30. Mick
Chapter Thirty
MICK
Talking with Beau makes me feel slightly less alone. I’m not the only one who’s walked in on a beloved in the throes of passion with someone else. However, the wedding day part makes it worse. My brother approaches the table. Alone.
“Hey,” he says to the beautiful blonde woman with the pretty American accent. She’s the only pleasant moment of this entire disastrous day. “Kate’s waiting for you outside.”
Her expression turns concerned. “Oh, okay. Nice to meet you, Mick.”
I watch Beau rise to her feet, and she offers me one last smile. It’s like seeing the sun after the storm. “Likewise.”
Beau puts her hand on my shoulder and plants a soft kiss on the top of my head. “You’re going to be all right. I know it.” I give her one last look before she heads for the door. Her words sink in. I hope she’s right.
My brother sits down across from me, looking gloomier than he did a few minutes ago. “Sorry about that.”
“What was that all about?” I ask.
“That was Kate. The girl I’ve been seeing.”
“The one everyone was teasing you about?”
“Yeah.” Drew gazes into his nearly full glass. “She’s leaving tomorrow. Going back to America. But we don’t need to talk about it.”
“Can we? It’s better than talking about my shit day.”
“Do you really want to hear about this now?”
“Please. If I were sober, I’d be at the hospital getting in on a surgery. Anything to get my mind off Davina and that twit going at it.” I would give away all of my wealth just to erase the memory of it. I shudder, then turn my attention back to Drew, who looks like our family dog has just died.
“I don’t know what to say. I like her. I like her more than I thought I would. She’s not like other women. I can be myself around her. My real self.” It’s not until Drew says it that I realize I wasn’t completely myself with Davina. She was just so beautiful when we met. She was impressive in other ways too. She could’ve had anyone she wanted, and she’d never let me forget it. I didn’t realize she was having anyone she wanted. And now, I can’t forget it.
My brother continues. “I find myself doing these things to take care of her. It’s not like me. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t think any of this relationship stuff is supposed to make sense,” I say.
“Maybe not. It’s ironic, you know? She’s the one person I actually want to spend time with and she’s leaving. Just out of my life forever.”
“Well, join the club,” I say, raising my glass. Drew obliges and clinks his glass to mine. I guess we’re the bummed-out Bonnaires now.
“I miss her already. Can you believe that?”
I don’t miss Davina. I don’t know if I will. But I do miss feeling like my life was finally coming together. Now, it’s all fallen apart. “Why don’t you go to her and spend her last night together?”
“Because I’d never ditch you on a night like this.”
“You’re a good brother, you know that?”
It’s nice to know my brother has my back. I know it, but sometimes it feels like there’s some kind of wall between us. I’ve often wondered if I did something to offend him. I was convinced of it when I asked him to be my best man, and he turned me down. He said that I deserved a better man than him. He said he was too careless and would probably lose the rings. Knowing him, I understood, but it still stung a little. And yet, he’s the one who’s sitting with me right now. He could be in bed with a woman he genuinely likes, but he’s staying by my side. If you ask me, he’s the best man.
“Kent’s on his way,” Drew says, glancing at his phone.
“I suppose he isn’t bringing Collin,” I say, having almost completely forgotten about the incident in the gardens. “What was that about, by the way?”
“It was about her. Turns out she was trying to work an investment deal with him for her company, and he came on to her.”
Why doesn’t that surprise me? I make a face. “Ugh. I never liked that guy, you know. I tolerate him because of you. You should tell Dad what he did.”
“I’d love to, but I know it would just be another reason for him to resent me. Collin’s his golden boy.”
I hate to admit that Drew’s probably right. Dad’s always been hard on us, but he and Drew have never really gotten along well. And it’s only gotten worse since our mother passed away a couple of years ago. “I don’t know why Dad’s so cold. What happened that made him like that? Uncle Grant isn’t like that.”
Drew looks taken aback. “Wait. You think Dad’s cold?”
“Of course. We have the same father,” I reply.
“Yeah, but you’re his favorite. Even more than Collin.”
“Only because I was compliant.” Compliance is mandatory for the firstborn.
“Compliant?” Drew asks.
“Yeah, I did everything he expected of me because it was easier than fighting him. I always admired how you never took any of his crap. I wanted to be more like you and not give a damn about what anyone else thinks. Especially now. I keep thinking about what people will say about me when they find out what happened.”
Drew shakes his head as if he’s unscrambling his brain. “Are you serious? I’ve always been jealous of you. Your life seems so perfect.”
Perfect? Oh, man, this kid has no damn clue how much I’ve struggled to make my life perfect, and I still manage to fall short. Today is a perfect example of that. A huge laugh comes tumbling out of my mouth.
“All of London’s elite will know my fiancée cheated on me hours before the wedding. You think my life’s perfect now?” I keep laughing, and laughing, and laughing because it feels a whole lot better than crying.
Finally, Drew gets on board and joins me in a chuckle fit. “I guess not.”