Embrace the Darkness (The Maura Quinn Series Book 1) - Ashley N. Rostek Page 0,51

entire third floor. It consisted of his gigantic bedroom that was double the size of mine, a walk-in closet that was the size of my room, his spa-like bathroom, and a private gym which had used to be my nursery when I'd been a baby.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, one of the solid oak double doors opened down the short hallway that led to Stefan’s suite. At first, I expected it to be Stefan already heading downstairs. To my jaw-dropping surprise, Brody stepped out with wet hair as if freshly showered and dressed in his usual suit. He didn’t notice me at first as he quietly closed the door behind him. I took that as my opportunity to recover from my shock.

He took two steps in my direction before he finally saw me. His eyes widened, steps faltering. Brody had always been terrible at hiding what he felt, which was perfect for me, especially right now. All it took was the quick flash of panic in his eyes to confirm what I’d been suspecting for years. Brody’s doing the walk of shame. Hmm, I didn’t like that phrase. There was nothing shameful about two consenting adults bumping uglies. The only shame here was the reason for hiding it.

My lips curled into a you-are-so-busted smile.

He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. “Well?”

I had loads of questions. However, they were for Stefan, not his lover. When Stefan was ready to tell me himself about this, I’d ask everything I was dying to know. For now, I’d settle for just one question. “How long?”

He hesitated, contemplating how he should answer. “On and off for twenty years.” His honesty was as shocking as it was saddening. They’d been together for so long and I was just finding out about it now? I wouldn’t have known at all if I hadn’t caught Brody.

I had to be real with myself. Why would Stefan have told me? We weren’t close. Nodding, I passed Brody as I continued to Stefan’s room.

“You’re not surprised?” he asked.

My hand hovered over the doorknob. I shook my head and glanced over my shoulder. “I always suspected he was into men. You, however, are a surprise. Looking back, though, I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on it. You’ve never dated, you agreed way too easily to no longer hiring hot maids, and you’ve devoted twenty plus years to taking care of a very difficult man.” Stefan was very high maintenance. Brody’s responsibilities went way beyond that of an estate manager. He literally worked twenty-four-seven attending to Stefan’s every need. He made sure Stefan ate, bought his overpriced clothes, filled out his daily schedule, took care of me as a little girl, and tackled any other request Stefan threw at him while he also took care of this house and its employees. Just thinking about doing some of it exhausted me. Chuckling, I shook my head. “I used to think you needed to be sainted or you were a masochist. A lot of people would have quit a long time ago. Now, I see that you’re his partner.”

He smiled warmly, seeming happy I understood. Then his eyes drifted to my father’s door behind me and his happiness dimmed. “If you’re going to ask him about this—us—”

“Unlike Stefan, I want him to tell me something like this when he’s ready.”

Brody seemed relieved. He nodded his thanks and continued on downstairs.

I tapped lightly on the door before poking my head in. The bed directly across the room was made, undoubtedly thanks to Brody, and the smell of a recent shower lingered in the air.

“Stefan,” I called out, stepping into the room and walking toward the bed. His room was dim. The only light was coming from the open bathroom door and the muted news playing on the TV in the lounge area.

“Maura?” I turned, finding him standing in the doorway to his closet while buttoning a cufflink. He was wearing a light gray button-up shirt with black slacks. His satin tie hung loosely around his neck, waiting to be tied. “You okay?” he asked, clearly surprised to see me.

“I know you have questions about yesterday,” I said and took a seat on the upholstered bench at the foot of his bed. I patted the empty space of bench, gesturing for him to sit down. With a small smile, he gracefully made his way across the room to sit next to me.

I didn’t waste time and dove right into it. I recounted