Lessons Learned (The Gifted Realm Book 2)

by Jillian Neal

  Governor Haydenshire settled Mrs. Haydenshire into her recliner, and made her a tray of food while all of the children did everything they could to make her comfortable.

  “I clearly should visit the hospital more often,” she teased, but everyone saw the worry and the fear that was wrapped loosely in the joke.

  Garrett

  The next afternoon, Rainer, Logan, and Garrett glanced at the clock anxiously. Five o’clock seemed elusive. The clock moved slower with each passing minute. They were all anxious to get away from Arlington, and to go to the beach.

  Even if Mrs. Haydenshire was still tired and weak, they were all desperate for a change of scenery, and to view their respective significant others in nothing but bikinis and cut-off short shorts for the next five days.

  Rainer and Logan had debated renting their own condo, so they could sleep with Emily and Adeline, but Mrs. Haydenshire had teared up the night before, and gone on and on about how happy it made her to have all of her kids back under one roof at the beach house again. They’d quickly nixed the idea.

  Vindico emerged from his office at a quarter ‘til.

  “I still think you’re crazy, man,” Garrett goaded. A wry smile etched Vindico’s face as he chuckled and shook his head. “Think about it. Labor Day weekend with dozens of strippers on Chincoteague!” Garrett was in awe of what Vindico had turned down, even if he couldn’t reconcile Vindico dating Bridgette just for information.

  She’d invited Vindico to come with her, and several of the girls from The Tantra, for the weekend in a hotel on Chincoteague Island. He’d turned her down hard, according to Garrett.

  “Yeah, a weekend getaway is a little more commitment than I’m looking for. Trust me, I spend as little time with all of that as I possibly can.”

  “You could come with us. Chloe’s usually up for several rounds,” Garrett gave a macho laugh as Rainer and Logan’s mouths fell open in disgust.

  Vindico shuddered. “First, I don’t mess with Gifted girls. You know that. Second, that’s just sick, man. If you want to share her, dump her. And third, I sure as hell don’t want your sloppy seconds!”

  “So, you’re just gonna work the last weekend of summer?” Garrett huffed indignantly.

  “That is my plan. I get so much done when you yahoos aren’t here getting on my nerves,” Vindico came right back.

  “Whatever, man. Some of us have better priorities, like getting laid this weekend.”

  Vindico looked amused.“Yeah, because a family vacation to Virginia Beach with you and your entire family, which, no offense, is huge, is a great way to get lucky.”

  “Dude,” Garrett scoffed, “I’ve been on this trip with my folks every year of my life. I’ve also gotten laid every Labor Day weekend since I was sixteen years old, and every year it’s been a different girl, or girls, so,” he waggled his eyebrows and held his hands out as a mock scale.

  Work,” he lowered his right hand slightly. “Or tapping several hotties in bikinis?” He lowered his left hand significantly. “Yeah, I’ll take the beach.”

  “It is astounding to me that any woman would ever sleep with you, honestly.”

  Garrett laughed. He didn’t seem to mind the assessment.

  “You two have fun,” Vindico offered Logan and Rainer, who were still reeling from everything Garrett had just informed them of.

  “You,” he gestured to Garrett, “try not to get a disease while you’re there, or at least acquire one that won’t make you have to miss work while you heal.”

  “Yeah, 2008. That sucked!”

  Rainer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d always known Garrett was wild, and liked to play fast and loose with women on a regular basis. He’d just never heard him discuss it quite so flippantly.

  Rainer still shuddered anytime any of Garrett’s stories filtered back through his conscience. He walked Emily out to the Mustang after their final practice until after the holiday.

  “What’s wrong?” Emily immediately sensed Rainer’s disgust.

  “Your brother is a sick jerk, no offense.”

  “Garrett,” Emily stated off handedly. “Oh yeah, I know.”

  “You have no idea, baby,” Rainer assured her. He was beyond certain that if she knew half of what he’d just heard, she would’ve told him.

  “First, I bet I know more than you think because Chloe enjoys telling all of us about their wild sex life on a regular basis, and second, what did he say?”

