Terms + Conditions (Strangers #3)

Chapter Fifty-One

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

NOW

“HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO her mom yet?” Nick takes a sip of his beer.

It’s been three days since we met Ed Brown in Nina’s office, and he has yet to turn up with any information. He’s a gruff man with a medium build and a bald head that he hides underneath a black fedora. His pressed three-piece suit looked tailor-made, with a Christmas tie and leather shoes. If you saw him on the side of the street, you wouldn’t think twice; he looked like your normal businessman, but something told me he was anything but. Ed told us it could take up to a week before he could provide us with any information, depending on how well Juliet covered her tracks. The way he said it made it sound like we were looking for some master criminal.

“I tried to call her the other night and then again last night,” I sigh. “But she didn’t answer.”

“That’s a little suspicious, right? I mean, it’s almost been a week. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, for godsake.”

I shrug. “A little, but Brie says she’s hard to get ahold of—something about her job.”

Nick taps the neck of his beer bottle, sorting through the thoughts running through his mind. “Suspicious.”

“What’s suspicious?” Alex asks, joining us in the loft.

We flew home two days ago, and today, everyone descended on the Jupiter Beach house. It was good to be back, but I don’t think anyone was more excited than Bear. As soon as Elizabeth unlocked the door the other night, he ran inside, curled up on his bed in the living room, and went to sleep. Nina had stayed in New York with Elena—she and Kai had some work to get done this week before some big meeting at the beginning of the year—but Finn and Michaela had come with us. They planned to stay through the new year. Alex and Lara, too. Nick was supposed to fly back to New York tomorrow night so he could be with his girls going into the new year.

“Josh hasn’t been able to get ahold of Brie’s mother,” Nick says.

“Dude, it’s been like a week since she showed up.”

“That’s what I said.” Nick points at his brother but looks at me. “See, I’m not the only one who thinks so! The whole thing is suspicious.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” I ask, looking between them. I can’t throw Brie out on the street. She’s a fifteen-year-old girl.

“How do you know this girl isn’t some psychopath?” Alex takes a tug on his beer and grabs a handful of stale popcorn from the bowl on the table.

“What does she have to gain? It’s not like I’m the one married to Nina.”

“No, but you’re related, and it’s not like Elizabeth is too far off,” Nick says, and it makes me think of the comment Brie made when I asked how she found me.

It’s not hard when you’re related to people like the Villas.

Shit. Maybe they were on to something.

“Look, we’re not saying that’s what she is, but you have to consider all the options,” Alex adds. “Where is she anyway?”

“Mom and Dad took her to lunch.” My parents had just come down for the day, arriving late last night so Mom could make breakfast this morning before they took Brie into town and then head home before it got too late. Didn’t even ask if Michaela or I wanted to join them…I guess this is how it’s going to be from now on. Their focus has shifted from me and Michaela to their granddaughter…if she really is their granddaughter.

“What do they think about all this?” Nick asks.

“A little suspicious, but they seem into it. It’s not like they have any other grandchildren or signs of getting them anytime soon.”

They had been getting along well since Brie showed up, but I could sense some hesitation on Dad’s part. While Mom had been excited to have someone else to spoil, Dad kept a polite distance.

“Michaela and Finn might—”

“Be serious, Alex.” I stop him. “They aren’t jumping on the kid boat anytime soon. They just got engaged.”

At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

A silence falls between us, the only sounds from the football game projected on the screen. Buccs versus the Panthers. The third story has a loft that Elizabeth had turned into a movie room fitted with a large screen, a projector, and surround sound. When Alex saw it, he salivated at the idea of watching football games up here.

“You gotta get ahold of this girl’s mother,” Nick says after a minute. He stares blankly at the screen, his thumb tracing the rim of the beer bottle. “You have to find out what’s going on. You don’t want to be caught off guard.”

“I don’t think Juliet would do something like this just for shits and giggles.” I scratch at the label on my bottle. “She was nice—”

“Not enough to keep in touch, though,” Alex quips. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, dude. You don’t even know for sure if she’s your daughter.”

Nick takes a sip of beer and says, “Yeah, Juliet was chill, but—”

“You know her?” Alex seems confused.

“I was there.” Nick shrugs before a smirk tugs on his lips probably thinking about his own memories of that week. “Spring break twenty-ten was a good ol’ time.”

“Do you potentially have a daughter out there we need to look into?”

“Shut the fuck up, Alex.” Nick’s smirk falls, and he rolls his eyes, but I can’t hold back my laugh. “You, too.”

“You have to admit, it was kind of funny.” I still chuckle.

“There you boys are!” Dad walks into the movie area.

I expect to see Brie following behind, but she doesn’t.

“Brie is with Elizabeth,” Dad says, noticing my confusion. “She whisked her away as soon as we arrived, something about books.”

The thought of them bonding makes my heart feel a little lighter. If she is my daughter, at least I know they can get along…Right?

“Y’know Bub, I think she’s a lovely girl, but there seems to be some hesitation when it comes to talking about her home life.” Dad lifts his hat and runs a hand through his hair before replacing it. “You noticed that?”

Yes. Anytime I bring up home, Brie tries changing the subject almost immediately.

“Have you had any more luck getting ahold of her mother?” Dad asks.

“No, she still hasn’t answered.”

Dad hums in response but doesn’t say anything. I know what he’s thinking; I need to do something more than just sit around and wait for Juliet to answer the phone. But what am I supposed to do? Call the police? Brie doesn’t seem concerned about her mother’s lack of communication. In fact, to her, it seems to be perfectly normal. Not to mention, we have a private investigator looking into Juliet, Brie, and the entire Sinclaire family. If there is anything suspicious going on, I have no doubt Ed Brown is going to find it.

