Eyes can lie, of course. But DNA is another matter. There was no doubt now that Damien and Misty were brother and sister. So he was holding a phone tightly against his ear, waiting. The ringing seemed to go on for hours, and his rug was surely going to get ruts in it because he couldn’t stop pacing.
“This is Joseph!”
Bryson couldn’t help but smile as the man’s voice boomed through the telephone. No one would ever accuse the head of the Anderson family of being a quiet man. It didn’t matter how much he aged — he would always be larger than life. And he’d most likely never die, either.
“Hello, Joseph, this is Bryson Winchester,” he began, then wondered whether he’d be able to get another word in edgewise during their “conversation.”
“Bryson, my boy! How are you? I figured you forgot how to use a phone, it’s been so long since you’ve rung me,” Joseph scolded him.
“I’m sorry, sir.” Bryson always felt like a disobedient child when Joseph spoke to him. Because he was friends with Joseph’s sons, he’d been to the man’s place a few times, and Joseph was certainly loud and a bit overbearing in his manner. But the man was also always very welcoming. It seemed incredible that he and his sweet and accommodating wife could make such a perfect couple. But they did.
“I suppose I can forgive you, Bryson. After all, you’re a busy man. Have you found someone special yet? Last I spoke to your parents, they were heartbroken — simply devastated — that they still didn’t have grandkids. They have three beautiful children, and not one of you has done the honorable thing — settling down and marrying, and giving them some nice babies to hold.”
Damn. It was worse than just scolding. Less than a minute on the phone with this man and he felt as if he’d been pulled into the principal’s office for skipping class or being caught under the bleachers with Suzy Summers.
“Work keeps me busy, sir. I see my family often, though.”
“Well, I would hope so,” Joseph said. “You’ve got good folks, Bryson, real good folks. Not everyone is as lucky as you are”
“Yes, sir. I’m well aware of that,” he said, then rushed into his next sentence before Joseph could cut him off again. “I’m calling because I have news that I think you’ll be excited about. It pertains to Damien, but I thought it would be best coming from you, since I don’t know him very well.”
“Go on then, and spit it out. I’m not getting any younger,” Joseph bellowed.
A grin spread across Bryson’s face. It wasn’t a wonder at all that Joseph was loved so much. He could sure blow a bunch of smoke, but underneath it all, family was all that truly mattered to him. Not his billions, and not all that he’d accomplished — just having a beautiful, successful, happy family.
“I’ve found his sister.”
Dead silence greeted his proclamation. Bryson was beginning to think he’d lost the connection when he heard a suspicious throat clearing.
“Are you sure, boy?” It almost didn’t sound like Joseph anymore. His voice was unusually quiet and gruff. It sounded as if the large man was fighting tears.
“I had her DNA tested. I haven’t told her about any of it yet. I didn’t want to raise her hopes and then dash them if it turned out that Damien wasn’t her brother. She’s had a…difficult life.”
“I hate to hear that,” Joseph said. “It could have been so much better for her. I’ll never understand why my uncle did what he did, why he had so much hatred in his heart.” The story filled him with sadness even after all these years.
“What do you want me to do, sir? Should I wait to tell her?” Bryson had no idea what his next move should be. Misty was a witness in a case and had a dangerous man coming after her. But this was her family. They would be able to offer her more protection than he could. She’d been without them long enough.
“What’s her name?” Joseph asked.
“Misty Elton. She’s beautiful, smart, and strong — so strong. She’s a witness in a case we’re building against a dirty cop. She’s been through hell and back, and she’s fighting not to get sucked down there again. I do not want to see her hurt any more than she already has been. I don’t know how she’ll react to this, but I have a feeling she won’t be averse to having a family. I just want to make sure it’s what Damien really wants, because I’m sure she can’t handle another rejection in her life. I won’t let that happen,” Bryson said, revealing more about himself than he should have to the meddling Joseph Anderson.
“I see,” Joseph replied, all traces of tears now erased from his voice.
“I will let you digest this and then wait for your call,” Bryson said.
“You won’t be kept waiting long, Bryson. What you’ve done for our family shows what a great man you are. I’ll happily welcome you into the fold.”
What? Welcome him into the fold? Bryson wasn’t calling about himself; he was calling about Misty. He had nothing to do with her family other than as a friend to the boys.
When he hung up the phone, he had no idea that his future was already mapped out in Joseph’s head. The old man was shrewd and he’d just found another match.
And there was nothing that made Joseph Anderson happier than matching up his family members and seeing future generations brought into the world for him to rightfully spoil.
Although Bryson wasn’t ready to tell Misty yet what he’d found out, he had to hear her voice, had to assure himself that she was hanging in there. It had been a few days since their return from Montana, and walking away from her had just about killed him.
He knew he’d made the right decision, but he still regretted leaving her that day. She’d wanted him as desperately as he’d wanted her, and he was beginning to think it wouldn’t be so bad if the two of them spent some…uh…intimate time together. Yes, she was a witness, and, yes, he was responsible for her, but keeping each other warm on a cold night — what was so wrong with that?
Because it was against the rules.
Hell, the rules were meant to be broken.
He dialed her, and then he waited what felt like another eternity for her to pick up her phone.
Her hello came out breathless, and Bryson’s groin instantly tightened. Criminy! First he felt like a disobedient child while speaking with Joseph, and now he felt like a creeper, getting a hard-on like a damn teenager from just the sound of her voice over the phone. What was his problem? He was in his mid-thirties!