He had to admire the way his brother pulled it together so fast. Adam had always been good at compartmentalizing. Work rarely bubbled over into the rest of his life. And emotions never tangled with sex. Although, Dylan figured it was a big part of the reason why his brother’s date had decided a dress sale would be a better way to spend the night.
Making the rounds ended up taking more than forty-five minutes, but Dylan greatly enjoyed listening to Grace talk about the history of the Maritime Museum and the important part the building had played in shaping the Seattle waterfront. He could see light bulbs going on over the heads of the board members as she spoke so eloquently about the history all around them. No one had ever made Adam’s job of pitching for an historic renovation so easy.
“You’re amazing,” Adam said as he led them over to a gray-haired couple standing by the corner window.
“Once Dylan told me what you were trying to do, I have to admit I studied up a little.”
“A little?” His brother was full of admiration. “You could write a book on the place.”
Dylan thought he saw a light bulb go on over her head then. “You’re right—there are so many interesting stories about this building and the men and women who have come through here over the years. Romantic ones, too, like Mr. and Mrs. Callam meeting and falling in love here.”
“When I get the project,” Adam said, “I’m going to push for you to do a companion book.”
“That sounds amazing,” she said, but he could see that the lingering connection with his brother worried her, too. Because for all that she might want to believe in honesty, in romance and lasting love, her brush with the Bentley family had taught her just the opposite.
It was up to Dylan and his family to give her back her faith in truth and love again. Fortunately, if anyone could do it, the Sullivans could.
Dylan’s cell phone rang with Rafe’s ring tone, a call he’d been waiting for.
“Is it your mother?” Grace immediately asked.
Knowing what a big deal it was for her to leave Mason with anyone, he gently stroked her cheek. “It’s Rafe. And even though I’m sure Mason’s doing great with my mom, why don’t you give them a call while I talk to my brother?”
“And here I didn’t think I was being nearly that obvious.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to know your kid is safe. My mom used to check in on us a half-dozen times when they’d go out. Granted,” he said with a grin, “that might have been because we had a history of doing things like jumping off the roof and starting huge bonfires in the backyard.”
Her easy laughter warmed him as they both drew out their cell phones and headed to the deck that faced the water. While she called his mother to check in, he dialed Rafe. Unfortunately, everything his brother told him over the next several minutes made the fury that he’d barely shoved down earlier rise up again. Hotter than ever.
Grace’s smile was a mile wide when she turned to him after they’d both hung up just seconds apart. “Look at the cute picture your mom took of Mason playing the piano. Doesn’t he look like such a big boy? And so proud of himself for making music all by himself.”
Looking at Mason’s innocent face only made Dylan’s gut twist tighter. “Rafe just confirmed for me that you weren’t the only one, Grace.”
She looked up from her phone. “I wasn’t the only one what?” But before he could explain, understanding dawned. “Rafe has checked into my ex and his family, hasn’t he?” Pain flashed across her face, clearly illuminated by the nearly full moon above them.
“Rafe found just what we thought he would.” Dylan hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her all night, but now, when he drew her against him, even while the attraction was still pulsing, this embrace was simply to reassure both of them. “More women. Many women.”
“Did he…does he have any other children?” He could see one thought moving quickly to the next. “Does Mason have any half brothers or half sisters?”
“No. At least from everything Rafe picked through, it looks like none of the other women were as strong as you. They all took the money and did what the family wanted them to do.”
He could see her heart breaking for all those other women in pure empathy. “They were probably too scared not to.”
It was amazing that she didn’t see the other women as weak. He also knew that she was right—pressure that strong from such a powerful family would break nearly anyone. But not her. Not his Grace.
“Why didn’t I see it? Why didn’t I see through him? Through the fancy dates where he never let me meet anyone? Not his friends. Definitely not his family.”
“For as much as I despise the guy,” Dylan said softly, “the truth is that I’m glad you trusted him. For long enough, at least, to create Mason.”
“Richard and his parents have no idea about all the joy, all the wonder that they tried to destroy because my bloodline wasn’t pure enough for them. And now I hope—I’ve been praying, actually—that they never do. That they never change their minds and decide to come for Mason after all.”
“Rafe says there’s no indication that they’ve been looking for you or Mason, or that any of them have scheduled trips to Seattle. He also said that he and Ian checked in with Smith—our cousin has repeatedly turned down the Bentleys’ offers to invest in his movies because they always seemed smarmy to him.”