Page 44 of Tainted Tempos

Mckenna shrugs. “I’m sure she will be, but she hasn’t replied to my messages or calls, so that’s an argument to have after the fact.”

“Got it,” I say, but I really don’t understand. My mom is nothing like Mckenna’s and it’s strange to me that her mother plays hot and cold mind games with her daughter. My mom is all about light, laughter, love, and art. The last thing she would do is leave me on read when she could reply straightaway to my messages.

But I’m too worried about Mckenna’s interactions with Bran to dedicate emotional bandwidth to her mother’s issues.

We keep the conversation light for the remainder of dinner.

“I got this,” I say, pointing to the dishes. “Thanks for cooking.”

“I’m glad you liked the pasta. I’m going to get some things ready for tomorrow.”

“Sure,” I say as she climbs the stairs to her old bedroom.

While we’ve taken a giant leap forward since talking things through on our honeymoon, our daily lives in Boston havemostly remained unchanged. I mean, the sex and sleeping in one bed and cuddling with Mckenna have been top fucking tier. Those recent developments have been everything I dreamed of and more.

But the daily routine of morning coffee and her going to class, me hitting the studio, and connecting in the evening for movie watching and casual hanging out is mostly the same. The only other big change is I’m tuned in to Mckenna’s life in a way I wasn’t before. This time, things are personal and I’m struggling to balance the protective feelings I have for Mckenna. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and help her heal.

Once I hear her bedroom door close, I load the dishwasher and wipe down the countertops. Then, I plop down at the kitchen island and dial Aiden.

“Hey,” he answers on the first ring.

“What do you got for me?”

Aiden sighs. “You sure you don’t want to loop Kenny in on this?”

“I want to keep her safe,” I remind him.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “You’re gonna need to.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” My anger, edged in concern, flares.

“Bran’s not just the son of a politician. He belongs to a political dynasty.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. The information is readily available, but you have to dig a bit because he’s the bastard son.”

That gives me a little thrill. Serves the bastard right. “Go on.”

“Bran’s father had an affair with the housekeeper years ago. Bran has his father’s last name but didn’t acquire his political connections until later, after his mom passed.”

I frown, recalling the information I pulled up weeks ago. “The Burton family owns?—”

“Oil refineries in Texas,” Aiden supplies. “They’re heavily involved in Texas state politics and gunning to make waves on a national scale.”

“Right.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “So, what happened?”

“Bran’s mother, Isabel, was bought off and shipped off when she discovered she was pregnant. Since Bran’s father was married at the time, it would have made headlines. She relocated to the northeast, gave birth to Bran, and cared for him until her death when he was fifteen.”

I groan knowing what’s coming.

“That’s when his father, recently divorced, re-entered the picture. With Bran older and his mother gone, Bran didn’t pose the same type of scandal. So, his father took him under his wing. Set him up at a boarding school in Massachusetts and paved the way for him to attend law school.”

“And enter the political sphere,” I realize. “Following in dear old dad’s footsteps.”

“Exactly.”

“There’s no other siblings?”

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