I laugh at his bewilderment. “He’ll be fine.”
They both gape at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
“Have you met Jester?” Havoc asks.
“No, seriously,” I insist. “He’s wonderful with Faith. Now imagine him with a baby. He’s going to spoil his godchild rotten.”
I never thought I’d advocate for the man who destroyed my best friend when they were seventeen by purposely cheating on her to get her to break up with him. But crazier things have happened. He was a stupid kid who made a foolish decision, one he spent seven years regretting. He’s earned his redemption, and although I hated him, I’ll defend him to the wolves now.
Discord snorts out a laugh. “Fifty bucks says Jester will piss off Jamie within a week of baby Lilliana’s birth.”
“A hundred says he won’t,” I counter because, unlike him, I have complete trust in Faith’s future husband.
They’re absolutely getting married—even if Jester has to drag Faith down the aisle kicking and screaming.
Faith wants to marry him wholeheartedly. She’s just being stubborn and will put it off to spite her mother. Unfortunately, Faith and Olivia Decker don’t share the same relationship I have with my mother. It’s not as bad as what Havoc and Discord experienced with theirs, but it’s painfully dysfunctional, and the more Olivia presses for them to marry, the more Faith runs in the opposite direction.
“Oh, hell yeah. It’s a bet.” Discord extends his hand to me to shake.
He truly is a demon because he rubs his thumb along my knuckles while keeping eye contact with me. It’s a seductive move, but thankfully, I’m not even remotely attracted to him. He’s too pretty.
And his eyes are too dead.
I prefer a more rugged man—one whose eyes tell a story. I slide a glance at Havoc. Notice how he’s staring at our joined hands, and I pull out of his brother’s grip. I walk to the trash by the grill, with Discord following me.
“I can take a message to your mom.”
I toss the plate and, on impulse, throw my arms around him. “Thank you.”
He returns the hug bit too tight. A little too intimately. “You’re very welcome.”
I pull away and glance at Havoc, who’s staring off into the trees again. The afternoon sun filters through leaves in a brilliant array of golds and reds. It would be the perfect autumn day if I weren’t here, literally hiding for my life.
“My mother must be sick with worry,” I say, focusing my attention back on him.
“Nah, we’re protecting her from the bad guys,” says the badder guy.
Discord loops his arm through mine and leads me away from the cabin. Toward the trees. Self-preservation warns me I shouldn’t wander off, but I note the arsenal of weapons strapped to Discord’s body. Knives, mostly, but also a gun secured in a shoulder holster worn over his gray Fox sweatshirt. I’m as safe with him as I am with Havoc.
And by now, I’m not even afraid of him.
Okay, maybe just a little.
It’ll take more than spending one day with Discord Taylor to shake my fear of him. But right now, I’m safe, and as we stroll away, I swear I hear Havoc growl as we leave him sitting there watching us bond over a nature walk.
* * *
“Purple. Havoc’s is white. What’s yours?”
“Yellow.” It was Discord’s idea to play twenty questions. I’m sure this is his not-too-subtle, and silly, way for Havoc and me to get comfortable around each other. He’s been on a mission to push us together all afternoon. He’s failed, but at least his efforts have been amusing. Currently, however, Havoc has refused to participate in this game. Discord has been answering for him while we sit around the firepit. I’ve already eaten three s’mores. One more and I’m going to explode. “Favorite movie?”
“The Green Mile.”
Wow. I wasn’t expecting a drama from this man. “Seriously? Not an action movie?”
He pulls a droll expression, then takes a bite of his s’more, talking around the graham cracker, melted chocolate, and toasted marshmallow. “Not everything is about blood and guts, Kerri. Sometimes it’s about the story. I mean, come on. Who doesn’t love John Coffey? When he says, “I’m dog tired, Boss,” I lose it. Not a dry eye for hours.”
Havoc, sitting beside Discord in another Adirondack chair, grumbles something under his breath.
