Chuckling, Grant put his arm around Viviana’s waist. “And so it comes full circle.”
Kade cocked an eyebrow at his brother.
Not looking at all self-conscious, Grant shrugged. “Getting to know Viviana and her family has been a journey. They welcomed me in a similar manner.”
Dylan chortled. “I almost forgot about that night.” He slugged Kade in the arm. “You’ll have to come visit us in the US. You should have seen Grant when we gave him our home brew. He kept saying, ‘I love you’ and hugging all of us.”
Grant smiled. “Sadly, that is not an exaggeration.”
Connor pocketed his hands and nodded at Viviana. “We got our asses chewed for it, but it was hilarious.”
Viviana rolled her eyes and rubbed a hand absently over her stomach. “It’s funny now; it wasn’t then.”
Connor, Dylan, and Grant exchanged an amused look but not one of them corrected her.
The banter succeeded in reducing Kade’s tension. He was smiling right along with them. “Did you really shoot Mitch’s lawnmower?” he asked Connor.
“He did,” Annie’s father chimed in. “That was when we wrapped up the lesson. I have neighbors I like.”
Her mother called from the door of the house. “Are you coming in or leaving?”
There was a long awkward pause. Grant said, “I know you’re busy today, Kade. We can take Connor and Dylan back.”
When all eyes turned to Kade, Annie felt renewed sympathy for him. He was being given an out if he still wanted it. After yesterday, she wouldn’t blame him for needing a day away from his newfound family while he came to terms with having them in his life.
Kade looked at Annie for a moment then called out to her mother, “Depends on whether you’ve already served breakfast or not. I’m starving.”
Hazel’s face lit up. “Then come on in.”
Connor turned hopeful eyes toward her. “All of us?”
She laughed. “Of course, but only if you’ll help me in the kitchen. I don’t mind cooking, but it always goes faster with extra hands.”
“I can make a pancake that will instantly put five pounds on anyone’s ass,” Dylan declared as he sprinted up the steps.
With a laugh, Hazel held the door open for him. “Sounds delicious.”
“Your mother is a saint, Annie,” Viviana said.
“She is.” Annie smiled. “Your brothers are great too, Viviana.”
“They mean well,” Viviana said with a pained smile. “My mother died when we were young. My father did the best he could, but they’re a little rough around the edges.”
“Then they’ll fit in perfectly.” Annie looked around. “Speaking of rough around the edges, where’s Harrison?”
Mitch folded his arms across his chest. “Cleanup duty. Not all the alcohol that went into those three stayed in them. Some graced the floor of the downstairs bathroom.”
“I’m so sorry—” Viviana started to say again, but Mitch interrupted her.
“No worries. I like your brothers. What they bring in trouble they make up for in laughs. They’re good boys. The right woman will whip them into shape one day.”
“I’ve yet to meet a woman who could handle either of them for long,” Viviana said with an indulgent smile.
“Maybe not in the US.” Mitch nodded at Annie. “Aussie women seem laid-back, but they’re stubborn. This country was founded by strong women who had to fight to survive. They brought civility to a penal colony, so they can handle those two blockheads.”
“Blockheads? That’s great.” Grant laughed. “I call them meatheads.”
Viviana waved a finger at him in playful reprimand.
Grant amended, “In my head. I’d never say it out loud.”
“You’re in trouble now, Grant,” Kade said with a smile.
Viviana put her hands on her hips. “He would be if I didn’t know that he loves my family.”
“I do,” Grant agreed. His smile dimmed when he looked at Kade. “They’re a lot less complicated than the family I’m used to dealing with.”
Kade tensed.
Annie gave his hand a supportive squeeze.
“What is everyone up to today?” Kade asked.
“Not too much. They’d love to see you . . . if you find you have the time,” Grant said.
Annie held her breath. She had no idea how Kade would respond to that.
He took a deep breath before answering. “I’d love to.” He met Annie’s gaze. “Would you want to go to the lodge after breakfast?”
She swallowed hard. “Sure.”
Mitch turned away and started up the stairs. “Come on, let’s go help Hazel set the table.” He paused and addressed Grant. “Around here we all chip in. Don’t be afraid to wash a dish or two.”
Without hesitation, Grant said, “Absolutely.”
Viviana hugged Grant. “I have to ask him. Mitch, would you and your family come to our wedding next weekend? It’s not going to be anything fancy, but we’d love to have you.”
Annie’s father smiled and nodded. “We’d be honored to.”
Kade took another deep breath.
Grant seemed to catch that his brother wasn’t comfortable. He looked like he was searching for a way to give Kade an out if he needed one.
Annie was right there with Grant. She knew Kade probably wasn’t ready for the families to mingle on that level, but there was no way to address that without making it awkward.
Oblivious to the change in the mood, Viviana asked, “Of course, you’ll be there too, right, Annie? I could use your help leading up to the wedding if you have time and we haven’t scared you off yet. You probably know all the best places to get things.”
“I do,” Annie said slowly. She didn’t want to overstep, but she also wanted to help. She tried to gauge what Kade wanted from his expression then decided she could back out later if it made him uncomfortable. “I’d love to help you plan. I could also show you around the area.”
