Page 82 of By the Letter

If Adrian wouldn’t entertain Ben after this, I was aiming for him to get full and buzzed enough to go home and take a nice, long nap.

But the fact was, Adrian owed me. We’d spoken since he was an asshole in Ben’s hospital room, but we hadn’t addressed the root of his assholery. To be frank, I’d been dealing with one brother. This one could wait.

“...and then I stopped by the Sheridan Gallery. Tomahawk was working, and they let me have a sneak peek at the new exhibit debuting next week—bags of the artist’s blood stapled to canvases. Tomahawk cried when they showed it to me.” Ben balled up his napkin as he recounted his morning. “Honestly, I don’t get it. If I was allowed to expand my brain, I’d do some reading on modern art, but Dr. Jack prohibited me from reading until next week.”

Adrian wagged his fork over his salad. “You could have your computer read aloud to you.”

Ben’s brow pinched. “Not sure if that’s kosher. I’m supposed to be on brain rest. Seriously, Dr. Jack told me no learning.”

I swallowed my burger, feeling it go down my throat like a lump of coal. The seriousness of Ben’s brain injury unsettled me. Fortunately, he was following the doctor’s orders, but heplanned to get back on the field as soon as he could. I understood that desire, but it wasn’t going to be easy to step back and watch him do it.

“Are you planning on moving back to your place anytime soon?” Adrian asked.

Ben shrugged. “When I go back to work. It’s more convenient to get to the stadium from the condo. For now, I’m digging Rome’s house and the neighborhood. The neighbors are a pretty strong incentive too.”

Adrian grimaced without saying a word. Not that he needed to. His expression said it all. Ben had caught it too.

“What’s that look?” he asked.

Adrian sawed at his steak, avoiding looking at both of us. “Nothing. I wouldn’t get too used to the neighborhood. I doubt Rome will stay there long term.”

My brow dropped. “Why do you doubt it? My son is going to be living there.”

“I understand that and why you’re there now. But once he’s no longer a newborn, it won’t be imperative you live right beside him. You can get back to your real life once you have an ironclad custody agreement with his mother.”

Cocking my head, I studied him, trying to figure him out. He’d been the youngest when our mother left and undoubtedly the most traumatized by it, though he’d never admit it. He’d also been jerked around by women in the past, vaulting him into this place where he very rarely trusted anyone outside our circle.

In my eyes, Shira was firmly in our circle. Adrian clearly didn’t agree.

“Shira,” Ben stated. “Her name is Shira, and her house smells like lavender and vanilla. Plus, she has a cool cat and great taste in snacks. She’s a terrible cook, though. Avoid her cooking at all costs—if you can.”

My foot found his shin beneath the table. “You’ll never say that to her face.Ever.”

I’d taken up making dinner most nights to avoid Shira’s attempts at cooking. I still ate her food when she served it. The thought of her eyes filling with tears if I told her she used an obscene amount of garlic and overcooked chicken until it was little more than leather was motivation enough for me to choke it down. If Ben wanted to see tomorrow, he’d do the same.

He raised his hands in innocence. “You saw me eating that muffin, didn’t you? You know, people have died from eating that much cinnamon at once. I was in peril. Did you hear me complaining? Not once. I’m not gonna hurt her feelings. No way.”

Ade blinked at him. “All right. Cooking aside, you liking her means next to nothing since you like everyone.”

“I like her too,” I intoned. “Does that mean something?”

He put down his fork. “It’s not about liking or disliking. I don’t know her, so I can’t form that kind of opinion. I do know she married a man for money. Kept his daughter away when he was dying. And by some strange coincidence, which I cannot suspend disbelief far enough to accept as an actual coincidence, got knocked up by you weeks before you took over GoldMed. Excuse me if I—”

“No,” I snapped.

He raised a brow. “No?”

“Yeah, no. I’m not excusing you. I will not go into the details of how Shira and I met, but unless you think she has the technical skills to hack MHC’s app, it was a cosmic coincidence she and I met and hooked up. The other things have been explained to me in a way that I understand where she was coming from, but they aren’t my story to tell. So, you can accept I have sound judgment and get on board, or you can be on the outside looking in when it comes to my life with my son and Shira.”

Ben let out a guffaw muffled by his fist. “Shira—shy little Shira—was on MHC’s app? You have shocked me through and through.” He fanned his face with all the drama he possessed. “Oh, my, lordy be, I am flummoxed.”

I snapped my napkin at him. “When did you turn into an old southern belle?”

“When you told me my pal Shira used the app,” Ben quipped. “Where are my smelling salts? I feel faint.”

Adrian calmly folded his hands on the table and stared at me. “The app hasn’t been hacked.” He tilted his head, searching my face. “I do think you make sound decisions, but I also believe you’re letting your emotions lead you this time.”

I leaned forward, making sure he heard me. “I moved into that house to be near my son, who is, for the time being, growing inside Shira. Those were my emotions then. Through time, gathering information, and being open to learning who Shira is, I’ve formed the intention to stay in that house because I want to be near her as well. If you see a problem with any of that, I suggest you work that out on your own. I won’t have you behaving like you did in Ben’s hospital room ever again. She doesn’t deserve that from you. I want her to feel safe with my family and like she’s a part of it.”

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