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“Why did you wait so long? Rumor is McAdams has been having trouble for the last few years,” he asked as he sat in the chair in front of my desk. “Better yet, why aren’t you working with Ben on this. The guy is your best buddy and partner.”
“It’s complicated.” I opened the file on my desk about the security issues, thinking that was why Hunter was in my office in the first place. Of all my brothers, I was the quietest one. I wasn’t too interested in revealing my innermost thoughts.
Hunter studied me for a moment. “You know, one thing I learned from Grace was the importance of talking about the shit that rattles around in your brain.”
Oh hell, I thought.
My expression must have echoed my thoughts because he held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not going to force you to talk, but if you wanted to share what’s up, I’m around to listen.”
My instinct was to thank him and move on to business. Instead, I scrubbed my hands over my face, and then said, “My relationship isn’t just with Ben.”
Both of Hunter’s brows rose. “Oh?”
“Fuck. I’ve never told anyone this.” I took a deep breath. “The summer after I graduated from college, I spent out it in the Hamptons.”
Hunter nodded. “Typical slacker summer.”
I laughed. Hunter had already enlisted by then and was fighting for his country. “Along with partying with Ben I secretly started seeing Beth.”
“His sister?”
I nodded.
He cocked his head. “Was she legal?”
“Yes.” Although barely. “But it didn’t sit well with our dad or hers.”
“If it was a secret, how’d they know?”
“I don’t know. But they forced me to leave her, so she’s understandably leery of me.”
“Ben probably isn’t too happy that you fucked his sister.”
“It wasn’t like that…” I huffed out a breath. “I cared for her. As far as Ben goes, I don’t know if he knows, but considering he hasn’t spoken to me in about two years, and had Beth take care of the Jet deal, I suspect he does.”
Hunter let out a low whistle. “I can see why you’d buy up McAdams property on the down-low. But what happens when they find out you’re the one doing all the buying. That info is public record unless you’ve set up some secret company to buy it. When they learn it’s you, won’t that make it worse?”
I huffed out a breath as I realized they’d probably feel like I was pitying them. “You have a point.”
“You should talk to them. Both of them. Communication is key, at least that’s what Grace keeps telling me.”
“Grace has changed you,” I said, feeling happy that Hunter not only found love but seemed to have found himself again after being lost since coming home from Iraq. Not that the demons of war weren’t still there, but he’d found a way to manage them, thanks to Grace.
“For the better, I think.”
“Absolutely. Love looks good on you, bro.”
He grinned, and then his smile turned serious. “You know, we didn’t know it was Beth, but I think we all knew that dad had forced you to leave someone. I guess this get married have kids deal of his had to really pissed you off.”
I nodded. “I wanted to fucking strangle him.”
“I don’t know how you felt about her, but if he tried to make me leave Grace, I’d be out of here. There’s nothing that would make me leave her.”
I took his comment as a chastisement for following dad’s orders. “I was twenty-one and being told I’d not only be losing the club, but Ben would too, and Beth would be disinherited.”
“What?”
“Yeah, their dad was there too. They both really didn’t want me seeing her.” It never made sense to me why they were so against it.
“That’s fucked up. And I didn’t mean to judge you. In your situation, I’d have probably done the same thing.” He frowned. “Why did they care so much? It’s not like you weren’t a good match for her. Dad and McAdams were friends…sort of. Business colleagues at least.”
“I don’t know. Maybe because we were young. Maybe they thought I’d derail Beth’s future. She was only eighteen. Maybe they just got off on fucking with me. I suspect they both pulled the wings off of flies for fun as kids.”
Hunter laughed. “Sick. True, but sick. They both had a God complex, didn’t they?”
“Dad still does, although I think we’re giving him a run for his money.”
Hunter smiled. “I don’t think he ever expected we’d get along. Or at least be able to work together.”
My brothers and I weren’t close, especially once dad enacted his plan that forced us to compete in the company, so it was strange to talk like this with Hunter. At the same time, it was nice. “I think that more than getting married and having babies, is helping the company,” I said.
