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“Not a competition,” I assure him, snagging his hand and giving it a squeeze. “You have every right to be upset over what happened.”
He shoots me the tiniest smile. “Yeah, well, so do you. Why would he do that?”
I assume he means Cameron. I’ve asked myself that a million times in the past five years. Why? Was he really that different from me that he cared more about his own success than his brother?
Deep down, I know the answer to that is yes. He’s always been determined. A little ruthless. I thought it’d served our firm well, and it did. We had several high-profile clients in our first couple years as newbie lawyers that catapulted Lavoie & Lavoie into the multimillion-dollar company it is now.
I just never thought Cameron would turn his aspirations against me.
“I don’t have a good answer to that,” I tell Kipp. “The way my brother thinks isn’t something I want to understand.”
He hums. “I get that. For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry they did that to you.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
Not for the first time, I get a strong wash of warmth inside my chest as Kipp’s gaze catches mine. He’s so unlike those from my previous world. It’s a very good thing.
The best.
“Did, um…” Kipp looks sheepish. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but did they succeed? In taking over?”
I blow out a breath as we round the curve back onto our street. “They got rid of me. But no. They didn’t get the business.”
Chapter 18
Kipp
“Did you know Teddy is a lawyer?” I ask Niko.
He’s chopping dill for the tzatziki as I dice onions for a stuffed pepper dish. He looks at me in surprise. “Is he?”
“Yeah,” I say around a huff that’s mostly awe. “Is that not the hottest thing you’ve ever heard?”
Niko’s mother clucks her tongue at me. “Watch your fingers, paidí mou,” she scolds lightly, her use of my child taking all the heat out of the warning.
“Sorry, Mamá Adamos.”
She gives my arm a squeeze, a dish towel over her shoulder as she grinds the lamb for the peppers.
“Who’s Teddy?” Elina asks from the other side of the room.
“One of Niko’s coworkers,” Cassandra answers, helping her young toddler, Calliope, add blocks to her tower on the floor of the kitchen.
“And Kipp’s husband,” Niko mutters under his breath, giving me a smirk when I shoot a glare his way.
The room falls deathly silent for all of two seconds before Niko’s sisters erupt, all four of them talking over one another.
“Oh good, we’re allowed to talk about it now?” Ioanna says, abandoning the peppers she’d been hollowing out.
“I never said you couldn’t,” Niko replies. “I just said to be nice.”
Ioanna pouts. “I’m always nice.”
“You married Niko’s costar?” Elina asks. She’s the middle of the bunch and by far the scariest.
“I thought you said he’s a lawyer,” Sofia puts in, Ioanna’s twin. They’re the youngest.
“People can be more than one thing,” Cassandra, the oldest, replies.
