Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
CALEB
T he door opens before I knock. My brother’s wife, Leah, is grinning back at me.
“Hey, stranger,” she says, stepping to one side.
“How’s my favourite girl?” I ask, pulling her in for a hug and swinging her around.
“Hands off Casanova, she’s mine. Find your own woman,” Gabriel says, coming up and pulling me in for a hug.
“Where have you been?” he asks, slapping me on the back.
The change in him since Leah came into his life has been enormous. My twin was my polar opposite, a hermit to my party animal. He still hates the limelight, but with Leah by his side, he’s embraced the outside world instead of hiding from it.
“Don’t tell me you’ve missed me?” I say, stepping into the apartment. “Love what you’ve done with the place, Leah.”
“Hey, who said it’s all Leah?” Gabriel asks, making Leah laugh as she walks ahead of us.
“Because, brother dearest, everything was black, white, or stainless steel before Leah moved in. Now there’s colour. The sofa has cushions and throws. The walls have artwork. Even your dining chairs have been upholstered. It looks like a home.”
Gabriel grunts, but I can see he’s pleased with my observation.
Gabriel’s penthouse is one of the first Jax and I designed and built together. Its views over the Thames are spectacular. Gabriel and I own several apartments in the building we rent out. The other side of my property business is my rentals.
“How are you, little momma?” I ask Leah.
“I’m good. Callum is doing well. He’s sleeping. I’ll take you in for a peek in a moment, but first...”
She hands me her phone and the latest photos of my nephew. Something inside me wrenches.
“When did he get so big?” I ask, unable to take my eyes off the pictures, itching to get my hands on the little man. “I need cuddles.”
Leah laughs. “Don’t worry, you can give him his bottle when he wakes up.”
Gabriel huffs.
“Don’t worry. You can do the two AM feed so you don’t feel left out.”
I laugh at my brother’s face. “Hopefully, Callum will be able to tell us apart, like his mother.”
I can’t keep the grin from my face. “If not, I can be the cool daddy, and you can be the boring old fart.”
Gabriel picks up one of the colourful pillows and throws it at me. Leah rolls her eyes at us both. She’s known me for almost as long as my brother, having worked for him for many years. Yanking Gabriel’s chain has always been enjoyable, especially when it comes to Leah. Now I have Callum to add to the list.
“Dinner is ready,” Leah says.
Gabriel and I grab the pots from her hands before she can carry them to the table .
We sit down and tuck in. Leah is an amazing cook. For my brother, the way to his heart was through his stomach, although I cannot imagine anyone more perfect for my twin.
“Any updates on the new development? There are all sorts of things on social media,” Gabriel says, refilling my wine glass.
I take the wine, followed by a large swig. It’s only been twenty-four hours since I saw her, but the woman is invading my every thought. I’ve spent half the day on the phone trying to solve the planning issues to get the board off my back.
“It’s nothing,” I say.
Gabriel looks at me over the top of his glass. “It doesn’t look like nothing. Protests outside your office, a flash mob. Looks to me like someone wants to be heard.”
“They do—she does,” I say, sighing, sick of trying to explain myself. “Her landlord, the seller, has sold her business out from under her. A business she’s invested a lot into. She and the community are rightly aggrieved.”
Gabriel frowns. “Can you compensate her?”
I run a hand through my hair.
“It’s more complicated. She’s a large part of the community. The flash mob. Those were her students. Kids whose lives she’s turned around. Got off the streets, given a purpose to.”
Leah leans forward. “Can you incorporate her business into the new development?”
I stare across at Leah, my shoulders sagging. “I’m trying. I’ve got Jaxson reworking the building plans, and I called a board meeting earlier. I’ve asked her to trust me, but she told me actions speak louder than words .”
I scowl at the smirk that appears on my brother’s face.
“What?” I say, snapping at him.
“Sorry, but it appears this woman is the first person in history to resist your smooth-talking charms. Sounds like she’s asking you to put your money where your mouth is, brother.”
“Excuse me.” Leah coughs with a chuckle, looking at my brother. I watch in fascination as his hand snakes out and captures hers, raising it to his lips.
“Second woman. Maybe you’ve met your match.” He smirks in my direction. “Or you’re losing your charm in your old age.”
