Page 47 of Unbearable

Fox: Made it back.

Bailey: Good. Was she there?

Fox: In bed already asleep. How’s Ethan?

Bailey: Fresh pajamas. Sound asleep.

Fox: Thank you. For everything. I don’t know when I’ll collect him tomorrow.

Bailey: Not a worry. He can stay as long as he needs.

Fox: TY. Sleep well. I wish I was beside you.

Bailey: Me too.

The phone went silent, and she placed it back on her nightstand. She worried about his safety too. He was a big man, capable of taking care of himself, but her sister was more volatile than even he realized. Bailey had spent her entire life walking on eggshells around her.

Rolling over on her side, she swore to put all of it away so she could get some sleep. Ethan deserved a fully alert aunt to make him breakfast in the morning.

One thought did strike her before she drifted to sleep, however. It was time to meet Knox and the rest of the family. She needed to know what he was planning for Brooke. As bad as thefallout would be, if it meant Ethan’s safety, she would welcome being a part of the plan.

She would call Dover first thing in the morning and get his phone number. She would insist he meet her and Ethan tomorrow for lunch.

With that settled, in her mind anyway, she let herself relax. The house had fallen silent as the night deepened. She listened for any noise coming from Ethan’s room for a second. Hearing nothing, she let her eyes close. If she was lucky, her dreams would be filled with Fox. Tomorrow’s problems would wait for tomorrow.

The next morning when she called Knox, he insisted they meet near her house for lunch. She picked a diner that still served pancakes at noon, knowing that would make Ethan happy.

They were early, but they only had to wait a few minutes before a man who, even though she had never met him before, she knew immediately, walked through the door.

“Uncle Knox!” Ethan shouted with an enthusiastic wave. The scowl on Knox’s face immediately turned into a grin as he approached their table. Ethan jumped up and threw himself at the large man.

Bailey knew he was taller than Fox from his description, but she wasn’t prepared for how much taller. She also wasn’t prepared for the piercing green eyes peering back at her. They matched Fox and Dover’s exactly.

“You must be Bailey,” he said after extracting Ethan from around his neck. His large hand engulfed hers as they shook. “I have to admit I was a little surprised when you said you wanted to meet for lunch. I’m glad you did though.”

“Well, after last night, I thought it might be a good decision.”

“Ahh,” he said before picking his menu up. “I guess this is where you threaten to remove my intestines and use them to hang me?”

“Um, no. I hadn’t thought about that. Are you always that dark?” she asked. She might have made a mistake asking him to meet her. But she felt a little better when Ethan looked up at him adoringly, and Knox ruffled his hair. “Do you have any children, Mr. Monroe?”

“Mr. Monroe? Is this a formal meeting? I would have worn a suit if I’d known,” he teased. Or at least she thought he was teasing. “How about you call me Knox. I know it’s a little confusing with a brother whose name rhymes. I guess Dad didn’t think about that.”

The waitress appeared at their table, so she had a few minutes to regain her composure while they ordered. This man had managed to unsettle her in a manner of minutes. Still, he had helped track down Ethan the night before.He couldn’t be all bad. Could he?

“The answer is two,” he continued when the waitress walked off.

“What?” For the life of her, she couldn’t remember what she’d asked. He smiled at her with amusement. His eyes seemed to dance, something she hadn’t seen Fox’s eyes do.

“I have two kids. Twins. A boy and a girl, but they’re not as old as Ethan.” He sat back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting. “Go ahead, ask anything. I’ll answer what I can.”

“Okay, then I have several questions. We’ll start with an easy one. Why did it look like Fox’s nose was…you know?” Her eyes cut to Ethan. She didn’t want him to overhear something he shouldn’t. Fortunately, Knox understood what she was asking. Ithadn’t escaped her notice that Fox’s nose had been bleeding, but he didn’t have any marks to indicate a fight.

“An easy one, huh?” he mumbled. “How much has he explained about how else we’re connected besides sharing a father?”

“What else would there be? Are you in an Irish gang or the Mafia?”

“Nothing like that.” He sat studying her long enough that she began to squirm. “Okay, here goes. We all share one other trait besides green eyes. Each one of us inherited a strange ability, for lack of a better word.”