Kaden offered a clipped head shake, an answer to his silent question: Did Bristol come with you?
Keegan couldn’t deny he was disappointed not to see Bristol on his brother’s arm. He thought for sure Kaden could sweet-talk her into joining them. Didn’t seem to be the case.
Last but not least, Frank and Iris arrived with their grandson, Eric, and surprising them when Reese and Brantley were right behind them.
“Welcome, welcome,” everyone greeted, dragging the newcomers into the fray.
Once dinner was finished, Keegan and Kaden made their exit after saying their goodbyes.
“We goin’ home?” he asked his brother, waiting for Kaden to tell him how things had gone with Bristol. He’d managed not to hound him for the past couple of hours, respecting her wishes for them to keep their interactions a secret for now. If he’d so much as brought up her name, someone would’ve overheard, and they’d never hear the end of it.
“Yeah.”
“And Bristol?”
Kaden glanced over at him from behind the wheel. “Said she was tired.”
“That why she didn’t come to dinner?”
Kaden grunted, which Keegan knew was a sign that he wasn’t happy.
Unable to hold back any longer, Keegan asked what had happened.
He listened as Kaden told him about his arrival, finding her scantily clad, the two of them getting busy on the couch.
That was the thrilling part.
The not-so-thrilling stuff came after that.
“I invited her for dinner; she declined. Said she’s not ready for anyone to know about us, then tacked on the part about bein’ tired,” Kaden said.
Keegan’s teeth clamped together, but he fought back the anger. “She say how long she expects that to last?” He looked over at Kaden. “I do plan to tell Mom and Dad about the baby. It’s only fair.”
Another grunt from his brother.
“You know, I fuckin’ knew that—”
“Keegan, don’t,” Kaden barked. “Let it go.”
He glared at his brother. “What?’
“You heard me. Let it go for tonight. Don’t let it get to you. Not yet.”
A little fucking late for that.
Keegan’s temper had always had a flash point, and it appeared Bristol Newton knew exactly how to set it off.
But he managed a deep breath, reminded himself that this was new for Bristol. If she needed a little time, he could give it to her. Not much, but a little.
Chapter Nineteen
On Monday afternoon, Travis had managed to steal a few minutes alone in his office at the resort. He’d spent the better part of the morning dealing with a personnel issue. Evidently, the new sous chef at the hotel’s restaurant was beginning to wreak havoc on the head chef, the two of them going nose to nose once every couple of days. Having grown tired of the bickering, Travis sat the two men down and basically told them to cool their shit or they were both out on their asses.
He didn’t have time for petty bullshit, and he didn’t have any qualms letting them know that.
Now as he sat at his desk, he was reviewing the updated RSVPs for the New Year’s Bash. Sawyer was keeping him apprised of the changes as they came in.
His office door opened, drawing his attention.
“Someone mentioned Brantley was here,” Gage said when he stormed into the room. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Travis looked up, studied his husband’s face. It wasn’t the words he’d said that had his hackles rising but the way he said them. As though the thought of him talking to Brantley left a bad taste in his mouth.
“He was givin’ me an update on the investigation,” Travis told him, leaning back in his chair and getting a grip on his temper. “You got a problem with that?”
Gage walked over, planted his palms on Travis’s desk, and leaned toward him. That stony expression remained firmly in place. “We agreed we’d let the FBI deal with this.”
“No,” he countered, “you agreed.”
“Goddammit.” Gage stood tall. “This shit has to stop, Travis. This obsession with findin’ her … it’s got to stop. We’ve got a family to take care of. A family you’ve played no part in since the day Kate came home.”
“Excuse me?” Travis felt his face heat, his ire rising. He fisted his hands. “I’m home every goddamn night, I tuck my kids into bed, see them when they wake up. Kate spends much of her day up here with me, right here in this office. Don’t you fucking dare tell me I’m not doin’ my part.”
