Evan dug his fingers into his hair and tugged until his eyes watered. Isabella looked ready to go to war for him. He’d see how long that lasted once she realized he was about to hurt her Heath.
“Everything.”
chapter 29
. . .
Isabella made a frustrated noise. “Evan, there are people here who can help you. Whowillhelp you, no strings attached, but we need to know what we’re helping you with.”
Heath paced, unsure of his place in this conversation. If he sat with them and offered comfort, would that help or hinder? Was comfort something he could even offer? There was a chill in the air between them and a distance he could feel growing with every tick of the clock.
They’d never had the conversation he’d wanted, but after a point, it hadn’t felt necessary. Evan’s persistent dodging was enough of an answer. No, this wouldn’t continue once they’d left the island. He’d suspected as much, and prepared for it as best he could, but the hopeless portion of his heart had held on to the candle until the wick burned to ash.
Evan let his head fall back against the wall with a groan. “I’m the product of an affair Chucky boy had with his executive admin while his wife was on bed rest with their first kid.”
“Charming,” Isabella muttered, and Evan peered at her. “Sorry, sorry. Continue.”
“He wasn’t then who he is now, or so she told me when I asked. They’d worked together for years. She’d been with him since the company was a startup. They had chemistry, but never acted on it. I don’t know why that changed, only know it did. She regretted it for a shitload of reasons, but she swore I wasn’t one of them.”
Heath closed his eyes and steadied his emotions. “Of course she didn’t regret you. Look at you!”
It made Evan laugh, which was a minor victory he was happy to claim.
“So, yeah. His wife found out about the cheating and rightfully lost her shit. Almost lost my brother in the process. He spent some time in NICU, but he’s all fine and dandy now. Slipping the family noose around his own neck.”
“That’s… vivid.”
“He’s the only one on a tighter leash than I am, because he’s taking over. Reputation is everything, right? That’s why Daddio freaked out when Mom informed him she was pregnant. He was still dealing with the cheating fallout; having a kid with the woman was a step too far. He demanded she take care of it, so he could sweep it under the rug and move on. She told him she’d planned to, but not in the way he wanted. Long story not even kinda short, he made her sign a bunch of shit that she’d stay quiet. She agreed, and they went their separate ways.”
“So then why does it matter if he knows about Heath?”
“Better question is, how does he know about me?”
Evan shrugged. “Fuck if I know. A buddy of mine left me a message that my younger brother leaked the info, but I don’t know how he knows.”
“Evan, can I use your phone?”
“Yeah, go for it.”
Evan folded forward and groaned, which was more than Heath could take. Sitting next to him, he reached to touch him, then paused.
“Is… is this okay?”
Evan nodded and leaned into his side, letting his forehead drop to Heath’s thigh. Heath rubbed his back and neck, and combed fingers through his hair, delighting at Evan’s immediate sigh and how his weight melted into him.
Why couldn’t they keep this? If everyone already knew, why not?
“Rich is your brother?” Izzy asked, the phone’s screen illuminating her slanted eyebrows and severe frown.
“Yeah, he’s the second youngest. Matt’s the precious baby who went to live in a commune in Mexico, last I checked.”
“Do you know what business Rich conducts in the Virgin Islands?”
The muscles he’d managed to relax tensed right back up again. “No. I keep only the loosest thread on what they’re doing so I can avoid crossing paths.”
“Well, you should have tugged this thread a little tighter, because apparently, he was visiting a friend of Olivia’s this week.”
Shit. “What information would that give him about Heath, though?”
