Ember cringed.
“Are you in pain? Should I get the nurse?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s not that. I just — this isn’t exactly how I imagined you meeting my parents and sisters.”
He gave her a sad smile. “I know it’s less than ideal, but I had to tell them. I figured you would need your people around you while you heal.”
“Thanks, Kai. I appreciate it. I really do. But you should know—” she swallowed hard, and her face flushed. “I consider you my people too, Kai.”
His heart soared, despite where they were and why they were there. He brushed his lips against her forehead. “I consider you my people too, love.”
They basked in the moment, relieved that she was going to be okay. The quiet was short-lived. Soon, the room erupted with all kinds of exclamations of worry. Two young women, who looked quite similar to Ember, but with different hair, and an older couple burst in. It took a bit of time to get everyone calmed and settled down enough.
Ember had to cough to get everyone to shut up. As one, her family quieted. “Do you need something?” her mother asked.
“No, but you’re all going to drive me crazy if you don’t let me explain something to you. This is Kai,” Ember said, her eyes finding his.
He held out his hand to Mrs. Brady. “I’m the boyfriend.”
Ember’s mother had reactions similar to her daughter. Their eyes got wide, their mouths dropped open. Ember looked a lot like her mother. All of the Brady sisters did.
“The boyfriend?” Mrs. Brady cooed, her eyes going to her ailing daughter. “You’re lucky you’re in that hospital bed, Ember. Else you would have some serious explaining to do, keeping this from all of us.
“I knew,” Cinder and Sparks said at the same time before giggling.
“Didn’t expect to meet you so soon, though,” Sparks added.
“Well, this is far too many people in a sick room. Way too much excitement. We’ll wait in the hall. Glad to see you’re okay, sis.” Cinder pulled at Sparx’s sleeve, but her sister didn’t budge as she surveyed Kai. “Come on, you weirdo. Let’s leave them be.”
The two sisters disappeared, leaving Kai alone with his mate and her parents.
“So, I’ll be okay,” Ember assured them before explaining everything, from the first letter to the poisoning.
“Well, now you have to let us invest in a bakery for you. There’s no way we’re going to let you compete in that dumb show now.” Mr. Brady looked about resolved as Kai felt.
“Thank you, Mr. Brady,” Kai said with a sigh. “I have been trying to get her to agree to that for days now.”
“I knew you shouldn’t meet,” Ember grumbled. “Now, I’m outnumbered.”
“You can’t out-stubborn all three of us, dear,” Mrs. Brady chided with a smile. “Or, all five of us, if we count your sisters.”
Ember narrowed her eyes at them. “I can try,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Not on your life,” Kai and Mr. Brady stated at the same time.
At least that earned him a smile from his mate. “Fine,” she sighed. “We can maybe talk about a loan because I won’t have my sense of taste ruined by more poison.”
Kai shook his head. “You’re an exasperating woman,” he heard himself say.
“Get used to it, pal.” Mr. Brady clasped a hand on his back. “My girls take after their mother.” There was love in the older man’s tone.
Well then — he sure had his work cut out for him.
Chapter Fifteen
Ember
The full three days Ember had passed in the hospital had been nothing about relaxing. Kai hadn’t left her side, and her family had visited more times than necessary. Ember had a feeling her family was just looking to spend time around Kai to get to know the man who had captivated her heart.
Her boyfriend, as Kai had introduced himself.
Ember had wanted to go back to her place, but Kai, along with her family, had been dead set against it. Her mother had been right. There was no way Ember could out stubborn five people who were looking out for her.
Hindsight was twenty-twenty, of course.
She didn’t fight all that much when they told her she would be staying with Kai for the foreseeable future. At least until the poisoner was caught. The police were still investigating the whole thing. Not only the two letters she had received but also the poisoning.
Greg and Ashleigh were the top suspects.
Greg because he had already admitted to sending one letter and because he had wanted to use the falling light as a way to get more ratings.
Ashleigh because she too had been poisoned. Her explanation had been odd. When the set had been locked down after Ember had fallen, Ashleigh had supposedly tasted the funky batter to make sure Ember wasn’t faking. Apparently, she still hated Ember for what had happened in culinary school.
Or so Ashleigh claimed.
The police weren’t the only ones who were suspicious of her.
Kai was sure she had poisoned herself to be declared innocent of any wrongdoing. Of course, if that was the truth of it, her plan had seriously backfired. She had ingested more than Ember and was still in the hospital as far as they knew.
Apart from that, every staff member had been investigated or was still being looked into. So far, nothing had come up. Even her boss Ciro had been tracked down. It had taken a few days because he wasn’t in town, but rather, checking up on some of his bakeries in Europe. It was weird since he had just finished his usual rounds, but Ember thought nothing of it. She knew some of his other bakery staff weren’t the perfectionists that she was. It was something Ciro expected from his staff. She just happened to be that way by pure personality.
It had been four days since Ember had all but moved in with Kai. Under any other circumstances, her family would have seriously disapproved of letting her live with a boyfriend so soon after they had met, but this was different. Her family was taking serious comfort in the fact that Kai had vowed to keep her safe.
If safe meant not allowed to leave the house.
It wasn’t a bad house. It was actually really lovely and warmly decorated. Ember liked it. She particularly adored the kitchen. It was four times the size of her own, and it had a double oven, and a huge kitchen island. It was the kind of set-up she would have designed for herself. She hadn’t baked since the poisoning. She was still feeling a bit queasy around particular smells. Kai wasn’t letting her lift a finger. He heated up her soup and brought it to her with baskets full of toasted bread. She was finally able to eat some and keep it down. The antitoxins she’d been given had messed with her tastebuds, a common side effect. As soon as she was feeling better, she was going to eat about twenty cupcakes. Macaroons would be a big no-no for a long while.
Ember was starting to get antsy. She wanted to take Kai’s kitchen for a spin, but he wouldn’t let her. Hell, the man hadn’t even tried anything with her since bringing her home.
Oh, they had kissed and maybe made-out a bit, but Kai had drawn a line he was intent on not crossing until she was better. Ember knew he still wanted her. She felt the proof of that digging into her hip when they cuddled on the couch at night while watching movies.