by Reese Ryan
“I couldn’t possibly imagine a better reaction.” He beamed, wiping tears from her cheek with his thumb. “So I’m happy if you’re happy, love.”
It was sweet of Nigel, but it wasn’t the enthusiastic reaction Audra was hoping for. He obviously didn’t care for the corresponding design for his ring. Instead, his eye was drawn to the sketch of a set of sleek, modern wedding bands.
They were a stark contrast to the engagement ring Sophie adored.
“I realize that tradition dictates matching wedding bands, but this is your life and your marriage,” Audra said. “Who says you have to be bound by tradition?”
“You’re suggesting we have different styles of wedding bands?” Sophie asked.
“Why not?” Audra shrugged. “Your differences are part of what attracted you two, right? Why not celebrate them by selecting individual ring styles connected by the same metals?”
“Bloody brilliant, Audra.” Nigel grinned. He turned back to Sophie. “What do you think, love?”
“I love the symbolism of it.” Sophie sounded unconvinced as she pressed a hand to her cheek.
Translation: she hates the idea.
“It would be better if I showed you.” Audra smiled confidently. “I’ll have new sketches ready for you tomorrow afternoon. And I’ll bring samples so you can get a better sense of how the finished design will look.”
“Thank you.” The joy returned to Sophie’s eyes.
Audra gathered her sketchbook and pencils. “I’d better get back to my office and get started.”
Nigel excused himself to take a call, and Sophie walked her toward the door.
“So that was crazy, you running into your ex here, huh?” Sophie said.
Audra halted at the mention of Darius, but feigned indifference. “It was, but what was even more bizarre is that when I went for a swim last night, I discovered he’s staying at the house next door while he’s in town.”
“Wait...why is he staying there?”
“He’s in Royal on business with your former stepmother. She owns the property now, right? I guess she’s putting him up there while he’s in town.”
“I see.” Sophie frowned. “I wonder what kind of business they have together.”
Audra didn’t answer. It wasn’t her place to reveal what Darius had shared with her about his potential deal with Miranda.
“What was it like seeing him again after all these years?” Sophie asked.
“Weird, I guess, is the best way to describe it.” Audra shrugged, though emotion welled in her chest. “He broke my heart, but we didn’t part on bad terms. He simply made the choice to walk away.”
“Did he leave you for someone else?”
“That’s just it, I don’t believe he did.” Audra lifted the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. “He just didn’t want to be with me anymore. Honestly? It hurt like hell, but I get it. It’s the same reason I broke it off with my recent ex. He’s a perfectly good guy. He just isn’t the one I want to spend a lifetime with.”
“But Darius was. Wasn’t he?” Sophie placed a comforting hand on Audra’s arm.
Something about the younger woman’s offer of comfort moved Audra. Tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them away. “I thought so at the time, but later I learned that he hadn’t been honest with me about something important.”
“Like?” Sophie asked tentatively.
They weren’t friends. Sophie was her client. But Audra had a compelling need to talk to someone about this.
“He told me his parents were dead. A few years later, I read a magazine article where he said he had an estranged relationship with his mother and stepfather. But they were very much alive.” Audra dragged her fingers through her hair and sighed. “What kind of man would lie about something like that?”
“That is curious.” Sophie frowned. “But perhaps he had a good reason. Did you confront him about it?”
“It was over between us, and I hadn’t seen him in years by then.” Audra shrugged. “What would be the point?”
“He obviously meant a lot to you,” Sophie said in a hushed tone as Nigel approached. “Now that you’ve reconnected—”
“We haven’t reconnected,” Audra corrected her.
“Okay. Now that you two are neighbors and on friendly terms...” Sophie shrugged. “If it was me, I’d want to know.”
Of course I want to know why Darius lied to me about his parents.
But demanding an explanation from him now would only make him believe she still cared. Which she didn’t. Because she was definitely over him.
“I’d better be going. Thank you both for a lovely lunch.” Audra smiled politely but didn’t acknowledge Sophie’s comment.
Audra focused on the short drive back to her rental house in the same community of Pine Valley. A small part of her was envious of Sophie and Nigel. She didn’t begrudge them their happiness. She just wanted a little of that bliss for herself.
Six
Darius had been so busy working on the swimwear designs that he’d lost track of time. He didn’t realize how late it was until the setting of the sun forced him to turn on the lights.
He left his makeshift drafting table and sat at his computer to catch up on an email chain circulating between members of his team.
They’d been stunned during a video conference that morning when he’d announced the addition of swimwear to the runway show collection. First there was silence, except for his production chief Leeson. The man laughed, thinking Darius must be joking.
When he realized Darius was serious, Lee’s chuckles gave way to full-blown panic.
“So much for that relaxing we talked about,” Lee muttered.
“This is me relaxing.” Darius’s response prompted the entire team’s laughter, easing their tension.
After the initial shock, he was able to get everyone focused.
The team had discussed the designs, agreed on a few changes, debated the correct ratio of nylon and spandex for the fabric, and identified sources for all of the materials.
