And yet, it was as if no time had passed at all. As if we were both fifteen again, young and dumb, and the best of friends. I felt it all in that moment—the joy of the past, the pain of the present, and uncertainty for the future. Suddenly, it seemed as if a lot hinged on tonight. On this moment.
“Jonathan,” Ian said, finally extending his hand.
“Ian.” I shook his hand, a silent tension settling over the group like a blanket. Lea and Sumner watching, holding their breath.
“I’m so glad you could join us, Dad,” Sumner said, turning to him. “And I see you’ve met my date.”
I couldn’t help myself; I laughed.A date?Was that how she was going to play this? When she glanced back at me with an encouraging smile, I figured she’d given me an opening. I could work with that. Even Ian seemed amused.
Ian and I were mostly silent throughout the meal, and I was grateful that Lea and Sumner seemed more than willing to make conversation for the table. Occasionally, one of them would address Ian or me, but otherwise, we kept to ourselves. Even so, I could feel his eyes on me, on us, watching, assessing, judging Sumner and me.
I barely ate, gulping down some wine in the hopes that it would calm my nerves. It was odd—sitting across from him, years of history behind us. Yet the gulf between us had never seemed so wide.
“So…” He leaned back in his chair. Sumner and Lea had excused themselves to the restroom, and I assumed it was mostly a pretense to force Ian and me to talk.
I took a deep breath. “So…”
He sucked in a breath then blew it out, his cheeks puffing. It was good to know I wasn’t the only one struggling here. “How have you been?”
I debated my response but ultimately settled on honesty. “Good. Better than good.”
“That’s what Lea tells me. Still happy you sold your company?”
“No regrets.”
He tilted his head to the side, mouth drawn. “None?”
“Well, I do regret what happened between us,” I said. “You’ve been my best friend, my brother, for years. This past year without you…” I shook my head. “Well, I’ve missed you.”
“And Sumner?” he asked, giving away no clue as to his own feelings.
“She missed you too. I’m glad you guys were able to put your issues aside.”
“Our issues?” He chuckled, though it was without humor. “I think you mean ‘issue.’You’rethe issue,” he ground out.
I gripped my thighs, trying to keep my temper in check. I’d braced myself for this all evening, and I should’ve known he was playing nice until we were alone. But he’d come to dinner—that had to count for something. And I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I love Sumner. And she loves me. We’ve built an incredible life together, and I know she’d love for you to be a part of it. So would I.”
“So this is serious—the two of you? It’s not just a midlife crisis?”
I laughed.How did he not realize that by now?
“One day, I’m going to ask her to marry me. Not now,” I added, when Ian pulled a face. “But I’m not going to wait forever either. I want your support. She’ll want your blessing.”
“You’re really laying all your cards on the table, aren’t you?”
“You know me. When I want something, I go after it.”
“True.” He leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. “God, I remember that time you wanted Jimmy Bishop’s Discman CD player. You were so determined.”
I laughed, remembering it well. “That was a big deal back then. You know why I really wanted it, right?”
“So Crystal would think you were cool enough to date?”
I shook my head. “For you.”
“For me?” He furrowed his brow.