“Well, your Mom and I are ‘bout to head out. Got a long drive ahead of us. You’ll let me know when you hear something, wont’cha?” Dad asks, and I nod.

Things have still been a little off between me and Dad, or maybe it’s just me. There are times when I feel like he wants to ask me about what happened, but he holds back. He nods toward my cousins and heads for the door when I call after him.

“Can we talk for a second?”

The walk outside is quiet. Even as I step out the front door, it’s hard to know where to begin. I follow Dad down the steps toward the driveway, taking each step one at a time until I reach solid ground and he is already halfway to the car. Elizabeth and I are supposed to go back to Winchester next week to discuss our options with the house. We’ve considered keeping it, but don’t see a reason to. Jupiter Beach welcomes a fresh start all the way around.

With his back to me, Dad opens the back seat and asks, “What’s on your mind, Son?”

It’s hard to find the right words, but the best ones I come up with are: “Are we okay?”

No answer. His movements inside the backseat of the car have paused, and after a brief moment that feels like a lifetime, he sighs. It’s a long, hard sigh. The kind of sigh that signals you’re not about to like the answer on the other side of it. A sigh is not the answer I was looking for. When he straightens, he turns to face me—his gaze narrowed, his lips pursed slightly—and he rests his arm over the door pane, tapping his fingers on the black exterior. “Josh—“

“I’m sorry.”

“I know that, but this whole thing has been…difficult. I feel like I don’t even know you or Elizabeth, not really. Hell, I feel like I don’t even know my own wife.”

“Wait, you know? I thought she didn’t tell you.”

“I have two ears to hear, son.”

Now, it’s my turn to sigh. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

“What in God’s name would make either of you think going to Brina Villa for an arranged marriage was a good idea?”

My tongue swipes across my teeth before I suck my bottom lip between them. He knows the truth, but not the whole truth. Do I tell him?

“I’ve asked your mother a hundred times, but she just tells me not to worry about it. Says it’s none of my concern because it was handled, but that’s the problem. I don’t know what was handled, and it makes me feel like I don’t know my own damn family!”

My heart jumps out of my chest when his hand pounds down on the roof of the sedan. My blood is going a million miles a minute, the adrenaline pounding through me.

“Does your sister know?” He chuckles when I don’t answer. “Wow, so I’m the only one who—”

“MJ didn’t know before. She just found out.”

“So, you can tell your sister, but not me?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you anymore than I already have. I don’t want you to hate me.”

Dad pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath. “Josh, there’s nothing that could make me hate you.”

“I don’t know—”

“Josh.” He grips my shoulders. “You’re my son, and I love you. There is nothing in this world that could make me hate you. Disappointed? Sure. That’s to be expected. But never hate.”

Tears well in my dad’s eyes, and they make mine burn with unshed tears. Dad isn’t a very emotional person. He’s always been the more reserved type. He keeps to himself and lets Mom handle most things, but when he does let that guard down and show his feelings…it hits you harder.

“Josh?” Elizabeth calls from the side porch off the mudroom. “Oh,” I hear her say, sensing the tension. “Never mind.”

“What is it, Sugar?” I call over my shoulder.

“Nothing that can’t wait.” She smiles softly and waves at Dad. “Jenny should be out in just a second, Pat.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Dad says, offering her a small nod before she goes inside. When she closes the door, he turns back to me. “Despite everything that has happened, I’m glad the two of you managed to make this work. She’s good for you. And I think you’ve been good for her too.”

“I love her.”

“I know you do. I just hope this thing with Brie doesn’t mess things up again. I don’t know if the family can handle another round of Josh versus Elizabeth.”

I laugh softly.

“You really didn’t know about her?” Dad asks.

“No idea.”

“Well.” He sighs. “She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. You just need to get ahold of her mother and figure this whole thing out.” Dad’s hand clamps down on my shoulder and squeezes. “I’m proud of you, Josh. Whatever happened all those years ago…you came out better for it. And when you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here.”

The tears well in my eyes again and my stomach is in knots. I want to tell him, but…I don’t want to see the disappointment on his face when he finds out what I did.

“Dad…I don’t want to keep secrets anymore,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Do you remember the Theta Pi hazing?”

“Sure, that kid who almost died your senior year. But you weren’t there. You were home the night of the—” His words fall off as the realization hits him. “Oh, Josh.”

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t hurt anyone, but I was…there. I was the one who took him to the hospital.”

“You took him to the hospital?” Dad asks. “Why didn’t you just tell the police that?”

“I was scared.” I shrug. “The school was talking about expulsion and I was already supposed to graduate late because—”

“I don’t understand how you decided an arranged marriage was the answer.”

“I went to Mom for help and she went to—”

“Brina.” Dad shakes his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He sighs, looking back at me. “All of this drama for what? You did the right thing, Josh! You helped that kid and made sure he lived. Had you just come to me, we could’ve hired a lawyer to take care of it. You didn’t need to go into an arranged marriage.”

“I didn’t want to cause you any extra stress,” I say, folding my arms.

He puts his hands on my shoulders, looking me square in the eye. “That wasn’t your burden to bear and I’m sorry you felt like you had to. That’s not your job, son.”

“I know that now, but I don’t regret it.” A small smile tugs on the corner of my mouth. “Because I got Elizabeth out of it.”

Dad sighs and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug—the kind of hug that heals your spirit a little and helps put you back together after years of quick fixes. Before we part, he says, “I’m proud of you, Josh. You’re a good kid, this doesn’t change that. I love you, son.”