The Kingston's were always more than a family.
They were a dynasty-ruling New York from the shadows, with power flowing through their veins for generations. Nothing happened in their city without their knowledge or control. It was a legacy of power...
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―✧˖° ♛ °˖✧―
'Omnia causa fiunt.' Everything happens for a reason.
―✧˖° ♛ °˖✧―
Bridget Kingston
I hadn't really thought much about meeting my oldest brother. I already had four of them, so what difference could one more make? Honestly, I was more nervous about meeting Beckett than Vaughn, he was my twin brother after all.
I should have probably thought more about meeting the notorious Vaughn Kingston and mentally prepared myself for it.
I kind of expected Vaughn to be like Callan—calm, quiet, and protective when needed. In some ways, he was. He had that same composed presence, and he definitely seemed like someone who could keep you safe. But... he wasn't like Callan at all.
If there was one thing I noticed in the short time I'd spent with Vaughn, it was that he was intimidating. And his daughter? Well, she wasn't much better.
Don't get me wrong—Reese was friendly and welcoming enough. But there was something about her that made me feel uneasy.
Maybe it was her height, or the way she carried herself, always standing tall like nothing could ever faze her. Her eyes were sharp, constantly observing, like she was silently gathering information about everything and everyone. She moved with this casual confidence, like she didn't care that a whole family reunion was happening just outside the kitchen door.
The only time she softened was when she talked to Beckett. You could feel how close they were, even without knowing much about their relationship.
"Are you settling in well?" Reese's voice broke through my thoughts. I looked up to find her watching me, waiting for an answer. She had the same eyes as my mom—exactly the same color—but Reese's felt harder, like she saw more than she let on and filled with an intelligence that should have probably belong to someone decades older than she was.
"I think so. It's a big change," I said, nervously twisting my fingers in my lap. I didn't know why she was so intimidating, but she was. Reese nodded, her attention shifting as Beckett reentered the room, carrying a box for her and a plate for me. The plate held the most perfect slice of chocolate cake I'd ever seen. Beckett sat down next to me, his own piece on his plate.
Reese opened the small box Beckett had handed her. She had her own cake, though I wasn't sure why hers came separately.
"This is chocolate mousse cake," Beckett explained, already digging in, chocolate smeared around his mouth. "It's from a bakery in the Hamptons. Reese begged me to get her some, so I bought out the shop."
Reese, sitting casually on the kitchen island, lifted her foot and playfully kicked Beckett. "I've never begged for anything in my life."
Somehow I didn't doubt that. She didn't seem like the type to beg for anything.
