Page 40 of In the Heir (Westerly Billionaire 1)
Brett’s temper rose, but he kept it under control. “Not as different as you think, but I don’t expect you to see that yet. If you can’t be happy for me, be happy for her. She has been a good friend to you. Be one to her.”
Spencer didn’t answer at first, then he said, “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
Good enough. “Understood, but that won’t be necessary. I’m a better man because she came into my life, hopefully a better brother as well. When we get back, I’ll prove it to you.”
“Where are you?”
“With Alisha.” Brett walked to the glass door of his suite and looked out over the water. “You’re my brother, and I’ve always been here for you. I may not have done it the way you would have liked, but I’ve always cared about you and always will.”
“Did you tell Mom about Alisha yet?” Spencer asked.
“No, but that’s my next phone call.”
“Rachelle probably already told her the truth about us, but it’s not like she has a right to judge anyone. Honestly, I can’t stand to talk to any of them right now.”
Brett sighed. He could tell Spencer what might have contributed to their mother’s infidelity, but it was a topic for another time. “I understand your anger, but Mom loves you. You should call her.”
“I have nothing left to say to her.”
“She’s hurting, too.”
“If that’s all, I have to go. I have a big meeting in the morning.”
“With?”
“Good night, Brett. Tell Alisha I’m fine with this.”
“I will.”
Spencer hung up then, and Brett called his mother. After greeting each other and spending a moment pretending everything hadn’t changed since the last time they’d spoken, Brett asked, “How are you, Mom?”
She sighed sadly. “I’ve been better. Spencer hates me.”
“He doesn’t. He’s angry, and he has a right to be.”
Her tone became thick with emotion. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I never meant to hurt him. I thought it would be easier for him if Dereck was his father.”
For him? She’s either lying to me or herself. “Did Mark know?”
“No. He may have suspected. I almost told him in the end, but . . .” His mother made a sound like she was crying. “Have you ever done so much wrong that doing the right thing seems like it would make things worse?”
Yes, but I didn’t let it stop me. “Spencer deserved to know his real father.”
“He did. Mark loved him.”
Brett could have argued how it wasn’t the same, or enough, but he didn’t. His mother needed to have that conversation with Spencer, not him. He could have asked about Nicolette and the truth about her paternity, but he had something else to discuss with her. “You were right. Spencer’s engagement to Alisha wasn’t real.”
“Rachelle told me.”
“Did she also mention that I’m with Alisha now and it’s serious?”
Stephanie made a pained sound. “Something about the two of you being on a cruise together? I don’t know what to say or what to think. I just hope you both know what you’re doing. She’s not like the women you normally date, Brett.”
Interesting. “How would you know?”
“A mother pays attention. You like flashy women, people who fit into your world. Are you sure this is about Alisha and not some kind of competition with your brother?”
If she thinks that, she doesn’t know me as well as she thinks she does. “I don’t know how to play the piano. Rachelle, Spencer, and Nicolette do. I don’t. Eric doesn’t.” Putting how he felt into words was difficult. In the past he wouldn’t have attempted it, but it felt like a step he needed to take if he wanted to be with Alisha.
“I don’t understand. Why are we talking about playing the piano?”
“Why was it important for the others to learn it?”
“My father loved to play. I loved to. I wanted my children—” Brett tensed as his mother seemed to come to a surprised stop at her own words. Her breathing became ragged. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I was wrong about more than I can ever apologize for. I guess that makes me a horrible mother, but I tried. I did what I thought was best for all of you. You weren’t neglected, Brett. Your father gave you everything.”
There was nowhere good that conversation could go. According to Rachelle, their mother was already full of regret and hiding in her room. Focus on what you can do something about. “Alisha loves you. Whatever you think of us being together, don’t let it change how good you are to her. She needs you. And from what I can see, we all need her just as much.”
“You really do have feelings for her.”
