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He left the dress on the bed and perched on the chair arm beside her. “How about we make dinner? It’s not like warming up pre-made dishes is brain surgery. You’ve already done all the hard work.”
She gazed up at him with such adoration that any residual annoyance he felt from his talk with Drew melted away.
“Aith, I would love that.” She pressed her cheek to his arm. “You always know what to do to make me feel better.”
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I try.”
Drew headed for the door. “C’mon, Mr. Fitness, you cook, I’ll set the table.”
Aithan followed him. “That also means you do the dishes afterwards.”
“I’m all about getting my hands dirty, man.”
* * *
They sat at the dinner table eating meatballs and spaghetti squash with tomato-free pasta sauce. That stuff was tasty thanks to Zel; the woman definitely knew how to cook. She gestured from him to Drew with her fork. “What’s with you guys tonight? You have a lover’s quarrel while I was gone?”
Aithan looked up, surprised she’d picked up on their tension. He thought they’d gotten past it.
Drew shrugged. “Aithan told me I’m a pushy asshole, but he appreciates my help nonetheless.”
Aithan stared at him. He opened his mouth to say something but wasn’t sure what and Zelda jumped in anyway.
“Well, duh. You are and I’m sure he does.” Her gaze shifted to Aithan and she added, “’Bout time you said something.” She rested her hand on his. “Families fight. It’s okay, you know.”
He grimaced. “I prefer peace.”
“Amen, brother.” Drew pushed his empty plate aside and rested his elbows on the table. “Sorry I stepped on your autonomy and your toes. I didn’t mean to be a dick.” His expression and his tone held nothing but sincerity.
Aithan nodded. “Apology accepted. Sorry for calling you a dick.” He automatically thought,Sorry, Babcia.
Drew grinned. “You didn’t.” He jerked this thumb at Zelda. “That mouthy broad did.”
“Fuck you,” she said with a smile.
“When?”
That made Aithan laugh.
She wrapped her long fingers around her glass and considered him and Drew. “Was your argument about Tristan?”
Aithan hadn’t expected that. “No, why?” He glanced at Drew and was even more startled to see the guy’s expression go from sunny to thunderous.
“I thought maybe Drew told you about our coffee with him.”
That made Aithan’s own mood darken. “When? And why wasn’t I invited?”
Zelda rested her hand on his arm. “Because I didn’t think it was fair to drag you into a public confrontation with your employee.”
Aithan puffed out his cheeks and blew a harsh breath. “I get it.” Still, it irritated him. Another instance of choices being made for him.
“It was brief. He and Drew snarled at each other, he told me about Jack and Begby, and that you already knew. That’s it.” Zel sighed. “Do you think I should contact Ross with this information? Should I rethink the protection order? Again?” She sounded reluctant to reopen that issue and Aithan didn’t blame her. He hated rehashing old decisions, it felt masochistic.
He shook his head. “No. Give the police time to investigate.”
“I agree,” Drew said. “You know I didn’t want you to drop it, but chasing it around now without all the facts will only make you nuts, babe.”
“Unless those guys are a danger to you,” Aithan said slowly. Why the hell hadn’t he wondered that sooner? What was wrong with his brain these days? Yeah, he’d had a concussion, but that was weeks ago.
