Proof of Life (The Potentate of Atlanta #4) - Hailey Edwards Page 0,10
was going to need all the luck, and sucker punches, she could get if she hoped to beat sense into my brother. The boy had a head like a rock.
“Almost finished,” I sang out sweetly. “I just need to toss it.”
Once I finished dousing the massive batch in salt and butter, I poured it into two giant bowls. While I got sodas from the fridge, Midas carried our snack to the living room. Wisely, he handed Addie the first bowl then claimed a spot where I could sink down next to him and curl into his side.
“So,” Boaz began as soon as my butt hit the cushion. “How long has this been going on?”
“Leave them alone.” Addie crammed a handful of popcorn into his mouth then turned to me. “I’m happy you found someone who loves you as much as you deserve.” She smiled warmly at Midas. “Remember, I might not be her sister by blood, but I won’t hesitate to spill yours if you hurt her.”
Choking on his popcorn, Boaz spat wet kernels across his lap. “What?”
“They’re mated.” Addie watched us. “That means he knows.”
Faster than my brain could process, Boaz had drawn a dagger from goddess knows where and rested its edge against Midas’s throat. He leaned over Midas, who held very still but showed no signs of concern.
Knuckles white, Boaz demanded, “You know who she is?”
“I do.”
Arms folded across my middle, I confessed, “He knows what I am too.”
“Goddess, Ame. Do you know how dangerous this is?” His eyes widened. “Does Linus know he knows?”
Tensing at the old nickname, I waited for the expected pain to hit, but only nostalgia filled me.
“Yes.” I rested my hand on his. “He knows.”
Searching my face, he kept his grip tight. “He’s okay with it?”
“I’m still breathing, aren’t I?”
Beside us, Addie blanched. “That’s not as comforting as you maybe thought it would be.”
The truth was rarely comforting. Linus was my fail-safe, my guarantee that should I go off the rails again, I would be put down before I turned into a monster to rival Ambrose. But it was hard to hear that, and for me to mean it somehow made it worse.
“I respect your concern for Hadley,” Midas said, crimson rolling across his eyes. “I even appreciate it.”
A shiver tripped down my spine, not fear of Midas but fear for Boaz.
“Lower the blade,” Midas continued, calm and reasonable, “or I will do it for you.”
“Boaz,” Addie said quietly.
“This is our home.” I put my foot down. “You’re our guest, but I will kick your butt if you don’t knock it off.”
“You’re the only little sister I’ve got.” Boaz lowered his arm. “I worry about you, dork.”
“Hadley will be the Potentate of Atlanta,” Midas reminded him. “She can handle herself.”
“You’re Lethe’s little brother.” Boaz relented under Addie’s warning glare. “Maybe it makes a difference, that you’re the baby, or maybe it doesn’t, but I worry about my sister.”
Midas’s gaze dipped to the scars crisscrossing his forearms, proof of how much he loved his sister, a story I had no intention of sharing. No one else needed to know the depths of his love, or his pain. Everyone to whom it mattered already did, and I felt blessed to count myself in that small number.
Addie, however, watched me, the stand-in for the little sister she had lost, and she smiled gently.
“I think we all know how far we’re each willing to go for those we love.” She pulled Boaz down onto the couch beside her then draped herself half over his lap, which made him grin, but I suspected she was attempting to hold him down more than show affection. “Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get back to the popcorn.”
Happy with the change in topic, I picked up the remote. “What movie did you guys decide on?”
“There’s a new romcom.” Addie winked at me. “Lots of love words, grand gestures, and smooching.”
“That still trumps whatever creature feature Hadley had cued.” Boaz patted her hip. “I’m in.”
We rented Addie’s pick with the press of a button, dimmed the lights, and settled in to watch a feel-good movie together. As a family. A year ago, I wasn’t sure I had one anymore. This… I could get used to this.
Snuggled up to Midas, his fingers in my hair, his lips never leaving my brow, I forgot about the popcorn and the movie, and I watched us all instead. And when my eyelids drifted closed, I listened to Boaz and Addie whispering and laughing, to