The Billionaire Next Door (Billionaire Bad Boys #2)(98)

Tag barked another laugh, proud to hear his nickname for Reese (Clip, short for Paper Clip) used by someone other than himself.

“You’re the most like me, Eli,” Alex said, starting up a familiar speech. Because Eli had heard it about a dozen times over the last five months, his vision had already begun blurring at the edges. “Reese has my business savvy. He was made for COO.” On that Eli couldn’t disagree. Reese bled Crane Hotel’s black and white. “Tag is my free spirit, winning hearts.”

“He won mine,” Rachel said, sliding onto Tag’s lap instead of her own chair. Eli looked past lowered eyebrows to see her nuzzle Tag, who smiled like a lovesick fool. Must be nice.

“But you, Elijah,” his father continued. “You have my sense of duty. You have a lion’s heart. That same sense is what propelled me into the service.” Alex pushed up a sleeve, revealing a faded tattoo reading semper fi. Eli turned his arm to show off his matching tattoo. They did have that in common. “But now your duty lies elsewhere, son.”

Here it came. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

“It’s time to be the man Crane Hotels needs you to be.”

Next to Eli, Tag snorted. Reese even cracked a smile.

Eli referred to this as Dad’s “Batman” speech. It always ended with that same ode.

“I’m busy, Dad,” Eli said.

“We’ll see.”

“Okay, food!” Merina gestured to the spread. Typically, Tag ate three entrees on his own, but Merina preferred to have a bite of everything on the table. If Eli wasn’t fast, she’d dig into his without asking. “Ohh, Eli. Your shrimp pad Thai looks amazing.”

He made a shooing motion. “You have to give me an extra crab rangoon if you steal my food.”

She slid a glance at Reese. “Did he used to be nicer?”

“No,” Reese deadpanned.

So it went every other Friday since Eli had returned after leaving part of himself in Afghanistan. Yes, his leg, but also two friends. While he was away, a lot had happened to him, and as much had happened to his brothers. Reese was married, Tag, practically married, and Dad…whatever was going on there.

Eli understood that they thought he’d slip into the slot saved for him at Crane Hotels now that he’d retired from the military, but for him, it wasn’t that simple. He didn’t fit anywhere. A large part of him wondered if that was simply because he felt incomplete, and not for the reason anyone thought. He cared about different things now. He wanted different things now. He glanced around the table at his family.

Reese dished out some of his Mongolian beef onto Merina’s plate while she stole a sip of his wine. Rachel slid off Tag’s lap with a smile and Tag lifted her hand to kiss it. Rhona unwrapped a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Alex.

Eli didn’t want what they had. None of it. His reasoning was simple.

He refused to want something he couldn’t have. Life had spoken. He was listening.

He didn’t need another relationship to be whole.

He didn’t need anyone.