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nodded and felt a sense of pride, knowing that they all thought of each other as blood.
    “ Do you…” She stopped and he watched her bite her bottom lip. He knew the question. He’d been asked it tons of times. By the media and by friends. He’d asked himself the same thing over and over.  
    “ Do I ever think about my real folks?”  
    She nodded and he reached over and took her hand. Enjoying the way her small fingers felt in his, he ran his thumb over her palm slowly.
    “ I’ve avoided telling the media, but my real parents were killed shortly after I turned eight.” He turned his head and looked off over the water. He could still remember their faces and hear their laughter.  
    “ I’m sorry.” She looked down at their joined hands.  
    “ I’d like to think that they would have approved of the Graytons.” He smiled. “I mean, we all had such a wonderful time growing up together.” He tugged on her hand. “What about you? You’ve told me about your old man and your stepmother, but I haven’t heard about your real mom.”  
    She frowned a little and he wondered if she had a story like his brothers or sisters did. Maybe he was digging too deep, too soon.
    “ I never knew her; she died giving birth to me. Dad took it hard and snapped, I guess. My mother was the love of his life, or so he always told me. When she died, I guess so did his stability and sanity.”  
    “ I’m sorry.” He rubbed her hand in his, not knowing what more to say to her. He’d gotten a hint at why she acted the way she did around him last night. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but it meant a lot to him to prove to her that he was nothing like her old man.  
    She sighed and leaned back, dropping his hand so she could rest back on her elbows. “You know, I always wanted siblings. When Willow came along, I thought it was my chance to finally have a normal family.”
    “ Normal is boring,” he admitted under his breath.  
    She chuckled. “You would think that. I mean, have you ever done anything normal in your life?”
    Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at him. He laughed. “I did go to prom.”
    She chuckled. “Right.”
    “ Course, I took three girls as my dates.”  
    She sat up a little. “Did they know about each other?”
    He nodded, remembering the fun night. “Two of them were even sisters.”
    She shook her head and sighed. He could tell a reprimand was coming so he tugged on her until she leaned against his side. “Not everything is as cut-and-dried as you think.”
    “ Oh?” Her hands went to his chest as she tried to hold herself up.  
    Nodding, he continued. “I originally asked one sister, but she had asked a girlfriend who was home-schooled to go with her. You know, so the friend would get some sort of a prom experience.” She nodded so he continued. “Well, since neither of them drove, and since her little sister hadn’t been asked yet, she asked me if I would drive them all. So, technically I guess you could say I had three dates to prom.”
    She smiled and chuckled. “You must have been the most popular boy in school.”
    His smile faltered. “Actually, Roman was the prom king of our clan.”
    “ Roman?” She thought about it a moment, then he watched her smile grow. “Fitting. He does have a way about him. Doesn’t he?” She sighed and for a moment, he was a little jealous of his brother.  
    It was like high school all over again. His brother had never struggled with finding a date. The guy was freaking James Bond when it came to women falling over him. And they weren’t like the women that came running to Cole, most of whom were just looking to spend a night or two with someone famous. No, Roman found the women that wanted long-term relationships, something Cole had spent his life trying to avoid. Then he looked over at Wendy and felt something shift deep inside him.
    ***
    Feeling a little uncomfortable, Wendy sat next to Cole’s father and watched Cole and his aunt argue over how