Kade looked at her in surprise.
She shrugged. Did he think she didn’t see how pregnant Viviana was? She wasn’t offering to take her for a hike. “I run a helicopter tour company. It would be easy to take them to the local sites.”
“All of us?” Viviana asked with excitement.
Crap, I forgot how many of them were here. “Of course. If you choose a day, I’ll make it happen.”
Kade leaned down to say into her ear, “Annie, you don’t have to—”
Just as softly, she said, “I know I don’t have to. I want to. If it’s okay with you.”
“Ready to go in?” Grant asked Viviana in the background. She agreed and walked away with him.
Kade and Annie stood, simply looking into each other’s eyes. “I should end this now. I should spend this week with my family, get my head on straight again, then come to you. I shouldn’t have an overnight bag in the back of my car. You deserve so much better than I can give you right now.”
She glanced at their linked hands then back up at him. “Do you remember when my aunt Sue came to stay with us so my mum could take care of her? I was fourteen, I think. I was so sad that summer. When she died, it felt like my heart was ripped right out of me. I used to go down to the lake and sit for hours. You sat with me that summer. Even when I told you to go away. Even when your other friends tried to drag you somewhere more fun. You said you wanted to make sure I knew I wasn’t alone. Well, you need someone this time, and I’m right here. Everything else will sort itself out. You’re not alone and you deserve a friend who will stay even if you tell them to leave.”
He hugged her to his chest and shuddered against her.
Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. “Besides, it’s hard to walk away from great sex.”
He lifted his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Aha, I knew it was great for you too.”
She slid a hand behind his neck and pulled his face down to hers. “It’s your humility I find irresistible.”
&n
bsp; He growled against her lips. “If that’s what you’ve named my cock.”
“Annie and Kade,” her mother called from the doorway. “Breakfast is ready. Wrap it up.”
Chapter Ten
‡
“Good, you’re here.”
Kade groaned at the sound of Asher’s voice. It had probably been too much to expect the good mood he’d found during breakfast at the Martin’s would carry over to lunch with the Barringtons.
His second arrival at the lodge had started off on a better note than his first. Rather than being met by everyone all at once, he and Annie were greeted by the happy couple: Lance and Willa. They were basking in the freedom of having just successfully put their twins down for a nap with Sophie on standby in the next room.
“She’ll probably nap too,” Lance had joked, “but our little ladies have quite the lungs on them so we’re good. No need for a baby monitor when we could hear them from the garden.”
Willa blew a loose curl out of her eyes. “No one will ever wonder what they want.”
“That’s for sure,” Lance agreed, before pulling his wife close and kissing her on the forehead. “Do we have to teach them to speak?”
“I’m afraid so,” Willa said with a smile.
Yes, that was how the visit had started—comfortable and promising. Annie had fallen naturally into a conversation with Willa and they’d wandered off. Lance had walked with Kade through the foyer of the lodge toward the back where the women had gone.
All that came to a crashing halt with the arrival of Asher. Lance smiled at his scowling brother. “Hey, Asher.”
“Lance, I need to speak to Kade.” Alone wasn’t stated, but it was heavily implied.
Lance looked from one to the other, squared his shoulders, and stood in quiet support of Kade. Although Kade had had friends and Harrison, he’d never actually had a brother go into battle for him. It was confusing especially since the battle was against another family member.
Lance’s protectiveness moved Kade in a way he hadn’t expected. Was this what it would be like to have a brother?
Or was Asher what having a brother really was like?
Asher didn’t appear any happier than he had the day before. Kade appreciated Lance’s loyalty, but he didn’t want him to have to choose sides. He could handle Asher on his own. “Lance, please tell Annie I’ll be out there in a few minutes.”
“Sure.” Lance hesitated, then said, “Asher—”
“I know.” Asher raised a hand to signal him to stop.
“I hope you do,” Lance said with a shake of his head before he walked away.
The silence that followed was heavy with the tension of their first meeting. Kade held back what he wanted to say. He swallowed his anger and waited. “When you don’t know what to be, be kind . . .” His father had always pushed Kade to be the best version of himself. I’ll try, Dad, but they don’t make it easy.
Asher flexed his shoulders then ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Listen, Kade . . .”
Kade mirrored his stance. He wanted to say, “Just fucking say it,” but he didn’t. Asher didn’t intimidate him at all, and he needed to know that. He’d always believed, though, the weakest man throws the first punch—even when it comes to verbal sparring. Bring it, Brother. See if it works out any better for you today than it did yesterday.
Asher sighed, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “About yesterday . . .”
Kade held his gaze and said nothing.
Asher cleared his throat. “I wasn’t thinking about how it might feel for you to meet all of us at once. I was worried about my—our parents—and that may have made it seem like I wasn’t happy that we found you.”
Wait, is he apologizing? It sounded forced and almost scripted. “But you are?”
Still frowning, Asher folded his arms across his chest. “It still doesn’t feel real. I keep expecting to hear this is a hoax or a bad dream. Not that—”
“I get it.” Finally, common ground. “I feel the same way. One day I knew exactly who I was and things made sense. Suddenly, nothing I grew up believing is true. I’d love to wake up as the old me.”
