Page 33 of Players Like Us
The door to Tate’s study opened and Daniel Reese entered, the scowl on his face setting the mood for his next words. “We need to talk.”
“Talk? Or do you mean I need to listen to a lecture from you?” Just because the man was married to Neal’s sister and she thought he was her world did not mean he was everyone’s world.
“Save the smartass comments. My wife asked me to talk to you, so that’s what I’m going to do. Talk to you.” He pulled out a chair, sank into it, let out a long sigh as though he’d rather be doing anything but sitting here.
“Nice clothes.” Neal took in the guy’s T-shirt and faded jeans. “I’m guessing the T-shirt is circa 1975 and the jeans somewhere around 1977?” He forced a smile, narrowed his gaze on the man’s fist. “Bowl turning isn’t bringing in enough money for a new pair of jeans?” Okay, so he was being an ass, but the guy annoyed him.
“You know, if I didn’t love your sister so much, I would’ve broken your nose and been done with it.” His gaze narrowed on Neal’s face. “You’re too pretty to be taken seriously. If you had a crook or two in that nose, you might look like you’re a real person instead of a cover model for a magazine.”
“That’s the best you’ve got? Tossing back my genetics? Did you say that to my sister when you thought she was nothing more than a piece of fluff?”
“Keep talking like that and I will put a crook in that nose of yours.”
Oh, touchy subject. “I doubt my sister would approve.”
The man spat out a curse, burned him with a look. “Meredith convinced me you’d be a good choice to keep an eye on my sister, make sure she wasn’t getting into trouble.” The scowl said what he thought of that idea. “I didn’t want to agree, and I knew as soon as I did that it was a mistake. Hell, I knew you were going to drag her into trouble.”
“You knew all of that about me?” People had been judging him for years and there’d been a time early on when he hadn’t wanted to disappoint them. They wanted a bad guy, runaround, drinker, conniver? Sure, he’d give it to them. And then he’d add even more flair to the scenarios, mix in exotic trips, beautiful models, adrenaline-rush nightclubs. It didn’t take much to get the paparazzi interested in scandal, and he’d been an expert at conjuring it up, serving it to them exactly as they liked it—over-the-top, unforgettable, undeniable. It had been a game and he’d grown bored of it early on, but he persisted because that’s what you did when you relied on other people’s opinion of you instead of trusting your own.
It had taken Dominic Lombardi, a straight-up, decent guy, to show Neal that he didn’t have to be ruled by what others said or thought of him—or what his own father believed. He could be himself, and if he didn’t know who that was, he could figure it out, one step at a time. If a guy like Dominic with few prospects, a mountain of debt, and no family could do it, then why couldn’t someone as protected and privileged as Neal do the same?
Just because his father had pegged him a loser who’d never amount to anything but trouble didn’t mean it was true, or if it had been, that it was Neal’s only choice. People changed, made choices every day, and there came a time when they had to own them, live by them, embrace them. He’d screwed up by the age of twenty-five more than most people did by age seventy-five. But so what? So frigging what? At some point, he was going to have to learn to ignore everyone else’s comments and just 100% trust his own gut, but he wasn’t there yet. There was still too much doubt in the way and that’s why Daniel Reese’s words bothered and annoyed him so much.
“Stay away from my sister. She doesn’t need someone like you messing with her head.”
Those blue eyes flashed, burned him with a warning. Neal sat back in his chair, folded his arms across his chest, and assessed his brother-in-law. “You’re very protective of your sister. I get it. No guy wants to see his sister hurt or disappointed...definitely not unhappy.” He smiled, held it in place until the guy balled his right hand into a fist. “I feel the same way about Meredith. I’m watching you and right now I get the impression she’s not happy with you.” The guy didn’t like that comment. Too bad. “A little close to home, isn’t it? Just remember this… Meredith and I shared nine months together long before we ever took our first breath of air. You think you can waltz in and become the only man in her world?” Neal laughed, let the guy see the truth. “Guess again. I love my sister and while I might have spent a good part of my life as a screw-up, she’s still my sister. I’m still her brother. Her twin. We love each other and I will not let anyone hurt her.”
