God of Ruin (Legacy of Gods #4) by Rina Kent

But what actually takes me aback is Mia’s talkativeness. She signs a lot and tells the epic story of the survivors Claudia, Stephan, and Emilia, the flowers who are living their best lives due to her and Landon’s care.

“Wait.” She turns to him. “Who’s taking care of them if you and I are here?”

“I gave Bran the keys and specifically told him that I might revoke brotherly rights if something happens to your precious flowers.”

She hits his shoulder. “You’re so mean to him. You better appreciate him more.”

“Yes, Mom.” He salutes.

Mia tries and fails miserably in hiding her smile.

“Who’s Bran?” Mom asks.

“My twin brother.” Landon scrolls through his phone and then shows it to my wife. “We’re identical, as you can see from the picture. I’m, however, fifteen minutes older and definitely claimed the elder brother position.”

“Oh my. You and Mia are both part of identical twins.”

“I know, right? I never believed in fate, but this small detail might very well change my mind.”

Maya stops herself before she rolls her eyes. Her gaze meets mine and she mouths, “He’s so full of shit.”

I know, baby girl. I know so well.

After some time of being stuck in the happy-go-lucky conversation and witnessing a different side of Mia that I thought was long dead, I excuse myself.

I retreat to my home office on the other side of the house and close the door behind me.

The lake extends in the distance as I stand by the tall window and scroll through my contacts.

I find the name I’m looking for and tap it.

He picks up after a few rings. “Jonathan King speaking. Who is this?”

“Kyle Hunter. Remember me, Jonathan?”

A pause stretches between us, then he says in the same tone, “Yes. I was wondering when you were going to cash in on your favor.”

“Now.”

“What do you have in mind? Stock? Discounted investment in my empire? A certain property you have your eyes on?”

“None of the above. I told you at the time you used my services that I have no interest in money whatsoever.”

“What do you want, then?”

“Your grandson a few continents away from my daughter.”

Another pause. “Which grandson?”

“Which one is the worst headache?”

“It’s a tough competition between my two eldest Eli and Landon.”

“It’s the latter.”

“Ah.”

“That’s all you have to say? Your unruly grandson has his eyes on my daughter and I need you to keep him away.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“You’re his grandfather. You can force him.”

“Unless I’m God, I can’t force him to do anything.”

“We agreed on a favor, Jonathan.”

“And I’m keeping my part of the deal. Asking for the sun is more doable than demanding I keep Lan on a leash. He doesn’t react well to any form of authority, so take my advice and let him sort it out with your daughter instead. Any interference on your part will only backfire and make your case a lot worse.”

The door of my office opens and I track my wife’s movements as she stops by the entrance.

“Thanks for nothing,” I tell Jonathan. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Hopefully not as in-laws,” he says and hangs up.

Was that amusement in his tone?

He’s as much of a bastard as his grandson.

My wife walks up to me, looking more beautiful every day. It’s been over twenty-seven years since I met her, but she still looks as breathtaking as when I first laid eyes on her.

Elegant, majestic, and brutally demanding of my attention.

This woman hasn’t only changed my perspective about life from feeling unwanted to accomplished, but she’s also been by my side through everything.

The good, the bad, and the disgustingly ugly.

We don’t only love each other, we literally complete one another in ways I find hard to describe.

“Am I interrupting?” she asks.

I wrap an arm around the small of her back and pull her flush against me, then kiss the top of her head. “You’re never interrupting, princess.”

She strokes the lapel of my jacket. “Are you okay? You didn’t seem yourself back there.”

Of course my woman would pick up on my change of attitude, no matter how successful I am at hiding it.

“I don’t trust him and I don’t like how close Mia allowed him to get to her.”

“I know. I’m wary about him as well, especially since I’m seeing firsthand how similar he is to Kill.”

“Why do I feel a but coming on?”

“Mia truly loves him, Kyle. From my initial assessment of the situation, I can see that he genuinely cares about her and is not just putting on a show. Have you seen her around him?”

“I have. That’s why I’m disturbed.”

“You should be happy for her, not disturbed. Besides, we’ll keep an eye on him the next couple of days and if something doesn’t seem right, we’ll take care of it. What do you say?”

“I say we take care of him now.”

“We can’t. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mia so wildly happy. We can only judge him on his actions.”