Alex's return seems to be going well so far. Of course, I almost lost my cool when she started to tell our families lies about what happened with Trent. Harper looked even angrier than I was. Then again, she was actually there for some of the stuff Alex was talking about. I just found out about the whole mess a few says ago. Harper has known for five years. I could tell she lost her cool when she said the thing about Alex nearly losing Lexi twice. Then there was Alex. I didn't know how she could tell all those lies without crying. She is the one who had lived through all those horrible things.

I am alone out on the balcony. Alex and Lexi are inside getting bombarded by questions from our family. Lexi had already charmed them for her personality. I nearly jump up in the air when I hear someone talking to me.

"Justin," I turn around to see Harper giving me a worried look. "Are you okay?" she asks softly.

"I just don't understand how she was able to lie like that. Right to their faces. Doesn't it get to her?" I ask angrily. I didn't want to lie to our family. I want to tell them the truth.

Harper gives me a look that says she can't believe I'm that stupid. "Do you think this is easy for Alex? Having to lie to everyone? No, it's not. It's the reason she can't sleep at night, the reason she has those awful nightmares." She stops before adding something else. "But Alex is more afraid of the truth, Justin. She doesn't want to face the past because it scares the crap out of her."

Suddenly, I feel like a dofus. What Harper is telling me makes sense. Sometimes, it's easier to tell a bunch of lies than to face the truth. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. Now let's go eat dinner." Harper and I head into the apartment. The sight we find there makes me smile. Max and Dad are sitting at the table eagerly waiting for their food. Lisa and Mom are in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner. Alex is sitting on the couch with Isabelle sleeping nearby and Lexi on her lap. From what I can hear, she is telling the little girl a story. Harper goes to help Isabelle and Mom in the kitchen. I go over and sit next to my sister. She gives me a small smile before continuing with the story.

"And then the princess just sat there and waited. And waited and waited and waited." Alex says in an over-exaggerated voice that makes Lexi giggle.

"And did he come?" Lexi asks impatiently. I smile. The little girl is so much like her mother. Alex always used to skip to the ending of a book and read that first. She said that she couldn't enjoy the story if she didn't know what was going to happen. I think it was really just an excuse for her not to have to actually read the book.

Alex is just about to answer when our mom calls us for dinner. Lexi pouts at not hearing the ending. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll finish the story tonight," Alex reassures her daughter. Lexi instantly brightens and skips over to the kitchen table.

"What's for dinner, Grandma?" she asks our mom. It's kind of amazing how easily she took to our family. Then again, Lexi does have Alex's personality. My sister was always able to bond with people quickly.

"We're having ribs, mashed potatoes, and green peas," Mom answers with a smile.

"Where are they from?" the little girl asks innocently. Alex and Harper suppress their giggles.

Our mom looks over to Alex in confusion. Alex steps in to explain. "Grandma and Aunt Lisa made them, sweetheart," she tells her daughter cheerfully.

Lexi's eyes widen. "In the kitchen?" she asks in disbelief.

"In the kitchen," Alex confirms. "Now, what do you want on your plate."

"Two ribs, mash potatoes, and no yucky green peas," Lexi declares. Alex fixes up the plate and brings it over to her. She then does her own. I notice she doesn't take much: four ribs, a tiny pile of peas, and a minuscule scope of mash potatoes. Alex sits down next to her daughter. The whole family is seated at the table for the first time in nearly six years.

Harper, having also noticed how little Alex is eating, asks, "Not hungry, Alex?"

"Plane rides always take away my appetite," she responds nonchalantly. Harper still looks worried but says nothing.

Lexi, devouring the ribs, wipes her mouth and hands. Looking up at our mom, she says, "Grandma, these are really good."

Our mom smiles. "Thank you, honey. If you want, I can give your mom the recipe. It's pretty easy to make."

Lexi and Harper both start laughing. Alex glares at both of them. "Mommy doesn't cook much," Lexi explains. "We eat at the diner a lot."

"It's a shame, too. You guys have such a nice kitchen," Harper adds.

"Hey, there's food cooked in our kitchen all the time," Alex defends with her arms crossed across her chest.

"But you're never the one actually doing the cooking," Harper reminds her. Alex shrugs in defeat.

Our dad looks confused. "Then who does cook?" he asks.

Lexi thinks for a moment before answering. "Well, Quill and Jamie make good chocolate cake, and they let me lick the spoons. Cat can make really good lasagna. Beck is probably the best cook. He makes really good pancakes." I look over at Alex, who is blushing lightly.

"You eat pancakes for dinner?" Max asks, clearly jealous. "Lucky."

Lexi looks at her uncle in confusion. "No, he makes them after his sleepovers with Mommy." The whole table looks over at Alex in shock.

"So, what's for dessert?" she asks casually, trying to dodge the questions that are sure to come. Luckily, her cell phone goes off at that exact moment. "Sorry, I have to take this." Alex answers is. "Hello? Oh, hey Quinn. What's up?" My sister's expression goes sour. "Wait, what happened? Who broke in?" We all look over at her. "Was anything stolen? That's weird. Yeah, okay. Call me if anything else happens. I'll give you details if anything else happens. Bye." Alex hangs up. Her posture is tense, and I can tell something is off.

She looks at us, worry lines across her forehead. "Someone broke into the gallery."

None of us know what to say. Finally, Lisa asks, "Was anything stolen?"

Alex shakes her head no. "A stack of business cards, but I have tons of those."

"Well, that's good," Lisa tries to comfort her. She merely nods her head.

"Can I be excused?" she asks our mom. Mom nods. Alex leaves the table and heads upstairs.

Seeing the looks on all of our faces, Harper gets up and says, "I'll go check on her." We all sit in silence, not sure what to say. The rest of our family is worried, sure, but I'm scared for Alex and Lexi. I know what Alex is afraid of. She thinks Trent is the one who broke in. It makes sense to me. Who else would steal just a stack of business cards? I sit there and stare at me food, trying not to think of the scary situations. Hopefully, Harper can calm Alex down, and the burglary turns out to not be a big deal. I hope for all of these things. I would be disgusted with myself if something happened to Alex and Lexi that could've been stopped.