Chapter Thirty-five #2
“Why do you think I already paid?” Clara says dryly. “Honestly, I think I might change my job.” She exhales. “Lev is insufferable.”
Sienna smirks. I smile. Kylie is still completely absorbed in the babies, making faces at them like nothing else exists.
“Well?” Sienna prompts Clara, clearly waiting for the tea.
“He seems to confuse me working for him with him being a controlling asshole,” Clara says, irritation sharp in her voice.
“Oh, tell me about annoying assholes,” Sienna mutters, rolling her eyes.
And then she freezes.
Two men walk into the coffee shop.
Knox.
And. . . oh my God.
That’s Kyle.
The man my mother was sleeping with.
Why do all the men in my life feel like they’re part of some deranged social experiment?
And they’re together.
That’s. . . deeply unsettling.
Knox spots us immediately and walks straight toward Sienna, who suddenly finds the table very interesting.
“Did you just steal my car?” he asks her.
I look at her, confused. “I thought you said you borrowed it. Like. . . he knew.”
She sighs as Clara and Kylie burst out laughing. “Okay. I borrowed it without him knowing.”
“I believe that’s the definition of stealing,” Kyle says mildly.
Sienna snaps her head toward him. “No one asked you, Theo.”
I blink.
Theo?
Knox raises an eyebrow, clearly amused.
“Next time you need a bigger car,” Knox drawls to Sienna, “don’t steal mine.” A grin tugs at his mouth. “Just tell me. I’ll buy you one.”
“So tell me,” she says coolly, eyes narrowing, “is this about coffee, or did you just need another excuse to indulge your pathetic obsession with me?”
“I came to prove that nothing you do goes unnoticed, sweetheart,” he murmurs, voice low, controlled. His eyes stay locked on hers, unwavering, before his mouth lifts into a slow, knowing smirk, one that says he enjoys her anger far more than he should.
“Oh. Apologies,” Knox adds, turning slightly. “Let me introduce my brother.”
Brother?
“Serena, Kylie, Clara, this is Theodore Hunter. My brother. You can call him Theo.”
Hunter.
Of course.
The surname clicks into place instantly. He did give me his real last name. I just never connected it to Knox. And now the fake first name makes a lot more sense.
“Nice to meet you,” I say politely. “I thought your name was Kyle. Or was that just a fake name you use for older women you sleep with?”
I smile sweetly.
Theo smirks, completely unbothered. “Fake name was foreplay. Didn’t want her getting attached.”
Knox gives him a look that clearly says you’re on thin ice.
Theo’s attention drifts to the babies. “You’re looking good after giving birth, Beaumont,” he says casually. “Cute kids.”
Then he smiles. “Or should I say Moretti?”
He lifts an eyebrow.
My stomach tightens just slightly. We’re not exactly a secret, but the ease with which he says it bothers me.
Knox tilts his head, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips. “Fascinating display.” Then he looks at Sienna. “And kindly stop appropriating my vehicle. I will not have my reputation dragged through the mud by a pink monstrosity.”
Sienna’s smile turns wicked. “Don’t worry. You’ve done an excellent job making sure everyone remembers you’re an asshole.”
He pulls her in and kisses her, quick and unapologetic. She immediately wipes her mouth, and we all laugh.
Knox just smirks.
“See you later, ladies,” Knox says easily.
Theo lingers half a second longer, then winks at me.
I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. Brothers, clearly, for a reason.
The moment they leave, Sienna turns to me, her gaze sharp. “Do you know Theo?” she asks. Then, more cautiously, “Do I even want to know?”
I grimace. “No. You don’t.” I lower my voice. “He was probably fucking my mother.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“I saw them here once,” I add, my stomach tightening at the memory. “It definitely looked like something was going on.”
Kylie finally looks up from the babies. “Ew. That’s disgusting.”
“Well,” Clara muses, her smile turning knowing, “he’s definitely not ew or disgusting.” A laugh slips out. “Honestly? A double date with the Hunter brothers doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.” She looks to Sienna.
I take a sip of my coffee, amused. “I think you should worry more about the other man in your—”
I stop.
Something outside catches my eye. A shape. A presence.
My stomach drops.
“What’s wrong?” Clara asks immediately.
I don’t look away from the window. “Is that. . . Ian outside?”
The name feels heavy on my tongue.
I haven’t seen him in a long time. But he’s been everywhere lately. In conversations. In warnings. In my thoughts.
Kylie stays glued to the babies while Clara and Sienna move closer to the glass.
“Yes,” Clara says after a second.
My pulse quickens. “What is he doing?”
We’re safe. We’re in public. Guards nearby. Everything is controlled.
Sienna squints. “It looks like he’s. . .” She trails off. “. . . staring at you.”
A chill crawls up my spine.
“That’s creepy,” Kylie mutters.
“Are you still talking to him?” Sienna asks quietly.
“No,” I say immediately. I glance back at the twins, sleeping peacefully, unaware. “But maybe he wants to talk.” I stand. “I’ll go outside and see what he wants.”
I take two steps. Then stop. Something cold crawls up the back of my neck, forcing me to look back through the glass.
He’s gone. Just. . . gone. One second he was there, standing in the reflection like a shadow that didn’t belong, and the next there is nothing.
No trace. No direction. No explanation. My chest tightens as unease coils low in my stomach.
What the hell was that? Was he watching me the whole time?
Did he leave the moment he realized I noticed? Or was that exactly what he wanted?
The coffee suddenly tastes bitter in my mouth.
And for the first time since we sat down, I don’t feel safe anymore.