The Billionaire's Touch (The Sinclairs #3)(49)

The ladies had kicked the men out of the kitchen even though they’d tried to help clean up. Poor Hope was afraid for the safety of her dinnerware. Not that it had taken that much arm-twisting to make the guys retreat to the living room, but they’d grumbled goodheartedly anyway.

With Randi, Emily, Hope, Sarah, and Mara in the kitchen, they’d made short work of cleaning up.

“I can’t believe he actually ate my lasagna and garlic bread. He even went for dessert,” Mara contemplated, her voice sounding happily surprised.

“He didn’t just eat it. Evan enjoyed it,” Emily said, a smile on her face. “It was so nice to see him eat for a change.”

Randi grinned. “I’m slowly trying to introduce him to the joys of eating things that aren’t good for him. His diet was boring and bland. It’s not like he’s going to get fat. He works out.”

“Thank God he’s eating like a normal guy,” Mara replied. “I just wish we had known sooner what he went through as a child. I can’t imagine having dyslexia with a father like theirs.” She shuddered visibly. “It had to have been a nightmare for him.”

Randi knew exactly how Evan’s childhood had affected him all the way into adulthood. “He was beaten pretty badly. You can still see the scars.”

The kitchen went absolutely silent, all of the women suddenly staring at Randi.

“Oh, my God. Grady told me his father didn’t beat him,” Emily said in a somber tone.

“Jared said the same,” Mara related.

“Dante, too,” Sarah added.

“Our father was an asshole and verbally abusive. If he didn’t have something bad to say, he ignored us completely for the most part,” Hope explained. “But as far as I know, he didn’t ever beat any of us.” She looked directly at Randi. “Is it true? Did Evan really get beaten? Why wouldn’t he tell me that part?”

Randi knew exactly why Evan had never told . . . now. She should have kept quiet. Evan putting himself out there as his father’s target for physical abuse had kept his other siblings from getting beaten. Even though she thought his siblings should know everything, she shouldn’t be the one to break that news. “I assumed you all knew. He said he told you about his childhood.”

“We didn’t know that part,” Hope mentioned mournfully.

“Maybe he doesn’t want you to know. It’s in the past, and I think Evan is trying to find his place in the family and in the world. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anybody else,” Randi said, her voice slightly pleading.

All the women nodded their heads.

“We won’t mention it. I want Evan to feel comfortable. But I still don’t understand. God, my father was an asshole!” Hope exclaimed, sounding angry for Evan. “It’s a wonder that Evan turned out to be so successful.”

Randi shrugged. “It’s not really surprising. Dyslexic children can be very creative and extremely intelligent. Lots of famous people are thought to have been dyslexic: Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein, Pierre Curie, Picasso, Ansel Adams, Richard Branson, and Thomas Edison.” She paused to take a breath. “And there are so many more.”

“Evan is just as smart as any other genius,” Mara confirmed. “How did he learn?”

Randi sighed. “He learned by working so damn hard. It takes a lot of repetition, and learning to understand things in a different way. He had to learn the concept of phonics before he could actually apply it to reading. For Evan, dyslexia was one learning problem in a sea of strengths that he possesses. Time and perseverance helped him learn to read and write when he was struggling. Every child is different and has different levels of difficulty. Now we have reading programs that help, and audiobooks are a great tool if kids can read along with the audio.”

“What makes him so uptight?” Hope asked inquisitively.

“He’s anal,” Randi admitted. “But I think in his mind everything around him has to be running optimally for him to be functional. No highs and lows. No ups or downs. No shades of gray. It keeps him organized and focused. The problem with Evan is he’s never had time to be spontaneous or undisciplined. It’s not healthy for him now, even though it was probably his coping mechanism earlier in life. He’s always wanted to prove to your father that he can run his business well, be successful. Unfortunately, I think he’s still trying to prove something even though your father is gone.”

“We want to help. What can we do?” Mara asked anxiously.

“Just care about him and realize that he isn’t wired the same way as everybody else. He’s not going to change so much that he’ll never be an arrogant jerk sometimes, but he’s trying. He wants to be part of the family. Now that you’re all grown up and happy, he’s not quite sure where he belongs.” Evan could protest all he wanted, but he did want to be loved.

“He belongs with the rest of us,” Mara said forcefully. “I don’t care if he’s arrogant. All of the Sinclair men are arrogant in their own way, but their hearts are good. I just want Evan to be happy, and so does everyone else.”

The women nodded their heads enthusiastically.

“It will just take time,” Randi admitted.

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Hope said emphatically.