not to think about the decadent kisses he’d shared with Ronan earlier.
“Of course he has. That man can flirt with just his eyes,” Rafe muttered and then yelped suddenly, his muffled voice lost to whatever he was likely saying to a not-happy Philippe in regard to Ronan’s flirting eyes.
Aiden looked over to where Ronan had been standing only to find him gone. He quickly glanced around and couldn’t see him in the living room.
“Wyatt took him up to a guest bedroom to shower and sleep,” River informed him quietly.
Aiden nodded and released Bel so he could turn his full attention to Winter. His son wiped his face, turning sad blue eyes up to him. “I’m sorry,” Winter whispered a little brokenly.
“So am I. I should have taken into consideration that you were still hurting over the loss of your mother.”
“No, we should have talked to you first. We’re sorry.” Bel sighed and dropped onto the couch. River immediately crossed the room and sat beside him, practically wrapping his slender body around Bel. Aiden wasn’t sure if he was comforting Bel or if he needed Bel’s comfort. Possibly both. They each had such tender hearts.
“I would appreciate it if we could discuss it before you feel the need to run around during the day in the rescue van,” Aiden said.
Marcus growled, “The rescue what? Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not, dear brother,” Rafe snickered.
Winter squeezed Aiden’s arm, drawing his gaze to him. “Last night, what I said, I was telling the truth. We want you dating and falling in love again.”
“Not that we were expecting you to be interested in men,” Rafe muttered.
“Oh yes, because you’ve got a monopoly on bisexuality,” Bel tossed at his twin.
Winter growled beside him. “The point is that we want you to be happy.”
“But are you sure you want to be involved with Ronan? I’ll give you that he’s handsome—” Bel started but was cut off by an objection from River. His son quickly nuzzled his mate, murmuring something along the lines of Ronan being nowhere near as handsome as Wyatt and River.
“But he’s with the Ministry,” Winter finished.
Aiden sighed. “Yes, I’m well aware of that and the fact that the Ministry likely has an agenda against me. Right now, Ronan and I are simply talking. We haven’t seen each other in a very long time. We each thought the other had been killed the night we were turned. I would like to have the chance to learn about him while we try to uncover the Ministry’s plan.”
“Do you trust him?” Marcus asked.
Aiden hesitated, but only because he was surprised that he had an answer so quickly. “Yes, I do. I know Ronan. I know I can trust him. I only hesitated before because I was afraid. However, I don’t trust his traveling companions. So while I am talking to Ronan, I’m not opposed to my sons looking into the other two envoy members.”
“And you’ll be careful?” Winter prodded.
With a nod, Aiden pulled Winter in for another hug. “I’ll be careful. If Ronan raises any red flags in my mind, I promise to share them. The European Ministry will not hurt me or this clan, I swear.”
“And we will try to meddle less in your burgeoning love life,” Rafe murmured.
“Never in my life did I imagine that I would be having this conversation with my sons,” Aiden sighed.
“Just wait for when we sit you down for the talk about the birds and the bees.”
Winter snorted out a laugh, and Aiden groaned loudly. “Good night, Rafe and Marcus. We will talk later at a more reasonable hour, after the sun has set.”
Rafe and Marcus wished them a good sleep before ending the call. Aiden hugged his youngest one last time. His heart warmed further when Fox hurried over and crushed him in a tight hug, whispering an apology against his chest. The little witch was too sweet for his own good and the perfect match for his grumpy son.
They slipped away, returning to their new home through the secret underground tunnel that linked it to Bel’s home.
He looked up to find a gentle smile on Wyatt’s lips as he descended the last of the stairs. “We are sorry, Aiden. We never meant to make you feel like we didn’t have faith in your judgment.”
“Thank you, Wyatt.”
“Ronan is settled in the room at the end of the hall. I just put fresh towels in the guest room next to it if you would like to use it.