believe it. They were incredibly adorable, one a dusky gold and the smaller one dark brown, almost black. They played together under a tall tree, wrestling.
I was enjoying their antics so much the most obvious thought slipped from my mind.
“Hey—wait!” My heart almost stopped in my chest. “Where are the kids? Are they okay? These cubs probably have parents. They can’t be far off.”
Aleksy grinned as he dried off a plate and put it on the rack.
“It’s normal to see animals come up close to cabins here. Zavier is out there and Daire is cutting wood. Zavier’s got his eyes on the kids.”
I watched the cubs for a few minutes more, uncomfortable thoughts trying to crowd into my mind.
“Aleksy?”
“Yeah?” He turned from the sink.
“What’s going on? Like, with you and Zavier and Daire. You don’t seem to like each other much. You seem to know each other pretty well.”
He sighed, and I saw conflict on his face. He glanced at the cubs, then back at me.
“There isn’t much to tell. We all lived here with our families for generations, and even though we were never best friends, it was amicable. Some time when our great grandfathers were expanding, territory disputes started… I mean, a real estate war type of thing. Whoever got control of the land could dictate what the other side did with theirs. You know, council rules and such.”
I didn’t know, but I nodded as if I did.
“Well. The great grandfathers are long gone now. But our parents still are. My family was much smaller and when I went to the city, they moved to a smaller cabin up the mountain abandoning this section. The others have been using it by proxy without proper ownership. Now I’m back, there could be a nasty battle… legal battle. Because these guys are used to using my territory. I mean, land. I’ve decided I’m not ready to give it up.”
“Wow. Can’t you come to terms somehow?”
“I wish we could. Not once over the years have we been able to communicate effectively, let alone stop fighting.”
“That sounds kind of sad.”
He shrugged. “When I met my wife and had kids, I decided I didn’t need this land. My folks were still pretty pissed about the whole thing. They maintained their rights, but without me here using the land, the other side could claim occupancy. Daire had someone they thought might be a serious buyer at the time—and they were going to make a legal play so he could develop the whole mountain for his new family. Zavier loves living here, but he’s only embroiled in the dispute because of his cousin.”
“So, did Daire get married?”
Aleksy shook his head. “Not that I know of. It fell through, I guess, because he never went into a proper fight to get the land from me. They just stayed here and kept up the place, using my territory whenever they needed to because I wasn’t here to defend it. Now I’m here, I’ve got my family, and I want them to stay on their own fucking side of the fence.”
He gripped a plate in his hand so hard I thought he was going to break it. He set it down, looking intently at the towel and the cutlery as he slowly washed and dried.
I realized that all three of the guys were actually single. I had an uncomfortable thought that I’d like all of them to fall in love with me. I shook my head at the notion, laughing at myself. Daire hated me. Zavier was lovely, but surely he would never agree to share. Aleksy clearly hated them both. It was just a stupid fantasy, and I was letting my head get into the clouds by even considering it.
Still, I couldn’t shake the image of the four of us gathered around the fire, little Egan and Adara between us as we drank hot chocolate. Knowing that could never be made me feel sad.
I shook my head a little I had to get ahold of myself. I was here to work, not have crazy ménage fantasies.
Aleksy had turned his back to me and was watching the dishes with an intense focus. I could tell he didn’t want to talk anymore, and that just left me feeling even more empty. I didn’t know what I had done wrong.
I murmured a ‘bye’ to him and when he waved over his shoulder, I left the room quickly. Conversations with Aleksy seemed to turn bad on the turn of a dime.