Page 2 of Mistaken Impression

I know we’re both remembering how broken our brother was when he and Livia split up a few weeks ago. I’ve never seen him like that before, and even if the situation was entirely of his own making, I felt sorry for him. Still, they’re engaged now, and deliriously happy… thank God.

“Speaking of mistakes…” I say, waiting for Drew to take the bait.

“Yeah?” He doesn’t, so I’ll have to ask outright…

“How are things going with Lexi?”

“Don’t.” He sounds pained.

“Don’t what?”

“Remind me of the errors of my ways.”

“This isn’t the error of your ways. Not entirely. It takes two to make a baby, Drew.” He doesn’t reply. “So? What’s happening? I take it you’ve seen her?”

“Yeah. We met for lunch on Saturday, as planned. She was busy on Sunday, but we still had things to discuss, so I saw her again yesterday.”

“And?” God… this is like getting blood from a stone.

“I’ve told her I’ll support her.”

“Financially?”

“In any way she wants,” he says.

“You’re not getting back together, are you?”

“No. Even if I wasn’t in love with her sister, the fact that Lexi’s having my baby isn’t suddenly going to make our failed relationship a successful one… if what we had could even have been called a relationship.”

“But you’re gonna be there for her?”

“Of course. I’m not shirking my responsibilities.”

I’d never say this to his face, but I’m a little surprised by that… and ashamed to admit it. Drew’s my brother, and I love him, but his reputation with women is hardly something to be proud of.

Until now, it seems.

“It’s not entirely your responsibility, Drew. Like I just said, it takes two…”

“I know. Lexi said the same thing. She told me she was really scared about calling me.”

“Scared?”

“Yeah. She was worried I’d think she was trying to trap me, because of me being a multi-millionaire.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Surely, when you’ve dated guys, it’s crossed your mind that they might only be interested in your money?”

“Thanks for that. I prefer to think men might be more interested in me than my bank balance.” I can’t tell him I’ve never dated anyone. He’d never believe me. Taking offense seems like a far better route.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound like an insult. But, to be honest, it’s one of the reasons I’ve always kept women at arm’s length.”

“And Hunter? Did he feel the same… before he met Livia?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”

“Is that why you both slept around?”

---