Page 17 of In Daddy's Hands

Her gaze never wavered from him. It was almost eerie. She didn’t have the same dark eyes as Boone. Yet her light green eyes still cut to a person’s soul. “That’s a silly name.”

“Behave.” Boone’s growl had Jupiter shifting from one foot to the other, fighting the urge to dance with anxiety.

Tabitha snorted. “It’s not as if he named himself, so I’m hardly insulting the boy. He is very beautiful. I’ll give him that much. Of course, I wouldn’t expect less from anyone in this house.” She tossed back a glass of whiskey before loudly setting the glass aside. “The men here do love a good boy half their age.”

Okay. Boone was right. This would be horrible.

Tabitha stood. “Let’s eat before Banks blacks out.”

Jupiter shot a look Banks’ way. He did look rather fucked up already.

Banks winked and followed his mom from the room. Sometimes, Jupiter wondered how much of Banks’ bullshit was an act.

Boone squeezed Jupiter’s hand. Jupiter squeezed back. He could do this. They followed the family into a formal dining room. The table was set and the food actually smelled delicious. Of course, he didn’t expect less from a family of excess. Boone pulled out a chair, placing Jupiter between Banks and him. Jupiter’s shoulders relaxed a hair. Things got even easier when he seemed to be immediately forgotten. Tabitha focused solely on drinking. Beau spoke solely to Boone. It was all business Jupiter tried not to hear. Banks ate like he gave no fucks about any of it. Jupiter tried to do the same. He only recognized half the food because he loved to cook. It seemed they had a high-dollar chef. Jupiter lost himself in sampling everything and trying to decipher eachrecipe by taste alone. It was something he did on awkward dinner dates to calm his mind. Honestly, he didn’t think things were going horribly. More than anything, everyone just seemed fake. That thought had Jupiter looking around the table. His curiosity was piqued.

At the restaurant, when it was just the men, they seemed more relaxed. He wondered what it was about being here that changed things. His gaze skimmed the room. Surely it wasn’t Tabitha. She didn’t seem to even notice they were there. There were strategically placed guards, but they were damn near invisible in their silence. While the place felt too stifled to be a true home, Jupiter didn’t understand why Boone thought this would be the end of them.

Silence fell over the room. Jupiter felt Boone stiffen next to him. Jupiter’s gaze shot in every direction, trying to figure out what happened. The most beautiful man Jupiter had ever seen bounced into the room. Cat ears donned his head, sticking out from his dark curls. His eyes shone bright with mischief as he obviously reveled in having all eyes on him. He wore a matching set of fire truck pajamas and bunny slippers. The ears flopped with every step he took. Everyone stared at him except Boone. Boone kept his gaze locked dead ahead. Rage bled from him.

“There’s my kitten.”

Jupiter was stunned speechless by not only the new arrival but Beau’s claim. His gaze slid toward Tabitha. She was trying to shake the last drops of whiskey from her glass, seemingly oblivious. Maybe this was a third brother Jupiter hadn’t met.

The way the guy stared at Boone as he headed their way made Jupiter’s stomach hurt. As he passed behind them, he dragged his hand along Boone’s shoulders and nape. A muscle jumped in Boone’s jaw.

Beau pushed his chair back.

The guy plopped down on his lap. “You didn’t wake me from my nap for dinner, Daddy.”

Beau kissed him. “I know you need your sleep.”

Jupiter’s horror was sky high. He honestly wanted to puke. Jupiter thought it couldn’t get worse. Then it did.

The guy’s sparkling green gaze locked on Boone. “You’re not wearing the flamingo tie I gave you. Disappointing.”

Well, fuck. Jupiter officially wanted to die.

The guy immediately dismissed Boone again. His hand ran inside Beau’s jacket. “How long will this take? You promised me cookies.”

“For fuck’s sake, Adan. Stop acting like a thirsty whore at the dinner table. Just because I let you fuck my husband doesn’t mean you can do so during a family dinner. Find a goddamn chair or get out.”

Adan stuck out his bottom lip at Tabitha’s lecture, but he dutifully moved from Beau’s lap to a chair that Beau immediately moved as closely as possible to him. Unfortunately, while his ass changed locations, his hands didn’t. He very obviously fondled Beau beneath the table. Yet he looked at Boone.

Banks surprised Jupiter by squeezing his hand. He had been so quiet, Jupiter had forgotten he was there. Boone was like a goddamn statue. He didn’t eat or look at anyone. Jupiter wanted to walk out and not look back.

“Who are you?”

Jupiter had lost himself worrying about Boone. He hadn’t noticed Adan staring at him. Jupiter opened his mouth, unsure of what to say to the hate-filled question.

“He’s Boone's new boy, Jupiter.” Beau sounded bored with the topic.

Adan’s gaze moved over Jupiter, openly inspecting him. “He put you in a suit. Look at you playing big boy dress-up.”

Beau laughed.

Jupiter refused to show an ounce of weakness. He had a thousand comebacks, but he didn’t want to embarrass Boone. Instead, he kept it simple. “Look at you.” He let Adan fill in the blanks for himself.

Banks laughed.

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