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“Language,” Tati chastised. “You’re a guest. If you can’t behave, we’re leaving. I’m sure Quinn has a perfectly good explanation.”
With a harrumph, Vlad stopped whatever he was about to say and settled for glaring at Liam instead.
“Liam is no longer engaged, and his brother has taken over as head of the family.”
The loud clank of Vlad’s fork hitting his plate was the only noise in the suddenly silent room. Clearing his throat, he looked unsure for the first time this morning. “Did you just say he gave up his position? As the most powerful man in Chicago?”
Patting my lips with a napkin, I nodded. “That’s what I said. And now he’s here, and we’re working things out. That’s all I’ll say about it.” Vlad opened his mouth, but I continued. “Moving on to the next topic. My kidnapping.”
Mom had given up all pretense of eating. Instead, she blinked at me like an owl. I wondered if I should get the limoncello out. She looked a bit pale, but in for a penny and all that, so I kept going while I had everyone’s attention. Liam’s hand was on my shoulder, offering silent support.
“I was held in a basement, but besides the cut on my arm, they didn’t do anything to me. They wanted information on Liam, and when that didn’t work, they were planning on using me to blackmail him. And thanks to Vlad, I made it out.”
Liam’s hand tightened on my shoulder until it bordered on painful. “You had enough information to buy yourself time.” My head snapped to his, surprised by his growl. “You knew where I lived. You’ve been in my office. I know you saw the safe. And you’ve been to my family’s home. You know what security we have. Why wouldn’t you give them something?” His voice sounded tortured, his attention focused on me, ignoring everyone else in the room. “Nobody would have blamed you.”
“They were greedy bastards who have a vendetta against your family. There was no way I’d give them anything.”
“Astéri mou,” he whispered, his head bent to the side, his lips brushing against the top of my head. “Next time someone kidnaps you, you sing like a bird.”
Shaking my head, I ignored the tortured note in his voice. “No way. Besides, who would want to kidnap me now? You’re no longer the boss, only a lowly second.”
Chuckling, he pulled back. “Nobody will so much as lay a hand on you again. Not after what happened to the last guys.”
Vlad was staring at us with disbelief, his eyes flitting back and forth between me and Liam. “You gotta be kidding me,” he boomed. “The cold-hearted bastard has fallen in love.” Then he full-on belly laughed. “You better not screw it up. She’s special. And if you hurt her, I’ll make you wish you were never born.”
My dad cleared his throat. “I second that.” He turned to Liam. “And welcome to the family.”
Covering my face with my hands, I groaned. “Can we have breakfast, please?”
Liam grinned, then resumed eating.
Everyone else took that as their cue to continue as well. The rest of breakfast was much more enjoyable. Tati told me about the new puppy they’d picked up yesterday, and Amara showed us pictures of all the things she’d ordered for the new kitchen.
“It’s going to be a big job getting everything ready, but if we put in long days, we should be able to get it done before the new oven arrives in two weeks.”
“Don’t forget you have an extra pair of hands,” Liam said.
Leaning into him, I soaked in his familiar warmth. “Does that mean you’ll stay for a bit?”
He kissed my nose, his hand sinking into my hair, holding me close. “It does. You’ll have me for as long as you want.”
It appeared Liam had been serious that he wanted to work things out between us. But I worried how he’d manage helping Gabriel while staying in San Francisco. His brother needed him now more than ever. “Are you sure you shouldn’t be there for Gabriel?”
“You’re the most important thing to me. And Gabriel can still reach me on my phone if he needs my advice. What he doesn’t need is me hovering in the background, interfering.”
Vlad and Tati left a few minutes later, not wanting to leave their puppy by himself for too long. Amara disappeared into the kitchen with Mom, trying out a new recipe. Dad settled on the couch, watching a game and ignoring everyone around him.
If I didn’t help Mom, I usually sat down with him, catching up on emails or reading. But I was at a loss as to what to do this time.
Liam didn’t seem to have the same problem, taking charge like he’d been doing his whole life. His arm wound around my waist, and he pulled me into his side. “You want to spend time with your family?” he rasped against my ear.
I was torn. I missed my family, needing the comfort and familiarity they provided, but I also craved more time with Liam.
Reading the indecision on my face, Liam steered me to the armchair next to the couch. Dropping into it, he pulled me down with him so I was sitting half on his lap. His arm around my shoulder held me to him, and I sank against his side. He adjusted my legs so they were tangled with his, then carefully placed my bandaged arm on his front.
The chair was big enough to make our arrangement comfortable. His movements were unhurried, his actions showing no discomfort.
“Is this okay?” he asked into my hair, placing a chaste kiss to it.
