for what my man might do.”
My man.
As I study the side of Dante’s face, I wonder for the first time how that felt. Was it just part of the job, or did it bother him being addressed as property?
I know how I felt being treated that way. Like a cocker spaniel or a floor lamp instead of an actual person. Maybe we’re more alike than I thought, Dante and I.
Bradley stands up and gestures to the fridge. “Can I get anyone a beer? I grabbed a half-rack of Black Butte Porter.”
“I’ll take one.” Sean coos at the baby once more before handing him off to Jonathan. “Which of us is next to make one of these?”
Jon grins as Brian gurgles up at him and bats his chin with one chubby hand. “Breeding, you mean? Let me get through the wedding first.”
The conversation flows to a discussion of family planning, and I stand there wondering if this is what all American men talk about at poker night. Maybe it’s just my brothers. Bradley chimes in with a statistic about male fertility declining after age forty and I catch myself wondering if there’s a message in there for me.
Not everything’s about you, Izzy.
But I’m nearly thirty and childless and maybe a little in love with the man I can’t bring myself to look at as he returns to the table with three bottles of beer. He hands one off to Sean and another to James before reclaiming his seat. I feel him watching me, and I wonder if that’s my cue to grab the baby and leave.
“Hey,” Bradley murmurs softly enough the others don’t seem to hear. When I look at him, he’s smiling. “I kinda want to high-five you for pushing that viscount kid.”
I keep my eyes off Dante, though my peripheral vision tells me he’s slipped fully into the room, claiming the seat beside Jonathan. “Yes, well, there’s more to the story.”
“Oh?” Bradley pries the cap off his beer, and I force myself not to stare at his hands.
I press my lips together, hesitating. “My mother was displeased.”
“At the jerk who grabbed you?”
I swallow hard and shake my head. “A little.” But the bulk of her anger was directed at me, at my inability to play nice with the viscount to keep his interest in me piqued.
“Isabella,” she scolded, shutting the parlor door behind us. “You know what’s at stake here. If you develop a reputation for being difficult—”
“He never came back,” I say now, interrupting my own dark turn of thoughts. “The viscount. Last I heard, he married a baroness from London. Or maybe Luxembourg, I forget.”
At least it wasn’t me. That’s all I cared about, though I see now I was short-sighted. The things I know at thirty that I didn’t know at fifteen could fill the entire Ponderosa Resort lodge.
Bradley’s watching me like he knows there’s more I’d like to say. Like he realizes there’s something I’m not telling him, which is absolutely true. I square my shoulders and turn to face my brothers.
“All right, gentlemen.” I hold out my arms and try not to notice my hands are shaking. “This baby’s mother tasked me with keeping the young man entertained. Time for me to do that.”
There’s some grumbling as the baby gets passed between uncles, his cherubic face creasing into laughter as Mark grabs him for one last bounce on his knee. Then I’m wrapping my arms around the sweet, fragrant bundle and pulling him to my chest. He feels wonderful in my arms, all warm and snuggly and full of sweet baby sighs. For an instant I get lost looking down at that darling little face.
As I move away to take him back to my cabin, I hear footsteps behind me. “Iz, wait.”
I turn to see Bradley on his feet holding a green and purple diaper bag. “Want me to carry this next door for you?”
It’s more than an offer of service. It’s a chance to steal a few moments alone with him, to leave my brothers here speculating about what’s happening between us.
But I feel Dante’s eyes on me, so I shake my head. “I’ve got it,” I tell Bradley. “Could you just tuck it over my shoulder like that? Perfect, thank you.”
His hand grazes my shoulder as he draws back, but his gaze doesn’t leave me. Not right away. He smiles down at me. “That looks good on you.”
“Oh.” I swallow hard and try not to flush. “Yes, well, the doctors aren’t entirely