The Clarke Brothers (Complete Series)

by Lilian Monroe

  I lift an eyebrow and shake my head. “It is not a euphemism,” I answer. But it might as well be.

  Ethan chuckles. “Fair enough.”

  “I don’t get why he’s so mad at her. She’s actually a really nice person, you know. Did you know that she paid for her schooling on her own? I always thought she got that degree with the money from Dad’s company, but she worked through college and paid it herself. She started her own consulting business online. She’s incredible.”

  Ethan takes a sip of beer and narrows his eyes. I can feel my cheeks start to burn as he studies my face, but I keep my eyes steady on his. He nods slowly.

  “No, I didn’t know that,” he finally answers.

  I take a big gulp of beer and lean back in the sofa. I sigh, looking up at the ceiling.

  “I’m sick of this.”

  “Sick of what?”

  “Sick of all this drama over nothing!” I exclaim.

  Ethan makes a noise. “Dad dying is nothing? The McCoys taking advantage of us when he was in the hospital is nothing?”

  I look at my little brother and see the same indignation in his face as I saw in Aiden’s. It’s not as strong, but it’s there. Doubt starts to curl deep inside me. What if they’re right to be mad?

  “It’s not nothing,” I say. “It’s just… Wouldn’t it be easier to forgive? Mara didn’t do anything wrong. Why do we hate her?”

  “We don’t hate her. We just don’t associate with her family.”

  I look at Ethan and try to figure out what he’s thinking. His face is stone still and I sigh, shaking my head.

  “So you think I deserve this?” I ask, pointing to my lip.

  Ethan’s lips start to curl into a grin. He shrugs. “I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t say you don’t deserve it, but I wouldn’t say you do.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I can see both sides.”

  I snort and shake my head, bringing the beer bottle to my lips again. Ethan has always been great at speaking in riddles. Finally, I put the beer down and look at my brother. I’m practically pleading with my eyes before I start to speak.

  “Am I wrong here, Ethan? Should I not have taken this job?”

  “Well,” he says, pausing to take a sip. “That depends. It’s a bit hypocritical of Aiden to say that, considering he worked for them for years.”

  “That’s what I said!” I exclaim.

  Ethan laughs. “And how did that go over?”

  “He punched me in the face,” I answer with a grin. Ethan laughs again and shakes his head.

  “Look,” he says. “I don’t know what the right thing to do is. Work is work, and you needed the job. Sounds like it’s a big one, so no one can fault you for taking it. It’s just money, it’s not like you’re banging Mara or anything.”

  My throat tightens and I try to swallow. I avert my eyes and nod as he speaks. Ethan pauses, and I can feel his eyes boring into me.

  “Dominic,” he says. I drag my eyes up to his and try to keep my face steady.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re not banging Mara, are you?”

  “Well, I…” My shoulders slump and I shrug at my brother. His jaw drops and he shakes his head. He leans back in his chair and brings his beer bottle to his lips. After he drinks, he looks at me again and shakes his head some more.

  “Dom,” he says.

  I shrug. “I don’t know how it happened!”

  “What, you slipped and accidentally had sex? What do you mean you ‘don’t know how it happened?’”

  “I just mean…” My voice trails off and I look at my brother. All I can do is shrug and shake my head. Finally, a grin starts to appear on his face and his shoulders start to shake. I can feel the laughter bubbling up through my stomach and pretty soon the two of us are doubled over with laughter.

  Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Ethan slaps his knee. His face scrunches as he laughs and he throws his head back.

  Finally, the two of us quiet down and Ethan shakes his head. I take a deep breath.

  “Dom,” Ethan says. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m not sure,” I respond, staring into my beer bottle.

  “You’re playing with fire.”

  “I’m good at that, apparently,” I shoot back. Ethan laughs again and nods.

  “True.”

  I take a deep breath and look at my little brother. It should be me counseling him, not the other way around. I’m almost five years older than him. He stares at me and nods his chin down once before speaking again.

