“You must be an only child.” My stepmother, Theresa, wore her best polite smile as she came up beside Da and squeezed his hand. “Patrick, you’re needed in the kitchen to settle a debate between the girls.”
“If you’ll excuse me.” Da headed off to the kitchen, but Theresa stayed.
“Once your father gets things sorted out with London and Rose, we’ll be gathering in the den for Eoin’s call,” Theresa reminded me.
“That reminds me.” I put my hand on Keli’s back and angled myself so Theresa was facing both of us now. “I don’t believe I told you how Keli and I met. Her roommate, Ester, is Leo’s cousin. Leo asked me to look in on Ester as she’s attending the University of Washington as a freshman, and I drove the two of them back to their dorm after a Halloween party.”
“You’re a good man,” Theresa said as she stretched up to kiss my cheek.
The two of us had struggled those first few years after she and Da had married, but she had been patient with me, and that, more than anything else, had gotten through to this grieving child.
“London is such a unique name,” Keli gushed. “What made you think of it?”
“Patrick chose the twins’ names, so when our daughter was born, I wanted to do as I’d done with my other children and name her after a city.”
Keli looked puzzled, and even as she opened her mouth, I knew what she was going to say.
“Alec isn’t a city name, is it? Or is it one in Scotland?”
“Theresa isn’t my biological mother,” I said quietly before things could become more awkward.
“Oh. Sorry.” Color flooded Keli’s face. “Um, I need to freshen up.”
“I’ll show her,” Theresa offered. She smiled at Keli. “This way.”
Shite.
Theresa wouldn’t be openly rude to a guest, but I knew my stepmother. Only a few inches over five feet tall and delicate-looking, people often assumed that she was sweet and soft-spoken. While she did display those character traits to people she loved, underneath that exterior was a spine of steel and a tongue sharp enough to cut. She was protective of her family, and if she felt someone threatened us in any way, she wouldn’t hesitate to act. When we had come together as a family, she had embraced us all with open arms, but she’d always been wary of newcomers outside of our family, and she was clearly assessing Keli.
A low whistle from my left drew my attention to my younger brother, Brody. He’d turned twenty-two shortly after Thanksgiving, and in true Brody fashion, had celebrated by going skydiving.
“That’s brave,” he said. “Letting your girl go off with Mom like that.”
“What are you haverin’ on about?” I glared at him. “It’s not like that.”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe a word I’d just said.
“Does she know how it is?” Austin came up on the other side of me. “You should be careful, Alec. Women look at men like us and see dollar signs.”
Austin and I were as similar in personality as we were different in appearance. He had raven-black curls, deep brown eyes, and had inherited his father’s olive-toned skin.
What I was to MIRI, he was to CarideoTech, the tech company his biological father, Marcus, had started at just eighteen-years-old. By the time Marcus died, the company had been worth billions. Just as each of us McCraes had a stake in MIRI, the Carideos had a share in their father’s company, with Austin holding the majority share since he was the CEO.
Theresa’s niece and nephew who’d joined our family after their parents’ deaths had already each been given a share in CarideoTech when they’d been born. Our half-siblings had stakes in both companies that added up to approximately the same total as the rest of us.
Fairness and equality had always been important to both Da and Theresa.
When our families had first come together, Austin and I hadn’t gotten along at all, both of us used to taking on extra responsibilities since the deaths of our respective parents. The one place where we’d agreed, however, had been our work ethic. The tension between us had eased over the years, but we still both preferred to focus on our work rather than personal lives.
“I take that to mean, big brother, that nothing has changed for you on the romantic front.”
Rome Carideo was six days short of a full year younger than me, putting him right between Brody and me age-wise. The two of them had always been quite the pair, their contrasting good looks and likable personalities making them easily more popular than the rest of us. Neither Austin nor I minded.
Austin gave Rome an exasperated look. “No, little brother. Things haven’t changed, because women haven’t changed. Besides, it’s not like you’re exactly settling down and giving Mom that daughter-in-law she’s been hinting about for years.”
Rome grinned. “What? And deprive so many women of my fine company?”
“Haven’t you already made your way through all the coeds at UCLA?” Brody asked. “I mean, I always figured that was why it’s taken you five years to get your MBA.”
