Shoving a chip in his mouth, Spencer says, “Hey, I work hard for my money.”
“Yeah, inheriting millions is real hard work,” I say sarcastically. “Don’t make it sound like Jenna is a gold digger. She’s not.”
“No, not a gold digger. She’s just only interested in getting married and putting a very expensive SUV with a third row on the registry. There’s no way she’d be caught dead in a minivan. I promise you, she’s already thinking about it,” Charlie warns.
I dive into the pool. I’m done with that conversation. I do a few laps, trying to cool down physically and emotionally. Charlie would never say something like that if it weren’t true. I know if anyone on this planet is only looking out for my well-being and happiness, it’s Charlie. She doesn’t have a manipulative bone in her body, and she couldn’t tell a lie to save her soul. She’s the most honest, trustworthy, and decent person in my life, and I thank God for her every day. Jenna’s had a hard time dealing with Charlie being the other woman in my life. That’s been an issue for most of the girls I’ve been with, but Charlie will always be my girl. The only one who never had a problem with it was Ari—nope. Not going there today.
“You think you might be jumping the gun a little here, son?” Pop asks when I surface. “You and Jenna were so casual, then boom, you’re popping the question. For someone who has never liked to let grass grow under his feet, you sure jumped to laying roots down real quick.”
I need out of this conversation. “I haven’t been down to see the horses in forever. I think I’ll go for a ride before it gets too hot. Anyone coming with?” I head to the pool house to change. I don’t get any takers, but that’s okay. I didn’t expect to. I want some quiet right now.
As soon as I get into the pool house, I turn on ESPN to catch SportsCenter while I change.
Arianna Aldrich was spotted at the airport in South Africa this morning. Rumors have been flying that Henrik Jensen’s been slumping, and this close to the Olympics is not the time for your best player to go cold. Maybe he just needs a visit from the goddess that is Arianna. I know if she came to visit me, that would sure snap me out of my slump. Henrik was recently voted Luckiest Man on the Planet by Playboy, and I can’t say I disagree. Here’s a shot of her at baggage claim after a twenty-two hour flight. Can I get a da-yum from the congregation?
Jesus, when did SportsCenter become a freaking entertainment show? ESPN always has kissed her ass though. Who wears a skirt that short on a plane for twenty hours? Why the hell do they think the rest of the world gives two shits about Henrik getting laid? What does that have to do with sports? Seriously, Luckiest Man on the Planet? Clearly they don’t know Arianna that well. Thank God I have Jenna.
“Ha, if they only knew,” Charlie mumbles behind me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
She plops down next to me on the sofa. “Huh? Nothing. Sorry. I decided to go for a ride with you. Let’s get changed.”
“What did you mean by that?” I ask again. “If they only knew what?”
“Chase, I don’t talk about you to her, and I can’t talk about her to you. You know that.”
“You and Spencer! Where’s your damn loyalty?” I shouldn’t be shouting, but they irritate me to no end. “I’m your brother. Your twin. I should not be on equal footing with her.”
“Why do you care why she’s there? You hate her. You do everything in your power to avoid her. Have you even spoken to her in the last two years? When her name comes up, you go out of your way to let everyone know how despicable you find her. If I didn’t know you better, brother, I would say you sure do make a big stink about someone you supposedly don’t care about.”
In all of the years of the on-again, off-again drama with Ari and me, I hated that I couldn’t talk to Charlie about it. I’ve never done anything without her weighing in. Well, except when I proposed to Jenna.
“Something you want to tell me, Chase?” she asks when I don’t respond, giving me that look that says I’m about to step in it. Her eyes are fraught with anticipation and expectations. Our mother gives us the same look when she’s caught us red-handed.
“You know.” I sigh in shame and relief. “I can’t believe Ari told you. Nothing with that woman is sacred.”
“Don’t go blaming Arianna. Like you said—you’re my brother. My twin. You should have told me.” Her voice may be calm and even, but her eyes are angry and disappointed. She should never look like this. She doesn’t deserve it.
