He stood up. “I should check on Fiona. Like Jen said, it’s a busy night.” He glanced down at Bellamy. “Let’s go.”
“Not a chance.” Bellamy actually batted his eyelashes. “This is the part where you leave and I let them ask me personal questions I may or may not answer in exchange for stories about your childhood. It’s what normal people do when meeting the family. I looked it up online.”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid here,” Seamus growled, unable to stop his hands from clenching at his sides. “Stop enjoying this so much, damn it.”
“I can’t help it, and you can’t avoid it, so go back to work. You have kids to feed and I’m not allowed to buy their affection with ponies or, I’m assuming, well balanced meals. Go.”
Seamus was genuinely tempted to physically drag Bellamy out of his chair and out back to finish this conversation, but he could feel his family staring at him with varying degrees of shock.
“Is that the Hulk face you said you saw, Owen?” Tasha whispered loudly. “Because you might need glasses, hon. Or a mirror to look into when you paddle Jeremy’s ass. I’ve never seen Seamus so toppy.”
“Paddles? Tell me more.”
“Forget it.” Seamus spun on his heel and strode back to the bar, restocking for Fiona and serving drinks so roughly he broke three mugs in the process.
Fiona gave him a wide berth, but she couldn’t keep the teasing smile off her face. His regulars were giving him curious looks and following his gaze, which kept returning to the table full of Finns and a very relaxed and irritating Bellamy Demir.
His family had taken it well. Or well enough, he supposed. It was clear they had more questions about the sudden appearance of a man in his life, but then so did he.
Bellamy was staying until Seamus told him to go? What did he mean by that? He knew the man worked, despite his bank account. Sure, he had assistants and more money than God, but he couldn’t just hang around indefinitely. Could he?
The point was moot, because once the kids got home and life got back to normal, Seamus was sure he wouldn’t want to stay long. Not because his children weren’t amazing, but their life was full of tiny, boring details and to-do lists that a man like Bellamy wouldn’t have any interest in being a part of. Doctor visits, dental visits, clothes shopping, shoe shopping, food shopping, bill paying…a continuous stream of things that had to be done for growing children on a regular basis and were not—in any way, shape or form—sexy.
There was no scenario where he could see a man like Bellamy sinking into domestic bliss and deciding to stay.
Then again, it hadn’t seemed possible that he’d show up at all, so…
“Can I talk to you in private?”
Stephen.
Seamus nodded and followed his brother into the hallway leading to the back exit. Stephen was still in his work suit, but his tie was missing and his jacket long gone. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and leaned against the wall, looking at Seamus with a sigh.
“I’m sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up after Wyatt dropped by and saw us.”
“I’m sorry I’m not someone you think you can turn to when something this big happens in your life.” Stephen gestured back to the main bar. “And I’m sorry Younger got weird and didn’t show. That’s a first for him, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I know you two are close.”
He definitely needed to call Solomon tomorrow. “The Waynes think he’s a late bloomer too.” He swore as soon as he said it. “Don’t tell Tasha. I love her to death but you know she’ll start trying to fix him up right away.”
“You’re probably right.” Stephen frowned thoughtfully. “As far as Solomon goes, I couldn’t begin to guess. But you two are a lot alike. Neither one of you were ever short on responsibilities, and you both took the brunt of the family’s as well, so we could be free to follow our dreams. It didn’t exactly give either of you much time to think about what you wanted.”
“Everyone needs to stop with this. You, of all people, know what a mess I’ve been.” He snorted. “If I were the angel everyone thinks I am, I wouldn’t be in this situation with someone like Bellamy.”
“An incredibly successful businessman? A guy Tasha said looks like a romance cover on steroids? Someone who seems smart, funny and determined enough to push past all those protective walls and bubble wrap you’ve placed around you and the kids? Someone like that?”
Someone who is so out of my league it’s frightening. Someone who should never have noticed me. Someone who has no idea how to live an ordinary life.