Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
Sebastian
T he reopening of the winery was a success, just as I knew it would be. The lavish décor and items brought in were the perfect fit to draw people from all over the country. Fortunately, the names Aster and Mitchell on the event helped bring in the wealthier crowds, and the restaurants in Italy that I’d landed an exclusive deal to sell Burke Wines were enthused we’d consider the idea. All in all, everything was running smoothly, and I felt like I was back to my old self again.
It felt great to be feeling alive again, something I owed to Darcy. I hated that I’d made her feel as underappreciated as I had; in fact, that behavior was the shit my late wife would have busted me for. It terrified me to think Darcy might be the same way because isn’t that what all women did when their man made them angry or neglected them? I’m not saying Darcy would weaponize sex and withhold that from me to teach me a lesson in manners, but I wasn’t an idiot, and I knew she was pissed off at me right now.
It stressed me out to think about this, but like they say, liquor is a lubricant for feelings and emotions, and I was on my third glass of tequila, so all my thoughts were present and spinning in my mind.
“Penny for your thoughts, big brother?” John said, breaking away from the group of friends and walking over to join me where I sat at the pool, staring into it while I sank deeper into my thoughts.
“You’d waste the penny, John,” I shrugged. “My thoughts are on how glad I am that this event went over well.”
“Successful as I knew it would be, of course,” John said, sitting across from me. “It’s good to have you back in the swing of things. I thought we lost you there for a minute.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Now you’re just saying shit to sound like our dad,” I took another sip. “That old man was nervous as hell for the last year, wondering if I’d ever get back in the swing of things again.”
“Your cocky ass may say I sound like Dad, but you’ve never looked more like him, sitting out here alone and miserable like you are.”
“I’m not talking about it,” I said, knowing where John was leading this discussion.
“Talking about what?”
“You know,” I said sternly. “If Darcy wants to go to LA during the grand reopening of her family’s winery, then so be it. I may be dating her, but I will never control her or her actions.”
“Oh?” John feigned surprise. “Is that where she is? I assumed she was sick in bed with morning sickness or some crazy shit like that.”
“Pregnant?” I scoffed at how ridiculous my youngest brother was behaving.
“Well, at the rate of speed you landed that relationship, I would assume you knocked her up too?”
“You’re a dick, you know that?”
“I’m your little brother,” he smirked and sipped his wine. “I’m supposed to be a dick when it comes to pep-talking my oldest brother’s dumb decisions.”
“You think dating Darcy is dumb?” I asked, pissed off at his inference and shocked that John, of all people, would say such a thing.
“No, but the way you’re handling your relationship with her is,” he said. “Are you sure you’re even ready for a relationship?”
“You and I haven’t been able to talk much about what’s happened between Darcy and me, have we?”
“Why else would I think she was on her way to becoming one of mine or my wife’s next patients?” he grinned. “And I’m just going off the bits and pieces I hear about you from everyone else when it comes my way. Being an OBGYN doesn’t free up much time to visit when my brother comes to town—or goes to Mexico—you know?”
“I suppose not,” I said, softening up some. “I’m sorry I haven’t made any attempts to visit you or Mickie at your home.”
“Don’t apologize. I know how you are,” he answered. “Which brings me to my question: does Darcy know how you are?”
“What, that I’m fucking busy trying to relaunch an entire winery? I think she’s seen that with her own eyes,” I answered.
“Right. I also know that if Melissa said she wasn’t coming to the reopening, you wouldn’t have been here tonight, either,” he said. “Yet, here you are.”
“Here I am,” I said. “Where else would I be?”
“Listen, Seb,” he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, “I’m not trying to make comparisons between Melissa and Darcy, but I wonder if you are sure that Darcy wants to be with someone like you. Don’t take offense to that because I know you know what I’m trying to say. You’re an extremely busy man, and Melissa was groomed to take on a powerful guy like you. Even so, she treated you poorly and acted like she didn’t understand why her husband had little time for her when she wanted it.”
“So, you’re trying to say that there isn’t a female on the planet, not even the groomed ones, who would want to be married to a workaholic asshole like me?”
“Not really,” he answered. “You’re CEO of numerous businesses under the family umbrella, and it leaves very little time for personal shit. Any woman needs to be aware that you’re not a nine-to-five businessman. Tomorrow, you could be on the next flight to Milan for a month and then to Egypt from there. It’s just the nature of the beast in your profession, station in life, and job. If Darcy doesn’t want a man who is forever gone, you need to address that. It already appears that she’s having difficulty with you and the job.”
“Fuck,” I said, rubbing my forehead, “I don’t want to lose her.”
“Then don’t,” John said. “But shoving your problems in the closet and closing the door isn’t going to help you and Darcy progress.”
“I don’t even know how to approach the subject with her.”
“Of course you don’t,” John chuckled. “No one ever accused you of being a sap who loved to discuss his feelings.”
“And in this case?”
“Put everything on the table,” John said. “The woman has developed enough feelings for you that she ran off angrily, so I’m sure she’d be willing to sit down and discuss the hard facts of being in a relationship with an asshole such as yourself.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” I said. “It’s just easier if she and I go with the flow.”
