Donovan and Austin strode down the grassy slope that led to the pond. When they were kids, they spent hours out on this lawn and in the water—swimming, throwing a football, building forts, and scheming up ways to get in trouble. There had been days during the summer when they didn’t bother to come home until well after dark. Their bond had always been tight, but the dynamic was sometimes difficult to navigate, a loving tug-of-war.
The brothers came by any rivalry between them honestly. Austin and Donovan had different fathers, but they’d only known Austin’s dad Noel. Cocky and irreverent, with the good looks to back it up, he was like Han Solo-era Harrison Ford. He’d been careful and kind with the boys, and Donovan remembered always feeling safe with him. But Donovan had also been keenly aware that Noel was Austin’srealfather, and that any affection he showed Donovan was out of generosity, rather than a parental bond. Seeing it as an adult years later, Donovan thought that love freely given was better than something of obligation. But at the time, the message couldn’t have been any more clear—Donovan was the one it took effort to love.
Noel and their mother had a tumultuous relationship. They were either deeply in love or despised each other, and any gray area in between was flyover country, not their true destination. Eventually, their mother cried uncle and divorced Noel when the boys were nine and seven. It was probably the right call, but in Noel’s absence, her impetuous nature no longer had any guardrails. She imposed no bedtime, they could eat whatever they wanted, ride their bikes through the grand dining room, and bring home any animal they decided should be a pet. She wanted the boys to feel free. There were times when they’d craved that autonomy, but growing up with virtually no one in charge meant that they were saddled with a great deal of responsibility. One could argue that perhaps that had been his mom’s plan all along. She’d been teaching them to care for themselves. There was only one problem with that theory—his mom did not plan.
As for Donovan’s dad, Buck, he was little more than a sperm donor. He got Eileen pregnant, stuck around to enjoy her money and the lavish surroundings, but ultimately decided that commitment wasn’t for him. The story went that he left the day before Donovan’s first birthday. Eileen had baked a cake for the celebration, but she’d forgotten powdered sugar for the buttercream. She sent Buck into town, and no one heard from him again. Eileen met Noel two days later, and on the rare occasions she invited anyone to the estate, she made a grand production of telling the story—it was kismet that Donovan’s dad had walked out of her life, making room for Noel.
Now that they were down by the pond, Austin asked, “How’s work?”
“Great. Amazing. I love working with Echo. It’s seriously one of the best things I’ve ever done. I feel like I’m making up for lost time. I know it’s not exactly the same as being there for her when she was little, but hopefully it means more now?” Donovan drew a deep breath as he took in the view of the calm water. With cattails bending in the summer breeze and ducks paddling along, it really was peaceful. “Does it sound like I’m rationalizing?”
Austin shrugged. “I don’t think so. I think you’re being present and you’re trying. That’s all that matters.”
Donovan wanted to believe that. “I hope so. I hope she feels that way.”
“Maybe you should ask her.”
“I don’t want to do that. It’ll seem like I’m asking her to absolve me of my sins. That’s not her responsibility. I’m still the parent. Any blame is squarely on my shoulders.”
“I’m probably not the person to consult with on this topic, anyway. Not a parent and not the best when it comes to relationships.” Austin was just as handicapped in this department as Donovan was, but when it came to romance, he’d been a tad smarter, never getting married, although there had been at least two broken engagements. “Speaking of Echo, how long has it been since you’ve seen Genevieve?”
“Three years. Echo’s grad school graduation.” That had been a tense day—Genevieve was deeply annoyed with him, and he still didn’t know why. She’d refused to answer when he asked. “Not exactly looking forward to it, to be honest. I always manage to make her at least a little unhappy.”
“Maybe she’ll be too focused on the wedding to notice you.”
“Something tells me she’ll find a way to get in at least one dig.”
Donovan and Austin spent another half hour or so catching up, then headed back inside to get dressed for cocktails and dinner. Donovan ran into Austin in the hall a few minutes before five and they walked down to the fussy formal living room, which was where their mother liked to hold, oddly enough,informalgatherings. The decor could best be described as luxury taxidermy, with uncomfortable furniture upholstered in gold and white stripes while the walls were lined with mounted eight-point buck heads and the fireplace mantle home to two stuffed skunks.
Echo and Lucius were already there, as well as a handful of their closest friends, who’d just arrived. Lucius’s parents were on hand, who Donovan had met once, as well as Lucius’s aunt. Austin brought Donovan a gin and tonic from the bar and they retreated to the bay window seat, where it was easy to catch a buzz and stay out of the way.
Their mother made her entrance soon after, holding on to Stuart and wearing a white floor-length gown. Donovan found her choice of dress particularly odd given that Echo was the bride, but he wasn’t about to say a thing, especially now that she and Stuart were preoccupied with talking to the other guests. Seconds later, in walked a pair Donovan had not expected to arrive together—Lela and Genevieve.
He popped up from his seat. “Shit.”
Austin did the same. “Oh. I can see how this would be awkward.”
Genevieve was wearing a royal blue cocktail dress, her long brown hair tumbling over her shoulders, still just as model-perfect as the last time he saw her. Despite Genevieve’s natural ability to draw attention, Donovan could only look at Lela. Her hair was up in a high ponytail again, flaunting her cheekbones and graceful neck. Her flowing black dress had silver threads that brought out the sparkle in her gray.
“In theory, this shouldn’t be too terrible,” Donovan said to Austin as he studied the two women. They seemed to be having a perfectly normal conversation. “They knew each other in school. They hung out a few times back then.”
“Oh, okay,” Austin said, sounding entirely unconvinced. “Although, I don’t know if I’d want my ex-wife and the woman I have a thing for hanging out together.”
Donovan turned to his brother. “I don’t have a thing for her. We’re friends. And colleagues.”
Austin raised both hands in surrender, telling Donovan that he doth protest too much. “Got it.”
Lela and Genevieve were now approaching, tying Donovan’s stomach into knots.
“Gentlemen,” Genevieve started, her British accent as thick as ever. She air-kissed Donovan on both cheeks, then did the same when greeting Austin.
Lela, for her part, offered a single wave. Donovan would’ve gladly had it the other way around. “Hi, guys.”
“Gin and tonic, ladies?” Austin shook the ice in his now-empty glass.
“Yes. Please,” Lela said.
“Tell me your mother has some proper gin,” Genevieve added.
