Page 33 of Earned Husband

“I already had that yesterday,” I murmured, still keeping my voice down even though everyone else was laughing atsomething Ashanti must’ve told them about our morning. “Who’s that?”

I inclined my chin toward the only stranger at the table and Colin’s cheeks flushed just the tiniest bit. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. It just didn’t occur to me that you hadn’t met him yet. That’s Isaac, my brother.”

“Ah.” I smiled, looking over at the guy and immediately seeing the family resemblance. “You guys look a lot alike.”

Isaac’s hair was lighter, though. A dark blond as opposed to Colin’s rich brown. His eyes were different too, a crisp, clear blue instead of gray, but they had the same almost oval shaped faces and the same striking bone structure.

“How about the omelet?” Colin suggested, drawing my attention back to him. “They’ve also got a turkey sandwich that’s pretty famous.”

“It sounds like you come here often,” I commented lightly. “Ashanti mentioned that it’s an incredibly exclusive club.”

“It is, but I do actually come pretty regularly,” he replied. “A lot of meetings happen right here. No idea why, other than to prove that they can.”

“Of course.” I sent him a small smile. “What’s a meeting if not a pissing contest?”

He chuckled, and somehow, the rest of the room faded into the background. The conversations around the table and even the skyline beyond the windows became blurry and insignificant, and suddenly, it was just Colin and me existing in our own little bubble of calm.

“What about the eggs Benedict?” I asked, glancing up from the menu again. “I’m between that and the smoked salmon platter.”

Colin opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, someone cleared their throat loudly, and when I looked up, my father had risen from his seat. He lifted a champagneflute, prompting a flurry of waiters to appear with bottles, filling glasses around the table.

Colin visibly stiffened at my side, his spine snapping straight so suddenly that Ifeltit happen. I frowned. That feeling of dread I’d been having intermittently since we’d gone to dinner at Jane and Alex’s spread through my veins like wildfire.

I wasn’t sure whether it was just an instinctive reaction to the discomfort of the man I was definitely taken with, but it suddenly felt like he and I were right on the edge of a precipice, only moments away from being pushed right over.

“Ladies, thank you for joining us,” my father said once everyone had champagne in front of them and the waiters had once again vanished into thin air. “I would like to raise a toast to all of you, everyone here who has been working together on making this happen. Here’s to new partnerships and the promise of a long and prosperous future for GlobalStar and Thayer Steelworks, and with Colin in particular.”

As I watched my father sip his champagne and sit back down, the conspiracy shattered and I suddenly realized exactly what was going on here. Around the table, glasses clinked. Alex and Khaled both smirked like they’d just achieved world domination, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.

For a long time, I just sat there, staring at the man who’d obviously decided to follow an age-old tradition without telling me. Finally, I turned to look at Colin, but he was already looking at me.

Dad smiled at us. “Once you’re done eating, Colin and I need to have a conversation. Alone.”

The urge to reach out and grip Colin’s thigh under the table in silent solidarity was strong, but I didn’t do it, not wanting to give my father another excuse to start fuming. Colin inhaled slowly after he nodded, then rolled his shoulders like a man preparing for battle. In many ways, however, he was exactly that.

CHAPTER 15

COLIN

When everyone finally left, I stayed exactly where I was. Basel had asked me to, of course, but I also had a feeling that if I’d tried to stand up right now, it would’ve triggered a cardiac event. Brunch had not at all been what I was expecting, and after everything I’d been told only minutes before Ashanti and Deja had arrived, I still hadn’t had any time to catch up.

The private dining room emptied unnervingly fast once Basel dismissed them all. Alex was the first to leave, Khaled following close behind. Isaac flashed me an apologetic grin but got the hell out before he somehow got sucked into this too, and Deja lingered in the doorway for a second, looking as suspicious as I felt, but Ashanti soon tugged her away.

The door swung shut behind them, leaving only Basel and me in the room.Fucking fantastic. How the hell did I get myself into this?

When I’d asked Alex to help me find a wife, I had not, for one second, envisioned ending up in a situation anywhere near as intense as this one. I’d been there when he and Jane had gone through this. On the outside, sure, but I’d still been a witness.

The same was true for all his brothers. When Charlotte and Trent had happened, Zach had already been my friend for a longtime, but we hadn’t been in such regular contact. After that, however, Alex and Jane, Nate and Kate, Will and Eliza, Jesse and Jacque, and Theo and Raquel…

I’d been there.

I’d thought that meant I knew what I was asking when I’d gone to him, but this was…Fuck. I don’t even have a word for it.

Basel didn’t say anything at first, glancing at the door like he was waiting for something instead. A few minutes later, a waiter returned carrying two bottles of beer and a pair of glasses. The labels on the beer were unfamiliar to me, though.

What the hell is that?

Somehow, it felt like even the drink he’d chosen had been specifically selected to fuck with my brain, but the waiter set them down between us nonetheless and left. I almost asked him to stay or at the very least, to bring me a normal beer, but I didn’t say a word.