Daniel Reese gripped the arms of his chair, probably to keep from lunging at Neal and spat out, “That’s rich. Ever think you’re the one who’s hurting your sister? The no-shows, the disappearances, the promises that fall flat? Do you ever think you’re the reason she spent so many years chasing happiness, believing she wasn’t worthy of it? Maybe because her own brother treated her like she wasn’t?”
Okay, one more line like that, and Neal was going to take a swing. He’d probably end up on the floor and he might get a bloody nose or a black eye, but he was not going to listen to this BS. “You don’t want me as an enemy.” He clenched his fist, stared. “I can make your life hell.”
This time the guy shot out of his chair, took a step toward him. “And I will make your life a living hell if you go near my sister again.”
21
“May the best man win.” Neal stood, kept his smile in place as he turned and headed out the door, away from Daniel Reese’s threats and comments about Neal being part of the reason behind his sister’s unsettled past.
Was he to blame for the years Meredith spent floundering, searching, trying to find purpose? Didn’t she know he loved her, would always protect her even if it meant protecting her from himself and his reckless ways? No, apparently, she didn’t know because her husband’s comments were a little too familiar…as though he’d been repeating what he’d heard.…from Meredith.
He needed to stop hiding behind the persona of the all-about-the-fun guy who no longer existed and let his sister see who he’d become. And who was that? The truth burned through him, burst with a million shards of emotion. He’d become a real person, with real feelings, and a heart that bled and cared. Who would have ever thought it possible? Certainly not him. The event tonight that Neal figured must be some sort of surprise birthday party for him and Meredith was hours away. No way was he staying in the same house with people like Daniel Reese dropping in, or his sister and brother eagle-eyeing him. He grabbed his key fob, hopped into the car, and sped along the back roads, anxious to be alone.
And what about Rachel? What was he going to do about her? The kiss had been stupid and ill-timed and he should not have done it, but he hadn’t been able to stop. Who was he kidding? Their encounter outside of Tate and Charlotte’s would have ended with them in bed if her brother hadn’t intervened at that exact moment, and then what? He blocked out images of Rachel’s curves, snuffed out the thought of kissing and tasting his way to heaven.
No, just no.
It would be heaven… It would a disaster… It would be intense… It would be…
Unforgettable.
Neal parked the car and walked toward the spot where he’d taken Rachel last night. It had been his own private sanctuary since the first time he learned of his father’s infidelity. Harrison had been on his phone, his usual stern voice, soft, filled with what Neal would later recognize as seduction. He should have turned around and disappeared down the hall where Tate and Meredith were playing Monopoly with their mother, but that was too boring because Tate always won. So, he’d gone in search of something different and he’d definitely found it.
As he stood outside the cracked door of his father’s library, he learned the old man had a girlfriend named Serena, whom he planned to meet in New York City that weekend. They would dine at an upscale restaurant, see a play, and then Neal’s father provided graphic details of exactly how she’d thank him. Neal watched as his father closed his eyes, a smile playing about his lips, no doubt listening to the mystery woman’s response.
When a child witnesses a parent’s infidelity in graphic detail, it does something to him, tears away at the belief in family, love, monogamy, trust. It leaves him shaken and unable to find a solid path back to the life before he knew. It kills his innocence. Neal hated his father for that but vowed to protect his siblings and his mother from what he’d witnessed. It was bad enough to guess around the possibility, even acknowledge the truth of it, but to see it? Hear it? That was devastating, and it shattered Neal’s hope of ever being normal.
And then...the other happened. That proved unforgivable.
How many sons are approached by their father and asked to lie? Not a small lie either, but a huge one, a this-will-change-your-life-forever lie? The old man hadn’t cared because he’d only wanted to protect his money and name. And of course, his power because no matter what else the man valued, he valued power the most.