In a few days he’d have prototypes for each swimsuit.
The doorbell rang and he checked his watch. Nearly six thirty. Was it that lawyer with the paternity test results?
Darius made his way toward the front door, with its large central glass pane. He’d only seen the face of the man standing on the other side of the door once before, but he’d never forget it.
He hesitated a moment. His steps suddenly felt leaden, and his heart pounded inside his chest.
For the past two days, he’d kept himself preoccupied with work. He hadn’t allowed himself to wonder about the man who’d been his biological father or his newly discovered half siblings. But staring at the man in front of him, bearing features similar to his own, he was no longer able to avoid his new reality.
Darius exhaled slowly, as he unlocked the door.
How am I supposed to greet a possible sibling I didn’t know I had until two days ago?
“Yes?” Lame, but the best he could do on short notice.
The man stared at him, wide-eyed, for a beat without response. Perhaps he was silently cataloguing Darius’s features, too. The man withdrew a hand from his pocket and extended it. “Hello, Darius. I’m Kellan Blackwood.” They shook hands. “It would appear that we’re brothers.”
They were complete strangers. Yet, they shared DNA. Their handshake was awkward. Too much and not enough, all at once.
“It seems so.” Darius slid his hands into his pockets and leaned against the doorframe. “But I guess the paternity test will tell the final story.”
“True.” Kellan nodded. “My father and I weren’t close. Mostly because we agreed on very little, and the man could be an asshole,” he said without apology. “But I knew him well enough to know he’d never have gone to the trouble of bringing you here i
f he wasn’t already dead sure you were his son. I get the feeling that the paternity test was requested to erase any doubt in our minds.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over them.
Finally, Darius spoke. “Would you like to come in for a minute? I haven’t had a chance to order groceries, but a fruit basket came with the place.”
“No worries.” Kellan pulled a bottle of premium Scotch from the inside of his denim jacket. He handed it to Darius. “Brought you a housewarming gift.”
Darius thanked the man with a wary smile.
Is Kellan simply being hospitable? Does he want to get to know his newfound brother? Or is he here to dissuade me from sticking around and staking a claim on the estate?
“Come in.” He led Kellan to the sitting room that overlooked the patio and pool. Darius grabbed two tumblers and set one in front of each of them, pouring them each two fingers of Scotch.
He was more of an imported beer guy, but he had the feeling this was some kind of test. One he didn’t plan to fail.
Once they were both seated with glasses in hand, the awkward silence settled over them again.
Kellan took a deep sip of his Scotch, then set his glass down. “Darius, my brother, sister and I wanted you to know that we have no plans to dispute your right to a share of the estate.”
“Good to know.” Darius set his glass down, too. “Though it doesn’t much matter since the old man cut all of us out of the estate.”
“Straightforward and to the point. I like you already.” Kellan chuckled and took another sip from his glass. “Guess we both got that trait honest.”
Darius chuckled, too, sipping a bit of his Scotch. He resisted the urge to cough. Instead, he cleared his throat and met his brother’s gaze. “Our father... What was he like?”
Kellan frowned. There was anger in his expression, but also pain. Maybe even a hint of guilt.
“A few months ago, I would’ve simply described him as an asshole. That’s how I saw him most of my life.”
“And now?”
“I still say he was an asshole, but he was a complicated one. He apparently had more depth than any of us gave him credit for. Too bad he didn’t show any of us that side of himself while he was alive.” Kellan drained the remainder of his glass. “Maybe then the old man wouldn’t have died alone.”
Kellan blamed their father’s sad demise on the old man’s gruff disposition. Still, there was the clear ring of guilt in his brother’s tone and tortured expression. Darius didn’t need to know the man well to recognize it.
It was the same guilt he felt regarding his mother and stepfather. They’d kept the truth from him, and he had every right to be angry. Yet, he’d begun to feel a deep sense of guilt about the distance he’d created between them.
“What shifted your opinion about him?” Darius needed to know there had been some good in the man who’d given him life.
Kellan’s frown deepened. “I’m hungry,” he declared suddenly. “Have you eaten yet?”
He’d evidently touched a nerve. So he wouldn’t press the man.
“No.” Darius shook his head. “Now that you mention it, I’m starving.”
“There’s this great little diner in town.” Kellan stood.
“Royal Diner.” Darius nodded. “Do they deliver? This isn’t a conversation I’d like to have in public. In fact, I’m not ready to talk about any of this outside of...” The word caught in his throat.
“The family?” One edge of Kellan’s mouth curved. “I should’ve considered that. I’ll request delivery.”
Kellan ordered himself a steak, though he confessed to having already eaten a light dinner earlier with Irina, his new bride. Darius requested the same meal he’d had the day before.
“Anything else?” Kellan asked. “Dinner’s on me.”
A light went on in the house next door and Audra walked past one of the downstairs windows.
Darius sighed, turning to Kellan. “I hear they make a really good Cobb salad.”
