Page 44 of Magnus
“I know,” Linus insisted.
Linus was right in part of that statement, at least. Sapphie put protecting her daughter before everything else, even her own happiness.
A wave of displeasure washed over Magnus the moment he saw Sapphie sitting at the breakfast bar beside Angel. Granted, she was wearing his robe and T-shirt, but she was also chatting away to Fergus as if she’d known him for years rather than minutes.
His twin was the same height and build as him, but Fergus’s appearance was far more put-together. His dark hair was brushed back from his face and fashionably overlong; his designer stubble was trimmed neatly to his jaw.
Even though Fergus was standing at the stove cooking a pile of pancakes for an eagerly waiting Angel, he still wore a white button-up shirt with black trousers that were both perfectly tailored to his muscular body and long legs. The matching suit jacket hung over one of the chairs around the kitchen table.
Magnus guessed Fergus was dressed so formally because he would be going to the offices of Wynter Security later that morning.
Whatever the reason, as usual, Magnus felt undergroomed and underdressed next to his more sophisticated twin.
It bothered him less when Sapphie turned to look at him entering the kitchen and her face lit up with happiness as she stood and crossed the room to his side. “Your brother is making breakfast for all of us, not just Angel,” she confided as Magnus put his arm possessively about her waist to anchor her to his side.
“Angus shouldn’t eat pancakes,” he warned, the little dog sitting beside Fergus with a hopeful look on his face as he gazed up at him.
“I already put suitable food in his bowl,” Fergus dismissed. “The pancakes are for us.” He glanced across at Magnus. “Well…maybe not Magnus’s old arse, but for everyone else, yes.”
“I’m only five minutes older than you!” Magnus protested as Angel giggled.
“The same five minutes you’ve reminded me of all our lives whenever it suited you to do so,” Fergus drawled, dishing up the last of the pancakes onto the stack of about twenty before bringing the plate over to place it on the breakfast bar. Sugar and honey, plus fresh strawberries, were already there to accompany them. “Everyone dig in,” he invited. “Except Magnus, because he doesn’t deserve any.”
Angel gave another giggle. “You’re funny.”
“Doyouthink Magnus deserves some of my pancakes?” Fergus teased.
“Oh yes.” She gave an enthusiastic nod of her head. “Because Magnus went to get Henry and brought him back to me.” She looked at him with stars in her eyes.
“Creep,” his twin muttered in his ear before sitting on the stool next to Linus. “Let it be known I’m only allowing Magnus to eat some of the pancakes because it was at the request of the most beautiful young lady it has ever been my privilege to cook breakfast for,” Fergus assured Angel as he tapped her playfully on the nose, causing her to giggle again.
That was quite a compliment considering Fergus had probably cooked breakfast for a lot of beautiful young ladies before he kicked them out of his apartment the morning after, usually never to be seen again.
Angel certainly looked suitably flattered by the male attention.
Magnus couldn’t begrudge her that, considering the examples of male love and caring she’d had so far in her young life: a father who certainly hadn’t given a damn about her, and a grandfather who probably wasn’t much better.
“So,” Linus said once they had all helped themselves to the pancakes and toppings.
Angus had now dragged himself off to his basket in the corner of the kitchen, his expression one of pure martyrdom as he ignored the dog food in his bowl.
“The…authorities will be calling you later this morning to confirm that…” Linus glanced at Angel to make sure she was fully invested in eating and enjoying her breakfast before he continued. “That the person we had already discussed might be responsible has now made a full confession and been charged with the breaking and entering of two properties and the willful damage to all three of them.”
Sapphie didn’t needto ask who “the person” was. She knew by the way Linus was talking that it was Francesca Fuller.
A shiver ran down her spine. Thank goodness Magnus had spotted and felt duty-bound to report the other woman’s viciousness toward Angel. She really wasn’t fit to look after young children. No doubt this experience would mean that Allison Fairbody would be extra-extra careful about who she decided to employ at the nursery in future.
Magnus’s youngest brother had no doubt hacked into the police system to find out all this information.
Information which meant the Carluccis hadn’t, after all, been involved in the breaking, entering, and theft at the nursery, or the graffiti at the other two buildings.
It meant Sapphie hadn’t needed to run away to Scotland either to avoid the Carluccis. But she couldn’t bring herself to regret that. Not when it had given her Magnus.
At least, she hoped it had given her Magnus.
The two of them still had a lot to talk about and sort out, but for the first time in a very long time, Sapphie felt an inner excitement for what the future might hold.
Because she hoped that future would be with Magnus.
