Page 115 of The Winslow Brothers

“Clearly, I remember Belle,” I tell her with a grin. “Kind of hard to forget all that confusion.”

She snorts. “Yep. Belle, my twin, and then Katelynn. She’s the oldest.”

For some strange reason, I find myself asking her more questions about her family. “So, are both your parents in the picture?”

She nods. “My mom and dad have been married since before Katelynn was born, and they’re now happily living the retiree life in Miami. What about you?”

“Dad left when we were young. My mom is very much present. Strongest woman I know. I also have my uncle Brad and aunt Paula, who have always been like second parents to us.”

“Damn, your dad left your mom with all those kids?”

I couldn’t agree more. “Talk about a real bastard, huh?”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” She reaches out and places a gentle hand on my thigh, but even though it feels nice to have someone be that kind, my inclination to brush it off is strong.

“Thanks, babe. But there’s no need for sadness or sympathy on my behalf. If anyone deserves that, it’s my dad. I think we can both agree it was truly his loss leaving us all.”

“I don’t know your siblings, but if they’re anything like you, I can’t even imagine being able to walk away.” Her smile is soft and caring, and all of a sudden, my heart gets all twitchy inside my chest.

Fuck, that’s weird. Maybe I should get that checked out when I get back to New York?

Or maybe you should realize that it’s not your heart, but what this woman is doing to your heart…

I shake off that ridiculous idea, but I don’t hesitate to answer Sophie’s next question about if any of my siblings are married or have kids.

“Only Winnie. And my niece Lexi is the coolest kid you’ll ever meet.”

“Both of my sisters are married. And Katelynn has two little boys, Ben and Alex. They’re two and three and keep her on her toes,” she says with a warm smile, but then she furrows her brow a little. “So…wait…noneof your brothers are married?”

“Nope.” I shake my head. “To my baby sister’s dismay. Ty is always bringing random women to family events, but that’s about as close as any of us get to settling down,” I answer honestly, but then I remember one very poignant moment in our past. “Although, Remy was engaged once, but that ended pretty terribly.”

“Terribly?”

“He got left at the altar.”

Her head jerks back. “No shit?”

“It was a rough time.”

“Damn,” she mutters to herself more than me. “That’s horrible.”

“That, it was,” I say, and suddenly, I have the urge to direct us toward a less heavy subject. “But don’t fret over it, babe. It’s in the past. And right now, we’re in the present, and I’m sitting here realizing that you’re eating pancakes with a bare pussy beneath that robe. Which, I have to say, is quite an interesting situation we have on our hands.”

She quirks a brow. “What are you getting at?”

“How you’re going to earn that next badge.”

“Okayyyy…”

“And I’m pretty sure it starts with seeing how long you can sit there and eat those pancakes while I’m licking your pussy.”

She just stares at me. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but baby, I would, and I will.”

Giggles jump from her throat as she tries to juggle her plate of pancakes in one hand and scoot her body away from me with the other.

But I’m quicker.

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