  “Do you care about her?”

  My throat closes again and my heart thumps in my chest. Ethan’s face is completely serious, and I drop my eyes to my beer bottle again. I peel the label off with my fingernail as I chew on his question.

  I know the answer.

  Of course I care about her. I’m crazy about her. It’s never felt this good to be with a woman. I’ve never met anyone as funny or driven or clever as she is. But how can I say that to Ethan? How can I admit it out loud, when I know that he blames her for Dad’s death? Finally, I lift my eyes back up to him and nod.

  “Yeah,” I croak. “I do.”

  Ethan takes a deep breath and shrugs.

  “Then you’re fucked,” he says.

  I snort and chuckle as I shake my head. “Completely.”

  26

  Mara

  Something has changed. I can feel it, even though everything on the surface seems the same. Dominic leaves a bit earlier in the morning, before the sun comes up. He doesn’t come into town at all, and I think he’s avoiding me in public.

  When it’s just the two of us, he’s just as affectionate as he was a couple of days ago. His hands seem to know my body and he touches me with a tenderness that’s surprising from a man his size.

  But still, something’s changed.

  The renovations are about halfway through, with the lobby and dining hall finished and about half the rooms under way. Dominic has been able to deliver all his pieces on time, and they’ve gotten rave reviews from everyone who’s seen them.

  “Mara, there you are!” My mother calls out as she comes down the hallway. “I have a surprise for you in the office!”

  I glance over. “Okay, I’ll be right there. I just want to make sure this furniture goes to the right place.”

  “When are you going to tell me the name of this furniture maker?” my mother exclaims as another perfect set of nightstands is carried through the door. “His work is exceptional.”

  I smile and shake my head. “Maybe never.”

  She clicks her tongue and gives me a sideways glance.

  “I can tell you who made those,” a voice calls out behind me. A shiver runs down my spine and I already know who the voice belongs to. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. I turn around and my heart sinks like a stone.

  “Aiden,” I say.

  “What are you doing here?” my mother snarls.

  “That’s not the warm greeting you give all your other guests, I hope,” he shoots, glancing at my mother. In a second, his eyes are back on me. My heart is thumping against my ribcage, and I open and close my mouth.

  “Why are you… Can I help you with anything?”

  “I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. And from what I can tell,” he says, nodding to my mother. “You’ve kept your parents in the dark.”

  “What are you talking about? Mara, what is he talking about?” My mother squeals. I ignore her, keeping my eyes trained on Aiden.

  “Aiden…” I start, trying to keep my voice calm.

  I can see the fire in his eyes. He’s angry. He’s as angry as I’ve ever seen him. His broad body is taking up the entire doorway, and his arms are hanging by his sides as he opens and closes his fists. He looks like he’s trembling, and I have no idea what he’s going to do.

  “Mara,” he replies through gritted teeth.

  When he says my nam
e, I try to suppress a shiver. There was a time when I loved hearing my name on his tongue, when I was drunk in teenage love. Now, it sounds bitter when he says it. He takes a step forward and opens his mouth again.

  “Aiden!” A voice calls out from behind him. My heart lifts as I recognize Dominic. He appears behind Aiden and clamps a hand on his shoulder. “Aiden!”

  Aiden shrugs the hand off and turns around. “Get your fucking hands off me!”

  Ethan, the youngest of the three, appears in the doorway as well. “Come on, Aiden. Don’t do this.”

  “Don’t do what!” My mother screeches. I put a hand on her forearm and can feel her trembling. “Get out of here! All three of you!”

  I put a bit of pressure on her arm to keep her from stepping forward. She’s shaking.

  The three brothers pay her no attention. There are unspoken words between them, and after a few tense moments, Aiden huffs and spins around, stalking back down the street. I watch him get into his truck and speed off down the road. Dominic and Ethan look at each other, and then back toward me and my mother.

