Page 41 of High Water

I love my brother. I also hate when he makes a fair point in an argument.

“I appreciate your perspective,” I reluctantly admit.

“So you’ll talk to him? At least consider it?” I can hear the hope in Levi’s voice.

“I’ll talk to him. I don’t know if I’ll consider it or not.”

“I’ll take it.” Levi’s amused grin forces one last eye roll out of me before he hugs me and heads out the door.

SEVENTEEN

Aspen

“Thanks for coming tonight.” Bishop flashes me a grin that threatens to penetrate the icy wall of my heart. I’ll have to build it higher. Between him and Levi, I’m going to be under a constant charm assault on his behalf.

“I see my brothers are attempting to help you.” I glance around at the cozy private dining room inside the Avarice’s steak house. There are flowers spread around the space, and candles lit to create a romantic atmosphere. I imagine if this were a romantic situation, it would make my heart race a little faster. Instead, I just feel a tightness in my chest. Like maybe I’m walking into another trap—one full of more heartache and disappointment.

“Brother. Grant’s made it clear he’s on your side, and Ramsey wants to be neutral, so no one is putting their finger on the scale. I’m the one who asked for the flowers though. The candles were the staff’s idea, I think.” He looks amused as he takes in the sight around us.

“I see,” I answer curtly as I sit in the chair he’s pulled out for me.

“Levi said he told you the basic premise of the situation.”

“You need someone to marry you to get your grandmother to hand over the property, and we need the property to find the family heirloom you buried there years ago. So I’m the bargaining chip, and Fallon’s the golden key.”

“You’re not a chip, and she’s not a key in my estimation, but the rest is correct. The clock is unfortunately ticking because—” Bishop forges on in his explanation, brow furrowed and jaw tight with concern.

“I know.” I cut him off. “I don’t need to hear the explanation again. I’m well aware of the seriousness of the situation and timeline we’re under. I’m working through my feelings on putting Fallon through all of this and giving up my autonomy when I’ve only just gotten it back.”

His expression sobers, and he goes quiet for a long moment before he speaks again. Taking his time, I assume, to put his words in order.

“I told Levi that I didn’t think you’d agree to this, and I said I didn’t think it was a particularly good idea. I’ll respect whatever decision you make on it.” Bishop nods along to my apprehensions and agrees with me, which is a surprising turn of events.

“If neither of us thinks it’s a good idea, then why are we doing it?”

“You want me to play devil’s advocate here?”

“I want to understand how Levi convinced you to do it. Yes.”

“All right. The way I see it… It’s about more than just us. It’s about this family. I think we both want to help your brothers out. Give them peace of mind that they’ve done everything they can to keep everyone safe. Get closure for your family after everything they’ve gone through. Put an end to this painful chapter and open a new one.”

“At the risk of our daughter’s well-being?”

There’s the flicker of something behind his eyes before he answers.

“I would never want to put Fallon’s well-being at risk. I’ll do everything I can to be a good father to her and everything I can to be a good husband to you—if you let me. I can promise you that. I want to see her inherit this property. It should be hers. And her great-grandmother, for all her faults—I’d love it if Fallon could know her. Get to meet someone from my side of the family. She’ll never get to meet my mom or my other grandparents since they’re gone, and I’m fucking thankful she’ll never know my dad. But her great-grandmother… She’s one of the good ones, and I know she’d dote on Fallon if she had the chance.”

“I’d want to meet her first.”

“She’d love that.”

“And I know you’ll be a good father to Fallon. I know at your core, you’re a good man, Bishop. I know you didn’t make the choices that set this all in motion. That was my father, and I’m still processing how I feel about everything. But even if you’re good to her, it’s still going to feel like whiplash to go from Ethan to just the two of us to a new family unit already. Then having to tell her on top of that, ‘Oh, by the way, he’s your bio dad.’ It’s a lot, especially alongside everything that’s already difficult about being a teenager.”

“We can navigate it.”

“She’ll resent us both. She might work through it. Her therapist said she’s resilient, and it’s change like any other change, and as long as we move through it with open communication and boundaries, it could all work out. But I’ve barely gotten her used to living here in Colorado.” I lay out all the reasons why, as a mother, I feel I shouldn’t agree to this.

“I’ll follow your lead on whatever you want to do on that front.”