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"That was amazingly generous of you."
"The right thing," he replied, deadpan. "Now he has a gorgeous little place about five miles from here with the girl who used to be mine. He has more money than he'll ever need in his lifetime, and they don't want for anything. Even if James didn't have that money, Charlotte's parents would always make sure she didn't go without." He shrugged. "Don't worry. I'm well over her. I fell out of love the moment I saw her with my brother’s dick inside of her."
"This situation must be so hard for you. He is your only brother."
"We've never had an easy relationship. He's ten years older than me." He realized his age mistake and cringed. "It wasn't the age difference that made it difficult. He's never been as confident as I am, and that's always been an issue. Growing up, he always criticized everything I did, and tore me down in front of others at every opportunity, to make himself feel better. Uncle Alex saw this more than once and wiped many a tear from my face when I was a kid."
"That must have been horrible for you."
"Once, when he'd made me cry, my uncle and my father were comforting me. James was upstairs wrecking his room after my father had sent him there for being cruel to me. I asked them why he behaved the way he did and my uncle Alex shook his head and said simply, "You were born.” I had no idea what he'd meant by that until years later when he said James had held the coveted position of being the only boy in the house, and I'd taken that from him the day my parents brought me home."
"That's a shame because I think you'd make an awesome brother." He smiled at that, his eyes softening.
"Thanks. I'm growing on you, huh?" he probed, his curious gaze fixed on mine. I nodded.
"Yeah," I admitted, quietly because listening to his story about his brother, and the fact he'd still insisted on doing the right thing by him gave me a warm feeling about the kind of man he was.
I'd heard how greed and wills could tear families apart and he'd shown a level of maturity and the need to get things right, despite his older brother's treatment of him.
"What you did was very honorable."
"Nah, it was as much for me as it was for him. I couldn't have enjoyed this with a clear conscience, knowing he had been left out in the cold. I don't take it for granted. The money, I mean. I never have. The bills are paid each month from it, but I pay for the live-in housekeeper and maintenance man from the money I earn. I inherited Tony and Kate Maynard with the house and they have a home for life, per my uncle's request. They're a husband and wife team who take over running the house when I'm not here. When I'm at home they occupy an apartment in the west wing."
We both fell silent and looked out at the ocean again. The view from the balcony was incredible. "He chose the perfect spot to build his house," I remarked. After there was another pause in our conversation as I watched Sawyer get lost for a while in his thoughts.
