“Family business,” I said, and reached for my wine.
His brow was still furrowed. “The family business is architecture. You’re not an architect.”
“Oh, you don’t need to remind me,” I groaned. “Every time I’m in a meeting with one of the boys and I make a comment about anything that isn’t the property’s listing price, someone always says ‘Shan, we’ll handle the building if you handle the selling.’ I’ve learned to make them believe they come up with every idea on their own now.”
Will released a long, impatient sigh that morphed into a growl. “I hate your brothers,” he said under his breath.
“You do not,” I said. “You don’t know them. You just run around, all macho and pissed off, and threaten to kick the shit out of them when they annoy me. My brothers are a handful but they aren’t that bad.”
“I hate hearing about you dealing with one issue or another because they dropped some balls, or these shitty things they say to you, or all the things that happened when you were a kid and—”
I pressed my fingers to his lips and shook my head. “Not tonight, commando. We only have a few hours, and we’re not leasing that time to my brothers.”
He grabbed my wrist and placed a kiss on my palm, nodding. “Tell me how you got into not-architecture.”
I drained my glass and held it out for a refill. “The universe opened a door, and I walked through it.”
Will finished his burger and the remains of mine, and gestured for me to continue. “That’s a little vague, peanut.”
“Yeah, well…”
That wasn’t a time I liked revisiting. Angus kicked me out not long after Patrick left for college, and it forced me to bounce between friends’ homes unless I wanted to sleep in the girls’ locker room at school. The friend angle was tricky, considering I didn’t devote much time to friendships in high school, and convincing them to let me stay for days or weeks often required many layers of lies.
Will stroked my neck, his fingers unwinding the knots.
“I always knew my brothers were going to take over the family business. There was no question about it for Patrick and Matt, and Sam got there, too. Riley’s always been special so I didn’t know what to expect from him, but he’s secretly great when it comes to design. Less great with structures and math and physics, but that’s why we keep Matt around.”
He made another growly sigh, and tugged me closer.
“Like I said, they were always going to take over the business,” I continued. “I had a friend in high school, and her father was in real estate development. He specialized in converting old mills into luxury condos and lofts. Things with Angus were…difficult, and I spent a lot of time away from the house. This girl, Rosalie Goff, let me stay at her house. Her dad was making a killing on condos, and he let me pick his brain about the business. He gave me some advice, and helped me get my license.”
Fred also let me live in his home long after Rosalie left for Vanderbilt, and offered me a loan to cover my licensing coursework. He was kind and generous when the world kept closing doors in my face, and I’d never found the words to summarize how much that mattered to me. How he saved me.
“He knew everyone, and pointed me in the right direction to get started.”
I turned my attention to the television, watching the last half of the episode without saying anything else. I was comfortable sharing many things with Will that I usually kept locked away. But this…I didn’t want all of these details spilling out and taking over this night.
“I discovered that I had good instincts when it came to buying and selling, and the market was cranking at that time,” I said when a commercial started. “Everyone was making a killing on everything, and that meant we didn’t have to rely on Angus anymore.”
“Just tell me one thing.” Will slipped his hand under the robe and over my belly. “Do your siblings appreciate everything you’ve done for them?”
“Usually,” I said. “I do sign their paychecks.”
He murmured in approval and dipped his head to my neck. His lips moved down my skin, kissing and licking, while he rubbed my abdomen.
“I should check my phone,” I said, groggy.
“You should not,” Will yawned.
“Sam’s going through something, and I want to make sure he doesn’t need me.”
“You know what the guys in my unit do when they’re going through something?” He continued before I could respond. “They remember they’re grown men and deal with their shit. They don’t go crying to their sisters.”
I traced the anchor on Will’s chest, and the trident woven through it. He was probably right. This thing with Sam and his girlfriend was going to be fine. He wouldn’t have let a situation get that far out of control without telling me. And Riley was with him, which counted for something.
“What’s really going on with him?” Will asked. “Sam. All I know is that he’s been a pain in the ass who refuses to see a therapist. If I had any sense, I’d let that dog sleep but I keep chasing you sosenseisn’t part of my skill set.”
“Sam and I are really close. Or…we were. He’s in his own world right now. Obviously, he’s noticed that I’ve been spending time away from the city,” I gestured to Will, “and he’s not pleased about me keeping the details to myself.”
