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He started to laugh, "Sence always felt like lying and being up front about the fact you were lying I preferred to lie on the sly" He passed ot there"

I nodded, "Yeah They’re literally all I have in the whole world"

His eyes twinkled, "You ht, Coop I always forget Coop isn’t his real name" I sipped the wine and nodded, "Yes, I suppose he is so I have too"

I didn’t have to tell hiether I could see it on his face He assu protected He knew the truth I nodded at the stairs, "Does she know everything?"

He shook his head, eyes gleaot, "She does not She knoorked for the company, that’s it" He winked, "Need to know has always been her way"

I felt ht be one of those need to know things"

He laughed, "I’ll let ya knohen I think we’re at need to know"

I frowned and drank a sip of wine, "Hoill you knohen it’s need to know?"

He chuckled, "Well now, miss, that’s need to know"

I lifted hed after a minute of aard silence, "I knew your dad well"

"Really?"

He drank a gulp of his bourbon, "Very sh slipped fro"

"Well, I’ll drink to that"

Coop carabbed himself a beer He cracked it and sat next tosecrets?"

His father winked atbad stories about you"

Coop lifted his beer, "At least you’ll never have an aard silence" He s the cool rooot Mitch has wifi so ill probably never see hiain and Jules discovered the Barbie bin my sister’s kids play with"

I was about to remark when the front door burst open Kids and adults caave his dad a look John Senior shrugged, "You knohat she’s like"

Coop sighed, "You irl ya ever brought hoonna happen?"

A tall blonde with a beautiful face attacked first, "JOHN!" She ran at him I watched as they swar out with all the craziness in our lives My faht have been small and full of lies, but we did love one another

Coop was eaten up by the crowd I sat, frozen and completely afraid Our family had never been like that Our version of love was ht pat on the cheek Dad only ever dolled out a rub of the head or a hug, and then he would slide the arm around the shoulders and make you ’ith hied Coop, screas like ‘chase us’ and ‘do the sock monster’ He chuckled and tossed children about At least his skills with kids made sense

His brother and sisters were obvious They all looked like their dad

Theirand hugging and loving everyone up She was Nanny to the kids and they attacked her as much as they did Coop Shea secret with the very interesting up there"

The kids squealed and raced up the huge wooden stairs

Coop laughed, "Go easy on them, they’re city kids"

I stood up and looked at theave me a look, "John"

He took a breath, "This is Evie Evie, this is Maria, my eldest sister Louise, my second-eldest sister Rachel, the middle child Brant, my brother"

I ide-eyed and terrified, I waved softly, "Hi"

They all spoke at once, draggingover each other I opened es

The girls were pulling atto tell ht I was lost in it

Coop started to laugh He fought therabbed my hand He pulled uys Jeeze You act like I never bring girls hoave him a sarcastic look, "Yeah, the last one was in ed, "It’s not like there haven’t been girls, "