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<b>Chapter </b><b>229 </b>
Steam rose from the simmering hot pot, blurring the faces of the five people around the table.
Owen moved with practiced ease, slipping vegetables into the broth, his long fingers shing past Aria’s ey
eyes.
<b>His </b><b>knuckles </b>were a little pink, and tiny beads of water glistened on the back of his hand.
She couldn’t help but stare, privately marveling–those really were some beautiful hands,
The urge to reach out and touch themshed through her mind, and the moment she realized it, Aria quietly looked away, trying not to betray here.
<b>With </b>all the steam, no one noticed her awkwardness.
Caleb had met Owen <b>a </b>few times before.
Out in the world, people called him the undefeated legend of the legal industry, <b>famous </b>for his integrity–born into wealth, yet always championing the underdog<b>, </b>taking on pro bono <b>cases </b>without hesitation.
But there were less ttering stories, too: some said his methods were ruthless, that he put justice before blood, that beneath that gentle exterior he was a hard man to read.
Praise and criticism followed him everywhere, but in the end, the good always outweighed the bad,
Once, Caleb couldn’t figure <b>him </b>out. But ever since Owen had taken <b>Aria’s </b>divorce case, he understood: anyone Aria called a friend could never be a bad
<b>person</b>.
He dropped his gaze, joining Owen in prepping food for the table.
Even though Derek was already twenty–two, there was a clear innocence about him; Caleb and Owen silently agreed to treat him like a kid.
Still, Caleb kept watching how naturally Owen served Aria–how he handed her food, how he remembered her tastes.
The more he noticed, the more he wondered if this <b>wasn’t </b>the first hundred times Owen had done it.
so good.
<b>Derek </b><b>had </b>said Aria often ate here. Suddenly, the meat in Caleb’s mouth didn’t taste so p
Lost in thought, he idly stirred the pot. Owen nced over, “Calebt”
Snapped <b>out </b>of <b>his </b>daze, Caleb was almost relieved to <b>hear </b>his name.
“Sorry,” he muttered<b>, </b>fishing a piece of meat out and dropping it into Lily’s bowl.
But the idea stuck with him, and his gaze toward Owen turned <b>a </b>little more inquisitive
To be fair, the <ol><li>Shaw! </li></ol>
family <b>was </b><b>a </b>lot simpler than the Saxons–no endless rules orplicated rtionships.
He was <b>a </b>few years younger than Kim and constantly being set up on dates with people who only <b>cared </b>about status and gain, neverpatibility or feelings
<b>Kim </b>was lucky–he got to choose his life freely.
Caleb didn’t n to meddle in Aria’s love life. As long <b>as </b>she was happy, that <b>was </b>all that mattered.
After dinner, Derek jumped at the first chance, “Caleb, did youe straight bare from the airport?”
“Yeah”
“How about <b>we </b>just share a room and crash at Owen’s ce tonight?” Derek went right ahead, deciding for Caleb without waiting for his are
Caleb turned to Owen, “Is that okay with you?”
Derek gave Owen a look that said, “This is Aria’s big brother. <b>You’d </b>better make a good impression.”
Owen got
the hint and nodded, “Sure. Do you have your luggage in the car?”
Aria, having noticed Caleb’s car earlier, offered, “You can stay at my ce too–no need for you two
Owen added, “I’ve got a spare <b>room </b>here.”
Caleb smiled, “I’ll stay with my sister, then.”
Derek rolled his eyes–why <b>was </b>he <b>the </b>only one getting kicked to the curb?
squeeze together.”