Chapter 47
Colin
Heath: 5 tomorrow. Family dinner. Please come. You’re my fave.
Me: I’m considering it.
He sends a stupid GIF with everyone running around in excitement, but I don’t feel the same. I haven’t been to one of these family dinners in years. I would avoid them each time I visited, and before leaving for college, I would find an excuse not to go. According to Lisa, they happen every month or so, and usually at the insistence of Uncle Milton or Colin the First.
Other than Lisa, Heath, and Uncle Milton, I’m not close to anyone else in the family, and I’m okay with that. I tolerate and make small talk with Marilyn, but I avoid my brother and his children.
Colin the First’s kids are only a little bit younger than me, and despite that, I wasn’t close to them either. My older siblings were angry at my dad for divorcing their mom, and when he met my mom and married her, familial relationships did not improve.
I’m sure my mother didn’t help the family dynamics. According to my uncle, Mom is the one who insisted I be named Colin. My older brother did not like that and has spent part of my life pretending I don’t exist. He turned competitive when I became an adult, but I chose not to engage. We would see each other on holidays and at family events, but after he tried to buy Kincaid Architecture, I ceased all contact with my brother, and I’ve never regretted it.
My phone buzzes, and I look down, expecting to see another text from Heath, but it’s from my uncle.
Uncle Milton: Tomorrow at 5 at the big house.
Me: If the vibes are weird, I’m leaving.
Uncle Milton: Real men don’t go by vibes.
I climb out of Brynne’s bed and search for her. She ended our talk by kissing me. Since I’ve always been unable to resist her, I carried her to bed, where we stayed for the next four hours. I woke up to an empty and cold bed.
“There you are, sleeping beauty.” She’s in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove, and I suddenly notice how good it smells here. She gestures for me to come closer, and I do. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my bare chest.
“As good as that smells, you smell better. You feel better, too.” I grind into her before I spin her around and kiss her until we are both dizzy.
“I just got summoned to a family dinner at the big house.” She grimaces. I chuckle, but I don’t like her reaction.
“You make it sound like you’re going to prison.”
“In a way,” I admit.
“Well, the good news is, I’ll be here waiting for you. I’ll be wearing something short, lacy, and incredibly sexy for your return. I’ll even bake a pie to eat off your body.” She wiggles her brows, steps out of my arms, and pulls out a bottle of white wine from the fridge.
She pours both of us a glass. I take a sip, put mine down, and pin her against the kitchen island. “That sounds great. You can put that on tonight and give me a preview.”
“Well, I’ll need to go out and buy it first,” she says. “And I’ll do that while you’re gone.”
“Mmhmm.” I kiss the side of her neck. “But you see? The thing is, I want you to come with me.”
She goes stiff in my arms and looks into my eyes. I nod, and she grimaces and looks away. “And, um, who exactly will be at this family dinner?”
“Well, my brother, Colin the First,” I begin.
“Totally ridiculous name and everyone should refuse to call him that. How was he the first when your father was named Colin?”
“And his father before him,” I add. “But it’s the long-running family joke.” At least that’s what I think, but we’re not exactly a family who joke.
“Who else?” she asks.
“My sister, Lisa, whom you’ve already met. Her kids, probably. My sister, Marilyn. She’s Heath’s mother.” She looks up at me with her big brown eyes and waits. Since she hasn’t rolled her eyes at the mention of Heath, I continue. “Some random cousins. I can never predict which ones.”
“That’s it?” she asks.
“Oh, Uncle Milton and Heath.” I do an exaggerated grimace.
“And I’m out then.” She tries to get out of my arms again. “I already have to deal with them at work.”
“Heath is just a kid. An annoying kid, but I love him. He means a lot to me, and I would like you two to get along.” When all she does is stare, I continue. “Milton made his bed, and I’m not going to defend him, but I wish you’d give Heath another chance. His mom means well, but she’s a bit of a mess. His father’s not in his life, and I’ve—”
“He’s not the main reason,” she says. “I can ignore him.”
