“It means I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “It means my life has felt like a shitshow over the past few years. That this is the first time I’ve been able to disconnect and just exist in the silence.”
Lukas hummed, swirling the liquor in his glass. “Pinecrest has been good to me, you know. Good place to raise a family?—”
I snorted. Lukas talking about raising a family was laughable. I’d never met someone so hellbent on living the single life. “What do you know about that?”
“Hey! I have friends who aren’t eternal bachelors.”
“Sure, you do,” I said, downing the rest of my drink, shaking it in my brother’s direction for a refill.
“You know where it is,” he said, gesturing toward the bar cart.
I rolled my eyes, pushing off the couch. “You’re the worst.”
“Thought I was the best?”
“I’ve changed my mind,” I murmured, snatching the decanter from the cart.
Lukas watched as I refilled both glasses. “Speaking of family men… Does your ex-husband know you’re in town?”
“Why do you say it like that? You make it sound so gross and horrible and miserable.”
“Sorry… Baby daddy?”
I scrunched up my nose. “Ew, that’s worse.”
“Divorcée it is then,” he said, leaning back.
“You know damn well we would still talk every day, even if Charlie wasn’t in the picture,” I said, pointing in his direction. “He’s my best friend. It was never like that between us.”
Lukas tented his fingers in front of his face. “And yet you have a kid.”
I gave him a saccharine smile. “You, of all people, know you don’t have to be in love to have a kid. We were lonely until we weren’t. Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t have any little ones of your own running around, given your proclivity for practice.”
My brother was many things, but a bachelor would forever be top of the list. I could count on one hand the number of relationships he’d been in over his forty-two years, and that included his girlfriend from the first grade. He had quite the reputation around town as the kind to love’em and leave’em. Sometimes, I swore he tried to live up to the rumors instead of squashing them.
I leaned back, taking a sip. “And, of course, he knows. I called him before I even boarded the plane. He offered to let me stay with them.”
Lukas snorted. “Isn’t that awkward? I mean, he’s remarried.”
“It’s only weird to you because you’re a forty-two-year-old manchild who can’t comprehend being in the same room with someone you slept with. I was the one who drew up the divorcepapers. I was the one who told him to follow his dream.” I shrugged. “She was it.”
Grady’s and my relationship was long, but not entirely complicated. We got married as a stipulation from Hartstrings’ board of directors. Apparently, they believed the CEO should be married. They said it painted a picture of stability, which was rich seeing as at least a quarter of the members were on their second wives already.
Grady was my best friend. Other than one drunken, lonely night that resulted in our daughter’s conception, it’d never been anything but platonic for us. Our relationship was like one of those romantic comedies where two friends get married for some kind of mutual benefit. Except, instead of falling in love at the end, we got a divorce and shared custody. Our daughter may not have been planned, but I didn’t realize how much I needed her until I held her in my arms. I’d always love him for that gift alone.
Grady helped me take over my company, and I helped him get the record deal he deserved. He’d given up so much of his life so that I could live out my dream. Even if he had benefited from it too, it wasn’t the same. The least I could do was finally set him free once I had it. When he’d found his forever, I didn’t give him a choice. I’d had the divorce papers drawn up and signed before he could stop me.
Not long after our divorce was final, Grady married his high school sweetheart. Cleo was wonderful. I absolutely adored her. It’d been a bumpy ride to get to where they were now, but I was so damn glad to see it worked out. If anyone deserved their fairytale ending, it was them.
“You were in the wedding,” he deadpanned.
“Did you know it only takes five minutes to get ordained online?” His unamused stare remained absolute. “Anyway, I toldhim I was grateful for the offer but that I would much prefer to drive my big brother crazy.”
Lukas snorted. “Charlie excited?”
“We haven’t told her yet, but I’m gonna swing by tomorrow morning—apparently on my way to get groceries—and pick her up.”
“And you’re bringing her here? With Mom so close?”