Speak To Me: The Easton Brothers

Chapter 6-Stephanie

(Stephanie)

I smoothed down my dark green dress, wondering if it was a little too much for brunch, but then again, the Sinclairs weren't exactly plain. Gabriella and Jamie Sinclair screamed wealth and luxury without even trying.

Dont get me wrong. They were some of the nicest people I have ever met, but also the richest. So it was a little intimidating when Gabriella called to invite me over. I was kind of shocked at first.

I thought maybe she called the wrong number truthfully. We have gotten lunch now and then, but being invited to one of their family events seemed like taking our friendship in another direction. The Sinclair's were very private people. So, to be welcomed into that tight circle was shocking.

That's why I spent the last three days trying to find something to wear and finally settled on this.

My wardrobe at home mostly consists of scrubs and sweats, so I knew neither of those would help me today.

I stepped out of the car Gabriella had sent for me. I could feel my eyes widen as I couldn't help but gawk at the large mansion standing before me. I had only been here once before for the twins' baby shower. So it kind of felt like the first time all over again.

Their gorgeous home was covered in Christmas lights and all sorts of decorations. I couldn't help but imagine how incredible it probably looked in the nighttime.

Let's just say it's putting the small tree I bought for my apartment to shame...

Glancing down one last time, I let out a shaky breath before reaching for the two Christmas presents I brought for Gabriella's twin boys, Keegan and Kaiden.

They are only seven months old now, so it isn't anything too fancy. But since Christmas is already next week, I didn't think I would see them again.

Stepping towards the house, I felt a cool breeze blow past me as I quickly made my way up the steps.

That's when the sound of laughing and giggling filled the air around me.

I was just about to nock on the door when it suddenly opened for me.

"I'll get the diaper bag! Don't worry about it!" A man yelled, making me step back as I saw Alder King suddenly standing in front of me.

"Oh, Stephanie. Come on in, everyone's already in the kitchen." He said happily, making me smile nervously before nodding once as he took off down the stairs.

Usually, when I would meet with Gabriella for lunch, both Jolie and Tilly would join us as well. Even Gabriella's mother in law would sometimes show up.

So I've become pretty familiar with most of the people who would be here today. But I won't lie. A deep part of me was hoping Sammy and Mr. Easton would be here as well.

After saying goodbye to them the other day, I've felt this uneasiness, and I have no idea why.

So when Gabriella called, inviting me, that might've been a major factor in my decision to say yes.

To see Sammy, of course! I mean, it's not like I want to see Mr. Easton. I felt my cheeks start to redden as I pushed the thought from my mind before walking down the long hallway and finding the kitchen.

"Stephanie! You m-made it!" Gabriella called out to me happily, making my smile widen as I watched her swoop around the kitchen island and head straight for me.

She was wearing a gorgeous creame sweater that was tucked into a dark green skirt. Her long black hair was pinned back, and she wore a pearl necklace with matching earrings. Yep, she was on a whole other level. Totally elegant and sophisticated.

"I love your dress. We match!" She gushed, pulling me into a hug as I glanced behind her quickly.

That's when I saw Jamie holding one of the twins before he nodded towards me.

"The food is just about done. Do you want something to drink?" Jamie asked, being a lot friendlier than I remembered.

"Uh, sure."

"Hey, Steph!" Another voice suddenly spoke, making my head turn to the side as I saw Jolie walking towards me. She wore a red pant suit with a white silk cami beneath that showed off her gorgeous curves beautifully.

I just stood there as Jolie came in for a hug next.

"Sorry, I just had to change. Heidi had a little accident. Luckily, I brought some backup clothes this time." She mumbled, making me laugh as I heard some type of giggling coming from the other side of the kitchen.

"How could something so cute be filled with so much puke." Rylan suddenly chimed in, making me realize he was holding his neice. I watched as he tickled her stomach before the small baby burst into laughter.

The little blonde baby was about six months old now and had the cutest chubbiest cheeks.

"Oh, you are going to find out soon enough." Jolie mumbled, glancing towards a pregnant Tilly before laughing maniacally.

Tilly just found out she was pregnant a few weeks ago. She actually told us all when we went to lunch last time. Jolie had her suspicions since she noticed Rylan was acting weird, so Tilly ended up blurting the whole thing out. It was pretty cute.

I couldn't help but stand back, watching them all interact as babies began to be passed around.

That's when this weird sense of sadness started to fill me. I wondered if I would ever have something like this.

Since my parents only had me, I never grew up with a big family. Truthfully, it was just mom and I for a lot of it. Dad was gone most of the time, and when mom started working again, I spent a lot of time on my own, studying.

So, being around a large group like this was pretty intimidating. And yet, I kind of loved it at the same time.

Suddenly, a drink was passed to me by Gabriella as Alder came striding into the room carrying a diaper bag.

"I'm here to save the day!" He exclaimed, going to grab Heidi from Rylan as I suddenly felt this weird sensation like someone was watching me.

I slowly turned my head, glancing towards the other side of the kitchen as my eyes locked right onto a pair of cold blue ones.

I felt a rush of air escape me as I soaked in Grant's appearance. He was wearing a dark grey dress shirt tucked into his black pants. The way he was leaning against the wall made something weird inside of me happen.

It was like my stomach dropped while my heart leaped into my throat at the same exact time, making me grip the glass in my hand tighter.

I shouldn't be surprised to see him. In fact, I expected it, but I swear the way he looked at me caused that usual chill to shiver down my spine before settling somewhere else this time.

God, why did he have to be so freaking attractive? It just makes me dislike him even more... Okay, maybe it makes it harder to dislike him. That's why it pisses me off.

That jet black hair, sharp jawline, and chisled cheeks. He was textbook gorgeous, and yet he had this dangerous edge to him. Like some unsaid threat hanging in the air between us.

Never cross Grant Easton, and if you did, I had a feeling you would regret it.

Suddenly, I felt something crash into my legs, almost making me go tumbling back as my drink sloshed around in my cup, almost spilling.

"Sammy! Careful!" Grant blurted, worry flashing through those blue eyes for the briefest moment before disappearing just as quickly.

I blinked down, seeing there was now a cute little boy wrapped around my legs tightly as I couldn't help but smile.

"You came. I'm so happy you came." Sammy whispered, warming my heart as that cold chill from his dad dissappear completely. How could they be so different? Even looks wise, Sammy doesn't resemble his father much. Maybe he looks a lot like his mom.

"Are you happy to see me?" I asked, making Sammy nod as I swear he seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm right here. There's no reason to be sad." I whispered, placing my hand on his back as I tried to comfort him.

Sammy just stared up at me, the most heartbreaking look filling his eyes as I wondered why he felt so sad.

"Do you want to sit with me when we eat?" I asked, seeing his head nod up and down happily as he seemed to be calming down now.

"Good, because I was going to anyway." I teased, making him laugh before I looked up, realizing everyone was now staring, even Grant and I didn't know why exactly.

"Well, why don't we start dishing out. Everything s-smells great." Gabriella finally spoke up, making the room start to move once when Sammy reached up and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, let's go find our seats. My Dad can get our food for us." Sammy declared, making Grant look towards us in shock.

"I can?" He mumbled.

"Pleeease." Sammy added, causing Grant to melt immediately before letting out a sigh and nodding.

That's when I went to say thank you, but he just walked past me, not even looking me in the eyes this time.

Geez, what's his problem now?