Page 19 of Embrace
I grunted. Since he’d mentioned it, I figured I had a license to be honest. “I recall you liked to hit, draw blood, and shit.”
Spence nodded thoughtfully then took a deep breath as he sat up straight. “Remember that therapist I referred to you?”
“Karma or something like that,” I said.
“Dr. Mita Sharma. She’s a fucking ninja therapist,” he said with the same peaceful grin.
I studied how relaxed and in control of his being Spencer was, then stroked my chin. “Indeed, she is,” I said thoughtfully.
My brother and I observed each other for a moment longer until he shifted abruptly.
“And you’re a surgeon, huh?” he asked, grinning again.
I tilted my head curiously. “You really didn’t know?”
Spencer threw his hands up as she shook his head. “You wanted your independence, so Jasper, Bryn, and I gave it to you.”
I didn’t know what to think of that. For the longest time, I’d thought they expended a lot of energy trying to find me. That was why I’d gone to Australia. I’d always been careful about keeping my false identity secure. Lately, I’d been sloppy, though, and I suspected subconsciously that had been on purpose.
“But listen, I want to talk about what you bought here,” Spencer said.
I pressed my lips together as I bounced my knee. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to discuss business. I needed a fucking moment. Something about the way he sat there, pulled the fuck together, healthy, happy, and living life as if we hadn’t come from a fucked-up place, annoyed me. The fact that he could get to that point without hitting the road made no sense at all.
“All this time, you stuck around the family and the business and—”
“No, I didn’t. I got the hell away from there too. I didn’t go as far as you did, but I went away for a while. Bought the ranch in Wyoming, and the rest is history.” He was grinning again as he relaxed against the sofa and folded his fingers behind his head. It was as though he’d forgotten that he’d tried to usher me into a conversation that focused solely on business.
I figured that while he made himself comfortable, I might as well get to my biggest request before we started in on discussing the hospital. I abruptly crossed and uncrossed my legs, still unable to make myself as relaxed as he had. “Listen, Spence, I have a friend. She took a DNA test and was flagged by your foundation.”
He sat up straight again. “Is that so?” He sounded genuinely interested in what I was saying.Who the fuck is this guy?
“Yes,” I said.
“What’s her name?”
I hesitated.
Spencer stretched his neck from side to side. For the first time, I saw that he was just as uncomfortable about the meeting as I was.
“Ash, you can trust me. Shit, I’m giving you my best here. I know we haven’t been the friendliest of brothers. But I love you and always have,” he said.
I nodded continuously. I loved him, too, and always had and always would. “Her name is Penina Ross,” I said finally.
Spencer raised a finger as he took his cell phone out of his pocket. “Give me a second.” He placed a call and looked off as he waited for someone to answer. “Babe, it’s me.” His grin formed slowly. “Yeah, I’m here.” He glanced at me. “He’s here too. Listen, can you look up Penina Ross in the indemnity fund database?” He paused. “Yes, for payouts.”
Spencer winked at me, which clued me in to how intensely I was studying him. I’d always loved him, but for the first time in our lives, I liked this new brother of mine. His presence also showed me how different I was too. On the day my father died, my siblings and I hadn’t sat around grieving. We all got the hell away from each other as fast as we could. It suddenly dawned on me that we couldn’t have remained around each other and matured. There was no faster way to clear a room than putting Bryn, Spencer, Jasper, and me around a dinner table. We behaved like fucking toddlers. Even though our father was dead, we still had to run away from the expectations Randolph had for us. The fucking man had been absent most of our lives, yet his demands were like constant nooses around all of our necks.
“Thanks, babe,” Spencer said finally. “See you soon.”
Then he told the other person he loved her, and it sank in that he worked with his wife.
“Penina Ross is the daughter of Arthur Valentine. Does she work here at the hospital?” Spencer asked.
“Shit,” I said before I realized it. Then I balled up my fist and pressed my knuckles to my teeth. It took every bit of willpower not to reschedule our meeting, get the hell to that party as fast as I could, break the news to Penina, then take her back to the penthouse and fuck her every which way I knew how.
“Good news, huh?” Spencer said, smirking.
Damn, I was still grinning from ear to ear as I looked my brother in the eye. He’d said I could trust him. He could probably see from the stupid look on my face that I was in love. It felt natural to keep Penina to myself or else risk her being stolen by Spencer or Jasper. But if I wanted my world to be different with my family in it, then I had to operate differently.
