Uncut Bundle

“I loved her so much that I was afraid to show it. Your mother changed my life and I guess I figured, if she ever stopped loving me…” Avery gave a self-deprecating laugh. “But she never did. Her love was the one constant in my world. When she died…when she died, I was lost. I poured myself into my work and—and I neglected you and your brothers. I regret it, to this day, but—”

“Yes,” Matthew said bluntly. “You did.” His voice softened. “But—but I’m glad you told me the reason. I mean, I can understand how losing her must have—must have devastated you…” He cleared his throat. “This isn’t the same. This woman—she didn’t love me. And I didn’t love her.”

Avery nodded. “Of course not,” he said softly.

Father and son sipped their coffee in companionable silence. Then Matthew sighed and rose to his feet.

“I’ve got to get to the office.”

Avery walked him to the door. “With luck, son, you’ll look back at this someday and find some good in it. Time teaches us lessons.” He smiled. “You know. Don’t cry over spilt milk, take things a day at a time…”

“Yeah.” Matthew smiled, too. “And the end justifies the means.”

Father and son looked at each other, then, a bit awkwardly, exchanged what might have passed for a hug. Then Matthew went down the walk and climbed into the taxi that had waited for him.

“The airport,” he said, but what he kept thinking was what he’d just said to his father.

The end justifies the means.

Why would those words be rattling around in his head?

The flight to Dallas took less than an hour.

By midmorning, Matthew was at his desk, poring over the mail that had built up while he was gone…

Trying not to think about Mia. About Hamilton. About what he was doing with her, in that big house up in the hills overlooking Cartagena.

His brothers were in the office today, too. Unusual, Cam said, and it was. Generally, at least one of them was away on business.

At noon, Alex rang their intercoms. “How about lunch?”

“Fine,” Cam said.

Matthew said he couldn’t spare the time.

At one, it was Cam who suggested lunch.

Alex said yes. Matthew said he wasn’t hungry.

At two, Alex and Cam huddled in the conference room. Matt didn’t sound right, Cam muttered. Yeah, and he didn’t look right, either, Alex added.

Something was up, but what?

Five minutes later, they walked into Matt’s office.

“Lunch,” Cam said firmly.

“Right now,” Alex added, just as firmly.

Matthew looked at his brothers. They stood, one on either side of his desk, arms folded, jaws set.

He sighed.

“What’s the deal here? We go for lunch, or I get to take on both of you?”

“See?” Alex grinned at Cam. “Told you he had a functional brain.”

Cam jerked his thumb at the door. “Let’s go.”