Page 78 of My Brother's Billionaire Best Friends
“I got distracted watching you become a legend.”
She snorts softly, then quiets. Her hand rests on her stomach for a moment. Barely a touch. Just fingertips over silk. I stare at it. Then up at her.
“Is it bad,” I ask, voice low, “that I want it to be mine?”
Her eyes widen. “No,” she whispers. “It’s not bad.”
“I don’t even know if you want to keep it.”
“I don’t either.”
“But if you do…I’ll be there. Whether it’s mine or not. And if you don’t, I’ll still be there.”
Her throat works. She looks down. And when she looks back up, her eyes are glassy, but she’s smiling. “Okay.”
I lean in, brushing my hand down her arm, before I kiss her. “If you keep it, I look forward to telling them about the night their mother took down a dragon.”
She giggles, and I kiss her right then, memorizing the taste of her unfettered joy.
19
GAVIN
I’ve spentmost of my life controlling narratives. Make it clean. Make it sharp. Make it disappear.
But tonight? Tonight, I let it unravel. No regrets.
Vanessa went down like the universe handed Parker a gift-wrapped opportunity, and she didn’t blink. Execution. Delivery. She tripped Vanessa like she was born to do it. Then she handled it like a pro. Kneeling beside her. Brushing her hair back. Asking if she was okay while smiling like an angel.
Helping her into the fucking ambulance.
The press was still hovering around the courtyard, and there she was—elegant, gracious, perfect. A vision in composed green satin, steady hands holding a woman who’d just threatened to ruin her life.
It was PR brilliance. And not even mine.
Now the gala’s over.
The crowds are almost gone, just stragglers lingering in the parking lot. The performers are packing up stilts and costumes.Catering staff are scraping trays, folding linens. The illusion has ended, and we’re left with the aftermath.
I’m standing near the stage, tie loose, collar unbuttoned, watching a fire breather haul his gear out through the side entrance. His hands are blackened with soot. His skin gleams with sweat under the industrial lights.
Not a bad metaphor for the company right now. Dirty hands behind closed doors.
Jack walks by, muttering something to the event manager. Harrison stands near one of the cocktail tables, surveying what’s left. Parker is in a far corner, thanking the janitorial crew like she’s one of them, not the reason half of LA just wrote five-figure checks.
I roll my neck, try to shake the tension out. But it doesn’t leave. Because while I should be focused on the fact that the gala was an overwhelming success, all I can think about issecrecy.
Not the baby. Not the idea of children. I can handle that, if it comes to it.
But the secrecy? The fact that none of us knew until she couldn’t hold it anymore? That eats at me.
Not because I needed to be first to know—but because people like us don’t get to have secrets. Not for long. Not without consequences. And this one? This secret has claws.
I walk toward Parker slowly, catching her as she finishes thanking a tired-looking barback who bows slightly before scurrying away with a silver tray of used glassware.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
She turns. Her smile’s faded now, replaced with something raw around the edges. “Hey.”
