Contentious

Chapter 1

Carson Remington held Cresley Dane’s hand and walked as fast as he could toward the parking garage after viewing Quantum Productions’ newest film, Valiant. Earlier, the headline of his night had been escorting the world-famous Cresley to the Hollywood premiere of the hottest movie of the year. That headline had been usurped by TMZ reporting that Carson’s infamously divorced parents were back together.

The third big story of the night was his older brother Julian’s arm around Isla Santana, the woman he’d allegedly fallen for in the last few weeks. Carson couldn’t believe he’d brought Isla tonight, but then again, Julian had been astounded to see Carson with Cresley.

Carson hadn’t known Julian planned to attend, or he would’ve told him he’d asked Cresley to come with him since they’d both been invited. Not that it was any of Julian’s business who he spent time with, but professional courtesy dictated giving his brother a heads-up that he was taking Julian’s famous client to an event that would be crawling with press.

To say it was unprecedented for Julian to bring a date to an event like this wasn’t a big enough word. That he was holding hands with her, knowing he’d be photographed and plastered across every gossip rag in town and not seeming to care, was unbelievable.

“Slow down, Carson,” Cresley said. “I can’t walk that fast in three-inch heels.”

“Sorry.”

“Fill me in on what’s going on with your parents.”

“Well, after one of the most horrendous divorces in modern history, and after they dragged us through a nasty custody battle for ten years, it seems they’re back together.”

“And you had no idea?”

“We suspected something might be going on with them, but it hadn’t been confirmed until TMZ put it on blast tonight.”

“I saw them,” Julian said over his shoulder as they followed him and Isla to the garage. “At the beach in Santa Barbara.”

Carson was shocked to hear that. “You saw them and didn’t tell us?”

“I hadn’t told you yet.”

“What the fuck, Julian?”

“I’ve been a little busy, and I wanted to wait until we were all together.”

He’d been busy falling in love, or so he thought, with a single mom of two young kids who’d only recently split from an erratic, sometimes-violent husband who later died from a brain tumor that’d affected his behavior. Julian met her through her brother, Denny, who was his longtime friend, when Denny brought her to the office to begin divorce proceedings.

Julian had been gone over her ever since, and nothing any of them said to him had penetrated the bubble he’d put around his relationship with Isla. When he’d realized he was about to cross an ethical line that could never be uncrossed, Julian had handed off her divorce to his associate, their younger brother Jackson. The case had become null and void when Isla’s estranged husband died suddenly.

That he was even in a relationship with her was terrifying to his eight siblings. If he’d told them he had been abducted by aliens, they’d be less concerned about him. Their family didn’t do “relationships.” They did one-night stands and situationships that had no chance of going the distance. They never got themselves into anything they couldn’t easily get out of. The quick-exit strategy was critical to their mental health after surviving one of the worst divorces in recorded history.

So what the hell was Julian thinking, starting a serious relationship with a single mom of all things? Because what could go wrong there? Julian’s siblings wanted answers to a long list of questions, but Julian, who’d always been their steadfast leader, had nothing much to say for himself beyond a goofy grin and a shrug. That, too, was concerning. Julian had never wavered in his determination to avoid the fate their parents and countless clients had faced after fully committing to a romantic partner. After he met Isla, he promptly disregarded every rule he’d set for himself, as if he’d had a personality transplant or a lobotomy. Those explanations would make far more sense than hearing he’d fallen in love.

Whatever.

The ultimate irony was that Julian had been the one to suggest their sibling vow in the first place. The nine Remington siblings had promised one another they would never give someone else the power to destroy their lives the way their parents had tried to destroy each other—and them—once upon a time. Not to mention the absolute insanity they witnessed daily as family law attorneys between divorcing parties who’d once promised to love each other forever.

Haha. Forever. What an adorable concept.

So much for vows, Carson thought bitterly as he watched the brother he’d always been close to become someone he barely recognized. He wondered if Isla had any idea how far out of character Julian had stepped to bring her and her children into his life, something that would’ve been preposterous a few short weeks ago.

It was simply unfathomable, and judging by the way their youngest brothers, Jackson and Roman, were staring at Julian holding hands with Isla, they felt the same way.

An outsider might ask what the hell business was it of theirs what Julian did or who he did it with. But an outsider could never know what the nine of them had endured at the hands of their warring parents, not to mention the emotional carnage they regularly witnessed on the front lines of the divorce wars.

