Page 10 of Love to Hate You

Tanner’s golden-green gaze looks tired, and he forces a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, “Oh, you know.”

“No, I don’t,” I say, and we both laugh. “It’s been a while. What have you been up to?”

“Just hiding out in upstate New York. Nothing remotely exciting,” he answers vaguely. “What about you? I’m assuming you’re President of TB Tech by now.”

“No. I left the company two years ago.”

“What? Why?”

I can tell he’s shocked, and I merely shrug, not wanting to get into the details. “Guess I just felt the urge to strike out on my own. Stick it to the old man and prove I didn’t need him or his money.”

“I wasn’t expecting to hear that.” Tanner arches a dark brow. “You were the only one who got along with him.”

“More like tolerated him. He was just as overbearing and controlling with me as he was with you and the others.”

“Telling you what to do when it comes to work and career is one thing. When it comes to your personal relationships…that’s crossing a line.”

From the tone in his voice, I can tell Tanner is still pissed about our father meddling in his love life. Just as I’m about to ask him more about what exactly happened, a feminine voice fills the air, “I can’t believe it. Two of my four handsome brothers are in the same room and not arguing. Will wonders never cease?”

We both turn to see our little sister Sierra. She’s 28 and a firecracker who is one half of twins.

“That’s because Sawyer isn’t here yet,” I grumble.

“Shut up and give your sister a hug,” she says, blue eyes bright like the Caribbean Sea.

I give her a quick embrace and Tanner does the same. Sierra and I get along, but we just don’t ever make the time to talk. She’s always running around to some exotic place for work and lives in a world that I know nothing about.

“How’s the fashion world?” Tanner asks.

She places a hand on her hip and grins. “Cutthroat, devious and competitive as hell.”

“Still loving it?” I ask.

“Every minute.”

“Good for you,” Tanner says.

“What about you two?” she asks. “It’s been-”

“-a while,” I finish. “Yeah, we were just saying that.”

“Not sure why it takes a death to bring us together,” she says.

“I think because we’ve all been so busy with our own lives,” I say.

“That’s lame, Nash, and you know it. There are people much busier than us who make time for their family. The truth is I miss my big brothers.”

Well, shit, I’m not expecting that, and emotion tightens my chest.

“C’mere, sis,” Tanner says and pulls her into a hug.

I’m not as good at dealing with emotions like Tanner so I let him handle it. The last thing I want is to be around a weepy female. When the waterworks start that is normally my cue to exit.

“Well, well, well,” a deep voice says from the doorway. “It’s a goddamn family reunion.”

Sawyer, wearing jeans and a worn t-shirt, walks in and crosses his arms. Five years younger than me, he’s always been a pain in my ass and our relationship is tempestuous at best. While I thrive in the corporate world, he is the complete opposite. He has no interest in sitting behind a desk all day and would rather be shooting a gun and taking down bad guys in some third-world cesspool. The moment our father tried to control his life, Sawyer flipped him off and joined the military.

Tanner, always the mediator, releases Sierra and offers his hand to Sawyer. They shake and I reluctantly turn and do the same. Sawyer cocks a dark brow and accepts my hand. The two of us are night and day and I don’t ever foresee us being on the same page.

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