Page 80 of Broken Daddy

Chris, like his brother, occasionally works from home.

Jenson and Mel join me, both smiling nervously as Chris chats to Nate downstairs. Eva’s little voice perks up and Jenson’s eyes go wide. A hopeful warmth fills my chest; she’d love to have another uncle, and although I haven’t interacted with Jenson and Mel much, they seem like people who genuinely care.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs syncs with the anxious beat of my heart. Chris comes first, all nervous excitement. Then Nate—he glances up, catches sight of me, and does a double take.

“I thought—” he starts, taking the top step.

And then he sees his half brother.

My heart stops as his face goes blank.

Chris’s eyes move from Nate to Jenson and Mel. Now the edge of excitement dims, and he plasters on a smile. “Surprise—I know we didn’t talk about this, but—”

“But you thought it would be a good idea to corner me into a dinner with them.” Nathan’s tone is stiff. I’m frozen in place, both horrified and enraptured all at once as this train wreck unfolds. Eva is tucked up close to Nate, staring at Jenson and Mel with curiosity.

“You.”

His piercing green eyes land on me. Hands intertwined in front of my body, I take a calming breath.Someonehas to hold this situation together. At least until we get past this initial shock.

“You said you were in the city with Sienna.”

“I know. But I wanted to be here for this. Chris and I…we talked about it a few days ago.”

A sweeping sensation of panic goes through me at the thought of how this is very similar to betrayal. The plan with Chris and then taking advantage of Nate the other night…

Okay. Not exactly taking advantage of him. But I could’ve told him about this. Given him a heads-up. Maybe worked it into casual conversation by asking what he’d like to eat for dinner with his half brother and sister-in-law.

“Sorry, Nate, I just thought it would be good for everyone to get together.” Chris’s words are earnest and diplomatic. He truly looks apologetic as Jenson and Mel await Nate’s reaction.

Nate wraps an arm around Eva’s shoulders and brings her forward. She looks up at Jenson and Mel with a tentative smile.

“Eva. This is Jenson and his wife Melanie. Jenson is my half brother. He had the same father as Uncle Chris and me.”

I hold my breath. He didn’t sayJenson is your uncle.But he also didn’t turn around and slam the door behind him.

There’s hope yet.

“Hi, Eva. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Mel breaks the tension with a sweet smile as she holds a hand out to the little girl, who shakes it shyly. Jenson does the same, hamming it up with exaggerated pumps of his arm until Eva giggles.

“Nate,” he greets evenly.

Nate gives him a nod.

“So…” I decide to try and move the evening along. Maybe try to find some common ground for everyone to relax. “If you’re all hungry and ready to settle in, I just need to sear the scallops and we’ll be good to go.”

Taking a cue from me, Chris holds out his arm to lead everyone into the dining room. The table is set beautifully but simply. Eva pipes up and asks for a ginger ale when I offer drinks, and I give her a warm smile.

“I’ll help,” Mel offers, leaving the men to chat stiffly.

She follows me into the kitchen, letting out a pent-up sigh. “That was rough,” she mutters.

I nod, shoulders drooping. “Yeah. I’m not sure why I thought this was a good idea, to be honest…not that I don’t want to get to know you guys,” I rush out.

Mel smiles reassuringly. “No, I get it. I’ve been trying to convince Jenson to let things happen naturally. Give Nate time to come around. I knew their dad—he was…he had some issues. I’m sure it’s not easy finding out he had a whole other family after leaving the city.”

She whispers the information as we both grab a wine bottle and pop the corks. I do so effortlessly; Mel has to hold the bottle between her thighs and strain a bit, which has us both giggling like kids.

We set the bottles down to breathe and lean against the counter. Oddly, I’m already so comfortable with her. I have the feeling she doesn’t come from money the way the guys do, which puts us on even ground.

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