Page 44 of Finding Us
“Peachy,” I snap.
“You sure, you seem off? Angry.”
I exhale a long breath. “I’m good, brother,” I lie. “You got any beer?” Because I need something to take the edge off.
Chapter13
Jacinta
My heart is beating a million miles a minute as I leave the room hand in hand with Mason’s son.His son.I can’t believe Wolf has a kid. I rack my brain trying to recall every single detail Connor told me about his friend, but my mind is too scrambled to think clearly.
It’s a miracle I got through that meeting without Connor picking up on my inner freakout. He’s usually pretty attuned when it comes to me and seems to know when things are off. What are the chances of all the men in the club that night, it was my brother’s best friend that I went home with?
I felt awful just now, pretending I’d never met him, but my brother can never find out I slept with his friend. Things won’t end well if he does. I know how protective he is of me.
“Wow,” Blake murmurs when we enter the kitchen and he sees all the trays lined up on the countertop, laden with food. “Did you cook all this?”
“I did.”
“My dad can’t cook.”
“He can’t? Who makes your dinner?”
“We eat at Bridge,” he says.
“Bridge? Is that a restaurant?”
“No, it’s where the homeless people eat.”
My eyes widen with shock.Mason takes his son to a soup kitchen to eat?He’s taking food away from the needy, which is shameful. After our night together, I’d put him on a pedestal, but that knowledge just knocked him straight off … his ugly side is definitely starting to show now. I saw the mansion he was living in and the fancy car that was parked in his garage beside his bike. I also know his new apartment would’ve set him back an easy few million … after all, my father bought the one Connor and I live in.
I try not to let my disappointment show in front of Blake. But this is the perfect ammo I need to remember next time his gorgeous face sends my heart into a flutter—he’s actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Which is ironic given our nicknames for each other.
I bend down to Blake’s level and I feel compelled to reach out and sweep away the long piece of brown hair that’s flopped down onto his forehead, but I don’t. Damaged gravitates towards damaged, I can see it in his eyes … eyes that are so much like his father’s. When I was his age, I hated being touched by others.
“Would you like some milk with your cookies?”
“Yes please.”
I pull out a stool at the breakfast bar and help him climb onto it. As I’m getting a plate out of the cupboard, the guys enter the kitchen. Connor heads straight for the fridge, and Mason won’t even make eye contact with me, choosing to focus solely on his son.
After putting some cookies onto the plate and pouring Blake a glass of milk, I place them down in front of him. “Do you want me to carry these out to the lounge room for you, buddy?” Mason asks.
“Can I stay in here with, Jazzie?”
A smile tugs at my lips. He called me Jazzie, that means he must’ve already decided we’re friends.
Mason clears his throat. He’s obviously not too happy about that. “You just want to be near all the food, don’t you?”
I see where he went there. He wants me to know that’s the only reason his son is in here with me. “And Jazzie too … she’s nice.”
Hah!Take that, you homeless-food-stealing jerk. When Mason side-eyes me, I make sure to give him a smug smile. His displeasure is evident as he lifts the beer Connor handed him to his mouth, taking a big chug.
“I’ll be out here if you need me,” he says to his son.
“Okay, Dad,” Blake replies with a mouth full of cookie.
When he turns and leaves the kitchen, Connor follows. “I told you he’d love Jaz,” he says.
