Mine

A breeze blew over her and the trees swayed as she tried to think of the right words to explain. “You ever hide from something so long that it twists up everything else in your life?”

Eli glanced at Wade then back to her. “I spent months doing that and most of my relationship with him trying to un-fuck it.”

Wade moved in closer beside Eli. “You succeeded.”

Then she saw it. What everyone else who knew them described. The closeness. How in sync they were. The former CIA agent and the crime gang enforcer. Two of the toughest and most lethal guys she knew, next to Gabe. They’d fought, gone after each other until they ripped emotional wounds in each other. But they’d found a way through it. That made her happy for them. “You two look good together.”

Wade winked at her. “Thanks.”

In her rush to get down to what she needed, she’d messed up . . . again. She looked at Eli. “I didn’t mean to throw you and Andy together to get you up here.”

She tried to keep the wording neutral in case Eli watched how much he shared with Wade. She had no idea how normal people handled their secrets. She’d spilled her biggest one to Gabe. He’d shared his biggest fear with her. Things that should have made her feel vulnerable while she plotted for a way to use Gabe’s weakness, but neither happened.

“You don’t need to be careful,” Eli said. “Wade knows about our past, mine and Andy’s.”

Wade frowned at her. “Why do you think I’m here?”

That sounded ridiculous in light of what she could see, right there, so obvious in front of her. “Oh, please. Anyone looking at you or who is with you two for ten seconds can see that Eli belongs with you.”

Wade slapped the back of his hand against Eli’s chest. “Grant her the favor. Whatever it is.”

She held out the file to Eli. “I need to know if these two people are parent and child or child and uncle.”

“I think that’s two different tests.”

“If the paternity test fails, I’ll have my answer.” Or Gabe would. Her feelings for him, as complex and confused as they were, would not change, no matter the outcome. She’d witnessed his love for Brandon. Let it color and support everything she’d figured out about the man on her own. The real question is what Gabe would do when he found out. How he would feel about her . . . after. But she had to push that aside. This was what she did. She solved problems and this was a huge problem, whether Gabe wanted to deal with it or not. “I have some contacts—”

“This one is on me.” Eli tucked it under his arm. “I’ll handle it. I probably need two days.”

A mix of relief and dread fell over her. “Thank you.”

Eli looked thoughtful. “I don’t think you’ve ever said that before.”

“There’s a lot of things I’ve never done before.” Including getting tied to a man and not wanting to undo the knots again.

Wade smiled at her. “Like sneaking around to get paternity tests.”

The answer was so much broader than that. “Like caring what the answer is.”

•   •   •

Andy sat on the stool in front of the kitchen island. Gabe stood on the other side. Every now and then, one or the other would take a peek out the matching sets of double glass doors to the backyard. Watch Wade and Eli and Natalie as they huddled in conversation. Something intense had them drawn close and had them ignoring the cool air.

“It’s not like you to give away the location of your house to anyone.” Andy decided if he couldn’t know about the outside conversation he could at least ask a few of the questions sitting on his mind. “I’m just saying first Natalie and now Wade and Eli. Seems like you have a new habit.”

Gabe grabbed the pot of coffee and poured each of them a fresh cup. “Is there something you want to ask me?”

“I don’t need to.” Andy settled for holding the mug instead.

“This conversation is a

“Try being the youngest brother in this family.”

“Want to explain that?”

He had to be kidding. The stress between them right now bordered on back-breaking. “It should be self-evident.”

Gabe frowned. “How are the headaches?”

Andy almost reached for the base of his neck to massage the area, but he didn’t have to. The usual ticking that blurred his vision hadn’t started. Not yet, but who knew.

“Under control.” That topic could take them to a conversation about Eli, and Andy wasn’t in the mood for that. “I’ve already texted with Brandon.”

The kid was so excited about the smile on his old dad’s face. The fact his father snagged someone as pretty as Natalie seemed to be something Brandon wanted to brag about. The reaction filled Andy with relief because he knew if Brandon didn’t like Natalie Gabe would likely walk away from her. And Andy sensed that Gabe needed to stay by her side.

Gabe must have known that Brandon couldn’t talk about anything other than his dad’s new relationship at the moment because he rolled his eyes. “That’s just great.”

“He likes her. Likes you two together. Said you didn’t hide the fact you guys were having sex or that she meant something to you.” Andy took that opportunity to take a sip. He knew he could count on Gabe to make it really strong.

“I should have sent him farther away to school.”

Andy knew the truth—that Gabe hated Brandon being even an hour away. “Which brings me to the next topic—”

“Don’t bother.” Gabe’s mug hit the counter with a smack and he held up his hand to stop the flow of words. “I know Rick is trying to get Brandon to meet up. I guess Rick thinks he can just drop the DNA issue in the middle of dessert, the dumbass.”

The idea of Rick taking the choice out of Gabe’s hands made Andy sick. Gabe might need to come around on the DNA test since Rick wasn’t giving one inch, but not this way. Not with threats or by using Brandon. “He just doesn’t stop trying to do this in the most underhanded ma

“Nope.”

Andy almost hated to ask. “What are you going to do?”

“Damned if I know.” Gabe put his palms against the counter and pushed back, straightening his arms. He looked down at his feet. “All of the options suck.”

“Brandon is a tough kid. You can explain it to him.” The words sounded right and the idea so easy, but Andy had to admit if he were in Gabe’s shoes he would want this all to go away, too.

“He’s already had to hear about how his mom didn’t want him.” Gabe pushed off from the counter and stood up straight again. “Not that I said it that way, of course.”

“You sure this is about him and not about you?” There really wasn’t a delicate way to ask so Andy didn’t try. His relationship with Gabe remained strong. It could survive some tough love.

Gabe exhaled. “You think I’m being selfish.”

“I think you’re worried you are going to lose the most important person in the world. Understandable, but it will never happen.” Brandon idolized his dad. And Gabe had managed to be a pretty great one. Without a strong fatherly influence of his own or the wisdom that came with age, he’d muddled through and raised a great kid.

“The idea of him not being mine . . . fuck.” Gabe started pacing. Went back and forth two times on the kitchen floor before stopping. “Natalie thinks—”

“Wait.” This time Andy dropped his mug. It slipped from his fingers and bounced. He caught it before it fell off the counter. “She knows?”

Gabe watched the moves without saying a word. “Yes. It felt right to tell her. I can’t really explain it.”

Neither could Andy. He didn’t know what to do with that information or how to assess it. The news of Gabe sharing such intimate details, with a client no less, qualified as a pretty big shock. Gabe didn’t open up much. If he did with Natalie, then whatever they had went well past sex and dating. It was more than just fun for Gabe.

“Huh.” Andy didn’t know what else to say so he went with that.

“What?”

Brandon’s excitement. Gabe’s insistence that he work Natalie’s job. Bringing her back to this house and keeping her here. All the pieces started to come together in Andy’s head. “Maybe there’s someone else who’s pretty important to you these days.”