Dance Around - Susi Hawke Page 0,16

his hand out. "You're getting sidetracked, Nash. What you’re saying is true, but let's focus on one thing at a time. We can have a righteous bitchfest about Morty later. Right now, I want to hear the rest of Dan's story."

Not quite sure what else to say, I simply shrugged, until Dear narrowed his eyes and I was forced to admit the rest of it. "Fine. So after the meeting, I went by their place. Gil and I took a walk, and I asked him what the hell he was trying to pull. Why hadn't he told me he was the leader of a rival family moving in on my family's business? He said I misunderstood. He'd actually only become their leader after his mother passed away. Their father died before they moved here, and after a family vote, his mother started training Gil as her heir apparent. I asked why he'd still taken it after we'd met. Even if we'd gotten off on the wrong foot, we were true mates, and I’d assumed our claiming was nothing more than temporarily delayed."

When I began to pace, Dear and Gibby both looked suspicious. Dear shook his head. "There's more you're not telling us, isn’t there? I mean, suggesting he turn down his rightful place as the head of his family was bad enough. But what else did you say? And why do I already know it's going to piss me the fuck off?"

I lifted my shoulders, grimacing. "Because you know me? Okay, you know how things don't always come out the way I mean them, right? How I can sound like an asshole without meaning to sometimes?"

Gibby nodded knowingly. "Yeah, some people have resting bitch face. You have resting asshole attitude. Go on."

"Yeah, so… I pointed at one of his brothers I saw walking past. I wasn’t thinking about the dude being an alpha, I swear. I picked him at random because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So anyway, I asked why couldn't he run the brood? And when Gil gasped, I failed to read the room and rushed on to say how I'd always dreamed my mate would work at my side and we’d do everything together, like my parents did. If he wanted to stay home after we started our family, I would support him, but him working as my backup was the dream."

Dear shot me a dirty look and held up his hand, ticking points off on each finger. "So first, you insinuated an omega wasn't as qualified to run the brood as his alpha brother. Then, you suggested he leave his family altogether and come join ours. And then, even though you mentioned working as a team, you suggested his role would be as assistant to you, the almighty alpha. And finally, you tied it all off in a pretty little bow, saying he was welcome to stay home with the babies after he began popping them out. Geez, you really are a fucking idiot, aren't you?"

"I didn't mean it. You know me better. Although, would it kill you and Gibby to consider letting one of us alphas protect you from time to time? Biology made us bigger for a reason. I'm not saying you're not equal or you shouldn't be, but I'm sure Nate and Darius would sleep better if they knew you guys would be willing to ask for help if you need it. Just saying."

Gibby socked me in the gut, and Nash chuckled humorlessly. "Dan, stop talking. You might mean well, but you're coming off like the alphas we hate, the ones full of machismo who think they're better because they have a big dick or whatever."

Clay jerked me into a hug, slapping me on the back hard enough to sting before shoving me away. "Dan, I love you with my entire heart, big brother. But Dear was correct—you truly are a fucking idiot. Take it from me. Gil hasn't completely written you off anymore than you have him. Nobody without feelings for you would fight so hard, to the point of leaving his dinner, because you accused him of taking the last piece of bread in the basket. Especially when there was a brand-new basket waiting at the other end of the table. No, that omega cared more about arguing with you than he did the bread."

The bread! Oh, yeah. Our stupid fight was about bread. And in an instant, everything my brothers said clicked in my head.