“And I’ve already got my first job.” He holds out his arms expectantly, and I can’t find it in me to break my brother’s heart. He laid down his life so I could have mine. His sacrifice was something far nobler than anything I could evercomprehend.
“You bet, man. I’m sure you’ll turn this place into a sight to behold.” I’m not sure I meant that as acompliment.
“Not this place.Dude”—he winces as if I’ve lost my ever-loving mind, and relief pools in me—“Gage wants me to help renovate his house. It’ll be a good hands-on learning experience for me, and I’ll get a chance to bond with our littlenephew.”
I glance over at ourlittlenephew with his refrigerator-like build, that babe in his arms. Our little nephew is all grown up and has turned into one upright man. My stomach sours because I pray to God he stays thatway.
“Sounds like an adventure. Hey, everything going good with Miller?” Liam and Michelle Miller have had a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship ever since he’s come back to Paragon just about two yearsago.
“She’s good.” He frowns over at her as if she’s not. “She’s a little wild. She’s not one of us. I always thought I’d marry a Faction girl. I think that’s the missing link in our relationship. I want to talk to her about things, but every time I try, she says it’s just fables and folklore. She thinks her friends are in some weird cult. She doesn’t getit.”
“I’m sorry, man. Maybe over time. And if it makes you feel better, there are some of us who still feel the same way she does.” Tad Landon comes to mind. I’ve never met anyone so full of disbelief in all my life. I know for a fact when a Nephilim offspring is that disbelieving, they water down their powers due to a lack offaith.
Michelle purrs to Liam with the curl of her finger, and he heads over to her with his tongue wagging. He might be unsure of her as a whole, but he sure is pussy-whipped.
Brody and Brookelynn stride in, shaking the rain off their bodies like a couple of huskies. Bree squeals and screams at the sight of hersister.
“Just in time! We’re making plans!” She bounces over to them as if we were in the throes of a party—one that celebrates the demise of my businesscareer.
I glance over to Gage because I know that he’s patiently waited to find out what Brody has to say about the Winters, and they both tread over to where I’mstanding.
“How’s it going?” Gage looks nervous as if Brody Bishop were about to deliver a grimdiagnosis.
“I’ll take this one.” I pluck the baby out of his arms, and instantly I know it’s Barron. Skyla mentioned that the boys now have distinct personalities, and I agree. Barron is far fussier, far more agitated and alert. But when he pins those cobalt blue eyes of his onto yours, it makes it feel as if there isn’t a care in the world. Barron has the ability to soothe me as if he’s silently letting me know everything is going to be okay. It’s ironic, though, when Gage touched Barron for the very first time, he had a strange vision, a flashback to when Demetri threatened him—that if he left the Barricade, the one that he loves would turn against him. Gage was terrified it was Barron who would pledge to Demetri one day. That the curse Gage himself brought onto his family would fall on his precious son, and now he’s taken that curse upon himself. And as far as I know, Skyla and Gage still haven’t spoken about it. Her anger has been set to simmer for all of these weeks, two months and counting. They hardly speak, and Gage has spent every single night since the christening back in his old bedroom at Barron and Emma’s. Enough is enough I say. This beautiful family is begging for restoration whether or not Skyla realizes it. That is the direction in which they areheaded.
I nod Coop over, and he slaps me on the back. “Sorry about the tough day, buddy. What’s goingon?”
“Brody is about to fill us in on this woman who’s been hanging around withDemetri.”
Coop gives a knowing nod. “The one whose daughter came back to life at the morgue.” He glances toGage.
“So, Dominique Winters—” Brody shakes his head. Those dark brows of his lay over his eyes like a hedge. The same way Chloe’s do when she’s too deep inside her wicked head. “I did a little digging—talked to Luke Jenson. I grew up with the guy. He’s the Winters’ next-door neighbor. He says the old lady is batshit. He said she had a major heart attack about seven years ago.” Brody does a quick visual sweep of the three of us before leaning in. “They wheeled her out of there as good as dead, but some nurse kept pumping oxygen into her—CPR. Forty-six minutes later, they covered her with a sheet.” He snaps his fingers, and both Gage and I jerk back. “She woke up. Came home like nothing happened. That’s when she started to acterratic.”
Gage glances to me. “Howso?”
“Building shit. She’s been tacking on rooms to her house ever since she camehome.”
“What do you mean tacking rooms onto her house?” For the life of me, I can’t figure out why I haven’t heard of this woman. Paragon isn’t all that big. “You mean, like Winchester mystery mansionaction?”
“Exactly.” Brody looks from Gage to me. “Except it all makes sense. No doorways or stairways to nowhere. She lives in that mega-hovel with her daughter and two sons. Melody, Asbury, andCash. I’ve seen Mel over at Host a few times. Cash”—Brody glances past the two of us, boring a hole through the wall with a ripe hatred for the guy. Brody starts to stalk off, and I catch him by the arm. I can hardy pull him back. Brody is built like awall.
“What about Cash?” I hiss so fast it sounds like athreat.
Brody wipes down his face as if this entire endeavor both exhausted and pissed him off. “It’s stupid. I found out this afternoon he’s dating Carly. I went over, and she was there. It just brought back some memories. Made me think of someone I hadn’t seen in awhile.”
“Carly Foster?” Gage tips his head back, trying to keep track of where Brody is leading theconversation.
“Yes.” Brody cuts a quick look to Brookelynn from across the room. “We had a son, years ago—Carly and me. He’s about six now. I wasn’t ready to step up to the plate back then. He was taken to New York and raised by her dad, as her brother. His name is Lucas.” His entire body sags, and my heart breaks for the guy. “I gotta go.” He makes a beeline for Bree and her sister, and we don’t stophim.
“What was that about?” Skyla breezes right into the empty spot he left between us, but neither Gage nor I are eager to fill her in on the details. “Ah”—her eyes light up like stars—“more secrets to keep from the blonde ditz. I get it.” She shrugs, rocking Nathan in herarms.
“Not true.” I swallow hard. I can’t do it. I can’t keep another thing from the woman Ilove.
“You mind if I talk to you alone for a minute?” She nods toward the kitchen, and Gage takes off without saying a word. It feels awful—gut-wrenching to witness as this fissure in their relationship gets wider andwider.
“Don’t tell me that wasn’t awkward.” I pull Barron to my shoulder as I lead her back toward the pizza oven, farther still until we hit the opened door with a view of the fog eating away at the forest that lies behind the bowling alley. “I can shut it if youwant.”
“No, it’s fine. The boys are bundled.” Nathan spikes his arms up one by one, punching thin air, and Skyla pulls up her sweater without thinking twice. Her full breast drops out the bottom of her bra, and Nathan twists his head into her until he hits home. But that large pale moon of a nipple is still visible, so I force my gaze to stray anywhere butthere.
