, too? I couldn’t bear the thought.
But I can’t avoid it any longer. Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t pounce the moment I walked through the door.
Sucking in a breath, I prepare myself to air the truth. And accept the consequences. “I was drunk and got married on a whim,” I explain to my silent audience. “I don’t even remember it. Our relationship isn’t real, and Teddy and I are planning on getting a divorce. Soon, I think. I’m sorry.”
Cassandra gets up off the floor. “Why are you sorry, Kipp?”
“For disappointing you?” I say, unable to stop the wobble in my voice. “For not telling you the truth? I just… I didn’t know what to say.”
Cassandra’s deep brown eyes, so like Niko’s, soften, and she steps forward, wrapping her arms around me without a word. The next second, another pair of arms join. And then another. And pretty soon, I’m enveloped in crushing warmth and the most perfect hug. Everything around me blurs as my eyes fill with tears.
“You could never be a disappointment to us,” Mamá Adamos says, her heavily accented voice washing over me like cinnamon and cloves. It reminds me, briefly, of Teddy. Of comfort.
“I’m sorry I yelled,” Elina adds.
“We love you, Kipp,” Sofia says, her voice softer than the rest. She’s always been the quietest of the bunch, which makes her words feel even more profound. “We just want you to be happy.”
“Shit,” I mutter, immediately wincing as I remember young Calliope. “I mean shoot. I, uh, don’t even know what to say. Thank you, all.”
A hand lands on the back of my head, and I catch Niko’s eye. He doesn’t speak a word, but his smile says volumes.
“We’re always here for you,” Ioanna says as the group hug starts to break up. “But I have a question.”
I huff a laugh, wiping my eyes and trying my best not to sniffle. “What’s that?”
“You said your relationship isn’t real, but…that picture,” she says. “The one where you two are smiling. You can’t fake a smile like that.”
“That’s not a question,” I point out, although I know where she’s going.
Ioanna rolls her eyes. “Do you have feelings for him?”
Fuck. “Yeah. I do,” I admit.
Six pairs of eyes soften.
“But I don’t know if he could feel the same,” I’m quick to add.
Mamá Adamos pats my cheek. “Maybe don’t get divorced just yet, hmm?”
I groan as heads nod and knowing looks are passed around.
