My Forbidden Love - The Henderson's Children - Book One - Excerpt

Chapter Four

Daniels POV

I seriously think my brother and his wife are trying to fatten me up. Maybe they want to roast me or something... fuck do they know I kissed their daughter when she was sixteen?

Zach's got a full two-course meal cooked for us in his restaurant at the hotel whilst we have this meeting that I completely forgot about.

He called me on Wednesday, asking if I were free this week. I guess after leaving it up to Lexie to sort, she fitted me in today, of all days, the day I'm taking his girls out on the town without his knowledge.

"So, what has my errant wife got you doing on her behalf now?" He asks, chewing a large piece of steak.

His plate is filled with vegetables; the only bad thing about it is the eight-ounce steak he probably shouldn't be eating. He's been good about his diet since that scare all those years ago, thankfully, but he will still have a full-cooked meal when he gets home, meaning that will be his third at least today.

"Just watching the girls again. They are coming over to mine to have a few drinks."

"You are a worse liar than my daughter, Danny boy."

"What?" Which one? He has three, for heavens' sakes...

"Tilly, she's coming to yours with her boyfriend, isn't she? Violets roped you into covering for them?" my mouth hangs open as I think about the right course of action regarding admitting to that or not. Violet said she sorted out the trackers for Tilly. Does that mean she's having Eddie rebound them and lock them to my address for the next few days? I don't know, but shit.

"Yes, fine. Violet has asked me to keep an eye on the two of them. Chuck him out after dinner and drinks," I lie.

"She has?"

"Mhm," I shove food into my mouth, even though I'm far from hungry, to cover up the fact I barefaced lied to my psychopath brother. I mean, there's not a human on this god-given earth, maybe besides Callum, that I would work hard on not getting on the wrong side of.

"My wife is earning herself a real beating. I said no dating until they were eighteen."

"They are eighteen, I hate to remind you, but Ella turn't eighteen a month ago," he waves his hand, eating more of his food as he chews enough to grind bones.

He's fuming and agitated, bristling with every second he sits in front of me.

You see, Sophie, Tilly's mother, agrees for Tilly to do just about anything she wants. But my brother and Violet with Callum and Tyler are stricter in every sense of the word. They disagree with boyfriends and parties and nights out when underage. Well, maybe except for Violet, who doesn't mind those things as long as yours truly babysits...

"They haven't left home yet," he tells me.

"So the goal post has moved from turning eighteen to turning eighteen and leaving home? How's that fair, Zach? You don't stop Asher from tumbling his way around the girls he likes."

"He cannot come home pregnant...."

"No, but the girl he fucks can, and I hate to tell you, bro, but he has a responsibility to any child he sires whether he agrees to have it or not. Just saying."

"Urg! Enough, Daniel. Asher knows how to use a johnny, and trust me when I say he won't be getting anyone pregnant over my dead body."

"Condoms break Zach, and the pill, if there even is one on the female's side, isn't one hundred percent effective either. His frolicking will catch up with him at some point and smack all of you in the damned face," he frowns as he chews the slice of steak he's devouring, making me even more nervous because he's quiet.