He paused and looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“Stay and enjoy the event. Please. It means a lot to me that you’re here.”
He was tempted to tell her he didn’t care how she felt about anything, but Sophie had never been anything but warm and welcoming to him. He nodded once, then turned again and strode away.
Behind him, Clay called out, “See you at the table, Bradford.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Out of respect for Sophie, Bradford would stay, but that didn’t mean he needed to obediently take his seat and endure more of Clay Landon’s ramblings.
Idiot.
He scanned the room for Joanna. She was in the process of taking her seat at their table. Aly was on her left. Daphne left of her. Clay and Lexi were next to them as well as Connor and Angelina. There were two open seats at the table—one for Bradford and one for Dylan.
Which seat had Sophie assigned directly next to Joanna? Bradford hadn’t checked and he told himself it didn’t matter since he had no intention of joining them anyway.
It wasn’t difficult to spot Dylan. Even as he walked across the room, several women flanked him. When he reached the table, he bent to say something to Joanna then introduced her to the hovering crowd. A moment later the women dispersed and Dylan took the seat beside Joanna.
She seemed distracted as he spoke to her, looking around the room rather than at him. Bradford stayed in the shadows. He wasn’t what she was seeking, and even if he was, he certainly wasn’t what she needed.
He flexed his hands at his side. It wasn’t easy to watch Dylan lean closer to speak to Joanna, but he refused to validate that feeling. Life was full of difficult decisions and each one a person made came with consequences. There was a time, a long, long time ago, when he might have yearned for the “normal” life Joanna represented. The man he’d become had no such dreams.
There’s too much blood on my hands.
Too many reasons Joanna would be a lot better off with a man like Dylan.
Even though Bradford gave the Suttons shit, they were actually some of the nicest people he’d ever come across. Sean Sutton, a construction company owner from Upstate New York had raised his three children on his own after his wife died. His daughter, Viviana, was the tough little cookie who’d married Grant Barrington. Connor and Dylan were comically simple, but loyal to their core. They were the first to laugh at themselves when they stumbled and easy to like. Clay and Sophie were wrong . . . Joanna didn’t need protecting, she needed someone who was as nice as she was. Grudgingly, Bradford conceded to himself that Dylan wouldn’t be a bad match for her.
Joanna’s gaze locked with Bradford’s. She waved for him to join them. He didn’t budge.
She frowned.
Trust me, sweetheart, I’m doing you a favor.
“Thanks for helping me out, Joanna. I didn’t think I’d be able to shake them. One of them slipped me a hotel key with her name and number on it. I like sex but I can only have so much on one trip.” Dylan sighed. “I’m exhausted.”
Without looking away from Bradford, Joanna said, “Glad I could help.” Why was he standing with the event’s security detail rather than sitting at the table? Was it something I said?
Or something I did?
At almost every Barrington gathering she’d seen him at, Bradford stood apart, looking as if he didn’t feel he belonged there. Her heart went out to him. It wasn’t that no one attempted to draw him in. Sophie and Dale always made a point of personally welcoming Bradford. He was the best friend of their son Ian. He belonged—even if he didn’t believe it.
Dylan continued, “There are times when I welcome the attention, but then at events like this it would be easier to come with someone so I could relax and enjoy myself.”
“Sure. Anytime,” Joanna said absently.
“I may take you up on that.”
A thought occurred to Joanna. “Dylan, go see if you can get Bradford to join us.”
Dylan turned in his seat to look in the direction she was. “Bradford does what Bradford wants. It’s best not to push him.”
Connor chimed in from across the table. “Dylan’s afraid of him.”
“I am not,” Dylan said. “There’s a difference between fearing someone and having a healthy respect for them. I like him, but no one wants to be on his bad side.”
Aly asked, “Why? What happens if you are?”
Connor and Dylan exchanged a look then a laugh. With a wink, Connor said, “Let’s just say we could tell you but then we’d have to kill you.”
Aly’s eyes widened.
Angelina playfully smacked Connor’s arm. “Stop. Bradford is wonderful. He even checks in on Mrs. Tellier because she lives alone and has been having health issues. That’s sweet.”
Dylan chuckled. “Sweet? Bradford? Sure.”
Bradford still checked in on Mrs. Tellier. It had been Bradford who had made sure Mrs. Tellier was okay after Angelina had been fired for coming to her defense against the horrible headmaster of the school where they’d both worked. It had also been Bradford who had encouraged Connor to hire Mrs. Tellier. To hear that he was still checking on her warmed Joanna’s heart. Aly was so wrong about him. “Connor,” Joanna said, “do you think you could encourage him to join us?”
With an easy smile, Connor rose to his feet. “Absolutely. I’ll be right back, Angelina.” He gave her a quick parting kiss before turning to his brother. “You coming, Dylan?”
“Nah, you’ve got this.” Once Connor was out of earshot, Dylan added, “Bradford really likes Connor. Me? Not so much.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Joanna said.
“It’s true,” Clay interjected.
Lexi laughed. “Clay, that’s not nice to say.”
“The truth often isn’t.” Clay shrugged. “Joanna, what do you think of Bradford?”
Before answering, Joanna exchanged a look with Aly. “I think he’s worth taking the time to get to know.”
Aly’s eyebrows rose and fell, but she nodded in concession. “Tonight’s an opportunity for that to happen, so let’s hope Connor is successful.”
Dylan laid an arm across the back of Joanna’s chair. “That’s probably what it is—Connor has just had more time with him. I’m going to make more of an effort.”
Clay laughed. “You can try, but if you’re looking to be his friend you’re going about it entirely the wrong way.”
Dylan looked over his shoulder in the direction of his departing brother. “You’re right, I should have gone with him. Connor has always been better than I am at liking people until they cave and like him back. I’ve always admired that about him.”
Joanna’s attention shifted back to Dylan and she realized he was sitting much closer than he had been. She took a moment to appreciate the perfection of his features and how the broad expanse of his chest filled her field of vision. She expected her heart to race, but it didn’t. Disappointing. He truly was beautiful and worthy of a fantasy or two, but the zing she’d hoped to feel hadn’t come.
That didn’t mean she couldn’t sympathize with him. Connor had shared his struggle to fit in with the Barrington family and how he still craved the simple life he’d had before his sister had married into money. Dylan likely felt the same. His jokes might well be based in truth. One of the women from earlier walked by the table and attempted to gain his attention. He shifted even closer to Joanna. If he kept it up, he’d soon be in her lap. “Everyone thinks they want to be a celebrity, but it’s not easy, is it?”