Chapter Twenty-Five
Duncan
The next day, I met my brothers in the afternoon.
Knox and Finn came back from yet another trip to Napa Valley.
We were all in favor of buying the property.
The only risk was someone else snatching it from us.
Everyone had smug smiles when I entered the meeting room.
I assumed that meant they had good news.
Griffin, Knox, and Finn were sitting on one side of the table. I sat next to Wyatt and Chase.
"What's new?" I asked.
"You tell us."
Now that I was paying attention, I realized Chase's smile was smugger than everyone else's.
"What are you talking about? I'm not the one who flew to Napa. Did you email me a report and I didn't look at it?" I asked. I'd been busy with Riley the whole day yesterday, and then Jeremy. I didn't even check my mail.
Finn blew out a breath. "No, man. It's not about Napa. Everything's fine there. We've spoken already to the realtor and put everything in motion. He's going to keep in touch and let us know as soon as he puts in an offer."
"Okay, so the vineyard is still available. That's good." I was building something with my brothers again. It was exhilarating. I hadn't realized it before now, but I’d missed this: the thrill of a new joint project.
"So, why exactly are we meeting, then, if things are already in motion?" I asked.
Knox laced his fingers and put them on top of his head. Finn grinned. Wyatt laughed. Griffin shook his head. Chase’s smile was even smugger.
"Well, the meeting was on the calendar," Finn said lazily.
"And we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to give you shit," Chase continued.
"About what?" I asked, bewildered.
"We've heard through the grapevine from our lawyers that you asked them to help with Riley's sister," Griffin said.
"Yeah."
"Ha!" Chase exclaimed.
"What exactly do you think I asked them for?" I was starting to realize what his smug smile was about. He thought I was going to do something stupid like he'd done with Hannah.
"I don't know. You tell us."
"Yeah, we’re very excited to know," Wyatt added.
"Dude, I tried to get them off your case," Griffin said, "but they wouldn't stop."
"Thanks for having my back. Riley's sister’s boss kept giving her headaches. I simply asked them to formally scare the shit out of him by sending him a cease and desist."
Chase was on the edge of his chair. "And?"
"And that's it," I said.
"Aw, man. Damn it."
I couldn't help myself; I burst out laughing. "I can't believe it. You thought I was going to pull some shit like you did?"
Chase sighed. "I'm not proud to admit, but yeah. That was exactly what I was waiting for."
Wyatt shook his head. "I told you that Duncan's got a good head on his shoulders."
"Hey!” Chase snapped. “I do as well. I just lost it when it came to Hannah."
It was my turn to smile smugly. "Well, I didn't. Case closed. Now, let's get back to Napa Valley."
"Yes, let's," Finn said. "But I will just say one last thing on this topic. You haven't lost your head yet . There’s still plenty of time for that, and I'll be here to cheer when that happens."
I chuckled. "Good to know I can always count on you."
“Since Napa is a done deal and we skipped Monday’s meeting, how about doing our usual brainstorming now?” Chase suggested.
"Great,” Knox replied. “I love our brainstorming sessions. It puts my brain into a creative mode, and then it stays like that for the rest of the week."
Wyatt turned to him. "We’re supposed to think about the ideas before and just pitch them here."
Knox grinned. "No one said that, brother. We agreed to share ideas in this room on Monday mornings. I like to fly by the seat of my pants."
Griffin burst out laughing, pointing at Wyatt. "And you didn't catch on until now?"
Knox stared at Wyatt.
"What do you mean, catch on?" Wyatt looked around the table. “Everyone else knew?”
"Obviously," I said.
"Some of the ideas he comes up with are outlandish," Chase informed him.
I was usually the tactless one in the group, but Chase gave me a good run for my money.
While everyone pitched in with ideas, I took out my phone, looking up nearby locations for camping.
“What's that?" Griffin asked, leaning over and glancing at my phone. "Why are you looking up camping?"
I immediately turned the phone face down. "That's none of your business."
"You’re finally taking Jeremy camping?” Wyatt asked.
“Maybe. Riley also mentioned that she’s into it.”
There was silence among my brothers, and then Griffin fist-pumped the air.
"Man, I did not see this coming," Wyatt said.
"Yep," Knox replied. "I called it."
"Yeah, but you were the only one with insider information," Griffin said.
Knox shrugged. "It's not my fault that the rest of you aren't creative."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Wyatt put both elbows on the table, looking at me intently. "We would really like to meet Riley. So would Dad."
“She’ll be there at our water polo match,” I informed them.
We played once a year, at the pool near my condo building. It was fun. I expected this year to be no different.
“Excellent. I was betting on that,” Griffin said.
"You all talked about this?" I asked.
"No," Wyatt replied. "That's not our style. I actually thought that these bozos were making this out to be more than it is. But you’re the most unpredictable of us Sterlings.”
I opened my mouth.
He shook his head. "That wasn't up for discussion."
Chase was looking straight at me.
"I like surprising her,” I said. “I want to do something she’ll enjoy."
"So this, between the two of you, is serious?" Chase asked.
"It's the most serious I've ever been about a woman.” Saying that felt insanely good.
"Holy shit," Griffin exclaimed. "Does Jeremy know?"
I shook my head. "No, we’re keeping this under wraps."
"How on earth did you manage that?" Wyatt asked.
"It's not easy," I admitted.
"But do you plan on telling him?" That came from Chase.
