AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s not the type to fall for it,” I said gruffly.
“Then make sure you mean everything you say,” he suggested. “It is possible to be charming and sincere at the same time. It’s not a skill that I’ve ever mastered personally, but I’m sure you can do it.”
“I always tell her the truth, and I’m not sure if I can be as slick as I used to be. Not with her, anyway. My instinct is to just blurt out whatever I’m feeling,” I said unhappily. “I doubt that will change anytime soon.”
“I know it doesn’t seem like it,” Damian answered solemnly. “But everything will work out the way it’s supposed to be. If you know she’s the one, you’ll hang on like your life depends on it because it will. I would have hounded Nicole until she finally took pity on me and forgave me because I knew I’d never survive if she didn’t. And because I knew she loved me too, even though she didn’t want to admit it. I think you realize at some point that it isn’t possible to be feeling the way you do alone. There’s a connection there that you know isn’t one-sided.”
“It gets stronger every day,” I told him, still astonished to hear Damian talking about his own emotions so readily.
We’d always been close, but I’d never seen him fall for a woman like he had Nicole. I wasn’t used to seeing Damian wear his heart on his sleeve so readily.
“The paperwork to nullify the power of attorney is done,” Damian informed me. “You should be getting a copy of the legal document any day now.”
“Thanks,” I said. “It’s nice to know that you’ve decided not to threaten me with poverty.”
“Dylan, I’m so—”
“Don’t,” I insisted. “For fuck’s sake, don’t apologize. I was joking. You’ve been a damn good brother to me, Damian. Nobody would have stuck with me the way you have, regardless of the circumstances. You never gave up until I pushed you too far.”
“Honestly,” Damian said hoarsely. “I’m not sure that I wouldn’t have gotten over my anger at some point and kept trying. You were a brother worth fighting for, Dylan. I just wasn’t sure how to reach you or if that was ever going to be possible. You have no idea how glad I am that’s over.”
“Me, too,” I said, knowing exactly how lucky I was that Damian had been persistent, even though I’d pushed him away many times. “I’m not going anywhere, and I had to reach myself before anyone else could. I just really wish it hadn’t taken so long.”
“You’ve always been annoyingly stubborn about doing things in your own time,” Damian joked. “Oh, and by the way, I stopped by your place today. If I didn’t like my own home so much, I might be jealous.”
“It wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for you, so I’m not the only stubborn Lancaster brother,” I said drily.
“I knew what you wanted,” he answered mildly. “It wasn’t like we didn’t work together to find a team who could build the homes we envisioned.”
“I certainly didn’t give you any encouragement to continue with mine when you talked about it,” I reminded him.
Damian and I had planned out our homes together. We’d been trying to figure out how we could engineer a house to get everything we wanted without taking up an enormous amount of land.
We’d also searched for the best technology available, and we’d finally found that, too.
Unfortunately, I’d never made it to the groundbreaking stage, which had been scheduled within days of Damian’s return from his long business trip to Canada.
And not long after Charlotte’s death.
Damian had built his home, but mine had been postponed because he hadn’t wanted to continue without my input, and I hadn’t been in the frame of mind to think about building a new home.
I wasn’t exactly sure why Damian had decided to go forward on mine after I told him I didn’t care about the house.
“I guess I thought you might take interest after it got started,” Damian said. “You didn’t, but I had your plans, so it’s everything you hoped for, Dylan. You’ll be surprised by how the engineering came together. I was a little stunned by the technology myself, but you’ll get used to it. Mum helped with the décor, and you can change anything you don’t like. I’m sending the keys by courier.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve already done,” I told him, trying to swallow that obnoxious lump in my throat…again. “Thanks to you, I’ll actually be coming home to a place I could only imagine two years ago. I’m anxious to see your place as well.”
“Should I assume that Kylie won’t be staying with us?” Damian asked curiously.
“If I have my way, she won’t be,” I replied. “It’s a good thing we aren’t too far away from each other. She’s going to want to spend as much time with Nicole as possible.”
“That can be arranged,” Damian said lightly. “Just make sure she gets back to me safely every evening.”
I grinned as I told him, “Considering your reaction when she left the gala without telling you, I wouldn’t dare to do it any other way.”
