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“Good.” He looks at his brothers. “We have a job to finish. Both of you wrap it up today. Breeane, you are with me,” I bark, motioning to the door.
Breeane pops out of her seat and hurries to my side. My brothers react slower, attempting to hide their smiles. I know exactly what they find funny. The minute I raised my voice in defense of Breeane, the scent of her desire reached us; it only got stronger when I commanded her to come to me.
“Thanks, Quinn,” Las says. “Let us know if you find anything alarming.”
“Yeah,” Quinn rumbles.
“Bear,” Lucas smirked but gave a respectful nod.
I hold Breeane’s hand as I lead her from the room and don’t pause until we are on the sidewalk. “You guys take the truck. We are going to walk to the bakery. Come and pick us up later.” I wish we could drop everything and spend every minute with Breeane, but we want to continue building our business. Of course, we want Breeane to want for nothing.
Lucas hugs Breeane tight and kisses her as if we aren’t in the middle of town. Las pets her hair and kisses her gently. I ignore the tightness in my chest that their connections cause, but not because of jealousy. I have always wanted my brothers to find happiness, even when I wasn’t around them.
I nod before taking back her hand and tugging. “You don’t mind walking?” I ask.
“No.” We walk in silence for two blocks.
Block three, I feel her gaze on the side of my face.
“What?” I meet her stare, slowing my pace.
“Are you alright?” Breeane asks hurriedly.
I sigh. “Quinn was trying to help. I know that.” I frown. “It rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t let it go on when the person that is your family thought it was okay to speak to you that way.” I slow even further. “Even when I was angry at my brothers or parents, I could never speak to them that way. They are family, and even though we had our flaws, we were taught to treat each other with respect. You can disagree and still show your love and understanding of their position.” I don’t blame Quinn; I know he wanted to get answers. He’s a very blunt man. He sees a way to make it right and takes it. He wouldn’t have been so eager to use Breeane if she had been his mate. I can’t wait for the time he has that opportunity.
“I’m glad you guys had that,” she says wistfully.
“It was always assumed that I would lead eventually. I wasn’t pressured, though. My father was tough but fair. He wanted the best for us. I didn’t get the chance to tell him that I didn’t want the position, but deep down, I know he wouldn’t force me.” I stop in front of her building. She digs her keys out of her purse and opens the door. “This is a great space, Sugar.” I glide my hand over the wall. “We need to rip this out and put in new sheetrock. The room is big enough for several tables. I think you need new counters, though. These aren’t in bad shape but are very outdated. I assume you want something more modern.” She nods. I walk into the kitchen, and she follows.
“You are going to need all kinds of permits. We’ll have to tear all this out. You need all the new equipment. I know a guy that can get you a good deal. I want to make sure you are set up well and he is fair with his prices. Everything he sells is top of the line, too. You have to make sure you don’t get overworked. Have you thought about hiring staff?” I look at her as she leans against the end of the counter.
“Steph and I have talked about it but decided to wait and see if it takes off.” She shrugs.
“Sugar, you will be selling cakes, bread, and coffee. If the treats don’t bring them in, the coffee will.” I grin.
“I just don’t want to get my hopes up,” she sighs. “I try to stay positive but I have doubts still.”
I stop walking around the room to face her. “Breeane, this is going to be a success. We will make it one. I don’t like hearing you talk about yourself like that. I see the determination and strength you have. I’ve tasted your food. If you bake as well as you cook, they are going to be lining up.”
“Are you sure you aren’t a Daddy?” she smirks.
I chuckle. “I am not. I know what I want, though.” I lean at the other end. “I want to look out for you,” I say softly.
“I know. You’ll have to be patient with me. It’s not often that I have had a man want to do that for me.”
“I am very patient.” I swallow. “Did you enjoy your time with my brother?”
Her face gets red. “Yes.” She wrinkles her nose. “Does it upset you to talk about it?”
“Not at all. We don’t get jealous, remember. We are a unit but separate. I want you to love being with them as much as you love being with me. I won’t ask you for details. I believe that your time with them, in a lot of ways, is private. But I also want to make sure you are comfortable and that we never do anything that you don’t want.”
“I can be honest with you, then?” she asks, folding her hands on top of each other, leaning over.
“Of course.” My lion in my head snorts. I know I have a lot of truths to tell.
“I loved every second,” she whispers. “It felt like it was meant to be. It’s hard to put it into words.”
“I’m glad, Sugar.” I smile gently. “That is how it should be.”
