Page 24 of Tinsel in Telluride

They’re my eyes.

My heart seizes in my chest as it shatters for the life I’ve been building in my head for the last twenty-four hours.

Fuck.

I did it again.

Got ahead of myself—jumped in head first without all the facts.

But it’s never backfired like this. Somehow, everything always ends up working out.

It never felt like a dream was being ripped away.

I’m Luca fucking Donati.

I make things happen.

I don’t fail.

Which only goes to show how badly I wanted this to be a reality.

Lifting my gaze from the fiery logs, I’m greeted with Leigh’s pitying stare.

My voice is strained when I finally find it. “So he’s not mine?”

“There’s—” She fumbles over the words. “There’s a possibility Zach isn’t your son.”

“Your son?” Two shocked voices echo Leigh's words, and I curse at the universe’s version of karmic retribution.

Fuck.I don’t need this right now.

Leigh and I both turn toward the voices, but I don’t need to look to know that the night just got more complicated for me.

Standing at the entrance to the deck from the driveway are my brother, Holt, and Bash—the latter two with their jaws hanging wide open.

“Your timing is impeccable,” I grit out, eyes locked on my twin.

Enzo shrugs. “You knew we’d be back when the day slope session was over. It’s not my fault you chose to keep her outside instead of hidden away like you promised.”

Fucking hell.

Leigh whips her head back to me. “Hidden away?”

A shit-eating grin creeps across Enzo’s face. Clearly, he knew his choice of words would no doubt cause problems.

I shoot him a death glare as if to say,what the fuck, you’re supposed to be my twin. That means you’re on my side.

He just shrugs.

I will so fucking remember this moment the next time he needs me to cover for him.

“Will someone tell me what is going on and who the hell this is?” Bash asks as he opens the waist-height gate and crosses the deck, haphazardly tossing his snowboard to the floor. Enzo and Holt follow closely behind and do the same.

“Leigh James,” Leigh says as she stands and takes an uneasy step away from the two assholes coming in hot with scowls on their faces.

They both give her a cursory glance before returning their wrath to me.

“What the fuck is this about?” Holt demands.

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