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Damian went on to explain what had happened between him and Nicole from his point of view, and I was somewhat surprised by how frank he was about his insecurities and fears.
He’d obviously been half out of his mind at the thought of losing her, even before my idiotic stunt.
Honestly, I’d never seen my twin brother get anxious about anything. He was the one who always had everything under control.
In fact, he’d always been fastidious about following a pre-planned schedule and never deviated from his normal habits.
“You actually backed yourself into a corner,” I said, astonished.
“You have no idea,” Damian said in a self-mocking tone. “Nicole is the only woman who has ever been capable of making me throw the rulebook out the window. Thank fuck she’s in love with me, too, or I’d be in sad shape right now.”
“I’m glad she makes you happy, Damian,” I told him earnestly. “I think that you actually needed a woman like her. She has to be special if she pulled your attention away from Lancaster International long enough to get you to notice her.”
He chuckled. “I more than just noticed her, and she’s beyond special. I’m looking forward to you two meeting under different circumstances.” In a more serious tone, he said, “I want you at the wedding, Dylan. You’re my brother, and it will be the most monumental event of my life. I’d also appreciate it if you stood up for me along with Leo since my fiancée decided she needed two maids of honor. She’s close to both Kylie and Macy, so she couldn’t decide between them. It would be ideal if I could have a second best man.”
I swallowed the large lump in my throat. This was way more than I’d expected and probably something I didn’t deserve. “You know I will, but the wedding day is getting close. Didn’t you already choose a second one?”
“I thought about it,” he answered in a hoarse voice. “Couldn’t do it when I knew the other guy standing up for me should be you. You may have acted like an idiot, but you’re still my twin. We’ve been best mates since we were born.”
I swallowed again. For some reason, that damn lump in my throat hadn’t quite disappeared. “I’ll be there, Damian, and I guarantee that I’ll be on my best behavior. My days of running away from my problems are over.”
“Fuck! Are you really all right, Dylan?” Damian asked. “Have you stopped blaming yourself for what happened when you shouldn’t be? Has the memory of that day faded, and has it really stopped playing over and over in your mind? It’s not like I don’t understand why that drove you half crazy. If I were put in your position, I’m not sure how I would have handled it.”
“I dealt with it the only way I could, Damian, but I’m done running away from my issues. I am better. I swear. Some of the treatment I’m getting is faster acting than others. I’m well aware that everything won’t go away overnight, but for the most part, I feel good. I do have an occasional flashback or nightmare, but I’m hopeful that even those will disappear over time.”
Damian released what sounded like a relieved breath. “Speaking of not running away, it seems you’ve taken over a significant amount of work from the Los Angeles office. I wasn’t sure if we’d ever get some of those projects off the ground because the negotiations would be complex, but you’ve actually managed to finalize some of them. How did you do it?”
We talked about some of the work I’d done in Los Angeles, and I explained where I was with each acquisition and merger before I finally told him, “I think I needed the challenge. I’d stopped drinking until I was numb, and I’d started talking about my feelings with a counselor until I was nauseous, but my mind was still too idle. It helped to have complicated problems to solve. I know I said that I didn’t care about Lancaster International, but that was bullshit. I just temporarily hated anything that made me Dylan Lancaster. My name and status was the only reason Charlotte targeted me in the first place. If I wasn’t Lord Dylan Lancaster, she would have moved on and found someone else with a prestigious name that would impress her family. Maybe that doesn’t make sense—”
“It makes total sense,” Damian interrupted. “We’re incredibly privileged, and I think we know how lucky we are, but there are some negatives to being a Lancaster. We make enemies, and there are very few people who don’t see our money, title, or family name before they recognize anything else about us.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “But I am proud of who we are, our family history, and what our father achieved. Lancaster International is our legacy, Damian, and I hate the fact that I dumped all the responsibilities on you for a while. I’m doing what I can to make up for that now.”
“You’re doing a brilliant job, Dylan,” he replied. “I appreciate having my partner back, but I think I’m even more grateful to have my twin brother back. I know you think that what happened has changed you, and maybe it has—to an extent. But you survived, and I don’t think it’s going to change the important things. By the way, I’m sending you the papers to sign to nullify the power of attorney you gave me. Even though I think we both know my threat to enforce it was a bluff.”
I opened my mouth to thank him, but my expression of gratitude was interrupted as I bumped one of the metal bowls I’d taken out, and it hit the floor with a very loud crash!
“What in the bloody hell was that?” Damian asked. “Dylan, are you all right? What in the world are you doing?”
I put the bowl back on the counter as I replied, “I’m trying to make pancakes for Kylie. She always ends up cooking. I thought I’d try something that might be edible…for once.”
“Mum told me all about the situation with Kylie, and then my wife admitted she already knew that you and Kylie were staying together. Why was I the last one to know?” he grumbled. “You do realize that Mum is already hoping that you’ll fall madly in love with her,” Damian warned. “Now you’ve got me wondering how you feel about her if you’re actually in the kitchen trying to cook. I have to admit that I make Nicole pancakes occasionally. Usually as an apology on the rare occasion that we argue. It does generally get me out of trouble.”
“Kylie isn’t angry with me,” I informed him. “I just want to do something nice for her since she always cooks. Maybe I should have just ordered out.”
“Absolutely not,” Damian advised. “Women only find it incredibly thoughtful if you make something yourself. Add plenty of maple syrup. She’s American, and Americans do love their syrup on pancakes, although I have no idea why.”
“Noted,” I said. “And Mum will just have to keep on wishing. Kylie isn’t interested in anything serious,” I confided. “Fuck! I didn’t plan on this happening, but I’m already obsessed with making her happy for some damn reason I don’t understand. I have no idea what’s gotten into me, Damian, but here I am, up in the morning making pancakes just because I thought she might think it was romantic…or something. When have I ever been a man who cared whether or not something was romantic? It would have been easier to make a phone call and have something delivered. It’s like I’ve suddenly lost all of my common sense, and it’s been replaced by…sentimentality.”
“I think you’re probably fucked,” Damian said calmly. “If you start getting addicted to doing things that make her smile, then you’ll know it’s all over.”
Bloody hell!I wasn’t about to admit it quite yet, but I was well on my way to that fixation, too.
“She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, Damian,” I said.
“You don’t sound very happy about that,” he observed. “And just so you know, Kylie is like a sister to Nicole, and I’m extremely fond of her as well. If you hurt her, twin brother or not, I’ll kill you. If you aren’t serious, don’t get involved with her, Dylan. After what she’s been through, she deserves a man who really cares about her.”
Obviously, Nicole had already told Damian about Kylie’s history. “I’m mad about her,” I said solemnly. “But she talks about us like we’re a limited-time deal only.”
