His phone buzzed and he grabbed it out of his pocket.
“What’s up, Jason. Make it fast,” Aaron replied into the receiver.
A few moments of silence was followed by Aaron quickly running his hands through his hair.
“What do you mean she took off? Where’d she go?” Aaron asked.
And then it dawned on me that it must be Jason, the bike builder Jason, and they’re talking about Gabby.
“What’s going on?” I interrupted, staring at Aaron.
“Why was she angry?” he continued, and a few more moments of quiet. “You’re sure she went back?”
Aaron hung up and looked at me, his expression filled with exasperation. “Does Gabby have a habit of taking off?”
“It has happened once or twice. Seems to run in the family. Now tell me what’s going on. Was that the Jason?” I asked.
“Yeah. It was the Jason, and for some reason, Gabby got upset with something he said and took the bike out for a joyride.”
“Oh, my God. Did she say where she was going?”
“Well, Jason thinks it was more show than go because she circled around the block a few times and landed back in the parking garage.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. That was definitely Gabby.
“I hate those things,” I muttered.
“That’s not what I wanted to hear,” he said quietly.
“Listen, I’ll give you my number, but it is only for emergency use concerning Gabby.”
The moment I spoke the words I regretted them and rather than tell him my number, he reached for my hand that was tightly squeezing my phone. Teasing the phone gently out of my fingers, he slid it on and dialed his cell.
Victory flashed in his eyes as his grin widened. “See how easy that was. Now you have mine and I have yours.”
“Does it ever get old always getting what you want?” I asked, feeling the anger stir again.
“Not yet,” he murmured. “Nice seeing you again, Brandy.”
And that was it.
I watched as he turned away and walked back into the pub. The lingering sensations pulsing through my body left me on edge, and I had no idea how I was going to get through the weekend without having him visit my dreams once again.
My insides twisted into knots as I thought about him meeting back up with the blonde or anyone else for that matter. I sulked over to Lily and smiled.
“I better take off. It sounds like Gabby’s getting a little unruly with her new motorcycle. At least that’s what Jason called Aaron about. Do you know what makes me so mad?”
“Do tell...”
“He managed to weasel my number from me.”
“The nerve.”
“Come on. You know what I mean. He’s just assuming that I’ll fall down at his feet.”
“I think that’s a fair assumption,” Lily laughed.
I rolled my eyes. “Not even. I know he went right back into the pub and picked up where he left off with the blonde. He obviously has no shortage of women in his world. He won’t miss not having me, and I certainly won’t miss the trouble. He’s far too arrogant and sure of himself. And for that alone I’ll stay far away. I don’t need another player.”
“You know what I find absolutely intriguing?”
“What?” I asked.
“For someone who left home before even graduating from high school and being hidden for ten years, he certainly has fine taste in luxury items.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was wearing a Sky Dweller.”
“A what?” I asked.
“The watch he was wearing was a Rolex, a Sky Dweller Rolex. His suit is Hugo Boss and his shoes looked to be as well. He’s got money.”
“How can you tell all that just by looking at him?”
“That’s my job. I have to know who, what, when, and why just by looking. Image is everything in PR.”
I was quiet for a few minutes as we walked down the sidewalk.
“So like how much money?”
“Those watches go for $40,000, at least.”
My mouth dropped open and I stopped walking. “What the hell has he been doing for the last ten years that would provide that kind of income?”
She turned to face me, smiling. “See? Intriguing. I don’t know, but I might snoop around when I get back to the office next week.”
“Well, regardless, it only adds to my theory about him. I’m just another figurine to add to his collectibles.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” she whispered, catching me off guard. There was something behind her gaze. A sadness or regret possibly? “In his mind, you’re already his. You might as well not fight it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The possession in his eyes when he looks at you…”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve only seen that type of look once before and that’s what it meant then, and I’m certain that’s what it means now. You belong to him.”
“I don’t belong to anyone. And when?” I asked.
“It was another lifetime ago,” she muttered, dismissing my curiosity. “But God, I miss living close to you guys. Try not to have all the fun in the world. I’d like to think of you as lonely and as screwed up as me.”
We stopped in front of the hotel she was staying at and she glanced at her phone. “Perfect timing. Mike was going to meet me for a nightcap.”
“Who?”
“You remember Mike. He graduated a year before us? He’s working in the city.”
I raised a brow. What happened to the guy from the office she was interested in?
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” I said, laughing. “Well, tomorrow you’ll make it to my brothers’ birthday party, right?”
“It’s not like that, silly. He’s bringing his wife, who’s pregnant. And of course I’ll be there. Can’t wait to see the twins. It’s hard to believe they’re turning twenty-seven.”
“Tell me about it.”
She gave me a big hug and turned into her hotel. I looked back behind me to where the pub was and fought the urge to go see exactly how Aaron would be spending his night. I didn’t care! I was not going to turn into that person. No way.
