Page 16 of His Forever

Brynn didn’t flinch. “Yes,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Maranga can help you.” She left out the part thatshewas Maranga. That was her little secret she could tell when she was ready.

There was a long pause as the guys processed that. Eventually, Murphy was the first to speak again, his voice gruff but a little softer than before. “You’ve changed, Brynn. How the hell did you manage to hook up with Maranga?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I have.” She avoided talking about Maranga.

“So have we,” Creed added, though his tone wasn’t accusatory. More resigned.

For a moment, there was an unspoken understanding in the air, a mutual acknowledgment that time had passed and none of us were the same people we used to be. This was a reunion of sorts, but it wasn’t going to be like the old days. We all knew that.

Finally, Apollo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Well, shit. I guess we’ve got a lot of shit to do.”

Brynn smiled softly, and for the first time in a long time, I saw a glimpse of the woman she used to be. “Yeah, we do.”

Chapter Eight

Brynn

We made our way into the house, the guys talking all at once, their voices overlapping in a chaotic jumble. It was hard for me to keep up with who was saying what, but I tried to let their energy wash over me, taking it all in. Sig and the rest of my team trailed behind us, quiet but alert, like they always were in unfamiliar territory.

As soon as we stepped into the foyer, the sheer size of Wyndemere hit me again. This place was beyond massive, even more so than I’d expected. Every detail was grand but somehow still understated—like Leo himself, in a way. The kind of wealth and power that didn’t need to scream; it just existed.

“Hungry?” Leo asked, turning his attention to me. His eyes softened as they met mine, but before I could answer, he glanced over at Apollo. “Is Bristol here?”

Apollo nodded. “Yeah, she’s been baking up a storm, worried about you.”

I worked hard to keep my face neutral, but I could feel a spike of jealousy at the mention ofBristolworrying about Leo.Who is she, I wondered. I didn’t know if she was a girlfriend, a close friend, or something else entirely, but the fact that her reaction to Leo being away was to bake up a storm said something. My gut churned. Here I was, spilling my guts about having been married to Guy Maranga, and Leo hadn’t mentioned anyone waiting for him back home.

“Why don’t you guys head to the kitchen?” Murphy said, cutting through my thoughts. “Creed and I can show Brynn’s security around.”

Without hesitation, Creed and Murphy led Sig, Don, Jack, and Clyde off for a tour. I knew my guys would be thorough, andI’d probably need a tour myself because, at this point, I could already feel how easy it would be to get lost in this place.

Leo fell into step next to me as we trailed behind Apollo and Princeton toward the kitchen. His presence was warm and steady, but I couldn’t shake the uncertainty bubbling inside me. Who was this Bristol? And why did it matter so much to me that she’d been worried about him?

“You okay?” Leo asked softly, his voice cutting through my internal noise.

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and nodded, managing a small smile. “Never better.” A complete lie, of course. I was about to walk into the kitchen and meet this Bristol—whoever she was—and I couldn’t help the knots twisting in my stomach. It wasn’t like I had a claim on Leo, but still, something about this situation felt off-kilter.

As we approached the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked bread and cinnamon hit me, warm and comforting. I could hear the sound of laughter and low conversation, and I braced myself, trying to relax my shoulders. Whatever happened next, I needed to play it cool.

When we stepped through the doorway, I was surprised by how full the kitchen was. A large group of people was gathered around the kitchen island, some perched on barstools, others standing with plates in hand. Another smaller group was seated at a large farmhouse-style table near the windows. The late afternoon light poured in, casting a golden glow over everything.

It was cozy—too cozy.

Before I could take it all in, a woman’s voice rang out from the island. “Oh my god!”

Every head in the room turned toward us, and I immediately saw the shock on their faces when they registered Leo standing there. It was like they hadn’t expected him to show up at all, and suddenly, the easy, relaxed atmosphere shifted into excitement.

No one looked familiar to me. These weren’t the faces of Leo’s old crew, the men I used to know from his world. This was a whole new cast of characters, and they were looking at Leo like he was a ghost who had just walked through the door.

A tall woman with dark hair, curvy figure, probably in her early thirties, pushed away from the island and rushed toward Leo. She threw her arms around him, clearly relieved to see him. “Leo! We didn’t know what the hell happened—no one was sure when you were getting back.”

Leo hugged her briefly, then stepped back, his hand resting on her shoulder for a beat. “We got held up in South Carolina. I’m fine.”

The woman’s eyes flicked over to me, and I caught the momentary flicker of curiosity in her gaze. “And you are?” she asked, clearly trying to piece together why Leo had walked in with me, a stranger, at his side.

Leo glanced at me, then back at the woman. “This is Brynn,” he said, his tone calm but with a weight to it, like he was signaling to them that I wasn’t just anyone. “She’s… helping out with some things.”

That was all he said, leaving it vague. I couldn’t tell if that was deliberate or if he just didn’t want to open the floodgates right now.

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