Asher took a moment to digest that, then he lowered his arms and nodded. “Emily and I had a long talk last night. A very long talk. It’s important that you know I didn’t mean to belittle your tour company. What I should have said was that you’ll soon be in a financial place that doesn’t require you to work.”
“Don’t you work?”
“Of course, but I run corporations, Kade. I don’t schlep—”
Kade’s eyebrows rose along with his temper.
Asher halted and changed course. “Yes, I work.”
Kade leaned in. “Let me clear up any confusion you may have. I’m proud of the company my father built. I’m proud of how I expanded it. I don’t require your approval or your money to be happy with the life I have here.” Neither spoke for long enough that Kade began to wonder if there was anywhere the conversation could go or if he should end it there. Be kind even if it’s not the easiest path. “But I appreciate that you call me Kade. I’m not Kent. I never was, and I doubt I ever will be.”
Asher nodded. “I see that.” He flexed his shoulders again. “Sorry about yesterday.”
The tension between them began to ebb away. “Did Emily put you up to an apology?”
With a flash of perfect teeth, Asher actually smiled. “She did, but she shouldn’t have had to. I handled meeting you poorly. At the end of the day, you’re my brother and that matters to me more than it may seem. I want this to work out for everyone involved.”
Another thing they had in common. “That’s what I want as well.”
They stood there in awkward silence again.
Finally, Asher pocketed his hands and rocked back on his feet. “So, Annie seems nice.”
“She is.”
“And you’ve known her for a long time?”
“Practically my whole life.”
“Good, but be cautious even with her. Like it or not, Kade, you’re about to come into a sizeable fortune. It’ll change how people see you, how they treat you. Everyone will want to know you, but often it won’t be for the right reasons.”
“Annie doesn’t care about money.”
“Everyone does.”
“How sad for Emily that you think that.”
Asher’s eyes narrowed, then he flashed his teeth again in a semblance of a smile. “Touché. Emily is different. For your sake, I hope Annie is as well.”
Grant entered the foyer. “Everything okay in here?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Asher countered.
“All good.” Kade smiled. He was beginning to get Asher’s dry humor. He also respected him more after seeing that he could apologize with the same directness that he could attack. He could trust a man like that. Plus, even though Asher came off as a real arsehole, his wife could obviously knock him down a peg or two. It made Asher more likable. Could he laugh at himself as well? Kade delivered a little jab to test him. “Asher was just apologizing about yesterday.” Kade gave his chest a pat. “It was touching.”
“Interesting.” Grant’s surprise was genuine.
Asher arched an eyebrow at Kade. “So, that’s how it’s going to be?”
Kade shrugged and splayed his hands in mock surrender. “You’re right, I should show more respect to my older—my much, much older brother. Kicking your arse yesterday at volleyball was bad enough.”
“Hmm,” Asher said. “Grant, you can stop worrying about him. He fits in just fine.”
Looking pleased, Grant motioned toward the library. “While we’re all getting along there are a few things we should discuss. My lawyer put together some documents that require your signature, and then we should go over the schedule for when and what funds will be transferred to you.”
“Right now?” Kade asked.
“There’s no reason to wait. A lot of this is easier to do while we’re all together.”
Grant led the way to a room that was probably used for board games or as a quiet escape for guests who wanted to curl up with a book from one of many shelves that lined the walls from floor to ceiling.
Rather than a folder of papers, Grant retrieved a laptop from the desk and headed to a sitting area. He motioned for Kade to take a seat then handed him the laptop. “This is just the beginning, of course, but it’ll get the ball rolling. Upon completion of a blood test, we’ll petition the courts in the US to recognize you as Kent Barrington. Because you were born in Aruba it’s complicated. The US allows, but doesn’t recognize, multiple citizenship. Ian and I have been working with government agencies here and in the US to determine your best legal route. You don’t have to decide everything today, but you may want to consider officially blending your names. For example, Kade Kent Thompson Barrington. Another option is Kade Kent Barrington Thompson, but you might encounter more questions and resistance if you move forward with a different last name. I will, of course, walk you through your financial portfolio as I’ve designed it. If you’re amenable to my continued involvement, I’ll guide you toward optimizing your investments and navigating the taxes you’ll encounter both here and in the US.”
Kade sat and clicked through the first of what looked like an endless list of digital documents. His head was spinning. “Investments? Portfolio?”
Asher sat across from him. “You had a trust fund set up for you when you were born that was disseminated to the rest of us when we thought you were deceased. We’ve all transferred that amount to an account that Grant is managing for now. Knowing Grant, he’ll probably have doubled your net worth by the time he hands your inheritance over to you. We tease him, but he’s a genius when it comes to investing.”
“How much money are we talking about?” Kade asked, once again feeling as if none of this could possibly be true.
“As of this morning”—Grant sat in a chair beside Asher—“one point five billion. We each inherited less than that, but I factored in the interest you would have accrued over the years had the money been left in an account. Everyone chipped in enough to compensate for that variable.”
Forever Now (The Barrington Billionaires Book 6) Page 9