I needed to get home to Gabby and make sure her butt was anchored to a chair and not a bike seat and find out what made her so mad. And hopefully by tomorrow, Aaron would be a distant memory as I celebrated my twin brothers’ birthdays.
If only it were so easy.
I pulled into my parents’ driveway, lifted the parking brake and didn’t bother rolling up the window. The street was already lined with cars, and the red, black, and silver balloons tied to the mailbox swayed in the gentle breeze. The excitement of the barbeque was already running through the air. I heard the low bass of music coming from the backyard, bringing a smile to my lips. I was truly lucky to have such a wonderful family.
I loved the house I grew up in. It was mid-century modern and had an updated Brady Bunch quality. My parents took a lot of pride in their home and our family, for that matter. Over the years, the outdated brick had been exchanged for flagstone, and shake accents were added under the eaves. My father owned a construction business, and whenever times were slow, he worked on our home. Thinking of my father brought such a warm feeling to my heart. I never really got that fuzzy feeling when I saw Gabby and her father together. It made me feel bad for her, and that was even before any of this stuff with her brother popped up. I understood that her father threw himself into his business and that certainly made for a cushy life for his family, but I wouldn’t trade what I had for the world.
My family certainly wasn’t wealthy, especially now that I knew what that really entailed, but we never went without. Or maybe I just didn’t know what I was missing in the first place. Both of my parents were hardworking and loved what they did. My mom was an attorney, practicing in a non-profit that she founded. She worked with clients who couldn’t afford legal representation. Her foundation grew treme
ndously, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge just how quickly it grew once Gabby’s father contributed and highlighted it in his portfolio of non-profits to watch.
As I sat in the driver’s seat, I thought back to how wonderful it was growing up with my brothers, and how devastated I would have been if either of them had left me without saying goodbye or telling me where they were going. For that reason alone, Aaron needed to become a thing of the past—just a momentary lapse of daydreaming judgment.
The front door opened and my brother, Mason, popped his head out. “Hey, how long are you going to sit in the car, sis?”
He was dressed in a loose pair of shorts and a black polo. His dark blonde hair was shaggy and his blue eyes vibrant. He worked with my father in the construction business, and as a result, his olive skin was even deeper than usual.
I swung the car door open and jumped out, leaving their birthday packages in the car.
“Hey,” I squealed.
Mason jogged to the driveway and gave me a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Where does the time go?”
“Hey now! Don’t hog my little sister,” my other brother, Ayden, yelled from the doorway. He was the oldest between the two and took full advantage of those couple of minutes. Looking identical to Mason—a fact that Ayden would argue—was where their similarities ended. While Mason was conservative, Ayden was a free spirit. And not one of those lazy, I run-with-the-wind couch surfer types, but rather, he always trusted his gut and ran on instinct, while executing his plans flawlessly. He saw an opening in the energy drink market, and leaped on it. Now he was the leading manufacturer of organic energy drinks. Not bad for a twenty-seven year old. My father used to tease him about ending up a thirty-eight year old couch surfer if he didn’t start applying himself. And, boy, did that pep talk work.
Ayden shoved Mason away from me and inserted himself into a grand bear hug.
“It’s been too long, knucklehead,” Ayden teased.
I started laughing as he let go of me. “Well, maybe if you didn’t call me knucklehead you’d see me more.”
“I can’t believe the last time we were all together was at your graduation in June,” Mason said, smiling. “You must be really busy at your new job. Or maybe you have a new guy?”
“Yes to the first and definitely no to the second. Thanks for your concern.” I glared at Mason who couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s good news because Cole has been anxiously gulping his beer—”
“Whoa. Not so fast,” I interrupted.
Cole was one of the guys my brothers ran around with in college. I never understood what my brothers had in common with him and got even more annoyed when he seemed to show an interest in me. I think my father should have given Cole the pep talk instead of my brother.
Mason and Ayden both wiggled their brows up and down, and all I could think to do was punch them both in the shoulder.
“Don’t even think about it. You know how I feel about him.”
“He’s matured,” Ayden replied, dropping the act and Mason nodded in agreement.
“I don’t even think when he’s ninety, I’ll be able to handle him.”
“Our little sister, the heartbreaker,” Mason said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, leading me into the house.
“Your presents are in the trunk, but if you try anything, I’ll take them right back.”
As soon as I got inside, I smelled the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. I was able to sniff out my mom’s world famous meatballs, chicken wings, and something very garlicky. The entry hall carried on the tradition of helium balloons, and the staircase was wrapped in silver garlands with my brothers’ names spelled out in giant, cardboard letters. I started chuckling as I thought about the event I had just attended, put on by Gabby’s parents, and how horrified Gabby’s stepmom would be if our family volunteered to do the decorating. But, hey, it would have saved a ton of money.
“What’s so funny?” Ayden asked, coming from behind carrying both packages.
“Just remembering why I loved home so much.”
My mom came out of the kitchen, dressed in jeans and an oversized teal tunic, and held out her arms. “My baby.”
“Everything smells so delicious.”