  Rainer shook his head; he couldn’t repeat half of what he’d heard. Not to Emily, anyway.

  “Rainer,” she whined pleadingly. “Come on, I’m a big girl, and I’ve heard some extremely disturbing things from Chloe already. So tell me.

  Rainer filtered through all of the information Garrett had shared with such ease.

  “Did you know Garrett’s been banging different girls every Labor Day weekend that we’ve gone on this trip, since we were, like, seven?”

  “No, but that doesn’t surprise me.”

  “I don’t even know how that happens,” Rainer stunned. “I mean, I couldn’t even,” he stopped himself from stating what he’d tried to do to Emily on the beach at Buoy’s. “Without getting interrupted,” he picked back up. “How is he having sex-fests the entire weekend without your parents ever figuring it out?”

  “That’s what he does whenever he’s not with us, and if you think about it, that’s a lot of the time. He shows up wherever Mom and Dad want us to eat dinner, but he’s not with us on the beach most of the day. Then he disappears right after dinner, and then sneaks in late at night.”

  “Did you know he got some kind of STD while we were there a couple of years ago?”

  Emily’s mouth fell open. “Well, I certainly hope Peterson doesn’t find that out! But Chloe’s coming with us this year, so he’ll be better.” Rainer couldn’t tell her what Garrett had said about Chloe. He was simply unable.

  As Rainer exited the interstate he turned back to Emily. He didn’t want to think about Garrett anymore.

  “Are we going to our house or the farmhouse, sweetheart?”

  “I talked to Mom a little while ago. She sounds much better. She said for us to go home and finish packing, and then head on. She and Dad left a few hours ago.”

  Rainer turned down their driveway. Logan and Adeline were loading the Hummer with their bags. They’d decided to drive down together, since there were so many cars going. As Rainer helped Logan load up his and Emily’s bags, they talked about Garrett.

  Disappointment rocked through Rainer. He’d known for a long time that Garrett was a bit of a womanizer, and he’d heard the tales of his escapades on more than one occasion.

  But Garrett was an outstanding officer, and always there when his family needed him. He was fiercely protective of Emily, and even took care of the twins when his mother needed help.

  Rainer couldn’t seem to reconcile the two sides of the one guy who, Rainer finally admitted to himself, had been one of his heroes since his childhood. He’d taught Rainer to drive a stick and had gotten Logan, Rainer, and Emily out of trouble on numerous occasions growing up.

  He’d healed Emily’s hickey for them, and never told her parents. He’d covered for Rainer and Logan on a campout once when they’d had a little too much to drink and were too young to be drinking in the first place. Of course, he was the one who’d supplied them the beer, Rainer recalled wryly.

  “You want me to drive the first half?” Logan’s offer shook Rainer from his reverie.

  “Only if you won’t flip if we make out in the back,” Emily teased.

  Adeline laughed as Logan rolled his eyes.

  Rainer threw Logan the keys. Even if they didn’t make out, he wouldn’t mind just hanging out with Emily, and he knew she liked to sleep in his lap on a road trip.

  Emily added her make-up bag to the stack of luggage and Rainer slammed the back door.

  They checked the guesthouse to make certain they’d turned off all the lights and had everything t
hey would need, and then they all piled into the Hummer.

  The Thin Line

  Logan pulled through a drive-thru and ordered everyone dinner then went to the gas station. He sat in the driver’s seat once he’d turned off the car.

  “What, you’re not filling my car up for me even though I’m letting you drive it?” Emily teased.

  “Yeah, you tell your sugar daddy to get your gas.”

  Rainer laughed as he climbed out and filled up the Hummer. He and Logan went into the gas station to stock up for the drive. They set off, listening to the radio and talking.

  Rainer supplied Emily with all of the pickles from his chicken sandwich.

  “Aww, you deserve a kiss,” she leaned and brushed a sweet kiss on his cheek.

  “I think I deserve more than a kiss,” Rainer teased, just to annoy Logan.

  “Ok stop, and on that note,” Logan huffed, “Am I the only one who thinks Patrick and Lucy got married just so they can have the other bedroom?”

