Chapter Twenty-Five

Leo

“There’s food in the fridge.”

Brynn wrinkled her nose, clearly unimpressed.

I leaned back in my chair and grinned.

“I know there is. I already checked as soon as they left,” she sighed.

Bristol, Pie, and Duke had headed off to the clubhouse about half an hour ago, leaving the house feeling quieter than usual. It was part of the routine; Bristol spent a couple of days there every month blowing off steam and enjoying the chaos of the clubhouse. I’d insisted on it when she got with Pie. She always came back.

Brynn, though, wasn’t convinced. “What if she doesn’t come back?” she muttered and folded her arms across her chest.

I chuckled. Brynn had only been here at Wyndemere for a week, but she was already hooked on Bristol’s cooking. I wasn’t na?ve—I knew she loved me, but I had a sneaking suspicion Bristol’s meals were an added incentive for her to stick around. “She’ll be back, baby. Don’t worry.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, but the pout on her face didn’t waver.

I watched her from behind my desk, the pen I’d been holding tapping lightly against the wood as I thought. She had this way of filling a room, even when she was sitting there, irritated about something small. And every time she did, it made me love her a little bit more.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked, sensing the shift in my mood.

I hesitated, then shrugged. “Two things.”

“Hit me with the first one,” she said, leaning forward.

“One, when the hell is Candace going to make her move? It’s been days since she last talked to Maranga, and we haven’t seen any sign of her.”

Brynn frowned but nodded. “She’ll show her face soon. She’d be stupid to go back on what she told Guy she was going to do.”

“Maybe. But the fact that she’s unpredictable as hell worries me.”

“What’s the second thing?” she asked, eyebrows raised as if expecting another problem.

I leaned forward, resting my elbow on the desk. “How the hell are we going to make this work? You, running Maranga’s empire. Me, handling mine. We’re both at the top of our game, but how do we do this together?”

She laughed softly, though there was a serious edge to her eyes. “I’ve been thinking about that too. For the time being, we stay separate, running our own territories. Guy never thought about the long game with me taking over, but I did. I was planning a sort of merger, actually.”

“A merger?” I asked, intrigued.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “Find someone else who could help me run things in my name.”

I tilted my head, surprised. “And you didn’t think of me?”

Brynn’s lips quirked into a small smile. “I did. But I wasn’t sure how you’d react to finding out I was married to Guy, let alone running his empire.”

I smirked. “Seems like I’m handling it pretty well.”

She laughed and relaxed a little. “So, you wanna merge with me, then?”

I leaned back in my chair and eyed her. “Did you just propose to me in the most queenpin way possible?”

She grinned and shrugged. “Not intentionally, but... yeah, I guess I did.”

I shook my head, and my expression turned serious. “No.”

Her smile faded, and her brow furrowed. “Wait, what?”

“I said no.”

Brynn’s face fell, and her usual confidence faltering.

“Can I ask you something now?” I ventured, my voice quieter than before. I didn’t wait for her to answer. “Marry me,” I said, my voice firm. “Be my wife like you should’ve been over twenty years ago.”

She blinked, and I caught her off guard. “Leo,” she laughed nervously, “I literally just asked you the same thing, and you said no.”

I shrugged and kept my eyes on hers. “I guess I’m okay with you being a queenpin, but I’d like to be the one to ask you to marry me. Call me old-fashioned.”

Brynn rolled her eyes but got up from the couch and made her way over to me. I swiveled my chair toward her, and she stepped between my knees, sliding into my lap with ease. Her hands rested on my shoulders, and her eyes locked onto mine, her smile slowly returning.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice full of emotion.

I raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

She nodded, laughing. “Yes, times one hundred. Yes, yes, yes!”

I didn’t waste any more time. I pulled her in and kissed her, sealing the deal right then and there. Her lips were soft, and her hands slid up to tangle in my hair as we deepened the kiss. I felt the world tilt, everything outside of us fading away as I held her tighter, my heart pounding in my chest.

And then, right in the middle of it, my phone rang.

Brynn reached for it, still half in my lap, and answered without hesitation, putting it on speaker. “You’re talking to the future Mrs. Leo Banachi,” she called, her voice teasing.

Apollo’s voice crackled through the speaker, sharp and urgent. “Bristol’s headed down the driveway like a bat out of hell. We can’t see anyone with her, but this doesn’t feel right.”

My body tensed.

“Oh shit,” Brynn gasped.

“We’ll be right there,” I shouted into the phone, heart pounding.

Brynn was off my lap in a flash, the playful moment replaced with something far more serious. I grabbed my gun from the desk drawer, tucking it into the waistband of my pants. “Stay here and lock the door,” I ordered, turning to her.

Brynn shook her head, defiant. “Hell no. I’m going with you.”

I didn’t have time for this. “Just do as—”

“No.” Her voice was firm, her eyes unwavering. “You go out there, so do I. We’re in this together.”

Our gazes met, and I saw the fire in her eyes—the same strength, the same resolve I’d admired. She wasn’t backing down.

I nodded, relenting. “Fine,” I muttered, grabbing her hand as we moved toward the door together.

Whatever was coming, we were ready for it. Together.