Page 17 of The Ruthless and the Strong

I had a lot of things on my mind. Neither of which I wanted to talk to my little brother about, even if I considered him to be my best friend. I knew I shouldn’t try to hide from Mason, considering how perceptive he was, but I doubt he would figure out what I had done three weeks ago, when I told everyone I was going away on a fishing trip just three hours away from Chicago.

Nicholas had told everyone the same thing, that he went on a fishing trip with me, and though he did go on that fishing trip, he had gone alone.

“Nope. Just work shit. Speaking of, how was work?”

“Busy. Like always. Remember when I told you Gage’s assistant quit on him?”

I nodded. I had remembered, mostly because with one person down, Mason’s and Logan’s assistants had been shared among the three of them for a while, and Mason had been putting in extra hours at the office. I had thought the problem was temporarily fixed when they got a temp agency to send in someone.

“Did Gage find someone more permanent to take on the job?”

I didn’t know why, but amusement entered my little brother’s eyes then. “Oh, he found someone, all right.”

I frowned at him. “Why do you look like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like Gage has done something stupid and you’re finding enjoyment out of it.”

He chuckled then, and I knew I guessed right.

“Everything all right, then? With Gage?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Yeah, I think so. I think Gage is still trying to figure out some shit, but it’ll all work out. I’m sure of it.”

“Okay,” I said. I had a feeling whatever was going on with Gage, I would find out soon enough. It wasn’t like I really needed to concern myself with other people’s business. Not when I was still trying to figure out some shit, as Mason had put it.

I took in my brother.

He looked absolutely exhausted. Mason was one of the founding partners at the law firm he’d opened with his two closest friends, Logan Cross and Gage Walker. Things had been going well for them, and the firm had only grown in the last seven years. I knew he wanted me to come to his firm to head the finance department for him, but I was happy where I was, and I even got my company to sign them on when they first started.

Things were going well for us… career-wise. Things were going well for my little brother. He had everything he ever wanted: a successful career to take care of the family he loved more than anyone and anything else in this world.

After all the bad shit he had experienced in his past, I was happy for him.

“Dinner’s ready,” Olivia said, moving over to us. She walked right into Mason’s open arms, and he planted a swift kiss on her head, his posture relaxing now that she was close by. I smiled at them and moved away to give them some privacy. I could hear her asking him how work went.

I went over to help Lizzie set the table. We didn’t say anything as we moved to the dining room just near the kitchen. We moved around each other seamlessly, and there was something comforting about doing something as simple, as domesticated, as setting the table with her, and it calmed me down.

I hadn’t felt this kind of peace in a while.

“What are your plans now that you’re back?” I asked her.

She gave me a small shrug. “Find a house I can raise Hunter in. Keep writing and hope I will always be able to support myself and my son with it. Buy a car.”

“A car?” I asked.

She smiled a little at that, a hint of excitement in her eyes. “Yes. I left everything behind in California. It’s not practical to always depend on Olivia for rides, especially since I just enrolled Hunter in kindergarten and he starts school soon. I had debated on whether or not I want to let him stay home for the rest of the year, considering school is almost out, but I think it would be best to stick to a routine with him.”

I nodded. “What car are you planning on getting?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know that much about cars. I think I would like a white car. I’ve never owned a white car before. An SUV, I think, since I would need the room.” She laughed then, and I tried not to stare at her too much, completely mesmerized. “Hunter’s only five, but every time we leave the house, it feels like I'm carrying a suitcase with how much stuff he needs me to bring for him.”

I smiled a little at that, and I hadn’t realized how close I had moved to her, until her smile died on her lips, and she was looking at me with a hungry look in her eyes.

I paused, slowly closing the gap between us. We were so close now, I could feel the warmth of her breath in the small space between our lips. Memories of our first and only kiss had haunted me since that day, and I wondered if she would still taste as sweet as I remembered.

I wanted nothing more than to find out.

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