Grace lifts her hand and runs it over Jagger’s back, soothing him, her smile sympathetic.
‘He was selfish and pretty much didn’t give a shit who he hurt. We saw that time and time again,’ Jagger continues.
‘Our home was pretty much a warzone,’ Theo explains further. ‘It gave a new meaning to the term “honeymoon period”, because for a brief time, after he’d first married a new wife, or moved some woman in, there’d be peace and happiness. But it never lasted. He’d cheat. A lot. Some women turned a blind eye to that, others made him pay non-stop.’
Sympathy shifts inside me. Honestly, I’ve been so focused on my own fallout from this that I didn’t really stop to think about these men, and the boys they were, and the way they were raised.
‘He knew he wasn’t my father,’ Holden cuts in, his eyes boring directly into me. The woman at his side, Cora, moves a little closer to him, and something strikes me about these six people. They’re a family—and their love is so completely apparent. Their love as couples, the way they’re supporting each other, helping each other through this, and the way the brothers finish each other’s sentences.
It makes me feel completely empty and alone—and not in a good way. Not in the way I’ve spent the last ten years boasting about, like being alone is a sign of independence. Maybe independence is about strength, and strength comes from relying on some people, sometimes.
‘But he never thought to tell me that,’ Holden continues. ‘He didn’t leave a note, he didn’t give Barrett a heads-up, even knowing Barrett would keep it confidential until after Ryan’s death.’ Holden shakes his head in frustration. ‘I have no idea who I am because the man who raised me never thought about it. He was careless and that carelessness has left a path of destruction in its wake.’
‘We’ve all hated him on and off for years.’ Jagger’s smile is laced with grief. ‘Though we’ve loved him too.’ He sighs. ‘But we understand why you’d hate him.’
I look to Barrett without meaning to. His eyes meet mine and it’s a literal shot in the arm. I smile—just a very small lift of my lips. He smiles back. My heart stutters.
‘I hate what he did to my mother,’ I say softly. ‘But, from what Barrett’s told me, I don’t think it’s likely he knew anything about me.’
‘We’ve come to the same conclusion.’ Theo nods. ‘He would have insisted on raising you.’
I swallow, sweeping my eyes across the men in the room, thinking how different that would have felt, growing up with them, not with my mom. Tears bring a taste of salt to my mouth; I swallow it away.
‘That’s what Barrett said.’
‘Barrett knew Ryan as well as we did.’ Holden stands, moving to the bar. ‘You sure you don’t want something?’ he offers, grabbing out a sparkling mineral water for himself.
‘A water would be great, thanks.’ He grabs another bottle for me, walks across and places it in my hand. I stare down at the label, overwhelming emotions filling me.
‘The thing is, Avery...’ Jagger again. ‘We’ve already paid for the sins of our father. A lot. And we don’t want to keep doing that. You’re our sister, and we want you to be in our lives.’
Barrett clears his throat softly, warningly.
‘I don’t mean right away,’ Jagger hastens to add.
‘We don’t want to scare you,’ Theo corrects.
I laugh, despite the seriousness of this. ‘You guys, I’m not—there’s no rule book for this. We’re all flying completely blind. I’m way outside my comfort zone, as I’m sure Barrett’s told you.’ They all look at each other a little quizzically.
‘Actually, he’s given us frustratingly little information about you,’ Holden throws in. ‘Probably why we kept harassing you for this meeting.’
My heart turns over in my chest. I don’t risk looking at Barrett again.
‘The whole Hart thing is a bit overwhelming,’ Cora says gently, and I wonder then about these women and their paths to love with some of the highest profile billionaires in the world. ‘But you get used to it.’
‘
The planes and private islands kind of make it worthwhile,’ Grace interjects, with a grin that shows me she’s joking.
‘It’s not—’ I shake my head. ‘I understand how you feel. You’re curious. Blindsided, right? But I’m not—’ What? In the market for a family? I look at all of their hopeful faces and feel something shift inside me. Something hard and sharp, something that I’ve carried for a long time gives way, leaving me with a sense of confusion and uncertainty, a worrying niggle that I’ve been very wrong for a long time. I sigh. ‘I’m not sure what we should do next.’
‘I am.’ It’s Theo.
We all look at him expectantly.
‘Avery, will you join us for dinner?’
* * *