Page 56 of For the Win
“If that’s true, it’s on him, not me.”
“Please. Believe it or not, I’ve actually been talking you up to your brother so he’ll give you a chance after his bad experience with the rest of your family. But I know all about how charming and determined you can be when you want to be in someone’s life, Bellamy Demir. Half the city knows. And you should want to be in Michael’s because, although he might be prickly at first, he’s also wonderful and worth knowing. That’s all I wanted to say. Now come in, warm up and have some food.”
He looks gratifyingly startled when I turn to go back inside. I’m glad I went a little overboard with scramble since I thought Connor was coming. I now have three men to feed and a tense family breakfast to get through.
Reality has arrived.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MICHAEL
There’sa heaviness in my chest as I finish dressing and sit down on the side of the bed to pull on my socks. I lingered in the shower longer than strictly necessary because I wasn’t ready for the day to begin, but there’s only so long I can hold it at bay. The slice of sky I can see through the bedroom window is a bright, clear blue. The sun is shining. And I need to turn on my phone to find out who’s coming to take Win away from me, and when.
I’m not ready.
The last few days have been a gift. Being around a man who relishes moments the same way he devours my desserts has been refreshing. He makes me feel alive in a way I’ve never experienced. Makes me laugh. Makes me want things I never thought I would.
He’s also stubborn, slow to trust and has a difficult time accepting help. But every time Win shared a piece of himself over the last few days, the explanation of why became a little clearer.
Compared to what he’s experienced, my life of guilt-soaked luxury was a picnic. I never wanted for anything but approvaland the freedom to make my own choices. I lived in a gilded cage that was never actually locked, and was raised by a mother who loved me enough to take all the ridicule that came her way because of me.
When I got out of the shower and heard the music downstairs, I got a flash of what my life could be if Win was in it. Music in the morning. Laughter and passion every night.
The beauty of the image ripped the breath from my lungs.
I know he feels something for me, but it’s still so new, and Ken is right; I’m not sure where I’m going to end up at the moment. Before I met Win, this was the last place I would have considered settling down. Living so close to my brother and the life he’s built for himself felt presumptuous. Particularly since we kept rubbing each other the wrong way.
His kids like me, though. And Win’s life is here.
I could make that life easier. Get the name of the man who’s been harassing him and end that asshole’s career. I could make sure he and his friends eat something other than frozen meals and takeout. I could be with him, if he’d let me. Whenever he’d let me.
Would that be enough, whenthisis what I really want? He and I, together alone, somewhere without distractions. Somewhere I can watch him fall asleep every night, safe in my arms.
I open the bedroom door and head for the stairs, only to pause on the landing. The kitchen where Win and I danced and baked and teased each other yesterday is now entirely too crowded. Bellamy and Jake stand around the island with Win, who’s plating… Did he cook breakfast?
Jake fills the silence easily, the way he always does. “She was adamant. It took me hours to explain that this is Grandma and Grandpa’s special anniversary, and not everyone knows thesongs from an animated movie about singing demon hunters. Especially not one that just came out.”
“I do,” Win says unsurprisingly. “My classroom was obsessed with it before I left. They’re catchy songs. But I don’t think everyone would appreciate them. Tell her we can sing one or two of them together between sets.”
“You’ll be her new favorite person,” Bellamy bemoans. “Like I was, when she used to likeBeauty and the Beast. But that’s ‘kid stuff’ to her now.”
“She’s a teenager,” Jake says. “She’ll love it again later. When she’s done hating everything her parents like on principle.”
“Tale as old as time.” Win’s words make them laugh for some reason, and I frown as I walk down the stairs, feeling out of the loop since I have no idea what they’re talking about.
Jake is suggesting Win meet their cousin’s partner Oliver, who he’s saying is some kind of professional dancer, when the dogs notice me. They race toward the bottom of the stairs as if it’s been thirty years instead of thirty minutes since I took them outside. When I squat down to give them a scratch, Mad leaps for the towel I was taking to the laundry room and steals it away, dragging it deeper into the living room for a victory lap.
“Hey, Uncle,” Jake calls. “Come taste this. It’s delicious.” He called me uncle almost as soon as he met me. He makes a point of it, just accepting me into the family. He’s a great kid.
A man, not a kid, I remind myself. Twenty-two with two college degrees and the same kind of steady, loving personality I noticed in his father. Penny, Wes and the boy they call Little Sean all idolize him, and I can understand why.
Even Win seems to like him, because he’s beaming at the kid, which simultaneously darkens my mood and makes me feel like a jealous heel.
When I move closer, Win hands me a plate, staring at my shoulder instead of into my eyes. Why isn’t he looking at me? Is something wrong?
“It smells good,” I offer gruffly.
He shrugs off the compliment. “It’s nothing like the feast you made yesterday, but it’s going to be a long day, so I thought I’d handle breakfast.”
