“I don’t know,” Marjorie said. “Ryan may be right. Maybe just you, Talon.”
“No, I need some backup.” He looked to Jonah. “I need my big brother.”
Jonah nodded. He would do anything for Talon. The guilt that he carried ensured that. But even if he didn’t carry so much guilt, I was sure he would do anything his brother needed. That was the kind of man he was.
“All right. I’ll be here,” Jonah said. “And there’s one thing you haven’t mentioned.”
“What’s that?” Talon asked.
“We’ll need her to get a DNA test. If her fingerprints are on the card, that blood sample might be hers as well.”
“He’s right, Tal,” Ryan said.
“Jesus.” Talon rubbed the back of his neck. “How the hell am I supposed to ask for her blood on top of everything else?”
“We’ll just do it,” Jonah said. “We’ll tell her it’s necessary.”
I gazed at the man I loved. My God, his strength humbled me. He had everything under control, and he’d take care of it. All that guilt that ate him up inside hadn’t changed his core.
He was more than robust and able-bodied. More than strong, both physically and mentally. Jonah Steel was potent. Powerful. Dominant.
“It will work out,” he was saying. “I’ll be here, and I’ll bring Melanie to babysit Brooke.” He smiled.
“Actually, if Jade and Marjorie are going to be here, you probably don’t need me to come and spend time with Brooke.”
“Oh, no, feel free to come,” Jade said. “We’d like to have you.”
“In fact, I think I’ll make myself scarce,” Marjorie said. “This whole thing is just so…surreal. I can’t imagine that Felicia is involved.”
“You and I have been talking about taking a hike,” Jade said. “Why don’t we do it tomorrow morning?”
That was that. I would be babysitting Brooke Bailey tomorrow morning.
Jonah squeezed my hand. For some strange reason, I got the feeling he was trying to tell me something.
Chapter Twenty–Three
Jonah
The thought of Melanie spending time with Brooke Bailey didn’t sit well with me, but I couldn’t do anything about it at the moment. I could hardly tell Jade her mother had come on to me, or that I was pretty sure she was stalking me via my phone. All I could do was give Melanie’s hand a squeeze, let her know I was there.
Jade and Talon cleared the dishes, while Marj brought out a decadent flourless chocolate torte garnished with fresh fig cream cheese for dessert.
“I made this three days ago,” she said. “It contains brandy, and letting it sit in the fridge for a few days really softens the flavors.”
It was of course delicious, as was everything Marj ever made. I had two servings and a cup of coffee. Finally, I stood. “We should get going.”
Melanie followed my lead, standing as well. “I can’t thank you enough for including me tonight. Everything was delicious.”
Marj walked to her and gave her a hug. Melanie looked a little uncomfortable but returned the affection.
“It is so great to meet you. I hope to see a lot more of you out here.”
“Yes, please come around more often.” Jade rose and also hugged Melanie.
“Thank you,” Melanie said, biting her lip.
I was burning for Melanie. I wanted to get her back to my house and fuck her senseless. But I knew I needed to go slowly, just as I had before.