  “Sorry about that,” Dominic grunts, looking at the ground between us.

  Look me in the eye! I want to scream. Look at me!

  “What’s going on?” My mother asks to no one in particular. “Tell me!”

  Ethan looks up at me, and I know he knows about me and Dominic. He glances at Dominic who lifts his eyes up to me. I look at the two brothers and glance down the road toward where the third Clarke brother just disappeared. I glance at my mother and take a deep breath.

  “Mom,” I start, “Dominic is the one who has been making the new furniture.”

  I think she might faint. She stumbles backward and clutches her heart as I try to keep her steady. Ethan rushes forward, trying to help but she swats him away.

  “WHAT!” She finally yells. “What did you just say?”

  I take a deep breath and glance at Dominic. He finally lifts his eyes up to mine and I see the pain inside him. It’s killing him to be in the middle of this.

  The guilt coiled deep inside me starts to wake up.

  This is all my fault.

  That look on his face – the pain, the discomfort, the hurt – it’s my fault. I should never have asked him to make this furniture for us. I should never have gotten involved with him. I’ve once again caused trouble for his family and dragged him into a situation that he wants no part of.

  I turn to my mother and take a deep breath. “He’s the best there is, Mom.”

  “Do you think I care?” She exclaims. She looks at me, wide-eyed, until my shoulders slump. “Mara! Inside. Now!”

  She stalks off toward the office and I watch her go before turning to the brothers. I take a step toward Dominic and try to put my hand on his arm but he steps away from me.

  I drop my hand and feel a hot knife pass through my heart as he looks away from me. I glance at Ethan, who looks at his brother and then at me.

  “I’m sorry,” I say.

  Dominic finally looks at me and shakes his head. “I should never have gotten involved with you. I knew it would be trouble, and here we are. This?” he moves his finger from me back to himself. “This was a mistake.”

  My chest feels hollow. My eyes are starting to blur as his words sink in. I watch him turn around and get into Ethan’s waiting truck. Ethan glances at me and follows his brother without saying a word. When they drive off, they take the air out of my lungs and the light from my eyes. They turn the corner and drive out of view as the first tear spills over my cheek.

  I turn around and look down the hallway where my mother disappeared. I take a deep breath and start the long walk over to the office, preparing myself for the worst.

  This was a mistake.

  His words are ringing in my ears and I brush the hot tears from my eyes. I try to compose myself in the few seconds before I have to face my mother. Somehow, I’ll have to hide the fact that my heart is shattered into a million pieces.

  I stumble back to my room and sit on my bed in a daze.

  I’m not sure how much time goes by. Minutes? Hours? I finally lift myself up and take a deep breath. I make the long walk back toward the office. My feet feel heavy, and I struggle to keep my shoulders back. My chest is hollow and I feel completely empty.

  When I turn the corner into the office, my heart somehow drops further down into my stomach. I stop in my tracks and open my mouth in shock as I look at the visitor in the office.

  This must be the ‘surprise’ that my mother was talking about.

  My mother’s furious face is staring at me. Beside her, sitting in my desk chair, is my smug, suave ex-fiancé.

  “Vincent? What are you doing here?” I exclaim.

  My voice comes out as a squeak and I stare from him to my mother in shock.

  “Hello, Mara,” he says as a smirk spreads over his face. “It’s nice to see you too.”

  27

  Dominic

  Ethan and I drive in silence. After a few long moments, he takes a deep breath.

  “Don’t,” I say before he can speak. “Please, Ethan. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  I see Ethan nod out of the corner of my eye and I keep staring out the window. I wish I wasn’t putting him in this position, but I couldn’t help myself. Something about Mara draws me to her. She’s irresistible.

  Plus, I needed the work.

  Why should I stay away from Mara based on some old feud from 10 years ago! I don’t have any hard feelings for her.

