Page 54 of Breathless

“Mine.” There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. “Not that she told me. And after a month of living together, I’m not sure she was ever planning to either.”

Noah’s expression didn’t change. “That’s some bullshit right there.”

“Language,” Mrs. Laurence called again.

“Sorry,” Noah called back politely, his blue eyes never leaving Wyatt’s face. “Fiona loves you, Wyatt. I’ve seen it. I know she’s been taking care of you since she got back. There has to be a good reason why she kept this to herself.”

“I asked her to marry me before she left,” Wyatt admitted. “She was pregnant then, though she might not have known it. Either way she said no and left. Since she came back, she’s never talked about the future beyond me getting the doctor’s all-clear. For all I know, she’s planning on getting on a plane to California tomorrow and never coming back. She might love me, but she doesn’t want to be tied down. At least, not by me.”

Noah was silent for a moment, then he shook his head again. “You’re missing something. She leaves, yes, but she keeps coming back. Why do you think that is if it isn’t for you?”

“She does have a job here,” Wyatt pointed out.

“At a bar! She could find work anywhere, and yet she keeps coming back to this place. To our family. To you.”

Yeah, he kept coming back to that, too.

“For all you know,” Noah added, warming up to his theory. “She’s afraid to say anything until she’s seen the baby’s heartbeat for herself. A lot of women don’t, you know, until the first trimester is over and there’s less chance of a miscarriage. Fear can make people do crazy things, man. Believe me.”

Fear can make people do crazy things.

Wyatt’s eyes widened. Was that it? She’d lost her sister—was she afraid of losing another member of her family? Her baby? Did she think he wouldn’t understand?

Hope eased the knot of misery he’d been tying in his chest.

He looked over at Noah, nudging him with his knee. “I missed talking to you.”

“Missed you, too, brother.”

Wyatt’s smile faded, but before he could say anything, Zach’s sweet voice drifted toward him, making him turn in his chair. The boy was singing to Mrs. Laurence, and his hands were dancing in front of him as if they were acting out the words.

A tall, broad shouldered man with straight black hair and a wide smile stood beside him, adding his deeper voice when Zach’s hesitated and subtly followed along with his own hand movements.

“Is Z singing in a different language?”

“Korean.” Noah grunted, but he sounded proud.

Holy shit.“So that’s the Manny I’ve been hearing Fiona talk about?”

Noah laughed at the word and the man looked up, his eyes narrowing on them across the yard.

Holy shit, he wasn’t even into guys, but Wyatt knew smokinghot when he saw it.

You’re not? You sure?

He brushed aside the image of Thoreau, because there was only so much he could deal with in one damn afternoon. “What are they doing?”

“They’re bribing Mrs. Laurence,” Noah told him. “Zach entertains her, Jae makes some kind of sweet dumpling that she loves, and in return, we get a hideout any time the family invades.”

Wyatt turned back around and raised his eyebrows. “You could just not hide when people who love you come to your house.”

Noah sighed. “You’re right. I could. It’s time to stop avoiding it. So…we good?”

“All good.” Wyatt nodded, feeling calmer now and more whole. He had his brother back.

“You going over to face the family before they send out a search party?”

Wyatt chuckled. “You could come along and prove you’re not all asshole, all the time anymore.”

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