The level of surprise it incites in Sadie is blunted by the whisper to a degree, but as he moves to sit next to her and sees the intensity of her reaction in full, he registers the unexpected nature of his decision properly. It makes sense given how adamantly he has been against telling his own family aside from Russell. Setting the items in his lap, he reaches up wirh his hand to cup her face as his smile grows, touched by her desire to give him an escape, “I understand, and I am grateful for that choice... But I have thought about this possibility extensively. It’s very important to me that I keep the trust they have in me, and being honest about having a Number I think is necessary. Your mother and father are good people, just like James...and I trust them too. I don’t know what they will want to do or how much time they will need to process however much we tell them, but I have no doubts that we should face this together like everything else.”

Then, with a touch of humor he huffs, “Besides, if I suddenly get taller than your brother, they’re going to figure it out.”