Page 31 of Sweet Redemption
Chapter Fifteen
Markus
“Markus, can I have a word with you in the den before you go?” Bryce asked as he placed his plate on the counter and waited for my answer.
I knew this conversation was inevitable. “Sure.” I leaned over and kissed Charlie and then got up from the table and followed my brother to the den. The room was on the other end of the house, which should lend some privacy but I wasn’t sure what Bryce had on his mind.
I entered first, with Bryce closing the door behind him. The room—our father’s domain—was made up totally different from the rest of the house. Markus Sr. made sure his wife had no say in here. Done in a cowboy motif, any time I spotted anything in that Western style it reminded me of him.
The large antique mahogany desk situated in the middle of the room wasn’t as imposing to me as when I was a late teen being reprimanded. The floor to ceiling dark wood shelves adjacent to it was filled with law books I was forbidden to touch untilI needed them for my law studies. The two dark burnished leather chairs that flanked the desk on each side smelled of cherries and smoke from the cigars my father lit up every time he won a case. The whole room was my father’s domain, and no place for his children or his wife.
Without a word, Bryce walked to the small bar at the far end of the room and poured two fingers of Glenlivet into two glasses. And as Bryce took one seat, he handed over one of the glasses to me. I took it and sat down as the silence circled up like waiting buzzards overhead.
We each took a small swig of the amber liquid before I broke the silence. “Why are we in here, Bryce?” I asked, taking another sip for a bit of courage to hear what my twin had to say.
“I know it’s been nearly two years since you left. And I know I should have reached out to you sooner, but I needed more time,” Bryce admitted with a released breath.
“What for?” I asked. “There’s no reason for it? We said all we could during the firm’s Christmas party two years ago. I fucked up. Plain and simple, bro.”
“Bro,” Bryce chuckled, but sobered immediately. “I know, Markus.”
Bryce’s words made me pause, my glass drawn just shy of my lips. “What do you know?”
“I know you didn’t sleep with Brittany. I still think you fucked up and betrayed me, but not to the point of what I assumed in the beginning.” Bryce’s admission was a punch to my gut. Uncertainty coursed through my body as I glanced over at my brother.
“How did you find out?”
“Brittany.” Bryce smirked and continued. “She called to apologize for Mom’s death and to let me know that you didn’t actually fuck her—and yes, she used those exact words.”
“Classy,” I huffed out.
“Well, I was blind,” he admitted with a sardonic smile. “Though she had a great ass.”
I let out a hoot of laughter and so did he, which felt pretty damn awesome since I was sharing this awkward moment with my brother.
“Brittany admitted that she took total advantage of you because she knew you were so messed up. Drunk off your ass. Her words again.”
“Now you know. But that still doesn’t justify that I was messing around with her. She was your fiancé,” I admitted, with that familiar hint of shame running in my blood.
“It’s done. Brittany is out of my life. Beth came in when I needed her the most. And it’s all because of you, bro,” Bryce said, leaning forward and gripping my arm. “We’re brothers—twins, and I missed you. Missed us. Come home.”
A large ball of guilt, sorrow, and happiness lodged in my throat. “I missed you too.” We stood and he pulled me in for a hug. “I missed you too.”
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
I looked up and spotted Beth and Charlie in the doorway. Bryce pulled away and walked over to his fiancé. In that moment, Charlie, nearly in tears, was the most perfect person I could be lucky enough to know. I reached out a hand, calling her over.
There was no hesitation. Charlie careened into my arms and hugged me so tight that my ribs hurt. There was no doubt in my mind that bringing her here was the best decision I had ever made. Every second I was in her presence my life was more perfect. Right.
Although, the question in the back of my head was, what was I going to do when I had to drive her home? I wasn’t ready to face that point yet. I just wanted to enjoy what I had now. Then after the funeral, we’d figure out the next step.