Carson was the only one of the nine who hadn’t gone into the family business via law school. He was the chief legal investigator for Remington Family Law, the firm his grandfather founded in 1966. The firm was now run by his father, Corbin Remington, the senior partner and one half of the Corbin and Kate Remington divorce saga that would now be front and center once again, as their parents had apparently reconciled.

Awesome.

He couldn’t wait to have their family’s sordid past relitigated for all the world to witness once again. The first time had been more than enough, thank you very much. Scenes from the reality TV show they’d agreed to during the protracted battle, claiming it would be “good for business,” were probably playing on repeat on TV and online.

“Let’s go to my place,” Carson said when they reached their cars in the parking garage. “We need privacy for this conversation.”

“I’ll text the others,” Julian said.

Carson gave his brother a quick nod and held the passenger door of his silver Range Rover for Cresley.

Tension beat through him as he drove toward the garage exit. “I’m sorry about this. I’d understand if you wanted me to drop you off to rejoin the parties. You don’t need to be caught up in our family shit.”

“Only if you want privacy.”

“That’s a moot point after TMZ put the story on blast.”

“Then I’m happy to support you the way you’ve supported me recently.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Let me help.”

He absolutely hated the miserable, pathetic, sick feeling that overtook him whenever he thought about his parents’ ugly battle, let alone had to confront it head-on in a situation like this. He’d prefer to forget that time in his life, if only that were possible.

“Carson?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that this situation… It fucks me up.”

“Of course it does. How could it not?”

“I’d totally understand if you wanted to bail out, Cres. You have enough of your own crap to deal with. No need to add mine to the pile.”

“How to say this without saying too much…”

He glanced over at her as he followed Julian’s hired Bentley to Beverly Hills. He’d actually hired a car, probably to make the evening more magical for Isla. Further proof that his brother was totally off the deep end over her. “Say what?”

“It’s just that I… Well…”

That little stammer, coming from one of the most beautiful and confident women he’d ever met, caught his attention and had him reaching for her hand. “Tell me.”

“I like you.”

“Oh. I like you, too.”

“I mean I like you, and most important of all, Ty likes you.”

Her seven-year-old son was adorable, smart, funny and interested in learning to surf, which Carson had promised him they’d do soon.

“That’s an awfully long pause,” she said after a minute of silence.

“I like both of you, too. I really do, but—”

She grimaced. “Nothing good ever follows that word.”

“I’m not the right guy for you, Cres.”

“Shouldn’t that be up to me to decide?”

“Of course, but I don’t want you to get invested in me that way. It’s not who I am.” The very thought of her and her sweet son getting attached to him made him excruciatingly uncomfortable. They deserved better than someone who didn’t want the same things they did.

“Who are you?” she asked, sounding genuinely interested in hearing the answer.

Had it ever taken longer to drive from Hollywood to Beverly Hills at night? Not that he could recall. “I’m a lone wolf. I do what I want, when I want, and I don’t answer to anyone.”

“Even at work?”

He huffed out a laugh. “Especially there. They need me more than I need them.”

“What about your family?”

“I love them, and I’d do anything for them, but I’d never take life direction from them or anyone. The idea of being… beholden… to anyone is, well… It’s horrifying to me.”

“I see.”

At a red light, he glanced over at her. “I know that sounds impossibly dramatic and terribly rude, but I have solid reasons for feeling the way I do. The last thing I’d ever want is for anyone to get hurt because of me. Especially you and Ty.”

“Why especially us?”

“Because you’re special. Both of you. And you deserve someone who can devote his whole heart and soul to making the two of you happy. I’m not that guy.”

“Fair enough.”

“That’s it?”

“What else should I say?”

“Can we be friends? I promised Ty I’d teach him to surf, and I’d like to keep my promise.”

“Of course.”

That was a relief. He’d never want to disappoint a child the way he’d once been disappointed by the adults in his life, two of whom were now at it again.

He pulled into the driveway of the Beverly Hills home owned by his grandfather, Spencer Remington, who’d asked Carson to take care of the place while he was in “rehab.” Actually, Spence was in assisted living with little chance of returning home, and he knew that. Calling it rehab helped him cope with his reality, so no one corrected him. He’d be ninety-four soon and was still as sharp as ever, which was a blessing to the many people who loved him.

Carson pressed the remote to open one of the four garage doors.

“This is where you live?” Cresley asked in amazement as she took in the ornate Italian-style home.

“It’s my grandfather’s place. I’m the caretaker in residence.”

“Not too shabby.”

“It’s a sweet deal. Wait for me to give you and those three-inch heels a hand.”

