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“That’s the point. I left my old life behind me years ago. I had to so I could survive.” He needed Lincoln to understand. “You think I could have lasted on the streets and over here, living every moment for a time that was gone for me? I had to let all of that go.”
“Did you think about me once? Did you miss me once?”
“No, you don’t get to make me feel guilty.” Seth’s muscles locked tight as anger swamped him. “I went back to that fucking house. Ran away from the foster home they’d stashed me in. Must have been four months after Gran got rid of me.”
Lincoln fell silent. But Seth had plenty to say. Years of anger, resentment, and confusion lent him a wealth of words. “It was my first chance to get you and run. I walked around the corner and saw you on the street, wearing clean clothes and riding a bike.” A red one. Shiny and clean and all new. “We’d never been allowed a bike. You were laughing.” The kid next door ran after Lincoln and yelled something. “I’d never seen you so happy.” And it had shredded Seth’s heart. His little brother was doing just fine without him.
“Gran promised if I was good, she’d fight to get you back.” Lincoln’s voice was no more than a whisper. “But I had to be good. Never complain.” He drew in a ragged breath. “I can’t believe you were so close, and I never saw you.”
What a total fuck up. And that evil bitch had lied and manipulated Lincoln up to the end.
“I turned around and went back to my foster parents.” And copped a thrashing for running away. The big man with the sweat-stained singlet. The stench of rot-gut whiskey on his breath. ‘Little shit, think you can do better than us?’ A broken arm. Black eye. Wouldn’t be the last time Seth had ‘fallen down the stairs’. “That day is when I put everything of my previous life behind me.” His voice had a tone of finality Lincoln couldn’t miss.
“So now the fact I’m your brother doesn’t count? I cease to exist in your universe?”
Seth sighed. “I’m saying you have to give me time. You turn up, tell me your side of the story, and I believe you. No problem. But there’s a whole other story going on here. I have brothers and a life that has some serious complications right now. I need to deal with that first.” Before whoever was out there destroyed his family, his company, or the woman who’d taken a feature role in his life. And truthfully, he needed to make sure Lincoln played no part in those complications before Seth invited him back into his life. He lifted his hand and let it fall back down. “That’s the reality of where we’re at, Lincoln.”
Lincoln worked his jaw like a prizefighter eyeing his opponent seconds before the first bell sounded. After a moment, he spoke. “And this wonderful new reality includes someone assuming your identity on social media and trying to sabotage the sale of your company?”
Seth froze. The space across the table seemed to contract. All the noise around him faded into the background.
He spoke in a low, menace-laden voice. “Wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“Jesus, you’re a piece of work.” Lincoln slammed his fist on the table. Both men ignored the stares of the nearby patrons. “You really don’t know me at all if you could wonder if that’s possible.”
“That’s my point, Lincoln.” Seth studied the man that, if under different circumstances they’d met through mutual friends, he’d probably like, maybe even develop a deep friendship with straight away. “I don’t know you. As adults we’re strangers.” He pulled out his wallet and grabbed a business card, then slid it over the table to Lincoln. “All my contact numbers are on there. Text me yours and I’ll call.” He slid out of the booth and stared down at Lincoln. “Give me the time I need. A couple of weeks. If you do that, we can get together again.” Seth wanted to say more, but until he knew Lincoln wasn’t involved in his current troubles, he needed to stay cautious. With a nod, he faced the front of the pub and walked out.
Tight, twisting pain churned deep in his gut. Never in his life had he hated his grandmother with such venom as he did in that moment.
* * *
Harper closed the top of the last Chinese takeaway container and placed the food in Seth’s fridge. At least the meals could be eaten later. Her stomach had been tied in knots as she’d waited for him to return from his meeting with Lincoln. She’d ordered the food to keep some sense of normalcy to the evening. A futile attempt as it turned out. Neither of them was hungry.
She rested her hands on the counter’s hard, cool marble top and watched Seth sitting on the charcoal-colored sofa, his elbows on his knees, shoulders stiff as he stared at the blank TV screen. He hadn’t moved for the last twenty minutes since his return to the apartment.
What had happened at O’Shaughnessy’s? She couldn’t imagine how it would feel after so many years apart for the brothers to be in each other’s company. And not only the time apart but to now be an adult and not the child you were the last time you saw that person? Would it feel weird? Or could the bond you shared from years ago still be there, even with reservation and maybe some anger?
So far, her attempts to lure Seth into conversation had drawn one-word answers and the occasional frustrated sigh. Not a great scorecard.
If she could just distract him, bring him back from where he was in his head to being with her.
Maybe if she sat with him, watched something mindless on the TV he’d relax? She checked her watch. Seven-thirty. Still early enough to try and make some headway.
“Seth, you want a beer?”
He glanced her way, his gaze unfocused before her words seemed to catch. “Sure, thanks.” His distracted tone added to the air of isolation that had surrounded him since he’d walked back through the door.
She opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. The labels were a local Fremont brewery, one of her favorites. The longneck bottles clinked in her hands as she searched for a bottle opener. After popping the caps, she carried the drinks to the sofa and sat next to Seth with her legs tucked under her. He kept facing front as she slid the bottle into his hands, but he nodded his thanks.
A quick check on Mal confirmed he was still fast asleep snuggled up among his new toys on the bed at Seth’s feet. “My kitty loves his new bed. Thanks, handsome.”
Seth glanced down, likely noticing the kitten for the first time since his return. “Little bugger’s made himself at home.” He gave a fleeting smile.
“Yeah.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. Her hand rested on his arm. The muscles under her fingers tensed under her touch. She squeezed gently, strengthening her presence. “You helped make that happen, honey.”
Seth glanced back to the TV. “You haven’t asked me yet.”
“What about?”