  When we get to the edge of town, instead of turning down the long gravel road to my house, Ethan continues straight. I glance over at him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to Aiden’s,” he replies. His tone of voice leaves no room for discussion. My heart starts thumping a bit harder, and I stare at the trees and mountains going by as we drive down the road.

  My muscles tense as we get closer to the winding road that will take us up the mountain to Aiden’s cabin. The sky seems darker all of a sudden. The drive seems to take forever.

  Finally, the tension is too much for me. I turn to Ethan.

  “What do you expect me to say to him? I’m pretty sure the contract is finished now. You saw Mrs. McCoy.”

  “I expect you to talk to him.”

  I sigh and shake my head. “Ethan, what kind of good is talking going to do? What do you want me to say?”

  Ethan glances over at me and a pang passes through my chest. His eyes soften and he looks back toward the road. We turn off on the familiar gravel road that will take us to Aiden’s. Instead of driving up, Ethan pulls over on the shoulder and turns to me.

  “I agree with you,” he starts. He stares at me and I see my father’s wisdom in his eyes. He takes a deep breath and pauses.

  “But…?” I urge him to continue.

  “But is it worth it?” There’s something different in the way that he’s looking at me. I see something in him that I haven’t seen since we were teenagers, standing around our father’s deathbed. I see the sadness and loneliness that’s been curled deep inside all of us for the past ten years.

  I look away from him and stare out the windscreen. The pine trees are swaying gently. The sun is shining and big puffy white clouds are floating through the sky. It’s a picture-perfect day, but it feels like the weather is laughing at me.

  I shrug. “I don’t know, Ethan. I just can’t bring myself to be mad at her.”

  Ethan nods. We sit in silence, considering each other’s words for a few minutes. After a pause, Ethan puts the car in gear again and starts the slow, winding drive up the mountain.

  We crawl upwards, until finally the trees clear and I see the house that we grew up in. Aiden renovated it and moved into it with his new wife. The cabin that he lived in for almost ten years has been converted into a workshop.

  Ethan glances at me and kills the engine. We step out of his car and make our way toward the house. Our shoes crunch on the gravel. A bird sings
in a nearby tree, but otherwise the forest is completely silent.

  As I put my foot on the first step up to the porch, the front door swings open. Aiden’s dark face greets us without a word. I pause, not knowing what to say to him. He glances from me to Ethan and his brows knit together. Finally, he swings the door open and nods for us to come in.

  Without a word, he leads us to the kitchen at the back of the house. I glance around, feeling like a stranger in my childhood home. He’s made so many changes that it might as well be a different house. We get to the kitchen and Aiden leans against the counter. There’s a big oak table in front of us, and Aiden motions to it.

  “You know how I’ve been looking through Dad’s old stuff in the attic?”

  I grunt in response, looking at the papers on the table. I take a step closer, frowning. They look like letters. I recognize my father’s handwriting on a couple of them, but most of them are unfamiliar. I pick one up, scanning it quickly and settling my eyes on the name at the bottom.

  My eyebrows shoot upwards and I glance at Aiden. Ethan is staring at me, gauging my reaction. My mouth goes dry and my tongue feels almost too big for my mouth. I try to swallow and look at the letter again. I clear my throat.

  “This is a love letter,” I finally say. “Addressed to Dad.”

  Aiden nods. “It’s from Margaret McCoy. There are dozens like it.”

  I glance at the table, picking up another letter at random. My heart is thumping against my chest and I frown again. I shake my head, then stare at the letters before glancing back at my brothers.

  “I don’t get it. Were they having an affair? Was this after Mom died?”

  Ethan and Aiden glance at each other. Ethan answers first.

  “We’re not sure. There aren’t any letters that Dad wrote. The last one is here,” he says, picking a crumpled paper out of the stack. “It’s dated right after the accident.”

  I take the paper from my brother and frown. “You knew about this?” I ask Ethan.

  “I just found these a couple days ago,” Aiden responds. “I showed Ethan yesterday.”