“Yeah? And what about me and Kylie? You opposed to sleepin’ in our bed now?”
Travis gritted his teeth, glared back at Gage.
His husband had him there. Initially they’d been alternating in their bed because of Kate. As time had crept by, Travis found himself putting distance between them. Mainly because of shit like this. The tension that was growing made it impossible for Travis to sleep, so he’d reverted to staying at work late, then spending the nights in the recliner or on the couch.
“I get it,” Gage continued. “Not a minute goes by that I don’t think about those horrifying days when we didn’t know where Kate was, when we feared the worst. It pisses me off, too, that the woman responsible for upending our lives got away and no one’s any closer to finding her. But our kids, our wife, they deserve our full attention, not for us to be distracted and distant.”
“They?” Travis crossed his arms over his chest. “A second ago it was about you and Kylie. Which is it, Gage? Am I ignorin’ my kids or am I ignorin’ you? Because I damn sure don’t hear Kylie complainin’.”
“Because you’re not there,” Gage shouted. “You don’t see it.”
Travis launched to his feet. “See what?”
“The way she cries herself to sleep,” Gage bit out. “Terrified that you’re gonna do somethin’ stupid, that you’re gonna end up behind bars for the rest of your fuckin’ life.”
“So what if I do?” he shot back. “At least y’all will be safe. No one’ll have to look over their fuckin’ shoulder. We won’t have to keep the kids locked in the goddamn house. She’s still a threat, Gage.”
“No, she’s not. Not to us.”
“You’re fuckin’ delusional if you believe that. Fuckin’ delusional.”
A knock sounded and they both turned to the door to see Kaleb standing there, staring back at them.
“Everything okay?”
“Fuckin’ peachy,” Travis snapped.
“Oh, yeah. Just fuckin’ peachy,” Gage grumbled then turned back to Travis. “I’ll see you at home or I won’t. I suddenly don’t really give a fuck.”
Travis swallowed hard, watched as Gage stormed out of his office, nearly plowing over Kaleb in the process.
“You wanna talk about it?” his brother offered.
“What do you think?” Travis dropped back into his chair. “Shut the fuckin’ door, would ya?”
Thankfully Kaleb didn’t try to push his way into the conversation. The door closed, leaving Travis alone with his anger and his pain.
Fuck Gage. Fuck him to hell and back.
Gage was wrong. The kids weren’t safe. Kylie wasn’t safe. For as long as Juliet Prince was out there, they had to remain vigilant, on alert at all times. Which meant Travis had to leave it to Gage and Kylie to hold down the fort while he continued his search. He would find her.
Of all people, Gage should understand why Travis was hell-bent on finding Juliet Prince, erasing her from the face of the earth. The bitch could’ve shoved her hand through his chest and ripped his heart out and it wouldn’t have hurt any worse than the day she’d stolen Kate out from under their noses. And he’d watched Kylie and Gage suffer the same way, the pain they’d endured when they had no idea where Kate was, what was being done to her.
Travis had been helpless. Completely fucking helpless because his heart had been shredded, making it impossible for him to do what needed to be done. And the longer she was out there, the angrier he got. He knew it
was consuming him, but he didn’t give a shit. He had one goal.
Find her.
Eliminate her.
He’d be damned if he allowed her to destroy his world again.
His or anyone else’s.
*
“Is it just me, or does having an early dinner make us older than we are?”
Rex Sharpe looked at his husband and smiled. “You call it an early dinner; I call it a late lunch.”
“Well, that certainly makes it sound better.” Jack slipped his jacket off and hung it over the back of his chair.
“Hello, gentlemen,” Rachel greeted when she approached the table.
“Workin’ tables tonight?” Rex asked as he flipped open the laminated menu.
“Someone’s gotta do it. Plus, we’re slow this evening.”
“It’s still early,” Jack said with a chuckle. “Only old people come in at this time, right?”
“Old people and you,” she teased. “What can I get you to drink?”