“What can I do to convince you?” I plant a loud, wet kiss on the side of her neck. My hand slides down and inside her yoga pants. She gasps in surprise but spreads her legs.
My fingers find her clit, and she throws her head back while I suck on the base of her neck. I rub her nub and she moans in ecstasy. She returns the favor by sliding her hand in my boxers and wrapping it around my dick, taking it from semi to rock hard in a matter of seconds.
She gives it a yank, and I groan.
“God, you feel good,” I whisper. “If you come with me, I promise to make you feel good every day. And when we get home tomorrow night, the only pie I’ll eat is this one.” I slide a finger inside her wet pussy. “I’ll eat it until it explodes on my face, then I’ll lick your juices.”
“Mmhmm,” she moans. I slide another finger inside and finger fuck her against the kitchen island. Her juices ooze out, and I add pressure to her clit with my thumb. She throws her head back and softly calls my name. I add more pressure and she comes all over my hand.
It takes her a few minutes to come back to earth, and when she finally opens her eyes, she looks at me. “And you have problems with this brother?” I nod. “Are you sure you want to go?”
“I do care about the rest of the family, and I want to see Lisa and her kids.”
“What if the vibes are off, or they don’t like me?”
“They won’t have any problem with you, but if you’re uncomfortable, we will leave. No questions asked. Please?”
“Fine. I’ll come,” she says.
“You sure did, Honeybee,” I grin. I pull my fingers out of her and out of her pants. I hold her stare as I lick my fingers.
“My turn.” She pulls my boxers down and gets on her knees.
“Fine,” she says again minutes later. We’re now lying on the floor in her kitchen. My boxers are still around my ankles, and after I came in her mouth, I dramatically dropped to the floor and pulled her down with me. “I’ll be civil to Heath until he does something to piss me off.”
“Well, that civility will last for about two minutes.”
“But I don’t need to attend—”
“I want you to come with me,” I say. “You’re important to me, and I want my family to get to know you. I’ve been away a long time, and I promised Lisa I’d make an effort.”
“Or,” she says, “I can be here waiting for you when you get back. Wearing something sexy or nothing at all. Your choice.” She wraps her arms around my neck. “And pie.” She wiggles her brows. She nips my earlobe and whispers, “Pie.”
“I choose you wearing nothing at all. You can bake the pie in the morning and eat it off my body when we return.” I slide my hands down her back and rest them on her ass. “Compromise.” I pull her closer. “I want you to come with me.”
She looks into my eyes, and I hold her stare. I wish I could read her mind, but I’m sure she’s weighing the pros and cons of an evening with my family. She sighs, rolls her eyes, and again says, “Fine.”
I bend down and kiss her.
I stop in the long driveway, and my phone dings for the millionth time. I already know it’s Heath, and from Brynne’s eye-roll and loud sigh, she must know it, too. He’s been texting me all day about this dinner. He texted pictures of himself wearing several outfits and asked my opinion. In each one, he had a different cardigan.
Only three cars are in the driveway, but other family members may be parked in the garage or in the driveway of one of the other houses on the property.
This April day is mild, and it’s still light out. Brynne rolls down her window, sticks her head out, and whistles. “Wow,” she says. “Fancy.” She clears her throat, rolls up the window, and wipes her hand on her black pants. “How formal are these dinners?” she asks.
My phone buzzes again, but I ignore it.
“It can be anywhere from a formal sit down to a buffet dinner.” What I don’t say is that even the buffet dinners are formal. There are servers to put the food on your plate and carry it to the table, where you will have a place setting with your name. From then on, servers will be standing in the background, ready to refill your glass, take drink orders, or get more food from the buffet.
I put my hand on her lap. “Relax. It’s just dinner with my family.” She looks at me, then looks away. “What is it?”
“I wish I had a family to introduce you to. I think my mom and stepdad would have liked you.” Her eyes suddenly fill with tears, and I pull her into my arms. “I’m happy that you have a family, but it’s times like these I remember that I’m alone in the world.” She starts to sniffle, and I feel a tear land on my hand.