He was insane, he told himself as he made his way around to the passenger side. Cresley Dane, the Cresley Dane, one of the most famously glamorous women in the world, liked him, and he’d given her the polite brush-off. Every guy he knew would kill for five minutes in her presence, and he’d said thank you, but no. If you wanted to know how fucked-up the Remington siblings were, that about summed it up.

Julian and Isla had arrived ahead of them and were already inside when Carson and Cresley went in.

His older brother had his head in the fridge, probably looking for beer or vodka. If ever there was a time for alcohol, this was it, for the rest of them, anyway. Never again for him.

Roman and Jackson came in a few minutes later, and by the time Griffin, Jordan, Ethan, Gillian and Kaidan arrived, they’d settled into Spencer’s comfortable den with drinks and snacks and silence, as if they’d tacitly agreed to wait until everyone was there to address the elephant in the room.

“Unfuckingbelievable,” Jordan said for all of them as she poured herself some of Spence’s good whiskey.

“To have them plastered all over the headlines again is just…” As Gillian’s voice broke, Ethan put his arm around her. They were protective of their sweet, tenderhearted youngest sister, who took these things harder than the rest of them.

“It’s outrageous,” Kaidan said.

“Tell them what you saw, Jules,” Carson said.

All heads pivoted toward Julian, who sat on a love seat, as close to Isla as he could get. She looked exquisitely uncomfortable during her first exposure to all of Julian’s siblings.

“What did you see?” Griffin asked.

“Mom and Dad, together, holding hands at the beach in Santa Barbara last week,” Julian said.

“And you didn’t think we needed to know this?” Roman asked in disbelief.

The others were similarly incredulous.

“I was waiting until we were together,” Julian said.

“That’s bullshit,” Griffin said. “We have a group text that ensures we’re always together.” He’d no sooner said those words than he seemed to realize who was sitting next to Carson. “You’re Cresley Dane.”

“I am.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“I… um… I came with Carson.”

The others zeroed in on him at once as a prickly, itchy feeling took hold, reminding him of why he needed to stick to his guns where the spectacular Cresley Dane was concerned. The last thing he wanted was to be like Julian, who’d forgotten all about who he was and what he stood for since he met Isla.

Later on, he’d take her home and then forget he’d ever met her. Well, after he gave Ty those surfing lessons.

That’d be it.

Chapter 2

“I don’t think you’ve all met Isla.” Julian pointed to each Remington as he introduced her. “Isla, these are my siblings.”

“Nice to meet you all,” she said with a shy smile. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Hopefully, Jules had prepared her for a less-than-enthusiastic greeting from his jaded brothers and sisters.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Gillian said as the others murmured proper words they didn’t mean.

None of them approved of Jules losing his marbles over a recently widowed woman who’d survived a difficult marriage and was now a single parent with two young kids. That sentence alone was surreal. They hoped Julian would soon return to normal so they could exhale over a dodged bullet.

Carson wondered if this new round of drama with their parents would wake his brother up to reality sooner rather than later. The only thing he’d need to be scared straight was another episode of the Corbin and Kate show. Viewers had eaten up the drama depicted in the stupid reality TV show while their nine children had to contend with other kids at school as their personal business was made public. He and Julian had been in high school then. Good times.

Carson’s cell rang with a call from Spence. “Hey, Gramps.”

“What’s everyone doing there?”

The one downside to being his grandfather’s caretaker was that Spence, an iPhone aficionado, loved monitoring what went on at home via the cameras he had positioned around the exterior of the property. Most of the time, he complained about how lame Carson’s life was and urged him to do something exciting to keep an old man from dying of boredom.

“Did you see the news tonight?” Carson asked him.

“I’ve been playing cribbage. What’d I miss?”

“It’s kind of a bombshell.”

“Okay…”

“Mom and Dad are back together.”

“What the hell did you just say?”

“You heard me right.” Spence took great pride in being one of the few people at his facility who didn’t wear hearing aids.

“Put me on speaker.”

“It’s Gramps,” Carson said to the others. “He wants in on the conversation.”

“Catch me up,” Spencer said.

The Remington kids loved their paternal grandfather more than just about anyone, as he’d been the most reliable adult during their tumultuous childhood. He’d never wavered in his devotion to each of them, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for them—and vice versa.

Julian gave him the highlights—or lowlights, such as they were.

“You gotta be freaking kidding me,” Spence said.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,” Julian said.

