My own family was such a mess there was no way I would be half the person I was today without all the Archers had done for me. Remy had taken me under his wing when I was a friendless and lonely pre-teen, Rome had threatened to beat up the first boy that made me cry because he didn’t like me back, Margot had taken me shopping for homecoming and prom dresses when my own mother was too busy with her new husband to care, Dale had taken me to Denver University and CU Boulder and helped whittle down the choices logically and rationally when it came to picking a college and Rule, well Rule was a constant reminder that money didn’t get you everything you wanted and that no matter how perfect I tried to be, how hard I worked at being everything to everyone that it still wasn’t enough.

I blew out a breath that I felt like I had been holding for over an hour and took a piece of Kleenex to wipe away the black smudges that had run under my eyes from the water. If I didn’t get down the dining room fast Margot was bound to come looking for me and I didn’t have a reasonable excuse as to why I was currently hyperventilating in the bathroom. I fished a hair tie out of my pocket and pulled my hair into a low ponytail. I slicked on a sheer coat of gloss and gave myself a silent pep talk, reminding myself that I had done this a million other Sundays and that this one was no different. Just as I was stepping into the hall my phone rang and I had to struggle to keep back a groan when I saw that it was Gabe calling again. I sent the call to voicemail and wondered for the hundredth time in the last month why I had ever wasted a second of my time on his pompous ass. He was over entitled, overly grabby, overly superficial and overly interested in my last name and the fact that my parents were loaded than in me. I wasn’t even interested in dating him, wasn’t interested in dating anyone but my parents had forced my hand and as usual under their pressure I folded and ended up spending more time than I wanted with him. I managed to tolerate him for a lot longer than I thought I would be able to, after all Gabe was way more interested in himself than in me, it wasn’t until he had started pushing for sex, started making me uncomfortable by grabbing and touching things I didn’t want his hands anywhere near that I cut the cord. Unfortunately neither he nor my parents seemed to want to get the message and I had been inundated with calls, texts and emails for the last two weeks. Gabe was easy enough to dodge, my mother not so much.

I was shoving the phone back into my back pocket when a quiet voice stopped me. “What’s going on with you little girl? I’ve been gone for over eighteen months and all I get is a hug and a peck on the cheek before you disappear? Where are the tears, where’s the hysterics that I’m home safe and sound? What’s working in that complicated brain of yours because I can tell something is on your mind?”

I hiccupped a little laugh and let my forehead fall onto the strong chest in front of me. Even battered and bruised Rome was the kind of guy that stood between the people he loved and anything that might possibly hurt them. He patted the top of my head and laid a heavy hand on the back of my neck. “I missed that pretty face Shaw; you don’t know how good it is to be home.”

I shuttered a little and wrapped a carful arm around his waist so that I could give him a squeeze and not hurt him. “I missed you too, Rome. I’m just stressed out. School is crazy right now, I’m working three or four nights a week and my parents won’t get off my back about this guy I just broke up with. You know I love it when we’re all together. I thought your mom was going to have a heart attack when she called to tell me what happened to you. I’m so glad you’re okay, I don’t this family would be able to handle another Archer son going down.”

“No probably not. I can’t believe she still has you playing chuffer to my idiot brother.”

I hooked my arm through his and we started to make our way to the dining room. “It’s the only way he’ll come. If I have to miss it because of school or because something comes up he just blows them off. Half the time when I get to the apartment he doesn’t even know what day it is and has to scramble to get out the door, today would be a prime example of that. If I show up he feels obligated to ride with me no matter what or who he’s in the middle of doing.”

Rome swore under his breath. “It wouldn’t kill that kid to play nice with mom and dad once a week. He shouldn’t need you to be his babysitter.”

I shrugged a shoulder because we both knew that all the Archer brothers had a role. Remy had been the good son, the straight A student, the future Ivy leaguer , he was also the one saddled with the role of keeping Rule out of jail and running interference when his twin got into trouble that he couldn’t talk his way out of. Rule was the wild card, the one that lived life to the fullest and made no apologies for those he might offend or hurt along the way. Rome was the boss, the twins adored him and followed his lead through good and bad because lord knew with the way the three of them looked there was lots and lots of bad thrown their way. With Remy gone it wasn’t a surprise to anyone that Rome had become even more protective of his remaining brother and that I had fallen seamlessly into the role of trying to keep Rule on some kind of path of straight and narrow.

“It’s the least I can do for Margot and Dale. They’ve always done so much for me and asked for so little in return suffering Rule’s wrath once a week is a pretty easy sacrifice to make.”

Something flashed in those eyes that were so much like his brother’s that it sometimes hurt to look into them. Rome wasn’t anyone’s fool and it wouldn’t surprise me if he knew more about all the things I kept locked down than he let on.

“I just don’t want you being the target of Rule being Rule. Mom needs to get over her shit and so does he. Everyone is grown now and life is too short for you to be constantly playing the peacemaker between those two.”

