“She said you were both lovely—although I’m not sure why she thinks that.”
He smiled slightly. “Then you two are living together.”
“No. She’s just staying here until we get a few things figured out.”
“If it’s serious, why doesn’t she just stay here permanently?”
I wasn’t going to share every single detail. “We haven’t known each other long. She’s recently divorced, so there’s no rush.”
He didn’t make any protestations about her marital situation, when my mother definitely would have. “Did she leave him for you?”
“No. But we were together before she got married. Her marriage didn’t last long…”
“She chose him over you?” he asked in surprise.
“No. She told me she loved me, and I said I didn’t feel the same way.”
As if he understood exactly what I meant, he nodded. “Once she was gone, you realized what she really meant to you.”
“Sort of. We still saw each other a lot, and I slowly started to feel that way.”
“Does she want children?”
I wasn’t sure if she could have them at all. “Let’s not jump ahead. This is all new to me.”
“Fair enough.” He returned to eating his food. “Wish you the best.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I went back to my meal, and we fell into comfortable silence.
We spent our evenings together, but nothing physical had happened yet. She sat on a different couch, always drawing an invisible barrier between us. I could tell she was purposely holding back from me because the ease of our conversation hadn’t returned. A part of her still felt guilty for being with me, for having a relationship with a man so quickly after her divorce.
It was frustrating as fuck.
But I was patient…because I had no choice. Unlike Liam, I was loyal through the bad and the good, and I wasn’t going to pick up a piece of ass just because the woman I loved was unavailable.
I came home later than usual because I had a lot of stuff on my plate. I made it to the top of the stairs and loosened my tie as I maneuvered down the hallway. Suits weren’t my thing. I’d work in sweatpants if it weren’t tacky.
When I passed Annabella’s door, I heard a loud sound…followed quickly by a second.
I halted in front of the door, listening closely.
It sounded like two women laughing.
I opened the door and peeked my head inside.
Catalina and Annabella were on the couch in front of the TV, laughing their asses off even though the movie they were watching looked like a drama. There were empty bottles of wine on the table in front of them, along with a cheese board and a stash of baguettes.
“Having a good time?” I asked sarcastically.
Catalina looked up, her cheeks flushed from the booze. “Aw, it’s my big brother.”
Yep, she was super drunk. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Wait, wait.” Catalina stumbled to her feet and headed toward me.
“Nope.” I shut the door and walked to my bedroom, not wanting to deal with my drunk-ass sister, who was even more annoying than usual. I dropped my jacket on the edge of the bed and pulled the tie from around my neck.
She didn’t respect boundaries, so she walked inside. “Damien, you’ve gotta help me.”
I rolled my eyes as my back was turned to her. “Help with what?”
She grabbed the back of my arm for balance and then started laughing for no apparent reason.
I shrugged her off and walked to a chair so I could sit and slip off my dress shoes.
“Can you hook us up with more wine?” She followed me to the chair. “Patricia says she’s out, but I don’t buy that shit.”
“Whoa…very ladylike.”
She grabbed one of my shoes and threw it at me.
I let it bounce off my arm. “I’m sure she cut you off on purpose.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ve got something stashed in here—”
“No.”
She started to whine. “Come on, big brother. Please, please, pretty please…”
I walked to my liquor cabinet.
“Yes!”
I pulled out a bottle of water that was disguised as a bottle of vodka. “Here.” I came back and handed it to her.
“Ooh…got any caviar?”
She really was drunk if she actually thought straight vodka sounded good after all that wine and cheese. All I did was give her a cold stare.
She rolled her eyes. “Party pooper.” She started to walk back, barefoot and somewhat stumbling. “Want to join us?”
“Not even a little.”
“Oh, come on.” She got the door open and turned back around. “Anna is a super-cool chick. She’s sooo hot too.”
“I’m aware.”
“Oh my god, you love her!” She walked out the door and shut it behind her, her loud voice audible behind her. “Anna, my brother wants to sex you up.” The other door slammed behind her, and then their laughter was concealed in Annabella’s bedroom.
I dragged my hand down my face, relieved that interaction hadn’t lasted any longer than necessary. I’d just walked in the door, hadn’t showered, and hadn’t even had a goddamn drink. But I suspected Catalina wouldn’t bother me again because she was fighting the clock after all that booze. She would collapse on the bed within the hour.
Problem solved.
I faced the mirror as I adjusted my tie. I was in a gray suit, ready to head to the bank and complete another day’s worth of bullshit. It was another sunny day, another warm kiss of spring.
The door opened without a knock.
Catalina stepped inside in the same pink dress she’d worn the night before, makeup gone from her face and her hair messy from sleeping off her intoxication. She dragged her fingers down the side of her face, getting the sleep from her eyes as she groaned.
“Don’t expect me to feel bad for you.”
She yawned and then came farther into the room. “You have aspirin or something?”
“I have everything, Catalina.”
“Then give me the good shit.” She fell into a chair at my table, sitting directly in the sunlight.
I opened my nightstand and pulled out a few tablets and then poured her a mug of coffee. I put the pills and beverage in front of her. “Caffeine will help your headache.”
She swallowed the pills dry and then sipped her coffee.
I pulled on my shoes then sat in the chair across from her, feeling too guilty to leave her alone. I should pull on my jacket and head to work, but my DNA was programmed to care for this woman even when I didn’t want to. I stared at her in the sunlight, seeing the bits of dust floating in the air around her. The heat was warm on the fabric of my clothes, and it made her brown hair have a distinct red cast to it because she dyed her hair. She was a beautiful woman, inheriting our mother’s looks to where she looked like her sister rather than her daughter. “You’re gonna feel like shit the rest of the day. But drink lots of water, and you’ll be as good as new tomorrow.”
“Damien, this isn’t my first hangover.” She took a sip of her coffee then rubbed her left eye, like that was the area where her migraine was the most prominent. “I’ve probably had more of them than you.”