For years, keeping the relationship secret made so much sense, but now I can’t remember why we didn’t tell Charlie. “How long have you known?” How much trouble am I in?
“I found out after your last breakup. You should know, she didn’t tell me willingly.”
“Why didn’t you tell me when you found out? I’m surprised you didn’t march over and slug me.”
“Oh, I thought about it—several times, actually. I was waiting for you to tell me yourself.”
Oh, yeah, that hurt. “I should have told you. We didn’t want to put you in the middle if it went south, and it did go south. Antarctica south. Would you really have wanted to be in the middle—more than you have been?”
“Guess we’ll never know, now will we?” She sounds hurt, but she’s trying to remain composed. She puts her arm around me and gives me a squeeze. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you about the past. Just know I’m here if you need to talk about it now.”
“Why would I need to talk about it? It’s over. Been over for a long time. I’m with Jenna, and she’s with him.”
“You keep telling yourself that, brother. As the older, wiser, and married twin, I need you to listen to me. Marriage is not easy, not even for me and Spence. You need to make sure you’re doing it with the right person. Someone that when you wake up each morning, you look over and thank God you have them. Someone that you know no matter what life brings you, you’ll get through it with them. As a partner. An equal partner.
“I couldn’t wait to marry Spencer. That’s why we did it right after he graduated. He is and always will be everything to me, and I needed to be bound to him for all eternity. Each day that I had to wait for him to be mine was torture. When you’ve found the right person, you know, and you don’t want to waste one more second without them. You need to think long and hard about if you have that with Jenna.”
“Charlie, you need to lay off.” It’s so easy for her. She and Spencer are perfect together, and they’ve been joined at the hip since we were in elementary school. I have no doubt they are soul mates, if there is such a thing. What they share is rare and precious and no one deserves that more than my sister, but not everyone is so lucky. “Do you give this crap to her too? I can tell you that relationship has an ice cube’s chance in hell of making it through the summer. Ari is too much of a bitch, and Henrik can’t keep it in his pants. Why don’t you go bark up that tree and back off me for a bit?”
“Why’d you propose? Tell me why. You’ve never given me a straight answer on this.”
“Do I owe you an explanation? I was under the impression it was my life,” I snap, regretting it the second I do.
“You don’t owe me jack, but you owe it to yourself to be honest. You owe it to Jenna to be honest. Think about it this way. My wedding cost about five hundred thousand dollars. Are you ready to spend a half million dollars on this love story between you and Jenna? I know you, Chase. You still use the mismatched dishes you bought in college. You hate spending money on things you don’t need. How much do you need this wedding?”
“Your wedding cost a half mil?” I’m dumbfounded.
“You’re the one who drank six bottles of Cristal on his own,” she teases.
My sister knows just how to plant a seed in my brain.
“I think I changed my mind. Maybe it is too hot for a ride after all.” Charlie walks out of the pool house, leaving me to pick up all the pieces she just dumped in my lap.
Chapter Thirteen
Ari
anna
“Come on, you’re going to this game with me,” Charlotte demands, pulling the sheets off me. “I haven’t been to a game all season, and I want to go.”
“I’m revoking your key privileges,” I mutter, covering my head with my pillow.
“You can’t just stay in bed and sulk. Time to get up and get out.”
“First off, I don’t sulk. When have you ever known me to sulk? I have nothing to sulk over,” I argue.
She grabs the pillow. “Either way, get up.”
“I just got back from South Africa ten hours ago. I didn’t sleep at all while I was there, and I couldn’t sleep on the plane because the jackass next to me felt he needed to spend twenty-two hours letting me know everything that was wrong with my serve and why Daddy was never the quarterback Joe Montana was. I’m jet-lagged. As much as I want to see Jack Carter pitch, I just want to stay in bed.”
She puts her hands on her hips and stares me down. “Not an option. You are coming with me, and that’s final.”
