DAMIAN
Another Monday signaled another week of groping blindly without a trusted assistant at our side. This shit was hard to do, week after week. But after what happened with Francis, my brothers and I trusted no one.
Not a soul.
Which meant we’d stumble forward blindly on our own. We’d started on our own, and we could continue on our own. As long as the three of us could stay somewhat connected, we could stay strong under the oppressing weight of waiting for the SEC to finish their investigation.
But now, even our connectedness was at risk. As Trace, Axel, and I converged for yet another Monday focus session in the conference room, Axel’s frown seemed to have become a permanent fixture on his face. Even five months after learning of Ian’s existence, things weren’t right between Axel and Trace. Because all of Axel’s initial hurt and anger had made him lash out, which meant Trace had been lashing out in return. Now there was a river of bad blood between these brothers, and all I could do was hang on to the life raft and hope they pulled themselves out.
Axel had a heart of gold, but it was lined with unsightly barbed wire protecting his morals and expectations. Trace had a heart of gold, too—but he could only be pushed so far.
“Shall we begin?” I asked, thumbing through screens on my iPad.
“Please,” Axel said with a sigh. “Though I could use some coffee.”
“I already asked Felicia to bring some,” Trace intoned, staring at his phone.
“That’s at least one good deed you’ve done recently,” Axel muttered.
“Make sure you write it down,” Trace said, looking up at him with a hard gaze. “Next to all the other fucking things I’ve done for you since you became family. You ungrateful jerk.”
“Guys,” I said softly. I was tired. The fighting, the sniping, the division—it was so fucking exhausting on top of everything else we were dealing with.
Thank God I had Jessa to balance me, to pull me out of my funks, to heal me with her smile at the end of every day. I’d taken to spending most nights at her new place, though we occasionally came back to the penthouse. It had become lonely to me though—Axel and Cora mostly stayed in the Hamptons, and Trace had started hiding out at his apartment in Tribeca. Our brotherly penthouse, the home we’d shared for years as we built Fairchild Enterprises, felt like the empty shell of a ghostly former life.
The life we’d led as brothers. As family. Asfriends.
It was a life I wanted back, but I didn’t know how to get there.
“That’s a pretty strong f-word you used there,” Axel said, sniffing. “You sure you’re prepared to defend it?”
“What, fucking?”
“Family.” Axel stared at Trace, his face a neutral mask.
Trace scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re a real piece of work, Axel. Unbelievable.”
“Says the man who lied to me for over a decade.”
Trace let out a sarcastic laugh, tapping the bottom of his pen maniacally against the table. I knew he was about to say something harsh, so I hurried to say, “Enough! Can we continue? I want to hear somethinggoodthat’s happened recently. Let’s start there.”
That was a consequence of loving Jessa. She made me count my blessings, made me focus on what I was grateful for. It had started bleeding out into other areas of my life, and I couldn’t say I minded.
“Sure,” Trace said, the acid tone still thick in his voice. “I’ve got one. I’ve been connecting more with that very strong F-word Axel likes to beat me with. And it’s been very rewarding.”
I blinked, turning to squint at Trace. Axel looked similarly confused.
“What now?” I asked him.
Felicia glided down the hallway with our tray of coffees, pushing open the conference room with her back. She sent us big grins as she set the tray down and set out our drinks.
“Time to caffeinate, boys,” she said.
After a relieved sigh and a muttered “I fucking love coffee”, Axel turned his attention back to Trace.
“Please elaborate on your cryptic sentiment.”
“I’m connecting with family.” Trace held out his hands as if this sentence summarized everything perfectly. “That’s my bright spot as of late.”