"Riley and I haven't discussed it yet. And I don't want to pressure her in any way. I also don't want to confuse Jeremy."
"What do you mean, confuse?" Griffin asked. There was an edge in his voice. My brother was protective of Jeremy. All of them were.
"I don't want him to get his hopes up. After all, he's never met a woman I went out with, and she's his nanny."
"Not for long, though, right? So problem solved," Knox said breezily.
I cocked a brow. "How do you know that? You only talked to her for a few minutes at the condo.”
"Oh, I got that from Mom. Riley's only there until she starts her job as an associate."
I was already searching for a new nanny. Ms. Williams had informed me that she wanted to permanently retire, and that was for the best. It also meant I didn’t have to deal with firing her after the things she’d said to Jeremy.
"See, you're going to be off the hook then," Finn said. "Jeremy will have another nanny.”
“And you can continue to date Riley without worrying that it might impact him," Griffin said.
I realized at that moment that no matter how helpful my brothers wanted to be, there were so many nuances they missed.
It wasn't all black-and-white with a kid.
Just because Riley wouldn't be his nanny, it didn't mean that he wouldn't care about her.
I could already tell that the bond he had with Riley was far closer than what he'd had with any of his previous nannies. That wasn't just something kids forgot.
"You know, this is a good thing. Jeremy’s given hints ever since Chase and Hannah got together that he’d like you to meet someone.”
Wyatt was more logical than the rest of my younger brothers, but he didn’t understand kids either.
Sure, Jeremy might say that to anyone who wanted to hear him, but what he imagined happened when two adults got together was entirely different from the reality of a relationship.
Things didn't always end up with the couple riding off into the sunset, as in Chase’s case.
In my personal experience, relationships were messy and could potentially end up in disaster, or at least a lot of heartbreak and collateral damage.
And honestly, Riley was young—not that I noticed it so much when we were together, but whenever I saw her roommates, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Would she even want an exclusive ongoing relationship with me?
"I appreciate you all looking out for me and Jeremy, but I wasn't asking for advice," I said in an even tone.
"We weren't giving any," Chase said.
"Just our straightforward, obviously unwanted opinions," Wyatt continued, bouncing off him.
I usually liked hearing them. Chase had more experience than the rest of us with relationships. But none of them could understand my particular case.
"How about we get back to business?" I suggested.
Griffin groaned.
Wyatt nodded. "Yeah, you're right. That's why we meet every week. This isn’t gossip hour."
“No, we can gossip next week after our water polo match,” Finn said with a shit-eating grin.
“Excellent,” Wyatt exclaimed with an uncharacteristic grin of his own.
I just shook my head.
Even though we continued to talk shop, my mind was on my surprise for Riley.
I was going to enlist her sister's help.
Paula had been only too happy to give me details, and she was a wealth of information.
I still had to figure out all the logistics.
Most of all, I had to figure out Jeremy. But one thing at a time.
After our meeting, I noticed I had a missed call from Shona. She rarely called me; we usually spoke after she and Jeremy had their nightly conversation. She’d also had sent me a text.
Shona: Hey, call me when you can without Jeremy around. I'm making some arrangements for the vacation and want to prep some surprises for him.
I called her right away. "Hi, Shona," I said, closing the door to my office.
"Oh, good. I'm putting together a shopping list. He’s still in his Spider-Man phase, right?"
"Yeah, he is."
"And you still think he'll be in it by the end of the summer?"
"Definitely. This has a stronger hold on him than his previous passions."
"All right. And he still loves the zoo?"
"Yes.”
“Apparently, he shares his passion for animals with Riley."
"That’s true. Riley's been monitoring all the babies that are coming in the next few months. She keeps looking at all the cameras."
Shona gasped. "Oh my God, Duncan."
"What?"
"Is there something going on between you and Riley? I did think that it sounded that way from what Jeremy told me, but I wasn't sure. Well, knowing you, I figured the last person in the world you'd go out with would be your son's nanny."
Her words felt like a punch in the gut. "She's not going to be his nanny for too long. She starts her full-time job as a lawyer soon."
"You're not denying it."
"I'm not." I didn't want to keep this from Shona. She was Jeremy's mom and had a right to know.
"Oh, wow. Well, good for you."
"What?" I didn't expect this reaction.
"I hope things are going well. Jeremy doesn't know yet, does he?"
"No. I'm looking for the right moment to explain everything to him."
"So, this is serious?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Goodness. When you move, you move fast," she said.
"It feels right," I confessed, "but I want to tell Jeremy under the right circumstances."
"Well, I, for one, think he'll be thrilled."
I was certain that he would be. He cared about Riley, but still, no matter what Shona and my family thought, this required tact. Of course Jeremy could understand the notion of a parent dating, but I still wanted to do this as carefully as possible.
"Duncan, I honestly am very happy for you. Just make sure you give the relationship a chance, okay?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You and I didn't work out because it wasn't meant to.
If it weren't for Jeremy… well, you know what I mean.
When we decided to try to be together for his sake, we both knew it wasn't going to be a success.
At least, deep down, I did. But before I got pregnant, I always got the feeling that you held yourself back.
I don't know if it was because of the way your parents' marriage ended or something else, but you always seemed to keep me at arm’s length.”
I couldn't disagree because she was right. It wasn't something I'd done consciously, but I'd done it nonetheless.
"So, if Riley is important to you, don't stand in your own way, okay?"
"Okay."