Page 131 of Never the Same

“You’re a real trouper.” I winked, then twirled him around, which had him giggling.

After the dance and the song ended, Chase bowed like a perfect gentleman, just before Gideon stole me away next.

“Hey you.” Gideon’s lopsided smile wasn’t his usual one. “We’ve missed you. Heard you just operated with Delta. Almost late to your own party.”

Yeah, about that. I shrugged, glancing at Trevor dancing with a dark-haired guest I didn’t recognize. “They haven’t hired two more recruits for Trevor’s unit yet, so they needed help, and I couldn’t resist.”

“Rumor has it, you went up against a drug lord and—”

“Like that isn’t just another Tuesday for you?”

He shook his head, unamused. “If you have the itch to operate, why not run missions with us again?”

I had felt that coming a mile away. “Because I want to get pregnant and have kids, and only scratch that itch when I’m, well, feeling itchy,” I said with a laugh. “And it should be you running things. You were always going to take over regardless of a ring and tradition, and we both know that. You were born for this. Me?” Worried how that may have sounded, I quickly amended, “That doesn’t mean you can’t have a family, too.”

“I don’t think I’m the commitment type.”

“I wasn’t, either, before Jason, so never say never,” I reminded him.

He tilted his head toward Gwen and Julian. “Don’t think a family is in the cards for him, either. Don’t get your hopes up about Gwen—that’s not happening. They’re way too alike for it to work out.”

“So the idea of them together crossed your mind, too?”

A dark laugh sat between us. “Hell no. That’s just what Julian told me last week after a few too many drinks.”

“Which means he’s actually into her, and . . .” My words trailed off when I spotted a man at the edge of the tent.

Easton Holloway in a dark suit, and his crutches were clearly a distant memory. His eyes were fixed on Gwen and Julian dancing.

I let go of my brother when Easton turned and went back outside. I started to chase after him, only to have Gwen catch my wrist mid-pursuit.

She looked back and forth between where she’d left my brother on the dance floor and the direction Easton had gone. “Let me,” she whispered, then let go of me and took off.

“Was that Easton?” Jason asked on approach, pulling me close to him.

“It was.” I swallowed. “How was the dance with Mum?”

“She apologized for some things she said,” he casually tossed out, and I knew he really didn’t give a damn about my mum’s opinion of him, but I cared about her treating him right, so. “How was the dance with your brother? He trying to win you back to the dark side?”

“I think he accepts I’m where I belong.” He hadn’t said that, but I believed it. “I’m still worried about Tristan, though.” I looked around for him, and found him still at the bar, alone, a drink in hand. “Not sure yet what he plans to do with the knowledge about his father. I mean, maybe his dad’s not even alive.”

“He’s not.” Jason stopped dancing, letting a curse settle between us as he winced. “I don’t think so, at least.”

I arched my brow. “You have something to tell me?”

“You know how I know too much about a lot of random things?”

I nodded.

“Well, I remembered something. An event that happened in 1992. Did some digging.”

Mum burned down the vault that year, right.

“Do you actually want to know who I think it is? It’s felt like a lie to keep this from you, but . . .”

“I’m not ready to carry that burden. Your instincts are spot on.” I gulped. “Mind holding that secret for me a little longer?”

“Of course.”