“Not in your case,” John said. “She’s a gorgeous woman, and if you neglect her, another man will slide in and snatch her up. You need to take action and grab this by the balls. Have the real discussions now so you can decide if this is what you both want.”
“And if I don’t listen to my youngest brother, Dr. Phil, educating me on relationships?”
“Someone’s going to get hurt, but from her recent actions and the look on your face, I’d say maybe both of you will.”
“I hate this shit,” I said. “I finally found something special, and I feel like I’m going to lose it.”
“The hardest talks always make the best outcomes for everyone involved.”
I frowned, “What the fuck does that mean?”
“I have no idea,” he chuckled. “I’m half drunk and trying to coach your dumb ass on how to save the relationship you’re successfully fucking up.”
“Well, half drunk or not, you make some good points that I need to consider. It’s just a lot, you know? Getting out of that dark place, then Charlotte coming out and wanting nothing to do with me, our parents’ constant bullshit, and then my fear of letting Darcy down. It’s just easier to?—”
“Throw yourself into work to allow it to distract you?” John interjected.
“Pretty much,” I said. “How else would I have made this event such a success, meeting all my deadlines much earlier than anticipated?”
“Just try and find a bit of balance. If Darcy is anything like her parents, you’ve got it made, but you’ve got to be open and honest and communicate with her, or you can forget about it.”
“True. All right,” I said, standing and needing the subject to change. “I’m going to head to bed. Are you flying back with everyone tonight or staying?”
“Nah,” he smiled, “I’m taking off. I’ve only got today and tomorrow off before work calls. You know the drill.”
“How do you and Mickie make that work? Do you ever see her?”
“We both communicated ,” he winked. “That, and we work together a lot of the time. If we didn’t, we’d be doomed. Also, we fuck like rabbits, so there’s that.”
“Nice,” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll join you and the group before I go to bed. I haven’t even extended my gratitude for everyone showing up tonight.”
Darcy and I had hit a snag in this relationship, but it wasn’t because I didn’t love her. In fact, I think the realization of how strong my feelings were and the rapid speed at which they were growing only added to all this conflict I was experiencing. I’d never been fearful of anything, so discovering how much finding true love terrified me was disorienting. I was so scared of fucking it up and losing the best thing that’d ever happened to me that it was making me freeze.
When I picked up the phone to call Darcy before I went to sleep, I got a call from my father.
“Hey?” I answered, half drunk and tired as shit, ready to end the damn night already.
“Congratulations on the successful relaunch of Burke Wines,” my dad said.
“Thank you. It was very successful. A shame you could not make it; many people were expecting you.”
“My inability to attend was unexpected,” he answered. “Unfortunately, I’m dealing with the Marsch acquisitions, and it’s inhibited me from moving forward with anything else. I’m needed in Ibiza tomorrow, so I am calling you.”
“I’m not dealing with Marsch Media,” I said, knowing old man Marsch was the biggest dick this side of my father. “You and Forrest wanted that, so you play in that sandbox with him.”
I heard my father chuckling softly on the other end of the phone like he did in the old days when I was his favorite pawn to move around the chessboard. “You do sound like my son again, and for that, I am grateful,” he said, and for the first time since finding out about my feelings for Darcy, my father sounded genuine.
“You have Darcy Burke to thank for that,” I said, intentionally pushing his buttons.
“You never seem to miss an opportunity to remind your mother or me of that fact,” he said.
“Why did you call, Dad? We just wrapped everything up on the reopening, and I’m half-drunk and in need of rest.”
“Do you think you can sleep on the jet?”
“Huh?” I said, kicking off my shoes and trying to relax at my desk chair.
“I need you in Ibiza for a merger that must happen tomorrow,” he said.
“Can’t I do a video conference for that?” I asked in annoyance, unhappy with the reminder that my work was never done. “I haven’t seen Darcy in nearly a month.”
“I imagine you and her have discussed this part of your life, correct?”
“I plan on doing that with her,” I answered.
“Well, no better time than the present for her to experience the full scope of who you really are,” my dad said, echoing what John had said earlier.
“I understand that, but I think—” I closed my eyes, feeling overwhelmed by reality. “Email me the itinerary, and I’ll be on the jet when it arrives.”
“It landed an hour ago at the private airport your mother and I flew in and out of while we were there,” he answered.
“So nice to know you’ve still got faith that I’ll ask how high when you say jump.”
“I have faith in you , Sebastian,” he answered. “I’ll have everything emailed to you by the time you board the jet. Get rest on the flight. You’ll need to be polished and ready to go by the time the meeting begins.”
I hung up with my dad and stared at Darcy’s name on my phone for about five minutes before biting the bullet and calling her. After numerous rings, the phone went to voicemail. I figured it was wise to hang up since she was most likely busy or asleep, and the last thing I wanted was to tell her in a voicemail that I was leaving literally tonight for business in another country. I would have to talk to her when I returned.
When I flew overseas for business, it wasn’t abnormal for me to be gone for a month. I felt the odd sensation of fear creeping up on me. If Darcy had a problem with how I worked here at her parent’s home, I wasn’t sure how she would deal with my life and job when I had to leave like this for business.
All I knew was that we needed to have a serious talk about things, and leaving the country for an extended period wasn’t the best way to make that happen. I just wished more than anything that things could be less complicated.