“I love her, Mom.” I love her. The declaration was easier each time he made it. He’d gladly spend the rest of his life telling everyone he came across that Alisha Coventry was the woman for him. “And if she says yes, I’m going to marry her. If she says no, I’ll ask again and again because I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”
“Be good to her, Brett. Treasure her every day.”
“I will.” His mother wept, and his heart ached for her. Most people didn’t fall into categories of good or bad. Instead, they were a complex mix of both. He couldn’t understand the choices she’d made, but he also hated to see her hurting. “It’ll be okay, Mom. This will all work out, you’ll see.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
There was a bittersweet feeling through the next couple of days. Alisha and Rachelle were speaking again—mostly about how things were back home, but also about Brett. It took Rachelle a little bit to warm to the idea, but once she did, she kept gushing about how good Alisha was for Brett.
To Alisha’s utter shock, Stephanie called her and said she couldn’t imagine a better daughter-in-law. Even Spencer chimed in with a text: Spoke to Brett. Know you’re with him now. Want to hate you, but you’re too damn nice of a person. He is lucky. Be happy, Alisha. You deserve it.
At first Alisha was surprised that Brett had called his family about them, especially because he didn’t want their relationship to continue past the cruise. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced he’d done it to smooth things over for her back home. She resented him a little for that.
He had no right to ask her question after question about her past as if he couldn’t learn enough about her. He shouldn’t make the sex between them so good that she could cry, then tuck her against his side as if she belonged there. The kiss he woke her with each morning made her sad.
When it’s not meant to last, it shouldn’t be this good.
She studied the way he ate, hoping to catch him doing something disgusting, but his manners were impeccable. Once or twice she tested his patience and argued with him just to see what he would do. He never lost his temper. He listened, debated, left her feeling like he valued her opinion even if he didn’t agree with it.
I know I said I’d be okay with us ending, but I lied.
I’m not okay at all.
On Friday, she went back to her room to prepare for Nadine’s Bahamian beach wedding. After planning the event with Alisha, Brett had used his connections on the ship to make sure the wedding would not only happen but also be perfect. To Nadine it would look as if everything were coming together last-minute, but in the background a machine was set in motion to ensure that it all went smoothly without the couple ever knowing anyone had helped them out.
Brett had done all that—the selfish bastard.
How did it take me so long to realize that I love him?
How can he not see I’m in love with him?
I tell myself I don’t need anyone. I’m a survivor.
But if he doesn’t start acting like an asshole soon, I may not survive this one. This one may very well break me. He might break me.
She slipped on the dress Brett had bought for her and smiled sadly at her reflection. If you can’t stay, Brett, I’m going to at least make it damn hard to forget me.
A
little while later, dressed in a tux, Brett sat beside Alisha in a white fold-up chair on a sunny beach. She was easily the best-looking woman on the beach. The last two days had been perfection, but he hadn’t found the right time to tell her how he felt. The joy on her face as she watched the ceremony unfold before them made him want to profess his love right there and then.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Alisha asked.
Brett spared a brief look at Nadine, who smiled ear to ear as she stood beneath an arch of white orchids with her young son at her side and her husband across from her. “It is.”
Alisha’s hand was holding his, but her focus was on the ceremony happening before them. Then she glanced at him and his breath caught in his throat when she mouthed, “Thank you.”
He brought her hand up to his lips. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “No, thank you. I’m glad we did this. You’ve changed me, do you know that?”
“You’re wrong. I didn’t.” Her eyes misted with tears. In a soft voice only he could hear, she said, “You were already an amazing man. All that good was already in you.”
He didn’t believe that for a second, but he loved that she did. She saw the good in everyone, and he was grateful she’d seen it in him, too. The idea of spending a lifetime at her side, keeping her safe, making her smile . . . simply loving her . . . suddenly felt not only doable but fated. He wasn’t a man who believed in destiny, but she was meant to be his. Some part of him had known that since the very first day when she’d poked a finger into his chest and told him to treat Spencer better. “I love you.”