I pull the blankets back from her. “I can’t, Charlie, really. I need to see Daddy today. He saw the cardiologist earlier this week and dodges every question I ask. His phone magically ‘drops out’ the second I ask what the doctor said. I’m really worried.”
Charlie sighs and relaxes her posture. “I saw him last night at my parents’ house, and he’s fine. You do need to see him, but do it later today. He may even be at the game. Pop mentioned that he might come and hang out in the bullpen.”
“Fine, I’ll go,” I relent. “Call your father and make sure I have bullpen access. If Daddy is there, I need to corral him where he can’t run away from me. I’ll give the boys in the booth the heads up that Arianna and Aiden Aldrich will be having a father-daughter moment. Daddy can’t run if we’re on camera.”
“Sure, sure,” Charlie agrees. “Just get dressed and look hot. Like en fuego hot. It always makes you feel better.”
I know Charlie has something up her sleeve, but I have no idea what. I’ll have to watch her closely. Charlie has always been the quiet one in the background, but she’s crafty and slick.
“Hurry up,” she barks. “I want to watch Jack warm up.”
I relent and walk into my closet for something to wear. “Is Spencer going to be there? How will he feel about you drooling over the pitcher? For the wrong team.”
She laughs. “Spencer has given Pop a list of players that he’s prohibited from signing or else Spence stops all grandbaby-making activities. Pop won’t risk that even for a chance at another World Series ring.”
“Something tells me that violates all sorts of laws. Better be nice to me, or I’ll alert the players’ union that San Fran’s GM’s son-in-law has put an embargo on all hot players coming to the team,” I joke. “You didn’t say. Is Spence going to be there tonight?”
“Chop, chop,” she says, walking out of my room. “Traffic’s going to be a bitch.”
I throw a sweatshirt at her before she escapes. “I live five blocks from the stadium, you twatwaffle! I hate you!”
“Love you, Ari. Get dressed.”
Despite my best efforts to derail Charlie’s mission, two hours later, we’re on the field watching batting practice. I love AT&T Park. On a clear day, it has a spectacular view of the Bay. Today it’s foggy and cool, but it’s still a great day for baseball.
Half of the players originate from countries where soccer is a way of life and winning the Olympic gold would equate to the second coming, so I’m forced to suffer through constant ribbing about Henrik. The press on the field quickly catches wind of my presence and swarms like vultures, eager to catch me saying something embarrassing.
Who do these fools think they’re dealing with? I could list “sound bite” as one of my spoken languages on my resume. I politely defend Henrik’s honor, as any dutiful fiancée would, then I compliment the South African team and mention how this Olympics will be one of the best I’ve ever seen. Big smiles as I mention how excited I am to spend time in Brazil during the games. Hell, I should send the Olympic Committee a bill.
The vultures slink away, happy to have gotten something but disappointed they didn’t catch me sticking my foot in my mouth. They should really know better by now.
“You really have them all fooled. From the look of it, one might think you’re actually capable of emotion,” a familiar voice says behind me.
I haven’t heard from him in two years, and this is how he chooses to break the silence? Of course he would start this way. He knows, better than anyone, how to push my buttons. But I won’t give him the satisfaction. This isn’t the time or place for a fight, and he certainly isn’t worth it.
I turn on my heel and blow past him, knocking him in the shoulder. “Sorry, Brennan. Didn’t see you there.” I’m hit with a wave of Armani Code. I hate that just a whiff of his cologne makes me a little weak in the knees, but I do everything in my power to appear unscathed.
“Some things never change,” he says.
“You’re still an asshole. That sure hasn’t changed,” I call over my shoulder.
“And you’re still a cold-hearted, callous bitch,” he yells back.
I storm to our seats to find Charlie and Spencer looking awfully proud of themselves. “Just what the hell have you two done?”
“Hey, Ari, how’s it going?” Spencer asks innocently.
