“Theo?” A deep voice comes from the doorway, and a man walks in with a suit that wouldn’t be out of place on a music executive. He’s older and strikingly handsome. Everything about him is smooth, the way he walks, and even the way he talks.
“Lucien.” Theo jumps up, and goes to the man, where they have a hushed conversation and walk farther back in the kitchen, disappearing from our sight.
“Who’s the mobster?” I ask.
“Lucien Moretti is not a mobster.” Bishop says in a tone that suggests it’s not the first time he has made that explanation. His eyes track Theo and Lucien.
Moretti seems like a name I should know, but I can’t place it. Instead, we pass Perrin’s phone around and generally lose our minds about becoming uncles to the black and white blob on the screen.
My eyes keep going back to where Theo disappeared, and I have a million questions.
“Hold on and I’ll answer everything you are about to ask, but give it five more minutes,” Perrin tells me in a quiet tone, just before Theo and Lucien return, and Lucien says his goodbyes to the group.
Once Lucien is gone, Bishop is on Theo in a second. “What was that about?”
Theo sighs and takes a long drink of coffee. “Wanna guess?”
“Jordy,” Bish and Perrin say together.
“Jordy, as in the drunk friend from that night he came to the house?” I ask and Theo nods.
“Jordy is Lucien’s godson,” Theo explains, then explains the entire Mann family’s connection to Lucien.And damn, my celebrity status really means nothing, doesn’t it? Baylor’s connections are connected.
“So, that’s Lucien Moretti? The Lucien Moretti? As in the mob,” I hold up my hand when Bish starts to speak, “But not actually the mob. Got it.”
“While he looks the part, he was subject of an FBI investigation I was assigned when I worked for the Bureau. I can tell you nothing came of it. We became friends, and Jordy was my neighbor when I lived in Denver, and they both sort of followed me to Bear Valley,” Bish explains.
“And now Lucien and Jack are thick as thieves, too,” Perrin says with an indulgent smile. It’s easy to figure out that anyone Jack likes, Perrin likes. “Going into a business together.”
The lightbulb comes on, though, as I remember the cute twink that was heartbroken on Baylor’s doorstep. “Jordy’s unrequited thing? It’s forhim?” I ask, gesturing toward where Tall, Dark, and Intimidating, Italian style, had gone.
They all nod.
“Maybe not so unrequited,” Theo mutters, but I catch it.
“Can we lock them in a room together, you think?” Bishop muses. “I swear some forced proximity can work miracles.”
“Here, here,” I say, raising my coffee in a toast and everyone laughs. “But, I will say that if there is something in the past that is keeping them apart, it’s not going to move until they talk it out.”
Perrin’s arm wraps around my shoulder in a comforting squeeze. “You and Bee did talk it out, brother. That’s what matters.”
Theo gives me a shy smile and Bishop nods.
“You are one of us now,” Bishop says.
“It’s still new,” I protest, but in my mind, I can’t help but remind myself it really isn’t.
“With the Mann’s, it’s sort of when you know, you know.” Perrin smiles as he says it.
“We aren’t married,” I protest.
Theo shrugs. “Neither are Quinn and Bish. Or me and Matt.”
I sort of give a start of surprise. Somehow, I had assumed everyone was married.
Bish’s neck flames bright red and the front legs of Perrin’s chair come down with a thud from where he was tilting it back.
“Youfucker,” Perrin hisses without anger, more like amusement and pokes a finger into the air toward Bish. “You and Q already tied that knot, didn’t you?”
