Two months later…
MEGAN
“I’m so happy you’re back in New York, ma chérie,’’ my mother repeated for the third time since she came to get me at the airport with my brother’s driver. She sipped her tea with all the elegance she’s tried teaching me growing up, but I lacked her refined way of moving and her natural grace. I was more simple and finally ready to accept that about me. It only took a heartbreak and two months of self-imposed exile in France to visit family and heal to come back and feel better about myself and my choices. It didn’t make the idea of seeing Chance again easy or inconsequent, but I was ready, and I accepted that my feelings for him weren’t to be ashamed of even if he would never see me as a woman he could feel something for or be attracted to. That distance helped tremendously.
“Me too, maman.’’ I nibbled on a biscuit and smiled at her. “I Facetimed Lila yesterday and it’s crazy how Mathis has changed already. They look happy.’’
“Oh that boy,’’ she said and dramatically rolled her eyes, but the smile stretching her mouth wide told me how happy she was for Mathis. He seemed to shed his long erected walls. “Nothing is easy with him and I’m sure Lila has her work cut out for her, but he’s back.’’ She leaned over and caressed my cheek softly. “I have my two children back now that you’re here.’’
I placed a hand over hers and squeezed. “I needed that time away. I should have probably waited a little, but I was…’’
“Sad and you didn’t want to see Chance. I understand, ma chérie,’’ she finished for me when I trailed off. “Your father isn’t too happy that you turned down that junior position at that ad company or whatever it was.’’
“Tell me something I don’t already know. He believes that since Mathis who used to be a mess at school as a kid was able to study at Harvard and build an empire, I should be as ambitious and successful since I’ve always been a good student. The problem is I’ve been trying too hard to not be invisible to him. I’m over it.’’ I squared my shoulders and stared at my mother head-on. I had never verbally talked about my lack of directions since I graduated from college a couple of years ago. I’ve been navigating from one position to another, always in business and always so bored to tears I had never tried to make an impression as to step up the ladder. I usually ended up quitting to find another job that would hopefully, fulfill me, knowing inside that it would never happen as long as I was trying to do the right thing to finally get praises from my father. Even if we went about it differently, I believed that Mathis and I shared that too since Max died, even if for Mathis things ran a lot deeper and hurt a lot more than for me. Max was his twin after all, and I was too young to remember a lot about him. It didn’t mean I didn’t bear the scars our family had and the wounds that would never quite fully heal.
“I won’t pressure you, Megan,’’ my mom said with a reassuring smile. “I know your brother is protecting us all financially with parts in some of his business, so I’m not afraid you’re going to run out of money, and you’re not one to spend tremendous amounts on silly things anyway. But I don’t want you to sit at home idle by either. It’s not healthy.’’
“I won’t.’’ I took a deep breath and then linked my hands together on the table next to my empty cup of tea. “As much as it’ll disappoint Dad, I plan on getting involved with a few charities, as much as financially as with my time. I’m not made for a 9 to 5 desk job with soulless business. Mathis and Dad do that well, and I can’t thank them enough for their work because it gives me the opportunity to live off of their smart investments and the dividends I get, but it’s not for me. I’d rather invest in a few startup companies when the chance arises and give my time to worthy causes.’’
I expected my mother to frown or express her worries, but instead, she surprised me by smiling brightly. “As long as you’re happy and you’ve made a choice, Megan. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. You seem a lot more grown-up than you were before you left.’’
“That’s because I’m letting go of that stupid one-sided love that started way back. I’m ready to move on and be an adult.’’
“It wasn’t stupid.’’
“Holding onto it and self-sabotaging myself because of it was. But thank you for keeping it to yourself. I owe you and Lila for protecting that secret.’’
She waved me off with her usual flourish. “We’re all family, ma chérie, and I don’t think we were ready to deal with Mathis now that he’s mellowing.’’
We shared a good laugh then. It was nice to be home. It was time to let it go.
***
CHANCE
“You’re so mellow,’’ I said when Mathis checked his watch again. “Man, calm down. Lila is coming back to you. I swear ever since you ran after her to Boston you’re getting more whipped by the day. It’s disturbing.’’
He gave me his signature glare then and flipped me off, something the dignified Mathis Grimes, cold-hearted and distant business mogul, would have never done before he got married.
“Lila isn’t going to come home until dinner. She’s out with some woman she befriended at the orphan center where she volunteers.’’
