The truth hurts, he thought. “I do…but it’s fairly benign.”
“Spill it, big brother.”
Quentin took a breath, glanced at the bathroom door, and then said something he’d never thought to utter. “I want to bring Lowey to the house for dinner…and if you’re not doing anything with it, I want to get Grandma’s ring from Mama’s jewelry box.”
Mia had been half listening to her brother, assuming he was just trying to con her into forgetting his bad behavior. She’d been watching through the back window as Bennett cleared brush in the backyard. It was the end of November but unseasonably warm, and he’d worked up a sweat while wearingnothing but jeans and a white T-shirt. Maybe that was why it took her a second to process what Quentin had just said because her ovaries had temporarily shut down higher brain function.
When it did register, she turned away from the window and sank down onto the nearest horizontal surface. “You serious?”
“As a heart attack,” Quentin replied.
Mia felt a little breathless at the thought. Quentin didn’t talk to her. Not about things that mattered. In fact, as far as she knew, he didn’t talk to anyone about things that mattered. He kept it all bottled up inside him, like any softer emotion was a crime to be concealed. “You want to marry her?”
“Not tomorrow,” he snapped. “But when all this business is settled with Joey Barnes, when there’s time for us to sit and talk about everything, then I’m going to ask her.”
“Don’t wait until things are settled.” If there was one thing Mia had learned in her life, waiting for things to be right was pointless. If he loved Harlow Tate, and she had to believe he did because Quentin was the most commitment-phobic person on the planet, he needed to move on it and not waste another second. “If you love her, and if you want to be with her, just do it. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you.”
There was silence on the line for the longest time, until he finally spoke again. “I’m sorry, Mia. We should have done something about Samuel…long before now. If I’d known?—”
“You’d have killed him. Your temper still isn’t the best, especially where he’s concerned,” she stated. “This is how it was supposed to be. If I’d run off with Bennett when we were younger, I don’t know what would have happened. Maybe we could have made it work, maybe not. But what I do know is that living the last ten years without him gave me enough time to realize just how special it is. I appreciate having him in my life now in a way that I might not have before.”
It was true, she realized. She’d had to let him go to understand just how much he meant to her, how vital he was to her life and her happiness. Did Harlow Tate make Quentin feel that way? God, she hoped so. He needed some happiness in his life. He needed some peace from whatever it was that haunted him so much.
“Dinner won’t be fancy,” she said. “But it’ll be ready at seven. You want Clayton and Annalee here to witness your taming?”
His bark of laughter made her smile. Quentin didn’t do that nearly enough.
“I’ll never be tamed, Mia,” he scoffed.
“So you say.” She laughed. “But I’ve seen Harlow Tate, Quentin. I know just what that girl looks like, and I know just how little of your crap she’ll tolerate. You might not be completely tamed, but you’ll definitely be domesticated under the right circumstances.”
He changed the subject then. “Lowey is getting out of the shower. I’ll see you tonight.”
The call ended abruptly, leaving Mia sitting there holding the phone and shaking her head in wonder. If any woman could ever bring Quentin to heel, it would be Harlow Tate, and she was eager to see it.
The back door slammed, and she looked up to see Bennett walking in, stripping off his sweaty shirt and looking like every erotic fantasy she’d had for the last decade.
“You keep looking at me like that,” he warned, “And I’m not going to be responsible for my actions.”
She dropped the phone onto the couch beside her and leaned back, resting her weight on her palms. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
Bennett stalked toward her until he could tangle his hands in her hair. Then he kissed her, his lips firm on hers. It was definitely a promise, she decided. When the kiss broke,she was breathless. “I should be getting everything ready for dinner tonight…we’re having guests.”
“We’ll order pizza,” he offered.
“No,” she said. “We will not. But since it’s warm enough outside, there’s no reason you couldn’t fire up the grill and cook some steaks. That might free up a little bit of time this afternoon.”
Bennett grinned and then scooped her up, draping her over his shoulder as he made his way toward the stairs. They were halfway to the landing when the sound of breaking glass stopped them cold.
“Put me down,” Mia said, but Bennett was already lowering her to her feet.
“I’ll go check it out,” he offered.
“No,” she said. “That came from Mama’s room!”
She was already rushing past him, toward the former library that had been modified for Patricia. But inside the door, she stopped abruptly. There was no one there except her mother. Patricia lay in the bed, motionless as always. But the lamp beside her bed was broken on the floor, and the cord dangled from her fingertips.
“What is happening here?” she asked, terrified to even hope.
