“Do you want children?”
Heat settles in his eyes as he nudges his food around. “Yeah,” he mumbles.
Ah, excellent. That’s that matter settled then. Grandchildren are imminent, regardless of what August and I do. I will not immediately enter this family to bring disappointment upon myself. I say, “After August and I are married, I’ll help you scheme to your happily ever after with December.”
Wynnter’s glare could take the hairs off most creatures, so it’s a good thing I’ve yet to fully abandon my wig and dye my eyebrows back to their natural shade. He grumbles, “When exactly did you decide that I’m in love with December?”
“Around the first time I saw you two together, but also it all adds up. You let her pick your guest bed because you want it to be her bed whenever she realizes that her relationship with her parents isn’t healthy. You’ve made a place for her to land, because you love her, but you think she only sees you as abrother, so you’re calculating your protection under the guise of brotherly affection and respectful distance instead of whisking her away to your own room and confessing your feelings outright.”
His eye twitches. “…I don’t know if I can survive having two delusional siblings who piece stories together out of thin air. Are you sure youhaveto marry August?”
“Yep.” I snatch up my phone when Leeann texts to update me on the task list I gave her but a single hour ago. Apparently, it’s already done, and she’s looking for more. I’d expect nothing less of a Winslow.
When I’m halfway through putting together more for her to do, Wynnter mumbles, “December doesn’t see me as a brother.”
“I know that. I didn’t know you knew that.”
He sighs, finishes his oatmeal, and rises. “What else do you need done for this nonsense? I don’t have any jobs today, but I might as well keep myself busy.”
My lips curve. “I hear you’re pretty handy. Think you can construct something like this?” I open a picture of a wedding arbor, and hold my phone up while Wynnter braces a hand against my chair to peer over my shoulder.
He hums. “Yeah. No big deal. What else?”
After giving my soon-to-be brother-in-law his honey-do list, I plow ahead until I run face-first into the biggest task of this entire wedding chapter…
Manipulating August into a position where her only option is to sayyes.
With a chuckle, I run my fingers through the blond hair atop my head and consider that such a feat most probably requires the use ofdark magic.
Chapter 25
?
The future is mine to write.
August
Me:I am sad and lonely.
Ali:Likewise. This season’s animes are mid at best. But you know what’s always top-tier?
Ali:Work.
Ali:Get to it.
My nose scrunches, because how dare he say that to me two days after abandoning me to suffer all by myself in my own house, alone? Sighing, I ignore work and get a few hundred more words down in my vampire story. It’s moving along at such a swift pace, I’m worried I’ll be done well before Alister’s plans come to fruition. And then what will I do?
Work?
I don’t think so.
Languish?
Probably.
Actually, in all seriousness, if I’m heading toward a historical romance, I should practice my languishing. Knowing how to languish is important for historical female leads. Often, the menfolk head off to war at some point in the book, and there are upwards of fifty pages of pining and suffering left between the moment they leave and the end.
This is good.
