Priceless (Forbidden Men #8)(70)

He’d gone above and beyond, time after time. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever properly thanked him for even half of it. I hoped I hadn’t ruined our relationship. I didn’t know what I’d do without him.

Scared, nervous, but resolved, I reached the back entrance and knocked gently as I opened the door. Ten stood at the counter, pouring milk into two sippy cups. On the stove, something was simmering under a closed lid.

Glancing over his shoulder, Ten grinned when he saw me. “Hey, Hot Wheels. Heard you crashed and burned last night. Them’s the breaks, huh, kid?” After a sympathetic wince, he announced, “I was so sure he’d fall for it, too. I lost twenty bucks from the whole ordeal.”

“Twenty...?” My body went cold with dread as I set the cookies on the table.

Oh no. What if Brandt thought I’d started out last night purposely attempting to seduce him? He’d feel so betrayed. He’d...I couldn’t even stomach the worst-case scenario. Abdomen swirling with an acidic regret and deep humiliation, I asked, “Is he here?”

“Nah.” Ten screwed the cap onto each cup and put the milk away. “He ran off to the gym, but he’s been gone a while so he should return any minute. Come on into the living room and hang with us until he gets back.”

I blew out a breath as he stole a cookie before he left the kitchen, but then I decided I couldn’t back out of this, so I followed.

Stretched in the La-Z-Boy with the feet kicked up, Noel watched some political discussion on an all-news channel while Aspen sat on the floor with the two kids, helping them build a Lego...thing. Caroline was curled on the couch asleep.

Ten trailed his fingers lovingly over her hair before turning to the kids and asking, “Who’s thirsty?”

While Beau and Teagan gathered around him for their drinks, Noel noticed me lingering in the doorway. “Hey, Sarah. When’d you get here?”

“She just showed up,” Ten answered for me. “Came to see Butthead. And FYI...” He lifted his hand to his mouth and lowered his voice as he kept talking to Noel. “I brought up the s-e-x thing to her, which she didn’t seem to appreciate, so it’s probably best not to go there.”

I groaned and sank lower into my chair. “Does everyone know about that?”

“In this family?” Aspen lifted her eyebrows my way. “I’m afraid so.”

“Don’t worry about Brandt,” Noel assured me. “He’ll pull his head out of his ass soon enough, and you two will be getting married before you know it.”

I winced. Marriage was still the very last thing that would ever happen between me and Brandt. I was just hoping I could still be his friend by the end of the day.

I opened my mouth to answer, though I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, when someone knocked on the front door.

Noel and Aspen exchanged a confused glance, and Caroline stirred from her nap.

“I’ll get it,” Aspen answered, popping to her feet though Noel kicked down the footrest of his chair and stood as well.

The hair crackled on the back of my neck, and Ten must’ve sensed something off too because he moved closer to the children, who continued to blissfully play on the floor while drinking from their sippy cups with one hand.

Aspen opened the door just as Caroline sat up, smoothing her hair out of her face.

“Hi, can I help you?”

I couldn’t see the caller, but it was obviously a woman by the sound of her voice when she said, “Is...does Noel Gamble live here?”

“What the hell?” Noel murmured, obviously recognizing the voice. He stormed toward the door, only to stop dead next to Aspen and gape out the exit.

“Hello, Noel,” the visitor answered calmly enough, but he recoiled as if she’d slapped him. Then he turned his head and looked straight at his sister, his gaze intense.

She pushed to her feet, frowning. “Who is it?”

The women stepped into the living room without being invited. Caroline gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.

Ten turned his head, looking at me as he mouthed, “Who the f*ck is she?”

I shrugged and shook my head, but something about the blue in the woman’s eyes was familiar. It was the same blue in Noel’s, Caroline’s and even Brandt’s eyes.

“Caroline,” the woman murmured, blinking rapidly. “My...goodness. You’ve grown up so pretty.” She glanced to Noel. “Both of you. You look...you look well.”

Noel narrowed his eyes. “What’re you doing here?”

The woman gave a helpless little laugh. “I don’t...I just...I’ve been clean for two years now, and I thought maybe...I don’t know, maybe we could all make...amends. I also wanted to see how my four babies turned out and if maybe there were any...grandchildren.”

When her gaze shifted to Beau and Teagan on the floor, Ten reached out and unapologetically scooped up both kids before plopping them protectively into his lap.

Scowling at the woman for even looking at them, he said, “My kid already has a grandma, thanks.”

“Ten,” Noel muttered, shaking his head, but there wasn’t any real censure in his voice.

“What?” Ten snapped back. “If this is supposed to be your mother, then I’m not impressed. Where the f*ck’s she been for the past nine years?”