“What were you even doing in Santa Barbara on a weekday?” Kaidan asked him.

“I drove Isla to her husband’s wake.”

The statement landed like a fart in church. He’d done what now?

Carson, who’d known about the Santa Barbara trip as well as the reason for it, looked at the floor while the others struggled to process that news. Julian, who worked twelve hours and called it a “half day,” who never had time for anything other than work and his band, had driven Isla to her husband’s wake in Santa freaking Barbara.

“Let’s stay focused on Mom and Dad,” Julian said in a testy tone.

If he was displeased with their shocked reactions, he had only himself to blame.

“I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Jordan asked, matching his tone.

“That’s why we’re here,” Julian reminded her. “To figure out what we’re going to do about this.”

“Why do we have to do anything?” Griffin asked. “What if we act like we don’t care, which won’t be hard for me, because I do not care.”

The others exchanged glances as they contemplated Griffin’s suggestion.

“Guys, listen,” Spencer said. “I agree with Griff. I refuse to let anything they do cause a setback for any of you. You’ve all worked too hard to move on from the chaos of the past, and the last thing on earth I want for you is to be sucked into their madness again. You got me?”

“Yeah, Gramps,” Ethan said. “We hear you.”

“Remember why you guys went to law school? So you’d never again feel like you couldn’t control your own destinies. You’re in charge of how you deal with this. Not TMZ or anyone else.”

Carson wasn’t at all surprised that his grandfather had gotten the scoop online while he was on the phone. He could picture him with his iPad in one hand and the phone in the other.

“Thanks for the words of wisdom, Gramps,” Julian said. “They’re appreciated as always.”

“What they do has no bearing whatsoever on any of you,” Spence added forcefully.

“Um, they just texted to ask if they can talk to us,” Jordan said. “They’d like the opportunity to explain.”

“Say no, thank you,” Spence said. “Just no.”

There’d be hell to pay for Corbin when his father got ahold of him, Carson thought. Good. Corbin walked through life like he was untouchable by the shit everyone else dealt with. As senior partner at one of the most successful law firms in LA and a renowned expert on family law who was frequently on TV, he had life by the balls.

Carson hoped his father’s balls would be in a twist by the time Spencer finished with him.

He couldn’t wait to go to work tomorrow and have to deal with the mess up close and personal since he and his brothers all worked for Corbin, while their sisters worked with Kate. Maybe the lovebirds would do their children a favor and keep their distance for the time being, although, based on the text they’d already received, that was wishful thinking.

“Should I answer for all of us?” Julian asked.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Ethan said. “Tell them we’re good and to keep it far away from us.”

With everyone in agreement, Julian responded to the text their mother had sent on behalf of them both.

Please, Kate replied. Give us a chance to explain. We owe you that much.

Carson read his mother’s text to Spencer.

“I’ll respond to that one,” Spence said. “The rest of you should ignore it.”

He’d love to know what his grandfather would have to say, but he wouldn’t mince words when it came to protecting his adored grandchildren.

Julian had once commented that he suspected Spencer would take a bullet for any of them, and Carson had agreed without hesitation. Their grandfather had proven time and again that they could count on him to have their backs. They all lived in fear of the day his time ran out.

He reassured them that, despite recent physical challenges, he was fine and not going anywhere any time soon. “I’ll keep you posted on any developments that concern you. Otherwise, don’t give it another thought.”

If only that were possible.

“Thanks, Gramps,” Carson said for all of them. “We love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Well, as fun as this has been,” Jackson said, “I’m going home to get some sleep. See most of you in the morning. Ladies,” he said to his sisters, “I’ll see you soon at dinner in town.”

“See you then, Jack,” Jordan said as she hugged him and Roman, who’d been staying with Jackson while he was home for the holiday break.

“Romy, kick some ass and finish strong,” Kaidan said as she hugged him.

Roman was headed back for his final semester of law school at Stanford.

“That’s the plan,” Roman said as left with Jack.

The others soon departed, leaving only Julian, Isla and Cresley.

“Could I say something that may or may not be welcome?” Isla asked.

Julian, who now had an arm around her, said, “Of course you can, love.”

Love. It was all Carson could do not to snort or puke. For fuck’s sake.

“As someone who recently ended a marriage, I just wanted to say that no one knows what goes on between a married couple except the two people in the marriage. I understand they’ve put you guys through hell, but it might give you some closure to hear what they have to say.”

“While I appreciate the insight into marriage,” Carson said, “that chapter has been closed for us for years, and I, for one, have zero desire to reopen that book.”