They ordered their usual sweet tea for both of them and Rachel headed for the kitchen to get them.
“Why do you bother looking at the menu?” Jack asked. “We both know you’re gonna have the special.”
“Maybe I like lookin’ at it. You never know when they might get somethin’ new.”
Jack gestured toward the menu with his chin. “When’s the last time they updated that thing?”
Rex had no idea, but he figured it had been years, maybe decades. The diner had always had the same items on their menu. For as long as he could remember, anyway.
When Rachel returned, she set down the glasses in front of them, then pulled out her notepad. “Special, Rex?”
With a smile at Jack, Rex grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And you, Jack?”
“I like to mix things up,” he said, holding Rex’s stare. “I’ll have the—”
“Chef salad, no croutons, extra egg, ranch dressing?”
Jack’s gaze swung up to Rachel and he frowned. “Really? I’m that predictable now?”
“Not as predictable as this one.” She motioned toward Rex with her pen. “I’ll get that in for you. Be back in a bit.”
When she left, Rex laughed at Jack.
“I can’t believe I’m predictable.” Jack pulled the menu toward him. “I’m gonna have to find something else I like for next time.”
Rex leaned back, relaxed. It was the first time they’d been able to get away from the B and B in a month, and he knew they were going to have to make a change soon. As much as he loved the place, they needed some time away from there. As it was, they lived and worked within those walls, venturing out regularly, but not for long periods of time. Usually for supplies, only one of them at a time so someone remained behind to take care of the guests should they need something. And a rare night at Moonshiners or a meal at the diner was not what he considered time away. Rex wanted a real vacation with Jack. A honeymoon, maybe.
“Are you opposed to hirin’ someone to manage the B and B?” Rex asked.
Jack’s eyebrows shot upward. “You mean we might actually be able to leave town for a weekend? Hmm. I don’t know.”
Rex laughed.
“You have someone in mind?”
“Bailey Weber,” he said without even thinking.
“Bailey? Moonshiners’ waitress Bailey? Bakery Bailey?”
“One and the same, yes.”
“She interested?”
“She mentioned it to me, so yeah, I’d say she’s interested.” Rex glanced down at the table. “Not the manager gig, no. I think she’s lookin’ for a maid position. Part-time.”
“And that’ll help us how? I mean, besides I won’t have to clean toilets anymore.” His eyes widened. “Wait. I won’t have to clean toilets anymore.”
“I was goin’ to be persuasive,” Rex told him. “I think she’d make a good manager. While she takes care of the guests, deals with meal prep and the like, we can do the manual labor.”
Jack pouted. He actually pouted. “You know how I feel about manual labor.”
Yes, he did. Jack was a bit spoiled, no doubt about it.
“It’s not a done deal,” Rex said with a sigh before taking a sip of his tea.
“Speaking of done deal,” Jack said. “You never told me how your breakfast with Bristol went. She doing okay?”
Rex frowned for a moment. “What does that have to do with ‘done deal’?”
“Nothing.” Jack flashed a smile. “Just needed a segue.”
Rex shook his head. “She’s doin’ good.”
Jack canted his head to the side and Rex knew he was trying to read his mind. He had purposely not told his husband about the details of that conversation because Bristol asked him not to. Or rather, she threatened bodily harm if he told anyone she was pregnant.
“That’s all you have to say? I need gossip, Rex. You know that.”
That was something Rex had learned about Jack after they were married. The man craved gossip. Granted, he probably should’ve figured since Jack wrote graphic novels. He was intrigued by fiction and what better to base it on than real life?
Jack leaned forward, lowered his voice. “Spill. Now.”
“What do I get if I do?”
His husband’s left eyebrow popped up, which was his way of seducing him.
And he’d be damned if it didn’t work. It always worked.
Rex sighed as though he was put out. “She’s pregnant.”
“Bristol’s pregnant? Oh, my God.”
