Page 124 of Wicked Brutal

I look between them. “So I’m part of the entertainment.”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“That sounds mildly terrifying.”

Victor laughs again. “I’m sure you’ll survive.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll do better than that.” His thumb strokes over my fingers. “You’re intelligent. You’ll learn quickly.” The compliment catches me off guard enough that I don’t answer immediately. Victor continues. “I don’t want a wife who sits silently at the end of my table while everyone around her carries the evening. I want someone who can hold a conversation with anyone I put beside her. Someone who remembers that a man’s wife mentioned her daughter was applying to Yale three months ago and asks how the application went.”

“People remember that?”

“People remember when you remember.” That one sticks. Victor reaches for his water. “They also remember a home where they enjoyed themselves. I want people to accept an invitation from us because they know they’ll have a good evening.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“You haven’t needed to.” He smiles. Our appetizers arrive, and the conversation pauses while they’re set in front of us. When we’re alone again, Victor says, “Your father tells me you’re good with Tobias.”

The change in subject catches me off guard. “He’s my brother.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

“I don’t know if I’m good with him. I like him.”

Victor smiles. “There’s a difference?”

“I think so. You can be good at taking care of someone and still find them annoying.”

“Do you find Tobias annoying?”

“Sometimes. He’s six.” Victor laughs. “But mostly he’s funny.”

“What does a six-year-old do that’s funny?”

“Yesterday he taught me that frogs swallow with their eyeballs.”

Victor stops with his fork halfway to his mouth. “They what?”

“That’s what I said.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Also what I said. Tobias told me I wasn’t appreciating nature correctly.”

Victor is still smiling when he reaches for my hand again. “Your father says he follows you everywhere.”

“Pretty much.”

“And you let him.”

“Usually. We’ve established that the bathroom is a solo activity.” Victor laughs again. “Boundaries are apparently a developing concept,” I add. “He asks approximately eight thousand questions every day, but half the time they’re things I’ve never thought about either. Then I want to know the answer, so we end up looking it up together.”

Victor watches me for a moment. “You’ll make a wonderful mother.”

The warmth drains out of me. Ryan’s baby suddenly feels enormous inside a body that hasn’t changed enough for either man at this table to notice. “You don’t know that.”

“I do.” His thumb moves over my fingers. “The way you talk about your brother tells me more than you realize. You’re patient with him. You listen to him. You enjoy teaching him things, even when apparently he’s the one teaching you.”