Page 79 of Bound Hearts

My wife.

The life and family we are building together.

I’ve always been the man who easily gets what he wants, but Sutton is the one person in my life who takes that power from me.

And I’ve never been so scared.

22

FOSTER

“The doorman said I could let myself in,” my brother announces as he enters my living room. I called Patrick to come over when Sutton left.

I’ve been staring out my window at the night skyline of Chicago while nursing a whiskey.

Alcohol won’t calm my troubles, unfortunately.

My back is to him, but I can see his reflection in the window. He isn’t cocky; indifference is written all over his face.

“What the fuck did you do?” Hopefully, my tone conveys the fury I feel.

“Ah, putting the blame on me?” He saunters farther into the room. “I’m not the one who fucked up for once,” he taunts.

Pivoting on my feet, I stare at him directly; my gaze could cut through him. “No. You’re the one who was insistent on explaining to my thirty-two-week-pregnant wife the detail I missed. I messed up, but you could have told me to tell her, or I don’t know…” I’m beyond frustrated. “But I have a strong inkling that you didn’t exactly deliver the news unintentionally or delicately. Let me guess, you decided to take a swing so I could have a moment of downfall?”

His wry grin seems bitter today. “An opportunity arose, right?” he replies mockingly.

“She’s thirty-two weeks pregnant,” I reiterate.

“Foster, take some damn responsibility for once. Not everything goes the way you want with the snap of your fingers.” He has the gall to be irritated with me.

We are in a standoff in the middle of the living room, and it feels like we’re about to fall down a mountain.

“The whole point of not telling her was to minimize her stress. That plan went to shit. Thank you for that,” I say sarcastically.

Walking to the wall with the built-in cabinet where I have a whiskey bottle open next to crystal tumblers, I pop the bottle's cork to pour myself another drink. “I would offer you a drink, but I’m not sure you’ll be staying that long. Kick me when I’m down and leave with a win, right? That’s your play all the time.”

He scoffs. “Unbelievable. For once, assess the full picture and lay down all the facts.”

Turning to him, I walk and perch on the arm of a sofa, causing my brother to stand over me while he remains in the middle of the room.

“I wouldn’t even be in this situation if everyone in the family had let me be. Let me live my life, not involve myself in some damn game to keep a company. Guilt-tripping me has been a pleasant ride, too.”

“Imagine that. Our mom loved you so much that she had to put it into writing and blackmail you to make sure it happened.”

I hold my glass in the air and raise my voice from pure annoyance. “You’ve reminded me a few times. What was it? Oh yeah, just put a pin in the condoms, for all you care. Even when I don’t do something so fucked up, I now have a wife who has ideas in her head thanks to you.”

Patrick throws his hands in the air. “The blame game is getting real old, and if you can’t figure out why I’m acting like the bad guy, then you sure as hell are not as smart as we all think you are.”

“Enlighten me.”

“You get everything, Foster. That fucking stings. There is a theory, you know. People are at their worst when they envy something.” His words cause my neck to crane as they take me off guard. “Do you know how jealous I am of the life you get? The career you wanted, the wife, the kid, the apple of our parents’ eye. You’re lucky.”

“Are you saying that all of your asshole tendencies are because you’re jealous?”

His eyes bug out. “Don’t make me say it again.”

“Your coping method needs improvement. I’m sorry you hit a rough patch, and at times, I think you’re turning your life around and are in a better place. You’re my brother, and I don’t take that for granted. But holy hell, my wife is now unraveling, and she is my priority.”