Page 49 of Forking the Billionaire

I needed to come up with something to say, if only to get myself out of my head.

“It’s cool that your best friend and your brother are marrying a pair of best friends,” I said. “I bet it’ll make family events more fun.”

I knew he’d lived with his mom mostly growing up. His dad had ditched them when he’d met his third wife and had a new baby. All three of the Carrington brothers had different moms, so I never did get to know Oscar or Sebastian over the years.

“Yeah, it’s good,” Jasper said. “Everyone gets along well. Oscar and Gabriel sit together in silence, as is their way. Morgan and Layana talk enough to make up for it. And then there’s my younger brother Sebastian. He’s the life of the party. I could see him ending up like me for at least a few more years.”

“Womanizer?”

“Ouch.” Jasper put a hand over his chest, like I’d wounded him. “I was going to say content without commitment.”

I didn’t expect that to offend him. It was the story he’d told me about himself, basically. Maybe I should have chosen a kinder word for it. But then again, it bothered me.

It bothered me that he treated women like they weren’t important. Behind that handsome face and that practicedcharm, he used them. His male role model, his father, had done the same, so it only made sense. He was old enough to own his behavior, no matter where it was learned.

“How is your dad about all of that? Does he give you high fives every time you bring some new hot babe to Thanksgiving?”

His smile fell.

The way his eyes dulled, it should have filled me with a sense of victory. It didn’t. I’d pushed too far, and instead of feeling pleased, I felt guilty. “Look, it’s your business who you bang. I shouldn’t judge. Sorry.”

“It’s not that.” He stopped walking.

I stopped too, and turned to face him. Frak. His face was completely serious. Jasper was never serious.

“My dad died.”

A wash of cold shock rushed over me. “Oh, Jasper, I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. He passed in May.” Jasper started walking again, so I kept pace.

Had the accessory in his missing bag belonged to his dad? Was that why it was important to him?

He said, “Our relationship was complicated, but it’s still hard. If one good thing could come out of it, it’s that it’s brought Oscar, Sebastian, and me closer together.”

No matter how much a parent sucked, it sucked worse to lose them. Love was complicated like that.

“I had no idea,” I said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“I guess I assumed Gabriel would have told you.”

I shook my head. Gabe hadn’t told me anything about Jasper over the years, at least nothing important. It was pretty much that way about all subjects. He offered short non-answers mostly, unless it was about his science stuff. Or now, about Layana, too.

“Oscar went missing after Dad died,” Jasper said.

Again, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. What was I supposed to say to that?

“Wow.” Losing his dad was already a lot, but then he’d had to suffer through his brother disappearing, too? I couldn’t imagine how stressful of a time that must have been for him. “Seems like you found him. What happened?”

“Amnesia. Morgan hit him in the head with a hammer.”

“MorganMorgan? Like the sweetie pie who is Layana’s best friend?”

“Yes. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“How do you hit someone in the head with a hammer by accident?”

He raised a brow in challenge. “How do you hit someone in the head with a fork by accident?”

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