Enchanted (The Accidental Billionaires #4)(41)

All I had to do anymore was to be a good brother to all of my siblings, and let them care about me like a brother instead of some kind of parent figure.

Maybe the instinct to act like their father was always going to be there, but I could control it. No doubt it would get easier as time went by.

It was time for me to take up a new role in my extraordinary family, and I was beyond relieved and excited about that.





CHAPTER 16

ANDIE



“Hello. Earth to Andie. Can you hear me?”

I lifted my head and stared at Owen, realizing he’d been talking but I hadn’t heard a single word he’d said.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Can you repeat that?”

He gave me an exasperated look from his seat across from me in the small Boston bistro. “What’s wrong? You’re always present in a conversation. But you look lost today. Is it because of what happened earlier? Everything is okay, Andie, just in case you missed the good news.”

I nodded, feeling guilty. “I know. I’m happy. I guess I was just thinking about an article I need to write.”

Lying to Owen made me feel even worse, but how could I tell him that I was distracted because I couldn’t stop thinking about his older brother and the devastation I’d seen on Noah’s face as we’d parted ways a week ago?

Owen and I had managed to have a decent time in Boston. I’d asked him to come to this restaurant so I could review the place for my blog. He certainly hadn’t argued. Now that he was wealthy, Owen acted like he was making up for lost opportunities by visiting every restaurant in sight.

“Something’s eating at you. You haven’t said much about what happened in Cancún. I haven’t seen Noah since the day he got back, but he looked better, and he definitely gained a few pounds. Did you have a good time?” he questioned.

I nearly choked on my dessert.

“We . . . did,” I answered cautiously. “Noah was pretty open minded, and we had a chance to do a lot of different things there. I’m pretty sure he enjoyed most of them.”

Noah had certainly liked making me climax until I was mindlessly chanting his name.

He’d also enjoyed licking tequila from my breasts, but probably not quite as much as I had.

And he’d really seemed to appreciate it when I’d tried to swallow his entire cock whole.

My technique might have been lacking due to my inexperience, but I knew he’d enjoyed it anyway.

In fact, he’d been downright elated.

“Good food?” Owen inquired.

“The best,” I retorted shortly.

“Come on, Andie. What are you not saying? Talk to me.”

I put my fork on my empty dessert plate and pushed it away. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“We’ve been friends since you decided to paint my entire face with watercolors when we were in the third grade. You know exactly what I mean. Since when have you held back anything from me?” Owen sounded hurt.

Hmmm . . . maybe since I fucked your older brother?

Yeah. No. I’m not about to say that out loud.

Owen was my best friend, the person I generally confided in, but I couldn’t just blurt out what had happened in Cancún. With his older brother.

“It’s been a stressful couple of days,” I told him. “I’m just a little distracted.”

He shook his head. “Nope. It’s not that.”

Damn! I hated it that Owen knew me so well.

Obviously, Noah hadn’t shared much about our trip to Cancún, but Owen usually knew when something was bothering me. “Let’s just say that maybe Noah and I got a little too close, and leave it at that.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Oh, hell no. I’m not about to let you get away with that. What happened?”

I shot him a desperate look. “I really care about him, Owen. And I think I hurt him. I didn’t mean to do it.”

He leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “Andie, if that happened, I know you didn’t mean to do it. I haven’t seen much of Noah, but he didn’t say anything about that.”

I probably shouldn’t have said anything, either. But I felt like I was dying inside, and Owen was my best friend. “We decided not to see each other anymore.”

He raised a brow. “Why?”

“He said he wanted to marry me someday. You know I don’t do forever. I can’t.”

Owen smirked. “Holy shit! You two are perfect for each other. I knew it. Noah needs somebody like you, Andie.”

I pushed his hand away. “Didn’t you hear me? He was talking about the possibility of getting married in the future.”

He frowned. “So, marry him once you’ve done the whole official dating thing. Or, hell, just marry him without dating. Who the fuck cares? Or didn’t you fall for him, too?” Owen sounded troubled now.

“I did,” I admitted wistfully. “Hard.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I’m the problem. You know my philosophy, and why I operate that way. No forever. No long-term planning. He’s your brother, Owen. You, of all people, have to understand why I don’t want to start a serious relationship.”

“Andie,” Owen said in a soothing voice. “The entire situation is different now. That was five years ago. Did you tell him everything? I know my brother. He’d understand.”