“Yeah, I know.” I wanted him to be happy. I’d never seen him feel this way about someone before. Women were a dime a dozen. They were there just to keep the sheets warm. He was happy with Kat, but he never talked about her the way he spoke about Denise. And if there was a chance for him to have that, of course, I wanted it to happen.
“Maybe you should talk to Kat.”
“I…I don’t know.”
“You have to start somewhere. Because these two people not being together because of this other person sounds unfair.”
“Well, Denise said she had the hots for Charlie, would do a one-night stand if Kat weren’t a problem, so I’m not sure if she actually has real feelings for Charlie or if she just wants some D.”
“I guess that does make a difference. But I think you should tell Charlie. It sounds like, no matter what you do, there’s going to be drama, so you may as well put everything on the table.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I’m always right. Wise beyond my years.”
“Yeah…okay.” I rolled my eyes.
He slowed the car down once he approached a property secured by a large gate with iron bars. A brick wall surrounded the area, masked by the trees and bushes that discreetly hid it from view of the road. He pulled up to the security keypad and typed in a code.
The doors slowly swung inward, revealing a paved road that led to a two-story house with unobstructed views of the water.
“Wow, this place is beautiful.”
He drove forward down the path. There was grass on either side and, along the edges, blooming hydrangeas in colors of blue and purple. There were pink roses too, deep green bushes, and tall oak trees that cast shadows across the lawn. He parked at the entrance to the garage and killed the engine.
“Not a bad place to grow up.”
“Yeah, it could have been worse.”
We left the car and walked to the rear, where a large backyard with a lawn and a stone deck stretched before us. Patio furniture was outside, under the big umbrellas, and there was a gorgeous view of the water, the sound of the waves loud because they were only feet away.
“Do you mind if I take pictures?”
“No.”
I pulled out my phone and snapped some shots.
“Pictures taken on a phone are good enough for the New York Press?” he teased.
“Honestly, these cameras are just as good as those big ones—and not as heavy.”
He slid his hands into his pockets and stood in the sun, looking even sexier under the natural light, his eyes taking in the landscape of his childhood home.
I watched him for a moment, knowing he had no idea I was looking at him. “Did you have birthday parties out here?”
He snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to me. “My sister had tea parties out here on the weekends when she was young. The girls would get all dressed up with big hats and have tea and sandwiches.”
“What about you?”
“Squirt gun fights.” He grinned. “My birthday is in the summer.”
“Oh, when?” It was summertime now.
He didn’t answer and turned to the back door. He pulled out his keys and opened the double French doors that led to the house.
“Why aren’t you answering me?” I followed behind him.
“Because I know you.”
“What does that mean?”
“I know you’ll make a fuss over it.”
“Will not.” I followed him into the house, seeing the living room with the white couches, the artwork of seashells and sandy beaches. There was a gray rug underneath. The rest of the house was in the same style, like a beach cottage. “Come on, tell me.”
He moved forward into the dining room, where the family portraits were. “Fine.” He gripped the back of one of the dining chairs and looked at me. “Saturday.”
“As in, a week from today?” I asked in surprise.
He nodded. “Turning thirty-one.”
“You got plans?”
He shrugged. “The guys will probably want to go to a club or something.”
“The guys?” I asked. “As in Jeremy and Nathan, or billionaire guys.”
“Billionaire guys.”
My eyes narrowed on his face. “That’s why you were at the same club that night, huh?” He’d come to my rescue when I least expected it, and he’d been dressed in a nice suit.
He held my gaze and didn’t blink. “Yeah.” He turned to the wall where the family portraits were.
I came to his side and looked at the pictures of his family, his grandparents on the far left, his parents’ wedding photo, and a few of Dax and his younger sister. “You were so cute when you were little.” I examined a picture of him when he was a teenager, maybe fifteen. I looked at other pictures, seeing him grow into a young man with a college diploma. “Must have broken a lot of hearts on the way…”
“Not proud of it.”
I looked at the photos of his sister. “She’s beautiful. Looks just like your mother.”
He nodded in agreement. “She does.”
“You look like your father…but a little like your mother.”
“Yes. They were good people.” He stared at their wedding photo. “My grandparents came from California. My grandfather was a fisherman and got a job at the docks. But he was also a genius, working on computers at night. No college degree.”
“I love stories like that—the American dream.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have aunts and uncles?”
“I do, but they’re in California. They send a Christmas card every year, but we aren’t close.”
“Your mother’s wedding dress is beautiful. Do you think your sister will wear it?”
“Not sure. She’s never talked about it.”
“Is your sister married now?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. But it won’t be long.”
“What does that mean?” I held up my phone and took a few pictures.
He turned to the kitchen and grabbed a couple glasses and filled them with water from the fridge. He carried them back outside to the patio. It was a beautiful summer day, a slight breeze in the air, and the waves were ferocious.
I followed him and joined him at the table. “Do you do that a lot?”
“What?”
“Leave the room without answering a question.”
He took a drink and licked his lips. “I answer questions when I feel like it.” He gave me a gentle smile, telling me he was teasing me. “My sister has been seeing this guy for a while, and I met him the other night.”
“What did you think?”
“Good guy. He’s playing basketball with us this week, actually.”
“Oh, so you really like him.”
“I don’t know him well enough. But I can tell he’s in love with my sister, and that’s all that really matters to me.” He took a drink. “I think she was afraid to introduce us because she feared I wouldn’t like him.”
“I hope you don’t do the stupid older brother macho bullshit thing?”
He chuckled. “No. I guess she just really values my opinion.” He stared into the glass for a while. “At the end of the night, we spoke in private, and she basically told me that it’s important to her that I be close with her future husband since Mom and Dad are gone. When I was married, I was really distant because I was in a dark place. Without realizing it, we drifted apart. She’s afraid the same thing will happen. Made me realize how much that divorce ruined me, affected all my relationships, even my relationship with you.” He lifted his gaze and looked across the yard. “My sister has a strong spine, she’s a tough woman, so I didn’t realize how much she needed me. I didn’t realize how alone she felt. She wants to bring our family closer together, so she didn’t want me to meet him for as long as possible.”