“Save it, Spencer. I just saw your brother, Charlotte, and he was the ever-loving prick he always has been. I knew you were scheming something, but this? Really? I don’t need his shit now on top of everything else. If you think I’m going to sit here and put up with him for nine innings, you’re insane. I’m finding my father, and then I’m out of here. You’ll need the extra seat for Chase’s ego.”
I storm off to the elevator that will take me to the bullpen. It’s a well-kept secret that Pat likes to watch all the games from back there. Old habits die hard—for all of the Brennan boys apparently.
Chapter Fourteen
October, 2011
Moscow, Russia
Arianna
“No fucking way, Arianna. There is no way you’re doing that shoot,” Chase screams over the phone.
Closing my eyes, I sigh. Not this fight again. I have to play in the finals in a few hours. I don’t have the time or energy for this. “You have to understand, I have sponsors. Obligations. I signed contracts. There’s no way I can just say, ‘No’ at this point. I have no choice.”
“I know damn well you have a choice. I know who your father is, and there’s no way he would allow you to sign a contract that doesn’t give you one hundred percent approval before a shoot. There’s no fucking way you’re doing a shoot naked with some cricket player. Anyway, cricket’s for pussies. Why do you want to be seen with a guy like that?”
I look at my watch and notice I have to get moving. The pre-match press conference is in an hour. I open my suitcase and pull out the things I’ll need today. I can fight and pack at the same time. It’s certainly not the first time, and I know it won’t be the last. No matter how many times we go through this, Chase refuses to see my perspective. “I don’t want to be seen with him,” I reply. “They’re paying me to stand next to him while wearing their sunglasses. I won’t be naked. I’ll be in a bathing suit. I’ve gone over it with Daddy, and while he doesn’t love it, he understands.”
“Well, I don’t fucking understand. Don’t I get some say here? You’re supposed to be my girlfriend, remember?”
I shove a sweater into my tennis bag. “Oh, yeah? The relationship no one knows about? What exactly am I supposed to say? ‘My imaginary boyfriend has a problem with the shoot, so let’s rethink the whole ad campaign’? I’m a professional, Chase. I don’t have the luxury of throwing a temper tantrum when I don’t like something. One day you might understand that!”
“Always the professional, aren’t you?” he sneers. “You can’t just put some goddamn emotion in this, just once?” he asks.
“What is that supposed to me
an?” I snap.
“It’s always about business etiquette with you,” he shouts. “Can’t you for once just tell them to fuck off because it hurts me? Can’t I matter to you enough that you would risk tarnishing your precious professional reputation to protect me?”
I zip up my bag and toss it by the door. “Why the hell should this hurt you? It’s just an ad! It’s not like I’m sleeping with him.”
“Because, Arianna, I see you maybe once every two months. If I’m lucky. But now, me and every other pervert around the world can open a magazine and see my girlfriend naked. It’s hard enough knowing that you’re every man’s fantasy, but do you need to give them more for the spank vault?”
“Chase, get over it!” I yell. “They hired me and paid me millions of dollars to help them sell whatever the hell they want me to sell. I will do my job and do it well. If you can’t respect that, then I don’t know why we’re doing this.”
“You know it won’t end with this shoot. It never does. Today it’s a shoot, then tomorrow it’s a red carpet event, then two weeks later you need to be seen at some resort. Because you always make time to bolster the marketing campaign, but you’re always too busy to see me. We’ve been through this before Ari, and I’m tired of it. I just don’t know when you decided it was okay to sell yourself to the highest bidder.”
Furious, I pace the floor of my hotel room. “Fuck you. Don’t you dare call me a whore! Considering you’re the only one I have been with and you’re fucking your way across campus.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asks.
I scoff. “You really need to learn to stop drunk Facebooking. I’ve seen it all. I hope your spank vault is stocked, because we are done. I can’t believe I thought it would be different this time.” I toss my phone on the bed.
Seething mad, I sit on the edge of the bed and try to get my emotions under control. The room phone rings. “Ms. Aldrich. The car is waiting to take you to Olympic Stadium,” the concierge says when I answer.
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