Page 148 of So I'll Know
“So gay.” Marcus grins. “Bi, actually.”
I give a tearful laugh and blush, feeling embarrassed with so many eyes on me. Suddenly, the sliding glass door opens, and Sabrina stumbles into the room with Laura following after, both of them looking suspiciously disheveled.
I glance at Marcus, who winks at me.
Sabrina stops and looks around. “Oh shit, Roy, did we miss the grand declaration? That’s a fucking bummer.”
“I didn’t want to see it,” Laura says with a grimace. “I would have died from secondhand embarrassment.”
“Actually, I recorded it,” Tris says slyly, and Sabrina squeals, clapping her hands together.
I glare at Tris. “You better delete that. I was ugly crying.”
Tris shakes his head with a sassy grin. “No chance in hell. I’m showing this to your children someday.” He steps around us and rolls his suitcase into the dining room, plopping down at the table across from Lincoln and Trey. “I don’t think we’ve met. Are you two brothers or boyfriends?”
Everyone starts talking at once, and I turn back to Marcus. “So you bought this place, huh?”
He nods, tenderly pushing some hair behind my ear. “Webought it. Mike already has you on the mortgage.” He runs his hands along my bare forearms as if he can’t stop touching me.
I raise an eyebrow. “You must’ve been pretty confident that I was going to forgive you. What if I told you to kick rocks?”
He shrugs. “I would have taken my name off, gifted you the down payment, and left.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He gives me a boyish smile that makes his eyes crinkle, and my heart stutters a bit. “I would do anything for you, baby. Even if it meant walking away.” He leans close to my ear, his warm breath coasting over my skin. “Now, are you going to admit that you don’t hate me?”
I give him an impish grin and shake my head.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
MARCUS
Iwatch through the sliding-glass doors as Lincoln and Trey walk down the beach, Charlie nestled between them. Seb elbows me, and I glance at him.
“It’s been a bit,” Seb says hesitantly. “Have you heard from Dad?”
I shake my head. “Sabrina has been keeping me updated on the latest gossip, but it sounds like he managed to save face, especially after the merger with Pine Investments. Sabrina has made quite a reputation for herself as a queer woman CEO. She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Brantley stands and gives me a shy look. “What is it?”
“I just wanted to thank you, but also say I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I ask, startled.
“For the shit that went down with my dad. For what he did to Jeremy’s parents. I’m just so embarrassed to be related to that asshole.”
“Oh, right,” I reply awkwardly.
He nods ruefully. “I just wish I’d known what was going on. Maybe I could have done something to get him arrested sooner. I was just never privy to that part of his life, and I never wantedto be.” He rubs a hand over the back of his neck and gives Seb a wry look. “I feel stupid that I didn’t even realize our dads were part of the same company.”
Seb reaches out and drags Brantley against him, kissing him sweetly. It’s a side of him I’ve never really seen, and I almost look away from the private moment. “Stitch, you couldn’t have known. Hockey was your focus, making it to the NHL.” He runs a gentle finger along Brantley’s neck, and for the first time, I notice the jagged scar there from the injury that ended Brantley’s hockey career. I glance at Fi, who’s watching them with adoration, and I’m struck by a sense of peace. I spent my whole life protecting my siblings, and now they have people who love them just as much as I do. Who would literally die for them. And while I’ll always be their big brother, it’s okay to let them go.
Jeremy walks up next to me, sliding his arm around my waist. “Well, isn’t this adorable.”
I grunt my agreement and kiss the top of his head.
Seb, Brantley, and Fi say their goodbyes, heading to their own Airbnb, and I lead Jeremy outside. I grab a soft flannel blanket, and then we walk down the steps to the beach, pausing to take in the waves dancing up the sand, almost touching our bare feet. The moon is out and the clouds are sparse, so a curtain of stars twinkles above us.
