“What makes you say that?” The idea had me frowning at him.
“You know what he’s like.” Aidan shrugged before he rocked back in the seat I knew was his office chair, thanks to the view at his back of a shiny skyscraper I recognized. He wasn’t at home, but in the office complex which was a front—a means of making our business a little more legitimate.
And I said a ‘little more,’ because we were bent as fuck.
“No, I don’t.”
“If anyone knows Da, it’s you. You’re too similar for either of your own good. It makes you his favorite, but also, it means he gets you more than any of us ever did.” Aidan pulled a face. “He wanted you wed a lot sooner than this, Eoghan, you have to know that.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s he been saying?”
“Nothing, but I know him. God help me.”
“God help us both.” I picked up my weights again and started my training.
“Fuck, I miss squats,” Aidan rasped.
“You looking at my ass?” I joked, but only to lighten shit. Aidan had found it hard working out ever since Finn’s wedding day massacre, and I knew the only place he found any peace was either on the back of a horse or in the pool. It was why Da had built him a house close to the family property—he had an Olympic-sized pool now, but even that didn’t help him with his pain management.
It went without being said that we knew he had issues with drugs. So far, he was controlling it, but the second it went either way, we all knew Da would be in his face. I wasn’t looking forward to that day. Aidan had it miserable enough with the pain he was in on a constant basis. Cold turkey too?
That was going to suck, and even if I gave him shit, I loved him and didn’t want him to suffer.
More than he already was, at any rate.
“It’s a fine ass,” he promptly replied. “But that one over there is nicer.”
I peered over my shoulder and saw Inessa walking down the hall to the kitchen.
I scowled back at Aidan, who grinned at me. “Declan was right. You are possessive of her.” He rubbed his hands together. “That’s a good sign.”
“Are you all playing fucking matchmaker or something? Far as I know, I’m already hitched to the—” I broke off at the word ‘bitch.’ Inessa was many things, but that wasn’t one of them.
Aidan’s eyes flared wide. “Holy fuck, you can’t call her a bitch. This is deeper than I thought.”
“Don’t read too much into shit. I’ve only known her six days!”
My feathers were definitely ruffled, and I dropped the free weights on the padded mat I was standing on, ignoring the heavy clanking, and grabbed my towel and a water bottle from the fridge that was tucked into the recessed cabinets beneath the TV.
“You just call to piss me off?”
“No, to see the state of play.” Aidan’s expression turned serious. “You could have known her longer. It’s your fault you only met on your wedding day.”
“What did I have in common with a goddamn teenager?”
“Nothing, but you’d know her better than you do now.”
“I know enough. She’s quiet, reads a shit ton, can’t cook for crap, is neater than me, and doesn’t talk too much.”
“The perfect wife,” Aidan teased, and I laughed at that because his eyes were twinkling and it was good to see.
They were often clouded with either pain or drugs, and the sight did my heart good.
I took a deep sip of water first, then rubbed my face with the towel. “I like her,” I told him. “She doesn’t irritate me, and that’s a major step forward.”
“You going to try to make a go of things?”
“What are we? Women? Since when do we talk about relationships?”