Gavin's hand was shaking as he ended the call. Uncle Jasper Johnson, here in the flesh—this wasn't just unusual, it was unprecedented. In all my years on the fringes of the Johnson family, I'd never seen the patriarch make a personal appearance for anything short of a major family event.
"I'll go down to meet him," Gavin said, straightening his tie with nervous fingers. "The rest of you... prepare yourselves."
The warning in his voice was unmistakable. Everyone in the room tensed—everyone except Nathaniel, who merely raised an eyebrow at me.
"Is he really that intimidating?" he murmured.
"You'll see," I whispered back. "Even Cameron gets nervous around him."
As Gavin hurried out, Cameron began frantically tidying the room, adjusting Evelyn's blankets and smoothing her hair. His hands trembled slightly—the first time I'd ever seen him anything less than composed.