My mom gave me a quick hug and kiss and trundled off to the kitchen with my brothers and me trailing behind her.
“Dad’s outside trying to get the barbeque to light. He’s put so much lighter fluid on the coals, I’m afraid the neighborhood’s going to go up in smoke.”
For some reason, my dad wouldn’t switch to a gas barbeque. We had tried convincing him that it would be easier, but he vowed he’d never do it. My brothers used to wet the coals just to mess with him. I glanced at both of them wondering if they were up to their old tricks again and judging by the sparkle in their eyes, I’d say yes.
“Poor dad.” I grabbed a cup and filled it with raspberry lemonade with a kick.
“Did your brothers tell you who was excited to see you?” my mom asked, stirring the meatballs and giving me a sideways glance.
“Not you too?”
“He’s cute and he’s doing very well for himself.”
“He could own or run the entire city of Seattle, and I still wouldn’t be interested. You know I’m not into that stuff. Besides, I’m not interested in dating. I need to concentrate on law school.”
“Is my girl in here?” Lily’s voice rang through the entryway. “I think I overheard something about law school and dating?”
Lily rounded the bend, beaming and gave both my brothers a quick hug. She had a pair of jean shorts on and a hoodie. She had straightened her hair for the occasion, and it looked really cute. She handed each of my brothers a silver gift bag.
“Is she babbling about Gabby’s long lost brother?” Lily rolled her eyes as I froze in place.
“Hadn’t mentioned it. Thanks for that.” I dropped my gaze to the floor.
My mom smiled and shook her head. “Long lost brother, huh? How does that work?”
“I guess he took off right after Gabby’s mom passed away. He was eighteen and just kind of disappeared until a week ago. Or so the story goes,” I said.
“That’s odd,” my mom replied, piling the meatballs into the warmer.
“Well, I happened to run into him last night and he is gorgeous,” Lily continued. “And wherever he’s been for the last ten years has certainly been productive.”
I furrowed my brows at Lily to make her stop, but she was having none of it.
“And how did you find this out since last night?” Ayden teased. “Do you do this to all potential victims?”
“First, I spotted what he was wearing wrapped around his wrist. Second, I asked one of my coworkers at the firm where I work. They would love to sink their teeth into his business. And third, I’m not interested. He’s got his sights set on our dear Brandy.”
I let out a groan and shook my head.
“Right. I’m sure you would turn him down.” Mason raised a brow at Lily and grinned. He knew her well.
“What? I did this strictly for business. I always have to be on the lookout for new clients.” Lily and my mom laughed.
“Well, Gabby has a bike now and she’s riding that thing everywhere,” I said, switching the subject.
“She finally got one?” Ayden asked.
“Her dad surprised her with one. And she happens to be dating the guy who built it.”
“Is that why she didn’t show up?” he teased.
I nodded. “I wish she wouldn’t ride it. It’s so unsafe and with everything she’s been through, I would have thought she’d be more careful.”
“It’s probably because of everything she’s been through that she wants to live a little,” Lily chided in. “A new heart might do that to a person.”
I smiled and knew it would be a losing battle. Just because I was afraid of those machines didn’t mean the world had to be. It didn’t help that I woke u
p last night from a nightmare where the bike was the main attraction either. And it wasn’t the first time.
“Well, I’m proud of her for not only riding but allowing herself to dabble in the love department. We could all learn a thing or two,” Lily said.
And with that, I grabbed the pot full of meatballs and began my escape plan with my brothers right on my heels.
Walking through the family room and out the open sliding glass door, I beelined toward the picnic table that had all of the food spread out on it. I quickly grabbed the extension cord and plugged in the pot. I glanced around the backyard, noticing the tiki torches stuck around the patio and lanterns dangling from the trees.
“So what’s the story with this mystery man?” Mason said, his overprotective ways emerging.
“There is no story. He’s Gabby’s brother. Therefore, he’s off limits.” I spotted Cole sitting with a beer at one of the tables taking selfies and rolled my eyes. Mason and Ayden turned to follow my gaze and their laughter rang throughout the yard, but it still didn’t interrupt Cole. He was obviously on a pursuit to find the perfect self-portrait to post to our poor unsuspecting world. He was the only man I knew who would make friends take pictures down if he didn’t think he looked perfect.
“Need I say more?” I laughed. “Do you really think I want to date a guy who is so concerned with getting a flawless shot to share with Facebook? I mean look at him. He’s actually positioning the beer bottle perfectly next to his grinning chops.”
“Do I hear my baby girl?” my father turned around, lighter fluid in hand.
“Daddy, you really ought to think about switching to a gas barbeque.”
“Enough of that out of you and give me a hug.”
He wore his Barbeque Master apron with pride, and I couldn’t help but love him for trying. Unfortunately, Cole spotted me heading for my dad and quickly stood up.
I gave my dad a quick hug so he could get back to the task at hand and backed up with my brothers.
“So we may have to be on the watch,” Ayden told my father.
Beyond Doubt (Beyond Love Series #2) Page 4