Leah gets up and begins clearing away our dinner. The baby monitor goes off, and a squawk comes out loud and clear.
“Someone’s awake and hungry,” Leah says, shooting us both a glance.
“On it,” I say before Gabriel can do anything.
I take off up the stairs and head to my nephew’s bedroom.
The night light is on, and I make my way over to his crib.
“Hey, little buddy,” I say, looking down into eyes so like my own.
Callum’s face screws up, his arms and feet kicking at his covers.
“Okay, no need to get cross.”
I scoop him up and hold him to my chest, his little head nestling into my neck.
“There we go,” I say, his mouth latching onto my skin.
“You might want to stop him,” a voice comes from the door. Gabriel steps into the room, pulling back his t-shirt exposing what looks to be a large love bite. “Quite the suction on him,” he says.
I move Callum, only for him to let out another yell.
“Here you go. Leah sent me up with this.”
He hands me a bottle and I make my way over to the feeding chair, making myself comfortable. Eyes blink up at me as he latches onto the bottle .
“You are hungry, little buddy,” I say, watching his eyes close as he guzzles down the bottle.
Gabriel watches me with his son.
“You’re a natural.”
“Brotherly instincts. Also, I want as many cuddles as I can get.”
I missed his birth three months ago. He came early. One of my many trips to and from the US.
Gabriel pulls up a chair.
“So, this woman?”
I sigh. “April is pricklier than a porcupine and has more edges than…”
My brother leans forward, running his finger down his son’s cheek, his face a picture of contentment. “I get the message. She hasn’t rolled over. Has Elijah run a background check to ensure she’s legitimate?”
I nod. “I’m still waiting for his response, but from what I can tell, April’s genuine. The locals all seem to love her. You should have seen and heard them coming to her defence at the town hall meeting.”
Gabriel stares at me for a moment. I hate it when my brother starts to psychoanalyse me. As my identical twin, it’s like he’s in my head.
“There’s more. Spill.”
I laugh and bite my lip. “You’ve always been good at reading me. What gave it away?”
“I’m your twin. I know you, and there is definitely more to this than you’re letting on. You care too much.”
“New York. I met her in New York.”
“Ah, the reason you were so evasive about your trip. A woman. That makes sense. I wondered if something had happened.”
Gabriel studies me over his wine glass. I want to snatch it out of his hand. His smug expression starting to wind me up .
Callum finishes his bottle, and I put him over my shoulder to wind him, the way Leah showed me.
“Well, April happened. Then she left before I woke up. Left without a word,” I say, knowing it sounds petty, but then I’ve never had sex and just upped and vanished. Not that I could, even if I wanted to. People recognise my face. That’s why I was surprised April hadn’t, especially since she came from London.
Gabriel chokes on his wine, and I know straight to where his mind has gone.
“Let me remind you of Monaco. I haven’t lost it before you say anything.”
“Please, don’t remind me. I’m still trying to get over that night.”
“Dramatic much!”
Facing my brother and his communications officer the following morning was embarrassing. The two women were anything but quiet, but it was one hell of a weekend.
“April is complicated. As I said, she has trust issues the size of Greater London.”
“So what are you proposing to do? Can you leave her in situ?” Gabriel asks.
“Unfortunately, no. The development means taking the building back to brick. It would not be safe to leave anyone inside while construction is underway.”
“What’s your next move?”
I inhale before shaking my head. “That’s my dilemma. I need to sell something to the board. Something they will go with, within budget and limited time constraints. But will also appease the community. The board want no more bad press.”
“It sounds like you’ve got your work cut out,” he says. “But what about April herself? ”
Callum takes that moment to let out an enormous belch, milk leaking out of his mouth and onto my shirt.
“Is that better, little man?” I say as my brother laughs.
“Nothing like baby vomit to attract the women.”
Gabriel takes Callum and hands me a packet of baby wipes along with his wine glass.
I watch as my once-distant brother coos at the baby in his arms. I use the wipes to clean myself up and think about what Gabriel has just said.
“What are your plans for the weekend?” he asks, distracting me.
“I think I’ll go home. A few spins around the track should help to clear my head and finish these proposals.”
Or at least I’m hoping it will. My new car needs another outing, and I need to get a certain little dancer out of my system.