  Governor Haydenshire had allowed all of the Haydenshire boys to bring girls with them on this trip for the last several years. He’d also given them strict room assignments.

  Will and Brooke got one of the rooms with a king-size bed. The Haydenshires and the twins were staying in their usual room. The room with a double bed and a foldout was given to Patrick and Lucy.

  This meant that Logan, Rainer, Garrett, Levi, and Connor were sharing one room and that Emily, Adeline, Katie, Sarah, and Chloe were sharing the other.

  The girls were excited about this. Emily had informed Rainer that they viewed it as a five-night sleepover. The boys, who all were rather accustomed to sleeping with one of the girls on a regular basis, save maybe Connor, were not. Rainer wasn’t certain how far Connor had gotten with Katie yet.

  Rainer and Emily had discussed spending some of their time on the long weekend looking for a beach house for the two of them to purchase. They were going to try to be discreet, as Mrs. Haydenshire’s emotional state had been fragile since she’d come home from the hospital.

  Emily curled up in Rainer’s lap after they finished their dinner, and he played with her hair, and grinned at her as she discreetly caressed him and then pulled her hand away so Logan and Adeline never knew what she was doing.

  Rainer ached for her, but would never ask her to stop even though he knew there was no way he would be able to be with her for the next several days.

  That knowledge, combined with her hand tracing over his crotch, was incredibly frustrating. She fell asleep after a little while, and Rainer reclined slightly and let his eyes close as well.

  He awoke after a while and offered to drive. He felt badly that he’d fallen asleep. Adeline was out in the front seat and Logan had no one to talk to.

  “No, it’s ok,” Logan whispered, “Why don’t you just keep Em asleep if you can. That way she won’t freak on the bridge.” Emily’s near-fatal car accident on the expansive bridge which led over the waters to Norfolk tended to make any return trip rather stressful for her.

  “Thanks. You’re the best.” He draped a quilt over Emily and cossetted her tenderly in his lap.

  “She’s still exhausted from staying with Mom so long,” Logan gestured his head toward Adeline.

  “That was incredible what she did,” Rainer vowed.

  Logan’s immense love and pride settled in his eyes. “Yeah, she’s pretty incredible.”

  Logan pulled up to the beach house just after ten, and Rainer woke Emily.

  “Hey there, baby. We’re here.” He ran his hands under the quilt he’d covered her with. He let them caress and explore until she was grinning broadly.

  “I didn’t mean to sleep the whole way,” she yawned.

  “S’ok,” Rainer assured her as she sat up and they began unloading. Connor and Katie had already arrived, as had Will and Brooke, and Patrick and Lucy. Levi and Sarah and Garrett and Chloe were still en route.

  Mrs. Haydenshire and the twins were already asleep, and Governor Haydenshire demanded absolute silence.

  Rainer and Logan threw their bags into the boys’ designated room without any real enthusiasm.

  “It’s gonna be a long, long weekend,” Logan lamented. Garrett and Chloe arrived a few minutes later.

  They were already planning on everyone going to a dance club in town. Connor and Katie agreed instantly. Rainer studied Emily. He wondered if she’d want to go, but hoped that she wouldn’t.

  “If you want to,” he heard Adeline lament to Logan. Logan gave her an adoring smile.

  “I really don’t think we need to be in too many bars or clubs until we get everything settled with your mom,” Logan eased. Her entire being glowed over not having to endure another bar- filled night.

  “Let’s just hang out with Logan and Adeline; we can go hang out on the beach,” Emily urged excitedly.

  “That sounds perfect.” Rainer was relieved as well.

  Governor Haydenshire listened as plans were made. Levi and Sarah joined the dance club crowd as soon as they arrived.

  Garrett tried repeatedly to get Will to go along, since Brooke had fallen asleep in one of the recliners. He called them ‘old’ just to goad them.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to leave my wife, who is completely exhausted from being six months’ pregnant with my child, to go to a dance club with hundreds of drunk women so that I can make her feel insecure and unstable as she continues to expand because she is bringing my daughter into this world.” Will rolled his eyes dramatically. “Seriously, Garrett, you can’t be that much of a moron?”

