Chapter 19 #2
“This is not a show,” Bellamy snaps. “This is your future, Jake. Yours and Penny’s, Wesley’s and Sean’s.
Ali is family—our cousin —and I trusted him because my father did.
I was trying to get him to help me sort out Michael’s will issue, for fuck’s sake.
I believed him when he said he would, and because the brother I just discovered doesn’t trust me enough to talk to me honestly, I could have fallen right into a trap and lost everything. ”
I shift uncomfortably, already aware that I’d misjudged him because of what Win had rightly called my prejudice against the family. “That won’t happen. I have a USB and more hard files. You take it all to the board and they won’t let him near the company or their money again.”
“Would you look at that? Michael Demir strikes again,” Win says with a sideways grin. “This is your weekend for rescuing people, isn’t it? Teachers with bad directional skills. Oblivious rich dudes you’re related to. Another gold star for you.”
I want to kiss him for that. Hell, I want to kiss him because he exists.
My throat is closing, my chest feels tight and my heart’s too loud in my ears, so I don’t realize I’m lifting him off the floor until we’re heading towards the back of the cabin and he grabs my face with both hands, forcing me to meet his shocked glare.
“Michael, they’re watching. Put me down. Why do you keep doing thi?—”
I step into the small laundry room and kick the door closed behind me, letting him slide down to his feet before I give in to my need to kiss him.
When I finally lift my head to take a breath, he pokes me in the chest with his finger. “Zero boundaries,” he says breathlessly.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.” I want everyone to know he’s mine. “I had plans for us after breakfast. Any chance we could send them away for a while and skip the party?”
“Since I’m singing in it and you’re baking for it, I think they’d notice.”
I tangle my fingers in his hair and kiss him again until he’s pressing into me and moaning against my lips.
“This isn’t over.”
He nods and pats me on the chest in a daze. “Got it. We should probably go now.”
When we exit the laundry room, I ignore the knowing look from my brother and start to pull out the empty containers I stored under the sink.
I need to pack up my tools and filling for transfer to the lodge.
“Should I drive, or do you have enough space for all of us and my boxes?” I point to the other plastic tote full of choux puffs on the counter.
“The main road was cleared but not the entrance to the cabin,” Jake answers. “We brought two snowmobiles so we could take Win or both of you back with us. They have racks and bungee cords on the back, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I nod. “I’ll be ready as soon as I get this together.”
“I’ll ride with Jake,” Win says, and my eyes narrow as they meet his. He wants me to ride with Bellamy?
“Fine. You can ride with Jake and take the dogs. I have a sling for them that can go beneath your jacket.”
Win gasps. “They have slings? Are you saying I could have been wearing them this whole time?”
When I give him a look to remind him just how inconvenient that would have been, he turns away, flustered, and claps his hands. “Okay, puppies, time for one last walk before we head out!”
I keep my eyes on him until he disappears with Jake and the dogs, needing to soak in every last moment we have here together.
“I’ve been there, man.”
I finally look away to focus on Bellamy, who’s standing beside me now. “I doubt that.”
“Believe me, I did some crazy shit after seeing Seamus for the first time.”
“You did some crazy shit before you met him too,” I say wryly.
“That was a different kind of insanity.” He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “I’m still not over the fact that no one told me about you. That you knew and never reached out.”
“I’m sorry.” And I actually mean it.
He hesitates and then says, “If he were alive, I’d tell him that keeping us separate was a mistake.”
When I don’t respond, he puts a hand on my arm.
“If you don’t believe anything else, believe that, Michael.
I would have loved knowing I had a brother, and I would have done everything in my power to get to know you .
Unfortunately, we can’t fix what’s finished—we can only deal with what’s in front of us.
Right now, we have an anniversary to attend and a cousin to destroy, and you need to tell me everything about you and Win, starting from the night you met and ending with that breakfast make-out session.
I hear brothers talk to each other about these things. ”
I look at him. He’s our father’s son, but it’s so easy to see the differences now. He’s genuine about wanting to get to know me. Have I been making all of this harder than it needs to be? Would I have kept holding myself back if Win hadn’t shown me the error of my ways?
“Fine, we can try talking. But don’t expect details. I’m not telling you everything.”
“Why don’t we just cover the highlights?”