“Did you even care about what that would do to Wrax or to me when you did this? What is wrong with you?”
“I was doing what Dad asked me to do. I’m the one that gets the calls demanding me to do things for this family. You don’t ever get those calls because you’re the fucking world champion. And Dad’s life dream is for you to go to the Olympics. So yeah, I sold your goddamn horse because he asked me to. He thinks he’s too old, and not capable of making the Waterstone family proud. Is that easy enough for you to understand?” He tipped his drink back and finished it off. He held his glass up and shook it for the waiter to let him know he wanted another. “And if you want the truth, Wren, I didn’t care what it would do to you or to Wrax. Everyone else worries far too much about you. I didn’t think I needed to.”
I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. My brother had had his tantrums over the attention I’d received from the sport I’d committed most of my life to so far. I thought it was normal sibling rivalry over the years, and I always tried not to talk about the riding world in front of him. Tried to overcompensate by celebrating anything, big or small, that he accomplished.
But this anger—this was different.
This was hateful.
And in this moment, I was fairly certain that he’d actually enjoyed selling Wrax, knowing what it would do to me and to my horse.
“Thank you for showing me who you are, Collin.” I nodded as I took a sip of my wine.
“Okay, let’s take a breath here,” our father said. “We’ve all been under a lot of stress. I’m the one who asked Collin to sell Wrax. I would like to know how you got him back, and how you paid for him when you haven’t pulled any large sums of money out of your trust?”
I shook my head. I’d been so busy training and competing that I no longer knew these two people sitting here. Sure, we’d get together for meals, and we talked on the phone a few times a month, but it was all surface.
The disconnect felt almost surreal.
And Dad’s concern was about how I’d gotten Wrax back and how I’d paid for him. He wasn’t apologizing for selling Wrax, for having Collin do the deed, or for lying to me.
None of it.
That wasn’t the Waterstone way.
It was onward and upward, no matter who you hurt along the way.
I blew out a breath. “Axel found him and got him back for me.”
“And the guy sold him back for twenty thousand dollars, or did he pay more?” our dad asked. “Does this mean I’m going to have a Chadwick pursuing me for payment? Because I’m not buying that horse back, Wren. I intend to pay much more for a horse that can actually take you where you need to go, but I will not pay for a deadbeat horse.”
Twenty thousand dollars.
Wrax would sell for much more than that to anyone who knew horses.
I would definitely be finding out what Axel had paid to get him back.
I tried hard to swallow over the lump in my throat. “No one is coming after you for anything.”
“Can we talk about anything other than a fucking horse?” Collin snarled after downing his second drink in one gulp. “I thought you said you had news to share with us.”
Dad studied my brother for a few beats, as did I. Collin was unhinged. He’d spiraled for a while after his and Emerson’s wedding got called off two years ago, but he wasn’t even recognizable at the moment.
Maybe I just hadn’t seen him in a long time.
But this was not the brother I’d grown up with.
“Chrissy and I are getting married,” our father said, his gaze moving from my brother to me.
A laugh escaped me, and once I’d started, I couldn’t stop. It wasn’t a happy laugh.
It was laced with disbelief and shock and sadness.
Collin’s fist came down on the table. “What the fuck are you thinking, Dad?”
I tossed my napkin on the table and pushed my chair back. “Your wife’s just recently filed for divorce, and you’re expecting a child and getting married?”
“Your mother knows. I phoned her today and told her I would be telling you both tonight.”
