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Should he call Bex? Perhaps she hadn’t intentionally uninvited him from brunch. But he didn’t want to push her when she already had plenty on her mind. That said, he also didn’t want to give her enough time to regret what had happened between them.
“Good morning.” Wesley stepped into the room and stretched, his long-sleeved shirt riding up high enough to reveal his belly, which was flat but soft. Physical strength was the one area where Michael might be able to claim superiority over his brother. But then, being a politician didn’t allow for much time at the gym.
“Morning.” Michael shoveled granola into his mouth and tried not to feel guilty about the fact he’d been sitting here moping because he had to miss brunch with the girls he’d come to think of as his, whereas Wesley, who had more right to be there than he did, had never shared the same wonderful experience even once. “Coffee is on the kitchen counter.”
Wesley disappeared and returned with a mug. He sat opposite Michael and watched him play with his breakfast. “That was the most uninterrupted time I’ve had in months, and I couldn’t sleep a wink.”
Giving up on his granola, Michael pushed it aside and cupped his coffee mug between his palms. “Why’s that?”
Wesley sniffed his own coffee, nose scrunching. “Don’t you sweeten this?”
“Nope.”
He tried it and cringed. “That’s some potent stuff.”
“There’s artificial sweetener in the pantry, if you want it, but I don’t have any sugar. Sorry.”
Wesley made a face but didn’t move. Apparently artificial sweetener wasn’t enough to tempt him.
“So, why couldn’t you sleep? Did you have enough blankets?” Nights could get cold in the bay.
“Plenty. I’m just nervous and excited about meeting Isobel. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep through the night all week.” He sipped more cautiously this time. “Bex will keep her word, won’t she? She’ll let me see my daughter.”
“Yeah.” Michael swallowed a sour taste. “She will.”
Wesley scrubbed a hand through his hair, which he hadn’t bothered to style. “Good. I like to think I know her well, but after all these years—” The shrill ring of his cell phone interrupted him. He extracted it from his pocket and paled. “It’s Mum.”
Michael turned cold inside. If their mother knew about Bex and Izzy, there was no telling what kind of hell she’d rain down on them for interfering with her plans for Wesley’s future. “Did you tell her?”
“I had to explain my sudden absence somehow.”
“So that’s a yes.”
“Yes, it is.” He stared at Michael. “I don’t have to answer.”
They both knew ignoring her would only be a temporary fix.
“Pick it up,” Michael said. “If you don’t, she might cause problems for Bex.”
Wesley cursed. “I never intended that.” He accepted the call, then laid the phone on the table. “Mother, you’re on speaker phone. Michael is here, too.”
“Wesley Ronald Briggston, what on earth are you thinking?” Imogen demanded, her voice abnormally shrill. The men exchanged glances. Usually their mother exuded dignity and refinement. “Why would you run off like this?” she continued, on a roll. “It’s downright irresponsible. You’re so close to being prime minister—you can’t just up and leave.” She hauled in a deep breath, and neither of her sons spoke up, knowing she wasn’t finished. “When I said you should try appealing to a more rural, family-oriented demographic, this isn’t what I meant. You didn’t want a child six years ago, so can you please explain what’s changed? While you’re at it, have you determined paternity? Do you even know for sure the girl is yours?”
“Hold fire, Mum,” Wesley said. “Slow down. Let’s take this one thing at a time. Firstly, as far as anyone knows, I’m getting a little rest and relaxation somewhere out of cell phone range. Secondly, the concept of a baby and the reality of a little girl are completely different things. Six years ago, I was self-absorbed and stupid, and it cost me. Besides, it may not be what you had in mind, but if we sell it as a great reunion story, people will love it.”
“Hmm.”
Michael could hear the cogs turning over in her mind, and he hated that she didn’t immediately reject the statement. Bex and Izzy weren’t some political card to play. They were people. What’s more, they werehispeople.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Imogen said.
Wesley winked, and Michael resisted the urge to issue an immediate denial. He’d make his position regarding Bex and her relationship status clear later. “As for Isobel’s parentage, there’s no need for a paternity test. Michael assures me she’s a Briggston, and even if that wasn’t the case, Bex wouldn’t have fooled around on me, and she was never the kind of girl to go straight from one man to another.”
For some reason, Wesley’s certainty on this point cut Michael deeply. He’d always known Bex to be a loyal person, but for his brother to be so self-assured of her devotion drove home the fact that Michael had been pining after a woman who hadn’t seen him the same way. It was probably just as well he’d never got the chance to tell her how he felt. She’d have no doubt let him down gently, and he’d have drowned in misery and shame.
She cares for me now.She wants me now.
That’s what he needed to focus on. The present.
