Zach’s expression started with confusion, but then slowly, realization dawned, which told me my father had said something about what happened between me and Kate.
"Sandra and Chelsea?" he asked.
I nodded, closing my eyes, knowing that speaking the names out loud would only do more to enrage Ethan.
"So you have a daughter. How nice. I have a daughter too,” Ethan said.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Zach reached out and put his hand on my forearm to stop me. "It's not like you, Ethan, to do business like this. From my understanding, this happened a long time ago."
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Do you think there's a statute of limitations on hating the man who broke my sister's heart?"
Inside, my gut roiled at that. Not because of Ethan but because he was right. I’d done a terrible thing, and I had no right to want Kate back.
"If this is going to be a problem, we can go somewhere else." Zach stood up.
Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't have a nefarious plan to ruin Sam and his brother’s venture out here. My only goal for today was to find out whether I needed to protect my sister."
Both men stared at me intently.
"I know that you want to hear that I will stay away from Kate. But seeing her again the other night, I..." Again, I wasn't sure how to articulate my feelings.
Ethan’s jaw tightened. "I saw you the other night. I saw a man filled with regret and yearning."
My gaze shot to Ethan, shocked that he saw that in me. Or that he would acknowledge it.
I nodded.
"I know what it's like to fuck up and lose the woman you love, although I was smart enough to fix it faster."
Irritation shot through me. "I did try to fix it. Five years ago. You wouldn't let me."
He nodded. "That's why I'm not going to fuck you up right now. Kate doesn't need any protection from me. And I'll be honest, I think hell will freeze over before she gives you the time of day. Even so, if you hurt her again, I will find a way to ruin you."
I nodded again. "If I hurt her again, I’ll deserve it."
Ethan studied me for another long moment, like he wanted to make sure I understood. Finally, he picked up a business card on his desk. "Here's the information for Kirsten Smothers. She’s our top commercial real estate agent in the company. She's already pulling things together based on the parameters you sent over, Zach. She's expecting your call."
I stood and took the card from Ethan. "Thank you."
Zach and I left Ethan's office, heading toward the elevator. Neither of us said anything until the elevator car was descending to the garage level.
"Ethan has a reputation of being a nice and even-keeled guy. I've never seen him like that.” Zach watched me. He and my dad had different mothers, but looking Zach in the eye was like looking into my father’s eyes. “At the party the other night, Eleni said she thought she saw something between you and Kate. Ethan was right, regret and yearning. But I'd be careful."
I glared at him in annoyance. "Not everybody can have a love that comes so easily, Uncle Zach." Growing up, Zach and Eleni, along with their kids, would come out to the Hamptons for a summer family reunion. Zach and Eleni were outwardly affectionate. Then again, so were my parents and Uncle Daniel and Aunt Briana. It sounded like Ethan had a solid marriage too. Why was it that everyone else got their happily ever after?Because you made a dumb decision five years ago.
He let out a laugh. "Love doesn't come easily to anyone, Sam."
"It had been easy for us," I murmured. From the moment we met at the Halloween party in college, our love had been easy. Like running downhill.
Zach gave me a look of pity. "Maybe that was the problem. True love, the kind that lasts forever, only comes after really earning it. If you’re not willing to fight for it, you’re better off staying away from her."
I drove home, changed out of my suit, and put on shorts and a T-shirt. I headed down to the beach, not sure whether I’d run or simply sit and watch the waves. I decided on a walk, finally giving free rein to the swirl of emotions going through me.
Ethan didn’t tell me to stay away from Kate, but it was clear that he wanted me to. Maybe Zach was right and I should stay away from Kate. She wasn't likely to forgive me. I had no doubt that seeing me caused her pain. A better man, a stronger man, would leave her alone. But deep in my heart, in my very soul, I knew she was the one. The only one.
Feeling exhausted but knowing I needed to check in with Max, I pulled out my phone and called him. I relayed to him that I had the name of an agent and that we would be looking at a property soon.
"Are you okay? You sound weird." My instinct was to deny it, but Max was my brother. My best friend. My confidant. "I saw Kate."