“Jack. Damn it. Keep your—”
“Bristol’s pregnant?” Rachel asked, staring down at them with two plates in her hand. “Holy moly. That’s big news.”
Son of a bitch.
*
Ever since Kaden left Bristol’s house yesterday evening, more than a little disappointed that she had refused to go to Curtis and Lorrie’s for dinner, he had been thinking about her. More accurately, he was trying to determine the best way to broach the subject they were clearly avoiding.
Their relationship.
Specifically, what it meant for the three of them as well as the baby.
Rather than get frustrated the way he had last night, he figured it made more sense for them to talk this out. Which was why he’d proposed dinner tonight. Originally his offer had been for her to come to the ranch, but she had politely declined without giving him a reason.
But he knew. Oh, yeah. He definitely knew.
She was avoiding being seen with them.
Evidently she hadn’t given much thought to the fact she was driving around town in Keegan’s truck, or that both of their trucks had been parked at her house overnight. More than once.
But heaven forbid, if someone saw her at their house, rumors could start.
So here he was.
“I know you might not believe this, but I do have food,” Bristol said when Kaden carried a bagful of groceries into her house on Monday night.
“I believe you,” he said with a grin, “but I doubt you’ll have the stuff for steaks and baked potatoes.”
“And what if I do?” she shot back, her eyes glittering.
“Well, if you do, then…” He glanced around, considered it. “I’ll be your sex slave for the night.”
Her eyebrows rose slowly, eyes glittering with interest.
“But if you don’t, you have to be ours.”
Bristol laughed, her cheeks growing pink. “Where’s Keegan?”
“He dropped me off. Ran to the store to grab a six-pack.”
“I’ll have to be sure to stock beer in the future,” Bristol said sweetly.
Because he had missed her despite his frustrations, Kaden took a moment to greet her appropriately. And his version of appropriate consisted of a long, lingering kiss that ended up with her perched on the countertop, him standing between her thighs. He was surprised to see she was wearing pajamas—which appeared to be a sweatshirt and a pair of tiny shorts—although he’d warned her they would
be stopping by.
Right before he put thoughts of dinner behind them and dragged her to the nearest flat surface, Kaden pulled back.
“So, do you?” Now it was his turn to lift his eyebrows in question, waiting for her to confirm her deny.
She was breathless. “Do I what?”
“Have steak and potatoes?”
“I … uh…”
She blushed again and he knew what he’d find when he looked in her pantry. Pretty much the same as before. Nothing.
“Fine. You win. I haven’t been to the grocery store yet.” Her gaze swung over to the stove. “Nor do I have a workin’ oven. It’s been broken for a few years.”
“No worries.” He patted her thigh. “Keegan’s stoppin’ by our place to get his grill.”
“I thought you said he was gettin’ beer.”
“He is.”
“Y’all are goin’ through a lot trouble for steak.”
He met her gaze, held it. “It’s worth it, Bristol.”
What he didn’t say was that she could’ve made it easier on all of them if she’d just agreed to come over to their place for dinner, but he didn’t want to start an argument.
Half an hour later, Keegan arrived. Kaden had gotten the steaks marinating and the potatoes prepped for the microwave.
While he got the indoor grill set up on the counter, Keegan greeted Bristol similar to how he had earlier. The two of them were lip-locked for a few minutes before finally breaking apart.
He saw the way Bristol’s eyes glittered with heat, and he suspected she was waiting for him to remember that she was their sex slave for the evening. Not that he had forgotten. Hell, they could’ve endured the apocalypse and he would’ve still remembered.
Kaden figured it was a good time to share the news with his twin. “She’s our sex slave for the night.”
Bristol gasped.
“Is that right?” Keegan’s full attention was on her.
Bristol shot him a look that said she was more than a little embarrassed by his delivery of the news.
Kaden & Keegan (The Walkers of Coyote Ridge Book 9) Page 27