“Honeybee, you’re not alone. You have me.” That makes her cry harder, and I hold her until her tears subside. I grab her purse and pull out a packet of tissues to dab her eyes.
“And now I’ve made this about me when it’s about you and your family. I’m sorry. I’m no better than Ashley,” she sniffles.
“This is about us. And who is Ashley?” The front door of the house opens, and Heath comes running out. He has Archie in his arms, and Milly runs behind him. I get out of the car, but the kids practically tackle me before I get to Brynne’s side. She lets herself out and watches with a sad smile while my nephews and niece hug me.
“Uncle Paddy, look.” Milly points at her red Crocs. “Mom got you one, too, so we can match.” I pick her up and kiss her cheeks.
“It’s about time you got here. Uncle Colin the First has been pacing waiting on your arrival, but he let me order a bunch of stuff with his credit card.” He elbows me in the ribs. “It’s the right thing to do since I can’t access my trust fund yet.” He will blow his inheritance on cashmere robes, couture cardigans and skin care routines.
“Hi,” Milly says, waving at Brynne.
“Hi, there,” Brynne says, finally smiling.
“Oh, you brought a guest,” Heath says with a tight smile. I glare at him, and he pretends to zip his lips. “Brynne,” he says. She gives him a fake smile and a firm nod. “Come on.” He goes inside, and Milly follows him.
I walk around the car, put my arm around Brynne, pull her close, and kiss her forehead. “You ready?” I ask.
“No,” she says.
“No turning back now.” With my arm wrapped around her, she leans into me for support.
We collide with my brother. The only thing we have in common is our height. Other than that, we look nothing alike.
He seems to exhale and visibly relax when he sees me. He pulls me from Brynne and hugs me tight then pulls away to look into my face. This is new. He’s never hugged me before, and I don’t like it. I move away from him.
“You’re late,” he admonishes. That’s another thing he tried to do when I was younger. When he wasn’t ignoring me, he thought it was his right to parent me. I didn’t appreciate it then, and I don’t now.
“I’m not,” I say tightly. I’m five minutes early, but that’s considered late in this family.
“I’ll forgive you.” He tries to hug me again, but I move out of his way and shake my head.
“I don’t need forgiveness.”
He straightens and his smile slips. “It was a joke,” he says.
“You’re not funny.”
He sighs and looks away from me. “Who do we have here?” he asks. He’s all smiles for Brynne, and I’m pretty sure Heath has been running his mouth all day about us.
“Colin, this is Brynne Barber. Brynne, this is Colin.”
He takes her hand and gives it a firm shake. He holds on a little too long, so I knock his hand away and take Brynne’s back.
“Is all of this attitude necessary, Paddy?” he asks, but I don’t answer. “You can call me Colin the First,” my brother says to Brynne. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” His upper lip twitches, and Brynne raises her eyebrows. “Heath hasn’t shut up about you. It’s quite the rivalry he’s built up in his mind.”
“Oh, well, he’s not exactly neutral when it comes to me,” Brynne says.
“Don’t worry. I like you already.” He takes her hand and tucks her arm into his. “Come meet the rest of Paddy’s siblings. There are only a few of us today.”
I take Brynne’s other hand and walk through the grand foyer. There are double spiral staircases and black and white tiled floors. There used to be an enormous chandelier, but that’s been replaced with several hanging lights. It gives the place a more modern look, but the house is so big that it takes us a few minutes to get to the formal dining room.
“Brynne,” my brother says, “this is my sister Marilyn. She’s responsible for Heath.” His lip twitches again, and I ask myself, when in the hell did my brother get a sense of humor? I let go of Brynne’s hand long enough for her to shake my sister’s.
“Nice to meet you.” Of course, Marilyn won’t make eye contact. “Heath’s a good boy,” she says. She drops Brynne’s hand and walks away.
