Page 235 of Titus

“Subject change,” I said, looking between Mark and Sebastian. “How are your parents dealing with your return?”

“How do you expect?” Mark answered, taking another drink.

“They asked Mark to return to the business and work alongside me,” Seb answered.

“And?” I eyed Mark.

“No,” he said resolutely. “I have absolutely no desire to return to that bullshit.”

I nodded. “I heard you’ve been in business for yourself,” I said, taking my bourbon from my staff after they approached. “Good for you.”

“It’s excellent for me, good friend,” Mark answered.

“Perhaps Colton and I should do the same for ourselves,” Wyatt said, walking up with Colton. “Leave the family business and all the bullshit that comes with Herbert Hawk to Titus and just walk the fuck away…”

I smiled at my brothers as they joined us. “Your sorry ass wouldn’t last five days trying to start a business overseas.”

Mark laughed. “Five days?” He eyed Wyatt, sitting next to him. “They wouldn’t last five minutes sharing a room with some bastard while trying to figure out where their next paycheck was going to come from.”

“I wouldn’t be sharing a room with a bastard, hermano,” Wyatt said. “My rooms are only meant to be shared with a lovely señorita or two.”

Colton chuckled. “I would never walk away from this,” he said. “I’m not trying to walk away from everything we busted our asses to build after the old man died.”

“No shit,” I nodded toward Colton, then looked back at Mark. “How long are you going to be in the U.S.?”

“About another week, and then I’ll take off,” he said.

“What? So soon?” Sebastian questioned, glancing around the table as if seeking permission from someone.

“Am I missing something?” Mark asked his brother as all eyes fell on Sebastian and his strange response. “I mean, John won’t miss me as much as he’d miss you…”

“It’s just…” he paused again. “Forget it.”

“What is it, Seb?” Jim questioned.

Sebastian looked at me, then back at Jim, then over at Mark. “We can just talk about it later.”

“Like hell you will,” Jake said. “You can’t just sit over there, looking like the cat that ate the canary, and think we’re not going to ask questions.”

“It’s just something Darcy wanted to announce, and perhaps I was just shocked that Mark was leaving in a week,” Sebastian said. “She’s visiting her parents right now, and I don’t feel right saying anything.”

I watched my good friend Sebastian, who was usually a hard-nosed bastard, and noticed that he seemed lighter tonight… softer somehow.

There had been a significant change in the man after he started dating his wife, but at this moment, it was clear that something was different, and I knew it wasn’t because his long-lost brother was at this table or because I was free from detention.

Jim sat back and smiled at him. “Goddammit,” he said as if he pulled the information out of Sebastian’s thoughts. “Congratulations, man.”

“Wait,” Sebastian said. “What? How did you know?”

“It’s all over your face. Jim looked the same damn way the night he and Avery found out she was expecting,” Jake added with a laugh. “That, and you completely gave it away with your Darcy has an announcement story. Married folks don’t have many tricks up their sleeves when it comes to announcements, you know?”

That’s when Sebastian’s eyes sparkled, his smile widened, and he raised his glass. “You guys are worse than gossiping women,” he laughed. “Yes, Darcy is expecting. Twins!”

“Twins?” Mark said. “Congratulations, man. That’s amazing news.”

Sebastian nodded. “She wants to inform the ladies herself,” he said, then looked at Mark. “I’m just a bit bummed that you planned to leave so soon. Selfishly, I wish you’d stay a while longer before disappearing now that we have babies on the way.”

“While I love that you’re a dedicated family man now, brother,” Mark raised his glass to Sebastian, “I can’t just walk out on my life over there.”