“The vet said not to until he reached a certain age,” Owen reminded me. “And even now, we’re not bringing him close to other dogs. It’s just so he gets a vibe and quickly. That way he won’t be scared later or intimidated.”
“It’s so—you’re amazing.” I cleared my throat and headed towards Mudbug, quickening my pace.
“Thank you. I feel the same about you, but I’m rather confused as to why you just said that about me,” Owen muttered as he caught up to me.
“You take it so seriously,” I admitted. “Him. Adopting him and when you give your word. You’ve looked into so much and how to be a good pup parent. It’s—you’re amazing.”
“And?” he pushed, his voice getting deeper.
So clearly, he knew what I was feeling.
Fine, I wasn’t one to be shy, just awkward. I glanced at him and met his gaze. “It’s sexy. It’s really fucking sexy that you take things so seriously without taking yourself too seriously and becoming a know-it-all about the topic.”
The elf flushed as he glanced away first. “Thanks. I think I needed to hear that today more than normal and that I’m not a screwup.”
I slid my hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “I know you’re struggling and wanting a change. I know you have for maybe longer than you want to admit but don’t want to upset Evan or let him down.”
“I can’t,” he whispered, squeezing my hand back. “I can’t again, and I can’t—”
“He feels the same,” I said firmly, hating to cut off his feelings, but I couldn’t even imagine how long they had bothbeen pushing for something they didn’t want any more for the other.
Or how manytimesthey had done this in their centuries alive.
He yanked his hand away from mine and turned to square off with me, anger in his eyes. “He does? No. He—how could he not tell me that?”
“Seriously?” I snickered. “Pot? Kettle? Black?” I snorted when he sputtered and went over to Mudbug to retrieve the stick so he wasn’t a lazy boy when it was playtime. I pretended to throw it and Mudbug went racing off and searched all over for it.
So cute.
Mean of me but… So cute.
“Fair, but—we really do need to work on our communication,” Owen grumbled as he leaned his head on mine.
I chuckled softly. “I find that of all men, love.”
“Pot. Kettle. Black, love,” he teased.
Yeah, fair. I couldn’t even deny it. “I wouldguessyou both were tiring of the constant grind and stress before you even met me. I felt a few pangs—small ones—but I felt them almost as if I made you feel like you didn’t achieve enough because I was so young and more accomplished.”
He didn’t even deny it, which always impressed me with the twins. “It was more annoyance that we had to keep ourselves limited because we’re hiding than like jealousy of you. It was more seeing how you could do so much when supported.”
“I know. I know,” I promised him. I was glad when he took my hand again. “You are—at your very core—two different sides of the coin. I would bet your whole business model plays up to your strengths like that.”
“Yes, but—please tell me what he really wants and how to make him happy,” Owen begged me, his tone broken.
I swallowed the pain of his desires. Owen fully understood that he’d done too much damage to his twin in the past.
I decided to pretend to be more a boss in this situation than a lover and go with my assessment that way. Even if maybe it was betraying a bit of trust I would have done it the other way around.
It truly was that I could catch Owen first in this sort of setting, not one twin over the other. I made sure to tell him that again and was glad when he believed me.
“Evan wants to help me with training and making a safe place for those who we have protected and will need it like you both didn’t have,” I told him gently. “He wants to get more into the fight from behind the scenes.”
“And I don’t,” he breathed, sounding ashamed of himself.
“You aren’t a fighter like that, and there’sno shamein that, Owen,” I told him firmly. “None. Kiera isn’t either. So many of our people aren’t. They are stillpivotalin all of this. Money is the only reason we can keep fighting. She needs the distraction and purpose.”
“But she swoops in and helps clean it all up and I can’t—”
