31
Mark
After Brea dumped me—that was indeed what she had done, just unceremoniously kicked me to the curb—I drove home in a daze. When I walked into my condo, I slumped down on the floor in front of the door. Beowulf trotted over to nuzzle my hand.
“She didn’t want to be with me,” I told the dog. I was crushed. I sat with my back against the door for several moments, replaying the breakup over and over again in my head until there was furious knocking on the door.
“Mark! Mark!” Carter yelled on the other side. “Granddad said you had a girlfriend. What the hell, man? You didn’t tell me you were dating one of the wedding planners.”
I jumped up, furious, and flung the front door open. It banged against the opposite wall, and Beowulf yelped.
“How come you didn’t tell your only brother?” Carter demanded.
“Why would I tell you? Why would I tell any of you?” I snarled. “So you can jump in, act horribly, and scare her off?”
Grant and Wes peered around the door frame. I looked away from them.
“I haven’t said three words to her,” Grant protested.
“Trust me, that was by design,” I spat.
“We can act like normal people,” Carter insisted.
“No, you can’t,” I snapped at him. “As soon as Granddad even had an inkling Brea existed, he forced his way in here, freaked her out, and now she’s dumped me.”
“Brea dumped you because of Granddad?” Carter exclaimed. “I mean, dude, you shouldn’t have let her near him.”
“For some reason, he has a key to my condo.”
“Mom was worried that you might, you know…” Carter mimed hanging himself. “After everything.”
Wes looked guilty. “I’m sorry, Mark…”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said coldly. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
“What are you going to do?” Grant asked in apprehension.
“Move,” I said grimly. “Away from here.”
“You’re not going to live with us anymore?” Carter cried.
“Nope.”
Carter pretended to faint. Beowulf pounced on him, thinking he was playing, but I ignored him.
“I’m sure Brea will take you back if you explain things,” Grant said.
“It wasn’t just Granddad. It was all of you,” I told him. “She said she didn’t belong in our family.”
“Maybe if we gave her a true Holbrook welcome?” Carter suggested from his spot on the floor.
“No. Just stay away from her.”
Wes looked at the floor unhappily. “I’m sorry, Mark.”
“She could have been the one,” I said, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “She’s the only woman who I’ve had a connection with who didn’t want something from me, who wasn’t trying to play a character. She was who she was—take it or leave it.”
“You just need to buy her a nice present,” Carter suggested. “Something she’d like.”