“Of course,” Isla said. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous.”

“You’re not,” Julian said with an annoyed look for Carson. “It’s a valid point.”

“Is it, Jules? Do you want to know what went on inside that marriage? Because I sure as hell don’t, and up until a week or two ago, you wouldn’t have wanted to know either.”

Julian stood and reached out a hand to Isla. “Let’s get back to our night out already in progress, sweetheart.”

“It was nice to meet you both,” Isla said. To Cresley, she added, “I’ve been such a fan for years.”

“That’s so nice of you to say. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear all the dirty laundry,” Carson said to Cresley when they were alone. He fixed himself a glass of ice water when he’d much rather have some of Spence’s whiskey, but that wasn’t an option for him. He’d be damned if he’d allow his parents’ chaos to endanger his hard-won recovery.

“It wasn’t that bad. I’ve heard worse, and what I saw were nine siblings, which is amazing in and of itself, coming together in solidarity to deal with something that affects you all. I admire the way you worked together to figure out how you wanted to proceed.”

“We have a lot of experience with that, unfortunately.” He brought her a refill of the wine he’d poured for her earlier and sat next to her on the sofa.

“I can’t believe you have eight siblings, and every one of you is more gorgeous than the next.”

“Coming from you, that’s quite the compliment.”

“The Remingtons are quite the family. I need to look up your parents to see where you all get your looks.”

“Please don’t look them up. You don’t need to read about their sordid tale.”

“You know that what they do doesn’t reflect on you or the others, right?”

“Ah, if only that were true. You can’t believe what it was like to be a teenager during the worst of it. The other kids were ruthless. What’s funny is we’ve seen a few of those kids through their own divorces while taking a bit of perverse pleasure out of watching them be put through the same meat grinder they thought was so hilarious for us back in the day.”

She chuckled. “That’s petty of you, Carson.”

“Guilty as charged,” he said with a laugh.

“Your grandfather seems like a great guy.”

“He’s the best guy we know, hands down.”

“How old is he?”

“Ninety-four in a few weeks, and other than some issues with his legs, he’s fit as a fiddle.”

“Where does he live now?”

“In an assisted living facility a few miles from here. He calls it rehab, but he knows it’s most likely permanent. He didn’t want live-in help, and we thought it would be good for him to be around other people, so we compromised. I was glad to hear he was playing cribbage, because he refused to engage with the other residents for the first two months. He said he had no time for a bunch of old people.”

“I already love him, and I’ve never even met him.”

“He has that effect on people. Tell me when you’re ready to go home. I don’t want to keep you out past your curfew.”

She laughed. “I have a babysitter for a rare night out, so I’m not in any rush, but I don’t have to work in the morning, and you do, so we can go whenever you want.”

“I’d like to sit here for a while longer, if that’s okay.”

“Fine by me.”

“Why is this a rare night out? You must have people you can ask to watch Ty.”

“I have a lot of people, but I only ever leave him with our nanny, Julia, my best friend, Marlene, or my Aunt Dee, who was always there for me while my mom was in and out of rehab. I don’t trust anyone else with him.”

“Because of his father?” Carson asked as he processed what she’d shared about her childhood. He wondered what she’d think of hearing that he, too, had been in and out of rehab once upon a time. After what she’d probably endured with her mother, she wouldn’t like him as much as she thought she did.

“I live in fear of him taking off with Ty. I’d never survive that.”

Carson turned to face her and was amazed again by how gloriously beautiful she was. The epitome of Southern California cool, she was blonde and blue-eyed, with dimpled cheeks and a smile that lit up the world. “I hate that you have to live with that kind of fear.”

“I’m used to it, but it never gets easier to let him out of my sight. I prefer staying home with him to leaving him if I don’t have to. Hayden and Flynn are longtime friends, so I wanted to support them tonight. This film is so near and dear to them.”

“It was incredible.”

“I love Flynn and Natalie’s story. They went through so much to have the life they do now, more than most people realize.”

Intrigued, Carson said, “So there was more to the story than what was shown in the film?”

“Isn’t there always more to the story?”

“I suppose so.”

“Suffice to say they worked hard for every bit of happiness life has given them.”

“He’s always been a great guy. Jules and I knew him in high school. Our parents were close friends.”

“Are you and Julian close?”

“Most of the time. Lately, we’re on different wavelengths.”

“Because of Isla, right?”

He was impressed by her astute summary of the situation. “It’s got nothing to do with her. I’m sure she’s a lovely person.”

