Page 49 of A Forbidden Arrangement

It doesn’t line up with anything I know about Xander. I can’t go two hours without running into him or one of his people wandering through the halls. “He never leaves though?”

Becca grins, talking around a bite of her sandwich. “And it’s been so freaking nice not to have to go to the city each morning.”

I blink, trying to make sense of it. So I’m not the only one stuck here after all. “But why?”

Marco leans back in his chair and gives me a look that says I should already know the answer. “Because there’s no way he’s letting his new wife out of his sight.”

“We barely know each other.”

“Oh, honey. You’ve got a lot to learn about the Everette brothers.” Mrs. Price smiles in that knowing way.

I take another bite, deciding I don’t even want to know what that means. In my opinion, it’s absolutely better if Xander stays a mystery. The less I know about him, the better.

“So,” I say, changing the subject, “does Xander know you guys are in here?”

All three of them tilt their heads at the same time, which is a little unsettling. Becca’s the one who answers. “Why wouldn’t he?”

I gesture toward the table covered in food, cards, and laughter. “You know…most bosses don’t let their employees hang around playing games in their kitchen. Especially notthatboss.”

Becca sets her sandwich down, watching me with something close to disappointment. “You really do have a bad impression of him, don’t you? You should cut him some slack.”

“Enough nagging her. He’s a grown man. He can figure out how to woo her on his own,” Marco says, giving her shoulder a playful shove.

“Woo?” I echo, eyes narrowing.

Becca doesn’t even blink. “You know how to play Uno?”

“Sorry, what?”

Marco holds up a colorful deck like it’s self-explanatory. “Uno.”

“Well… yeah, I’ve played it before,” I say, still trying to process the wholewooingcomment, when a small boy barrels into the room and throws himself at Marco.

“Uncle Marco! You said you’d wait for me!”

Marco grunts at the impact, then scoops the kid up like it’s nothing, settling him on the chair between him and Becca. Whatever scary, mafia vibe he usually gives off disappears completely as he raises both hands in surrender. “We haven’t started.”

“You promise?” the boy asks, his words stretching with a lisp.

“Promise.” Marco raises both hands like he’s swearing an oath, eyes wide in mock fear.

Becca licks her thumb and leans over, wiping a smear of something from his cheek. He groans and squirms away.

“Mom! Stop!”

His dark hair falls into his eyes, and for a second, something tightens under my ribs, but before the thought can settle, he turns that same big-eyed curiosity on me.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Dahlia.” I smile as he reaches out to snag a cookie from the plate, and Marco wordlessly slides it closer for him.

The kid’s grin lights up his whole face. He stuffs the cookie in his mouth before his mom can say a word, chewing as fast as he can. Then he looks at me again, eyes sparkling. “You’re so pretty. No wonder he married you.”

I choke on a laugh. “Thank you. And who might you be?”

Becca shakes her head, though there’s amusement in her voice. “This rascal’s name is Toby. Xander lets him stay here with me when I can’t find childcare. He really saved me, because I was out of options. Most employers don’t let you bring your kids to work.” She nods toward the room he came from. “Let alone give them a whole playroom full of toys.”

Toby perks up. “Mr. Xander bought me a race car set! It’s super fast. He said if I win a race, I can pick dessert.”