  “This is why I will never get married. It clearly sucks all the fun out of a guy!” Garret huffed incredulously.

  Soon, Logan and Rainer were carrying quilts out to the beachfront, as the girls donned cut-offs and t-shirts.

  “This is way better than some smoky bar,” Emily lay down on the quilt beside Rainer. She cuddled up next to him and stared up at the moon.

  “Definitely,” Logan rolled slightly with Adeline on her back and began making out with her.

  Rainer turned on his side as he didn’t really want to watch, but he also didn’t mind engaging Emily in a few kisses either.

  “Hey, man, you know there’s a whole wide beach out here,” Rainer hinted. Logan rolled back.

  “Yeah, I know, but this is the beach front that we own, and I don’t plan on giving Peterson any other pictures for his brochures, so looks like you’ll be cleaning your own pipes this week,” Logan huffed.

  “Geez, Logan, really? You kiss your mom with that mouth?” Rainer was truly irritated with Logan’s rather rude insinuation in front of Emily and Adeline. Emily knew Rainer was mad, and she tried to hide her giggle.

  “I don’t know what that means or I’d yell at him,” Adeline offered as an apology. This only served to make Logan chuckle more.

  “Ok, ok, I’m sorry,” Logan offered in a half-hearted apology after a few minutes. “This is just weird.” He pulled himself up into a seated position. Rainer followed suit. The girls turned and reclined in their laps.

  “What’s weird?” Emily quizzed, and Rainer caught the concern in her voice. Both of them were aware that something had gotten to Logan.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, it’s us,” Rainer urged. Adeline nodded and gazed up at Logan sweetly.

  “I don’t know. I mean, Mom just got out of the hospital, and we still don’t know if there’s anything else wrong,” he stumbled over the words, unable to elaborate on what might be wrong with the baby. “And Peterson, and Garrett, and I don’t know. I just don’t really want to be here bunking with you and my brothers, no offense.”

  Rainer certainly wasn’t offended. Adeline sat up and kissed his cheek sweetly.

  “It’s like everything’s different,” he concluded morosely. No one spoke and Logan stunned, “We shouldn’t be here vacationing. We should be out hunting down the fuckbag who did this to Mom.”

  And there it was. The fury R
ainer had been expecting for days had finally erupted, and Logan was trying to sort through everything that had happened and that was happening, and he needed help.

  “Logan, you know Vindico did everything he could to track him down. He fled the country. He’s back in Monterrey. Mexican Iodex had eyes on him, and they’re moving in once he surfaces again. We don’t have any authority there,” Rainer repeated everything he’d learned from work.

  “Logan,” Adeline soothed and Logan instantly turned to her. “This is what your mom wanted, sweetheart. Medio Sawyer said it would be good for her and the baby to relax. I know this is all different from the way it’s been the past few years that we’ve come, but it means so much to her for us to be here. I think she just wants this before she and your dad start traveling for his campaign.”

  “I know.”

  Rainer watched him let guilt mix into the volatile cocktail of regret and remorse, and the bitter feelings that came from trying to walk the thin line between being his parents’ son and being his own man.

  The thoughts swirled so apparently in his mind. Rainer brushed Emily’s arm, and then squeezed it lightly until she looked up at him. He gestured back towards the beach house. She got up off of his lap and kissed his cheek.

  “Hey, Adeline, I got some of that new clay mask we saw in that bridal magazine. Come on, we can try it out while all the other girls are gone.” Adeline glanced at Rainer and then back to Logan. She was on to Rainer and Emily’s plan. Logan, however, looked confused that the girls were leaving after he’d just poured his heart out to them. Adeline stood and kissed Logan’s cheek.

  “Come kiss me good night in a little while.”

  Understanding shadowed Logan’s features as he realized that Rainer wasn’t going anywhere.

  “K,” Logan nodded. Lost desperation settled harshly in his eyes as he let her hand drift through his. He watched her as she walked away.