“And this is Lisa, but she said you’ve already met. You already know Uncle Milton.” Milton walks over with a server behind him, holding a tray of drinks. If this is what my family calls an informal dinner, Brynne will die when she joins me for a formal dinner.
I can’t gauge what she’s thinking right now. She’s looking around in awe, but I know coming here for the first time can be intimidating.
“Brynne,” Uncle Milton says. “Paddy.”
Brynne smiles politely and nods at him, but she doesn’t speak.
He takes a white wine from the tray and hands it to her.
“Thank you, Milton,” Brynne speaks the way one would to a stranger.
My uncle looks a little deflated.
“Brynne, relax and make yourself at home. This is just an informal little dinner, but I want to hear all about you. According to Uncle Milton, you’re the best architect he’s ever met.” My brother looks my way and says, “No offense, Paddy.” He giggles. Colin the First actually giggles. I scowl in confusion.
“Is that why you tried to buy Kincaid Architecture? Because you think I lack talent?”
My brother goes quiet. Brynne extricates herself from his clutches and wraps her arm through mine. “I’m sorry, Brynne. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” I say.
“Do you want to leave?” she whispers to me.
“No one is leaving,” Uncle Milton says. “Paddy, I think you should give Colin the First a few minutes of your time.”
My brother has now lost his coloring, but he remains standing tall.
“I don’t think so,” I say.
“I can explain about buying Uncle Milton’s business,” my brother says. “It’s not what you think.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Looking back now, I wish he had bought it. If he had, things wouldn’t have gone to hell with Brynne like they did.
“So, how did you turn that around?” Lisa asks later. She’s pulled me to a corner so we can talk alone. Brynne is on the other side of the room with Colin the First. He gives her his phone and she starts to swipe. Lisa waves her hand in my face. “Hey. Over here.”
“I don’t trust him,” I say. “You shouldn’t either.” My brother has always resented me more than Lisa, but he’s never wanted a relationship with either of us.
“He’s apologized to me,” Lisa confesses. I give her a look of disbelief. The men in our family don’t apologize. “For treating me as an outsider.” When I snort, she inches closer. “He’s been reflecting after his heart attack.”
“Reflecting? I don’t believe any of that,” I say dismissively. “He’s too much of an ass to reflect.”
“I’ve accepted his apology. I’ll never have a relationship with him like I do with you, but I’m open to one.” When I stare at her in disbelief, she says, “That’s my choice. I’m not telling you what to do, but maybe you should talk to him.”
I shake my head at my sister. “You can’t possibly be serious, Lisa. He is the same guy who, on my eighteenth birthday, gave me the prefilled paperwork for me to change my entire name. Not just my first but my last name, too. He wanted me to take our mother’s name, remember? And he gave you the same orders when you turned eighteen. He never showed up for a single one of our milestones. He tried to get Dad to write me out of his will and to leave this house only to him and Marilyn. Not to mention—” She holds up a hand, and I stop talking. I can feel color creeping up my neck, so I take a deep breath to calm myself.
“None of it worked, and he regrets it.”
“Well, as long as he regrets it. Let’s throw him a fucking parade. Can we change the subject, please?”
Lisa takes one of my hands and squeezes it. “Okay. I’m sorry. I know it’s more personal with you two. I won’t bring it up again. So, back to my original question. How did you manage to get her back?”
“Did you doubt my charm?” I ask.
“Since you have none, yes.” She pinches my cheek.
Uncle Milton joins us but takes my elbow and pulls me away. “I thought you were going to talk to Brynne. She’s still being cold and distant.” I huff, but I don’t answer. “That’s not what I want to talk about now. I got an email from someone named Oliver Stanfield. He said you and Brynne are a couple.”
“What?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“I emailed back and said to keep his nose out of my family’s business, but I think he thought he was blowing the lid off some secret. I dug a little, and he’s her stepbrother. Do you have any idea why he would do this?”
I suddenly regret not hurting Oliver the other day, but as I suspected, he’s not going away willingly.
“He’s a jerk. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.” I tap his shoulder, and he seems to accept that.