“Then why are you always checking your watch? We rarely spend guy time anymore so for once you call to have a bourbon at your place and you’re distracted, it’s kind of hurting my feelings, man.’’
“As if. You’ve been off for months.’’
“I haven’t,’’ I immediately countered and gulped the last of my bourbon, welcoming the sting of the alcohol as it went down my pipe.
“Good thing you have an affinity with numbers because you suck at lying.’’ I went to protest, but he held up a hand to stop me. “I’m waiting for Megan. She’s back today. She’s having tea with Mom and then she’s supposed to stop by.’’
“She’s back?’’ I asked quietly, the question flying out of my mouth before I could think better of it.
Mathis arched his eyebrows and nodded slowly. “Yes.’’ Then, his eyebrows lowered as his dark eyes bore a hole into me. Shit. “Do you know why she up and left so suddenly? She fed me some crap about missing France and our aunt there, but I think she lied and I’m pretty sure Lila and my mother know what it was about.’’
Shit. Fuck.
Lila and Sylvie knew.
Suddenly, my shirt’s neck constricted me, but I kept my hands in my lap, careful not to grip my denim-clad thighs as anxiousness hit me.
“Why would I know about that? It’s not like your sister and I ever talked much.’’
“Yeah, you’re right.’’ He sighed then and looked away. I was off the hook…for now. “I worry about her. She didn’t look good when she left, but yesterday with FaceTime, she appeared happy.’’
“That’s good, man,’’ I mumbled and then tensed even more than I always did when the doorbell rang.
Mathis jumped to his feet and almost ran to the door, something that shocked me as it showed how much he cared to see his little sister. It’s not that I had ever doubted his attachment to Megan and his family, but I’ve always known him to be standoffish and cold that it took me by surprise when he showed another side of him I had never witnessed.
And there she was.
I didn’t hear what Mathis said to her or what she replied. All I heard was her surprised laugh when he willingly hugged her. All I saw was her bright smile and her dancing chocolate eyes, the way her hair fell into thick waves around her face showing a pink hue that breathed life. And then, I saw the woman I had always missed wearing jeans so tight they hugged her delicate curves to perfection and a white v t-shirt that exposed her discreet yet tantalizing cleavage.
She was all woman and happy.
Until she noticed me standing next to the couch in the living room with my hands in my jeans pockets.
Her smile diminished and her eyes didn’t stay on me long enough to tell me if she was still in pain after that damn lunch break. Instead, she risked a glance at her brother who was walking back to the armchair he had occupied earlier while checking his cell for a text from Lila considering the lovesick smile he had on his face.
“Hi, Chance. Sorry to interrupt guy time,’’ she said, her voice even and betraying nothing of what had happened. She talked to me exactly as she had always talked to me and… Fuck, it bothered me.
I had spent months thinking about Megan, worrying about her without having the possibility of enquiring about her without risking exposing what had happened, and here she was without a damn care in the world.
“He didn’t know you were coming back today,’’ Mathis said. “Come and sit. How was your flight?’’
I had to fight against the urge to frown at the Grimes siblings, but I remained quiet and watched as Megan sat on the couch opposite to the one I was on.
“The flight was a pain, but at least we didn’t have more than thirty minutes of delay. That’s something.’’ She shrugged her tiny shoulders and smiled at her brother, visibly happy to be reunited with him. “Don’t give me your usual Mathis certified glare, but it’s so odd to see you so…’’
“Mellow?’’ I supplied when she trailed off, earning a chuckle from her that hit me in the chest and a scowl from Mathis that we both answered to with grins.
“Oh, shut up with your mellow shit.’’
“There. That’s the brother I know,’’ Megan egged him on, but instead of getting herself another dark look, Mathis cracked a smile. Well, it looked more like a smirk, but at least it reached his eyes contrary to the empty smirk he used to serve us all.
“Alright then,’’ I began and pointed at Megan and Mathis. “I’ll let you two catch up.’’
“Hot date?’’ Mathis asked carelessly. My eyes went to Megan who was now typing on her phone without paying us any attention. She didn’t look interested in the least or bothered.
“Hm… No. I’m heading home to review a few files.’’ I rubbed my forehead and then went to Mathis to exchange our usual firm handshake and pat on the shoulder. Megan then looked up from her phone and smiled at me with polite parting words. Nothing more.