One Night with Gael (Rival Brothers 2)

Gael snagged a whisky from a passing waiter before stepping out of the giant marquee onto the green grass. Above him the night sky twinkled with a thousand stars. But he was too on edge to appreciate the view.

Tomas joined him a minute later.

Gael turned his head and met eyes the same colour as his own. ‘I hated you for a very long time.’

He didn’t see any reason to mince his words. A second later he realised that he’d spoken in the past tense and spoken in English, because he wasn’t ready to have another thing in common with the man whose blood ran through his veins.

A wave of pain and regret passed over Tomas’s face. ‘I know. And I deserved all of it. For what I did to you, and to your brother, you have every right to hate me.’

‘But you’re still doing it, aren’t you? With my mother?’ he accused, and a deep cloying emotion he recognised as pain roughened his voice.

Tomas shook his head. ‘No, I’m not.’

Gael snorted. ‘I spoke to my mother two weeks ago. She was going to see you.’

‘Yes, I met with her to end it.’

Gael stared hard at his father, wondering whether to believe him or not.

‘I should never have started things with your mother again. It was selfish. But after Andro came to see me last year I thought you and I might reconnect too... I couldn’t summon the courage to reach out directly to you. So I called Katerina.’

Gael cursed under his breath.

Tomas shrugged. ‘I think you know that I’m far from perfect. I would go so far as to call myself unworthy of being a father to both my sons. But you and Alejandro have grown into exceptional men, and I remain selfish enough to want to be a part of your lives. I would be honoured to be in your life at some point beyond today, but if you don’t think that’s a possibility let me tell you now that I’m proud of you.’

Something tugged in his chest. Gael fought to resist it.

‘You’re proud? You told me I was a mistake—that I should never have been born! Because of you I don’t trust anyone... I don’t know how to love anyone. I’m a bastard who shouldn’t exist.’

Tomas paled, his eyes anguished as he stared at Gael. ‘But your relationship with your brother is thriving, and you have a beautiful wife who clearly worsh—’

His laughter cut off his father’s words. ‘A wife I’m incapable of loving because I don’t know how. A wife I’ve paid for. Because on the night I found out you were still sniffing around my mother I was so angry that I slaked my anger and lust on an innocent woman. After that she fell pregnant with my child, and now I’m tied to her for life—’

The ragged gasp behind him tore through to his very soul.

Even before he turned around Gael knew the landscape of his life had changed irrevocably.

Because six feet behind him Goldie stood, ghost-pale and pain-ravaged, her eyes lost pools as she shook her head slowly.

‘Dios mio... Goldie.’ He started towards her.

H

er hands flew out. ‘No. Stay away from me!’

He couldn’t fathom ever doing that. So he took another step. She stumbled back, her heel catching on the grass.

It was Tomas who went to her aid. Tomas who helped her to her feet with a gentle touch that turned Gael’s stomach.

Get your hands off her! he wanted to scream. But the words wouldn’t come. His life was too busy flashing before his eyes.

But he had to act. He couldn’t lose her.

Unable to believe what was happening, he tried again. ‘Please, querida. Por favor, let me ex—’

‘I swear, if you take one more step towards me I’ll scream the place down. And I’ll leave you to explain to your brother what went down here.’

They stood frozen, the three of them, in a twisted tableau.