“They seem really happy together.”

“Yeah.”

“And that annoys you?”

“If I say yes, I sound like an asshole or like I’m envious because my brother has found someone he obviously cares about, but that’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

Carson chose his words carefully because he didn’t want her to think he was a total jerk. “It’s so far out of character for him that it’s concerning to see him completely gone over a woman with little kids, who he also claims to adore. My brother doesn’t love kids. As far as I knew, he didn’t even like them.” He took a sip of his water. “A few months ago, we were out to dinner, and he was so pissed off at the kids raising a ruckus at the next table. He said something like, ‘Why do people bring their kids out to eat if they can’t freaking behave?’ That’s the Julian I know and love.”

“Can you still love the Julian who’s in love with Isla?”

“I don’t recognize him as the brother I’ve known all my life, the same one who’s spent years saying he never wanted the things he now seems to want more than anything. It makes no sense to me.”

“People change. They learn and grow and evolve.”

“Not him. I’m sure it sounds like I’m bitter or jealous or whatever, but I swear that’s not it. If anything, I’m worried about him.”

“You’re actually worried?”

Carson nodded as he said the words out loud for the first time since he’d realized the full extent of what was happening between him and Isla. “Imagine if Ty suddenly stopped being interested in sports. Wouldn’t you fear something was wrong?” Every inch of wall space in Ty’s room was devoted to one LA team or another, along with posters of his favorite players. He’d proudly shown Carson his bedroom after Carson had assisted him and his mother during a confrontation with Ty’s father, Marlon Beckett.

“I suppose I would.”

“It’s like that for me and the others with Jules. He’s been this one guy all his life, and it’s like he woke up as someone completely different, and we’re not sure how to reconcile the new guy with the one we’ve always known.”

“That’s fair.”

“I swear it’s not about her or her kids, who are, by all accounts, adorable and well-behaved. The whole office was talking about how cute they were when they first came in to meet with him about her divorce. My ire, such as it is, is focused squarely on him.”

“You wouldn’t let it come between the two of you, would you?”

The question hit him like a throat punch. Would he let it come between him and Julian? “I don’t think so,” he said with less conviction than he should’ve had about such a thing. His siblings were the most important people in his life and always had been. The thought of being on the outs with any of them was too painful to contemplate.

“You want to know what I think?”

“Yeah, I do.” Her opinion truly mattered to him, which surprised him. He’d known her for only a couple of weeks and had spent much of that time following either her or Marlon around to make sure he wasn’t hassling her or Ty.

“Your brother has presented you with a done deal. He loves her. He loves her kids. Is it what you want for him? Not at all, but it’s what he wants for himself. If you force him to choose between you and them, you may be unpleasantly surprised by who he picks.”

Carson’s heart sank as he realized that she was one hundred percent right. He let his deep sigh speak for him.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

He began to wish he hadn’t told her earlier that it wasn’t going to happen between them, because having her there during this difficult moment had been… comforting. He shook off that thought as soon as he had it. He didn’t need comfort so badly that he’d risk hurting her or her precious son with his many hang-ups. “It’s true. What you said. I’d like to think that no one will ever be more important to any of us than each other, but I suppose that’s not realistic.”

“It’s disappointing to the rest of you that he changed the rules you live by without consulting with you.”

Carson looked at her with true respect. “I’m impressed by your astounding insight into people you’ve only recently met.”

She smiled, and holy moly… If you wanted to know why she was an international sensation, all you needed was to see that smile. “I’m a bit of an empath. I pick up on vibes, and what I got from your family was a group that sticks together through thick and thin, even when you don’t always agree on the path forward.”

“That about sums us up.”

“So it’s deeply upsetting to see one of them doing something that could get them hurt like they’ve never been before.”

His emotional reaction to her softly spoken words shocked him. He didn’t get emotional about anything. He kept himself on an even keel at all times, which was essential to his health and well-being. If he’d learned anything in recovery, it was how essential it was for him to be honest with himself, even if he was lying to everyone else.

“Very upsetting, especially because it’s him. I can’t even think about it without wanting to howl. And the worst part is that he’s just barreling headfirst toward the rapids and doesn’t care in the least that it could be a fatal fall. Even though she says her marriage had been over for a long time, she only recently left her husband, and then the guy up and died. What’ll happen when she wakes up to discover she’s in no way ready for this thing with Julian?”

“She seemed as into him as he is with her.”

“For now… I’m worried about what happens when the other shoe drops, because it always does.”