“Though I’d have paid money to watch it play out in front of Connie.” He goes on with a soft chuckle. “For a man who’s spent years keeping his private life a mystery, you certainly gave a good show. A lot of people took enjoyment in their front row seats.”
“Glad I could provide the entertainment.” I pour another shot as he sits across from me. “Why are you here?”
“Why are you shooting back whiskey by yourself on a Saturday night?”
“None of your business.”
“Fair enough.” He grabs the bottle he set on the table, unscrews the cap, and swigs straight from the bottle.
“Peace offering my ass.”
“I got thirsty.” He shrugs unapologetically.
“Seriously, Miller, go home. I’m not in the mood for you tonight.”
“Too bad. I’ve given you enough time to stew over this shit. Darby comes back into town, and you’re acting crazy. Going to war with your family, fighting with the mother of your children, taking off to unknown places, this is what I was afraid of.”
“Do not come in here, spewing this shit to me tonight. I am not at war with Mom and Dad. They understand exactly where I’m coming from.”
“What about me, Pierce? Don’t I get to understand where you’re coming from? Maybe you could explain it to me since I’m now the enemy.”
“Why do you even care? You made up your mind and cast judgment a long time ago.”
“Goddammit, Pierce! Talk to me.”
I tilt my head to the side and look at my brother. Digging deep, I wonder what I would do if the roles were reversed? Images flood my mind of those first weeks after Darby left. He’s the one that made sure I survived.
“Darby didn’t get pregnant on purpose, Miller. The week before her finals, she got so stressed, she took an anxiety pill. We think it interacted with her birth control. She was mortified. It took me weeks to convince her it was meant to be.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“It never crossed my mind because I never imagined you were such a dickhead. I thought you were happy for us.”
He guzzles from the bottle again. “Tell me what happened.”
Darby’s face flashes in my mind at the same time Stephanie’s advice comes back to me. I’m pissed at my brother, but he’s still my brother, and I will need him to get through this.
Except for the frequent tugs of the liquor, he sits impassively as I tell him what happened from the time Darby knew she was pregnant until the time she returned over a month ago. By the time I’m done, he’s leaning on his knees, his shoulders slumped and head hung low. “Jesus, what do I even say to this? How do we come back from it?”
“I don’t know how you come back from it, but I’m seven hours away from picking up Darby to take off across the country where she can make the largest announcement of her career. I’ll stand by her side, supporting her, knowing that’s where I should have been all this time.”
“What kind of announcement?”
“The kind that takes her business to a level she never dreamed of.”
“Does this have anything to do with the two-hundred-thousand-dollar approval I had to sign and the rush permits Dad is asking for?”
“We’ll see. Stephanie, Evin, and I are working on an angle.”
“Give me more.”
“You know Brasher Resorts?”
“The same Brasher that’s rumored to be putting a boutique hotel over on Atlantic?”
“Yep.”
“We’re getting involved in that?”
“There’s no we. I’m doing this on my own and hoping like fucking hell it works out.”
“I’m on your side here, Pierce. Don’t make me the enemy.”
“You made yourself the enemy to Darby. Your actions have followed her for years, and the other night, you didn’t do much to disavow your hatred for her. She lives with enough guilt and regret.”
“What the hell? How did I become the criminal? I was on your side. You were my priority.”
“I should have been fighting for her. I should have been the man she needed.”
“Why are you doing this to yourself? I understand the curiosity and even the guilt that comes with knowing the truth. But what do you think is going to happen here?”
I do another shot and then look him square in the eye, knowing I can’t make him understand, but also knowing he’s going to know where I stand. “When Darby and I return, I’m facing the biggest fight of my life. She can’t even hear about my kids without going pale and flinching in pain. Not to mention Connie. Obviously, that’s a problem.”
“It’s more than a problem. What I can’t get is why this is something you are even taking on. Everything about this reads disaster.”
I slice my eyes to him, and his hands fly up in a surrender motion. “I’m not looking for a right hook, Pierce. I’m seriously confused. Flying across the country, thinking about how to introduce her to Maya and Cole, taking on Connie… all of it seems like overkill for an old girlfriend.”