“His . . .his what?” Theo trails off, lost until his eyes settle on mine.
“That’s why we met with Lucien,” Jack says gently. “Deny reached out to Lucien with the opportunity, and Lucien reached out to us because he thought it might do well here.”
“And while I am sure the Manns and I will do business together, it won’t be with Deny,” Lucien chimes in.
“This bakery . . .was it Donahue’s?”
“It was, Theo.” Jack’s voice is calm. “I have to admit I didn’t know there was any connection, of course. But, given how successful Maxine’s—well, how successfulyouhave been—a bakery seemed to be a wise investment for Bear Valley. A franchise made even more sense, especially doing business with someone we didn’t know well, like Deny. However, we were planning to tell Deny no, but we haven’t had that conversation yet.”
“I want to know more about Deny, if you can tell me, Theo,” Lucien prods. “Did he come with you to Mirror Lake and Bear Valley?”
“He followed me. I would meet him, once a month, and pay him what he demanded. He knew how much I made. Not at Maxine’s though. That was my Plan B.”
I pull him closer, imagining what those meetings might have involved and remembering the fading bruises on Theo’s thin frame.
“Then . . .” Theo takes a deep breath, like he did last night, and I know this bit of information is going to cut. “He showed up at my place when I was staying out in Mirror Lake. I was living at a place called The Dorm.”
My brothers and I exchange looks.
“What happened, Theo?” Lucien’s silky voice is as gentle as Jack’s.
“I had been paying him more for a few months, trying to just be done with all of it. And he . . . he found my emergency cash. He was furious that I had money I didn’t give to him.” Damn if that doesn’t conjure some dark thoughts in my mind. “He trashed another apartment, and again I had to leave. You all deserve to know that I squatted in the storage room after that. The one I was organizing over the summer at the Larkspur condo.” Theo hangs his head like he is ashamed. His voice is thin, and barely even past his lips before I am out of my seat, around the table, gently pulling Theo to me.
There is a silence, stunned, I think for Lucien and my brothers. Theo won’t take it that way, though.
“Going to need a minute in your office, Jack,” I throw over my shoulder, walking Theo the short distance to the side door and closing it behind me.
“Sorry, Matt. I know it wasn’t right . . ..”
I cut him off with a swift kiss, just to feel him warm and safe and alive.
“You were living in a storage room when I could have helped you. If not me, you could have gone to Quinn. Or Jack. Or Baylor.”
“I stayed with you a few nights.”
“We both know that was different. I don’t think for a moment you were only looking for a place to stay.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I didn’t know. If I had . . .” Well, shit, I could have done a whole list of things. The very least of which would be to offer up the Hobbit Hole earlier.
“I did all I could to hide how things were for me.” Theo wrings his hands. “I was proud you didn’t know.”
“I never thought you were anything other than maybe down on your luck, sugar. But no more hiding. No more hiding the truth, either. I mean that.”
“Can we talk about what it means, though? You have two homes. I’m practically homeless. Doesn’t that matter?”
“You live in the Hobbit Hole. Just like I have and all my brothers, too. And even if you didn’t—if you were still living in the storage room—I don’t give a shit. That’s not who you are. It’s just the place you live.”
“Matt.”
“Sweetness, you have to stop trying to do it alone. Stop acting like you should.”
“People do. All the time. If Nico and Deny weren’t demanding money, it could be student loans and a lost job for another reason.”
“Stop.” I press a finger to his lips. “Don’t do that. We are talking about you here. Not anyone else. And you have done an admirable job of surviving, but you’re past that now.”
“God, don’t say I’m resilient,” Theo whispers into my neck. He winds his arms around me, and I pull him as close as I can get him. “I’m so tired thinking only thing I have to get me to the next day is the fact I survived the one before it. I don’t want to take any more hits, Matt. I’m exhausted from proving how strong I am.”
