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“I didn’t think Brax was the marriage type,” I say. “But he married our best friend Kylie a few months ago. It’s weird, because we’ve known Kylie since we were kids. We were always a little trio of trouble.”
“And now they’re a pair and you’re on the outside,” Ronan says.
“Sometimes,” I say. “Although that doesn’t bother me. He couldn’t have married anyone better. Kylie’s always been like a sister to me, so having her actually be my sister is fantastic. And I don’t have to worry about not liking my sister-in-law.”
“But?”
I take another sip. “I guess I’m still trying to process the fact that he got married before me. Braxton was a total man-whore before Kylie. I didn’t think he’d ever get married.”
“Is that what you’re looking for?” he asks. “Marriage?”
I search his face for the innuendo in his question, but it seems like he’s just curious. “Eventually, yes. I’d like that.”
He nods and takes a drink.
“What about you?” I ask. “Siblings?”
“I have a brother,” Ronan says. “Damon’s a psychiatrist. He lives in Sacramento.”
“Are you close?”
“We used to be,” he says. “I don’t think he understands me now.”
“Did something change?” I ask. “Or did you grow apart as you got older?”
“No, something changed,” he says. “I was in an accident in college. Things were different afterward.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looks away and I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it. “It’s all right. I survived. So how did you wind up living in the house you grew up in?”
I know he’s just trying to change the subject, but I doubt my story is any better than the one he’s trying to avoid telling. I’m never sure how to answer when the subject of my parents comes up. It tends to make people uncomfortable.
“It’s not a happy story,” I say. “My parents were killed in a car accident when Brax and I were ten.”
“Oh, Selene,” he says, leaning forward. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
His sympathy is so disarming that I find myself continuing. “Thanks. I know what you mean about things being different afterward. In a lot of ways, it was the defining event of my life.”
“Who raised you after that?” he asks.
“Our aunt,” I say. “She came to live with us. She was older than our father, and she passed when we were eighteen. Braxton and I inherited the house, and we both lived there until we were done with college. After that, he insisted I keep it.”
“Is it hard to live there?” he asks.
“Sometimes,” I say. “I’ve redecorated a lot of it over the years, but I still have things that remind me of them. It really is a great house, although it’s too big for just one person.”
He pauses, his eyes never leaving my face. When he speaks again, his voice is softer. “I’m sure you won’t be living there alone forever.”
My heart flutters, and I take a sip of my drink to give me a second to recover. “I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like I will be.”
“Why?”
“That’s a complicated question.” Part of me wonders why I’m having this conversation with him. But he’s so relaxed, his eyes intent on me like he’s genuinely interested. He makes it easy to keep talking. “I guess I feel like I live two different lives. From a professional standpoint, I’m exactly where I want to be. I love my job, and I get a lot of satisfaction working for VI. But my personal life is kind of a mess. I tend to date the wrong men.”
“Like Ashton?”
“It was Aidan,” I say, my tone wry. “But no, Aidan was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be a step in the right direction.”