I sighed and lowered my voice as we got to the entrance to room. The table was already set and everyone was already in their regular seats. Dale was at the head of the table, Margot on his right with an open spot for me. His left side was left open for Rome and Rule had taken the seat at the opposite end of the table as far away from both of his parents as he could get. “They need to move past the fact that he’s never going to be Remy, and he has to stop intentionally cramming that fact down their throats. Until one side gives and learns how to forgive it’s always going to be this way.”

He pressed a super light kiss to my temple and gave me a little squeeze back. “I don’t think any of them realize how lucky they are to have you little girl.”

I let him go and went to take my seat between Margot and Rule. I tried not to wince when Rule sent a narrow eyed look in my direction, knowing Rome and I had more than likely been whispering about him. I slid into my spot and flashed Dale a smile as he started passing the typically lavish brunch around. I was about to ask Rome what he planned to do with his time off when Margot had me snapping my head around in shock.

“Would it be too much of a stretch to expect you to come to brunch in a shirt that buttons and in a pair of pants that don’t look like they came from the thrift store? I mean your brother has several broken bones and was in a horrific accident and he still manages to look more put together than you, Rule.”

I had to bite my tongue to stop from snapping at her to lay off of him. Mostly because family gatherings were supposed to be informal and fun and I knew good and well if I had showed up in jeans and a t-shirt she wouldn’t even have blinked, but because it was him she viewed it as a direct attack on her.

He picked a couple pieces of bacon off the platter I handed to him and didn’t even bother to respond to her. Instead he turned to Rome and asked what his plans were while he was home. He wanted him to come to the city for a week and spend time with him and Nash. I saw Margot’s mouth tighten at the dismissal and Dale’s eyebrows pull down in a frown. I saw varying degrees of the same look every Sunday we were here. It hurt my chest because even in a rumpled shirt and torn jeans Rule was the kind of guy that owned whatever look he was wearing. It was the same thing with the mass amounts of tattoos that covered him from head to toe and the array of metal that dotted his face here and there. There was no denying Rule was a good looking guy, probably too good looking to be honest, but he was complicated and the beauty he possessed was buried and camouflaged under things it was easy to look past. Of all the brothers he had the clearest, most arctic blue eyes, his hair even when it was decorated with purple or green or blue was still the thickest and the shiniest and even with every color under sun dancing across his skin, of the three of them Rule had always been the one the girls gravitated to. Just like the brunette at Starbucks this afternoon. Her name was Amy Rodgers and I had spent all four years of high school being tormented by her and her cheerleader cronies. She dated jocks and boys that bleed blue, not guys that rocked mohawks and had their eyebrows and lips pierced, but even she couldn’t resist all that was Rule Archer in his magnetic glory.

“And what’s going on with your hair son? A color actually found in nature might be a nice change of pace especially since the whole family is together and we’re all lucky to have your brother home in one piece.”

I groaned inwardly and silently took the bowl of fruit Margot handed me. Now that they had teamed up on him there was no way he was going to stay quiet. Normally he ignored his mom and shot sarcastic one liners at Dale, but being interrupted and attacked from both sides while he was trying to catch up with Rome wasn’t going to fly. Rule had a short fuse on a good day but corner him when he was hung over and being reluctantly civil at best and the fur was no doubt going to fly. I shot Rome a panicked look across the table but before he could interject Rule’s voice snapped out like a verbal back hand across the face.

“Well pops purple is found all throughout nature so I don’t know what you’re talking about and as far as my clothes are concerned I figure we’re all lucky I bothered to even put pants on considering the condition Shaw found me in this morning. Now if you’re both done criticizing every move I make can I continue my conversation with the brother I haven’t seen in over a year that nearly got blow up by a roadside bomb?”

Margot gasped and Dale shoved his chair back from the table. I let my head fall forward and rubbed between my eyes where a headache was starting to throb.

“One afternoon Rule, one freaking afternoon is all we ask of you.” Dale stormed out of the room and Margot wasted no time in bursting into tears. She buried her face in her napkin and I reached over to awkwardly pat her shoulder. I cut a look at Rule but he had climbed to his feet as well and was headed toward the front door. I shot a look at Rome who just shook his head and lumbered to his feet. Margot lifted her head and looked at her oldest with pleading eyes.

“Tell him Rome, you go tell him that this not how you treat your parents. He has no respect.”

She pointed a shaky finger at the door. “You tell him that this is unacceptable.”

Rome looked at me then at his mom. “Sure mom I’ll tell him, but I’m also going to tell you that you had no reason to lay into him like that. Who cares if he wants to wear jeans and have hair like a god damn Smurf? What matters is that he’s here and he made an effort and Shaw took time out of her life, her busy schedule to make that happen for you and dad and you waited exactly three seconds before purposely picking at the scab, both of you.”