“Thank you.”
I hate that there are people watching and he seems as uncomfortable and grumpy as I am. I wanted more time with him before this happened. I lean against the kitchen counter instead of joining the others at the island, then take a bite.
The moan escapes unintentionally. Itisdelicious. And comforting. And Win made it for me before these two showed up and forced me to share.
“Told you,” Jake says immediately. “I want the recipe.”
“It’s just eggs and leftovers, a few spices and?—”
“Dancing?” Bellamy interrupts with a wry curve to his lips. “Is that part of the recipe? Because we caught some of that show before you noticed us.”
Win was dancing to that music I heard upstairs?
He turns red and I find myself wanting to punch the other Demir in the room for witnessing a moment I missed. “Leave him alone.”
Bellamy and I glower at each other in silence until Win chuckles.
“Yeah, okay I definitely see the resemblance now.”
“Right?” Jake snorts. “Dad knew right away, but it wasn’t until I saw them side by side and they both frowned that I caught it. There’s no denying they’re brothers.”
“I’ve never denied it,” Bellamy mutters under his breath. “I just needed a minute to get used to the idea.”
The ensuing silence stretches until Win breaks it. “You said you wanted to talk to Michael about something before we head over to the lodge?”
“It’s family business, isn’t that right?” I say with a hard look at Bellamy. “About the texts I sent last night?”
He nods. No doubt that’s why he’s in the rescue party instead of Brady or Connor. He wants to confront me about them without his husband or family around. I wonder if he’ll deny it, or excuse his cousin’s actions.
If he was planning to be an asshole, would he have brought Jake?
Too late, I see the hurt in Win’s expression and realize what that sounded like.Family business.Damn it, I should have chosen my words more carefully.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I tell him, keeping my voice low, for him alone.
He sticks out his chin. “Sure, I get it. It’s either about the reason you quit your job, or whatever was in that will.”
“You haven’t talked to me about that in months, but you told a man you just met?” Bellamy sounds genuinely surprised.
“We met a while ago,” Win informs him shamelessly. I stand a little taller, glad he’s not pretending there’s nothing between us. “At your husband’s pub. You can imagine how surprised I was to be innocently wandering through the forest in a snowstorm only to have him pop up again.”
Jake and Bellamy both look suspicious, and I know exactly what they’re thinking.
“It wasn’t Ken,” I tell them. “I questioned him the other night.”
“You did?” Win and Jake ask simultaneously.
I shrug, feeling uncomfortable with all this attention. “We both know him, and I’d told him about our first encounter. I’d be an idiot if I didn’t consider the possibility that he was involved.”
Win’s eyes widen.
“Noteverything,” I rush to assure him.
Before he can comment, Bellamy curses. “You talked to Tanaka. You talked to Win. But you waited until last night to tell me—in a damntext—that the man my father trusted above all others has been embezzling and planning a coup with the same family you have tomarry intoto get your inheritance? Jesus, brother, we need to talk about your priorities.”
Win’s expression transforms to outrage. “Wait a minute.That’swhat your father put in the will? He’s trying to force you to marry someone? Is that even legal?”
“Man, that’s cold.” Jake shakes his head. “He was always nice to me. And he supported Dad’s wedding to Bell. I can’t believe he’d do that to his own son.”