* * *
Despite the initial awkwardness, Darius enjoyed getting to know Kellan, and through him, the rest of his newfound family. He couldn’t help laughing at Kellan’s tales of his and Vaughn’s misadventures as boys. And he’d been moved by sweet stories about Sophie who’d been precocious, but sheltered, as a child.
“She’s getting married.” Kellan smiled fondly as he stared into his glass of Scotch after he’d finished his meal. “I’m nine years older than Sophie, so I took the job of looking out for her seriously. Sometimes I feel more like her father than her brother.” Lines around his eyes crinkled. “I can’t believe she’s getting married. Then again, I can’t believe I’m married again and that we’re expecting a baby.”
Darius had met this man a few hours ago. Had learned of his existence just yesterday. Yet, he was genuinely happy for him.
There was a natural kinship between them. A connection he hadn’t felt with anyone else.
It was comforting, yet unnerving.
A splash in the pool snagged both men’s attention.
Kellan stood abruptly. “Sorry. Didn’t realize you had company.”
Darius stood, too. “That’s my neighbor. She’s working on a project for your... I mean, our sister. The house next door doesn’t have a pool, so Sophie told her she could use this one.” He shrugged. “Didn’t see the harm in allowing her to continue.”
Kellan’s mouth curved in a sly grin. “Must be quite a hardship to have a beautiful woman traipsing through your backyard in a swimsuit.”
“How’d you know she’s beautiful?” Darius eyed his brother suspiciously.
“The expression on your face said it all.” Kellan chuckled. “You’ve got a thing for this woman.”
“She also happens to be my ex,” Darius confessed. “You can’t imagine how shocked I was to see her here.”
“Hmm... Is that right?” Kellan furrowed his brows. He picked up his empty to-go containers and cleaned his space. “Well, I’ve kept you long enough. I’d better check on my wife. She’s been exhausted and sleeping a lot the past few weeks.”
“I imagine it’s tough work growing a human being.” Darius walked Kellan to the front door. He extended a hand to his half brother. “Thank you for coming by, Kellan. It was good to meet you.”
“Same.” Kellan grinned as he shook Darius’s hand. “This Saturday, we’re volunteering at the Texas Cattleman’s Club after the recent wildfires. The organization is important to our family, and we’re all members. Sophie’s a designer, so fixing the clubhouse back up has become her special project. Vaughn, Sophie and her fiancé, Nigel, will all be there. If you have the time, you should join us. We could use the help, and you’ll be able to meet the rest of the family.”
“Won’t it be awkward if I’m there with all of you, since I’m not ready to make our relationship public?”
“You’re a stranger here on business. That’s all anyone needs to know.” Kellan shrugged. “I’ll make sure Sophie and Vaughn know you want to keep this under wraps for now. We’ve had longer to sit with the idea than you have. I’m sure you must be overwhelmed by all of this.”
He was.
“Thanks for understanding. And, if I can manage it, I’ll help out on Saturday.”
Kellan clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Great. Hope to see you then. If you need anything in the meantime...” He retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and handed Darius a business card. “Call my cell number anytime, day or night.”
“Will do.” Darius studied the card. Kellan was a Nashville-based real estate developer.
He gave Kellan one of his business cards, then cleared his throat. The words he’d needed to say all night lay at the back of his tongue, like heavy, immovable stones.
“About this whole thing... I’m sorry. I realize how hard it must be to learn that your fathe
r was unfaithful to your mother. I wouldn’t blame any of you for being upset by me being here.”
“I appreciate the thought.” Kellan winced, almost imperceptibly. “But you’re not to blame. We knew who our father was. Unfortunately, my mother did, too.” He flashed a pained smile. “None of that matters anymore. You’re family now.”
Darius wished his brother a good night and closed the door behind him. A deep sense of relief alleviated the heaviness in his chest.
He returned to the darkened room overlooking the pool and stood quietly, watching Audra’s arms slice through the water as she swam laps.
Seeing Audra again, after all of these years, had brought all those feelings to the surface that he’d buried so deeply when he’d walked away from her.
It’d been the right decision, but one he’d often regretted.
Audra was an amazing woman. Devastatingly sexy, stunningly beautiful and smart as a whip. She had a goofy sense of humor most people wouldn’t expect of the product of two legendary families, deeply entrenched in business and politics. Regardless of what was happening in his life, she’d always been able to make him laugh.
She was a fellow creative who understood the mania of needing to work through the night on a project. Or the need to wake up at three in the morning to sketch out a design that came to him in his sleep.
Despite her family’s wealth, Audra never came off as spoiled or pampered. She was the quintessential girl next door. Her house just happened to be a sprawling, multimillion-dollar mansion.
Go back to the office. You’ve got a ton of work to do.
He hadn’t been honest with Audra back then, nor was he prepared to tell her everything now. He’d hurt her when he’d ended their relationship. He wouldn’t hurt her again.
But Audra was like the sun. Her gravitational pull hauled him into her orbit. He was inescapably drawn to her then and now. And with everything else going on in his life, he didn’t have the strength to resist her pull.
He grabbed the Cobb salad he’d put in the fridge and made his way to the backyard.
