"Thomas, have you been harassing Emilie's friends again?" Samantha asked, already knowing the answer. "You know you're not supposed to do that anymore. Especially after what happened last time."

It was by this point that Emilie had her face in her hands, wishing that for once in her life that God would strike her dead on the spot. There was a reason why she didn't bring people home usually-- and it had nothing to do with her family's social standing.

Thomas, meanwhile, was still glaring at Ciaran, not having moved a muscle aside from glancing back for a second as his wife made her grand entrance. He said nothing.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Emilie's mother scoffed at Ciaran's muttering. "I insist that you stay. I'm terribly sorry. Thomas has been so terribly protective over Emilie since the accident."

"Mom," Emilie grit a protest through her teeth, bringing her hands down just far enough to express her horror.

"What?" Samantha responded innocently, but mostly ignoring her daughter. As she normally did. "We were just about to sit down to breakfast and you are more than welcome to join us... I'm sorry, what was your name?"