The two exited the dining room, leaving Charlotte sitting alone. She sighed. The last time Stephen had stepped into a relationship, it had nearly ruined everything. The situation with Jacob was tenuous enough without her brother’s interference.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JACOB WATCHED STEPHEN CLOSELY, trying to get a read on his mood. He was definitely playing the protective brother, but Jacob didn’t sense actual hostility or opposition. Stephen seemed relaxed as he went to a cabinet and took out a bottle.

“Brandy or whiskey?” Stephen asked.

“Whiskey,” Jacob answered, and got a nod of approval.

Charlotte’s brother gave Jacob a run for his money on physical build. The man was tall and in excellent shape, which Jacob found a bit surprising considering Stephen ran a fashion company with his mother and had a title after his name. But then, Jacob had learned long ago not to put too much stock in stereotypes.

While Charlie had lovely brown hair, Stephen’s was almost black, and so were his eyes. It wouldn’t take much more than a glare from him to intimidate people. Well, most people, anyway. Not Jacob.

He took the glass Stephen offered and lifted it in a casual toast before taking a sip.

It was excellent. But then, he expected no less from the Pembertons.

“So. You and my sister.”

“I’m not sure how to answer that. Charlie and I haven’t really discussed what our relationship is or will be. Yet.”

Stephen gave a quick smile. “And I interrupted.”

Jacob didn’t answer, just lifted an eyebrow as they went to sit near the unlit fireplace. The whole room felt masculine to Jacob, and a way for Stephen to claim his dominance in the situation. Which made perfect sense to him. He was the outsider here; it was a position he was used to, so instead of making him uncomfortable, he felt in slightly familiar territory.

Stephen stared into his glass for several seconds before lifting his head and meeting Jacob’s gaze. “I’m not sure how much you know about me or our family. Or if Charlotte told you about her twin, William, and what happened last fall.”

“We haven’t discussed it.”

“I got in the way of my brother’s happiness and acted in a way I’m not proud of. I don’t want to repeat that mistake with Charlotte. At the same time, I’m her big brother, and I won’t see her hurt.”

“Having Charlie hurt is the last thing I want. She deserves to be happy.”

“And you think that’s with you?”

It was a fair question. Jacob took a gulp of whiskey and felt the burn straight to his gut. “Honestly, I don’t know. She’s a wonderful, rare woman, Stephen.” He wasn’t sure how much to reveal when he hadn’t even revealed his feelings to Charlie herself. “The pregnancy was accidental. But as we move forward, nothing can be accidental. I want to do the right thing, for her and for our child.”

“And is living in London while she’s in Paris the right thing?”

The questions were getting tougher. “I ask myself that ten times a day.”

Stephen fell silent, then sighed. “She loves you, you know.”

A jolt of shock raced through Jacob’s body and he sat forward. “She told you that?”

“She doesn’t have to. We all saw the difference in her when she came back from New York. Not bad changes, just different. And her face when she talks about you or tonight when she looked at you.”

This was news to him, and he wasn’t sure what to do with it. “We’ve been talking about how to co-parent together. To do what’s best for the baby. This weekend was supposed to be a time for us to really work that out.”

Stephen nodded, unsmiling. “Bear in mind that Charlotte has never brought a man to either of our family homes, Jacob. This is a big deal for her.”

“It’s a big deal for me.”

“Do you love her?”

He met Stephen’s gaze. “I’m not sure it’s your business if I do or not. I’m still...in shock.” He sighed. “And surprised you haven’t pointed out the fact that I’m not good enough for her.”

Stephen chuckled then. “Well, of course you’re not, I didn’t think it bore mentioning.” When Jacob bristled at the easy dismissal, Stephen waved a hand. “Listen, no one would be good enough for Charlotte. She’s scary efficient but has a heart of gold. She’d do anything for her family and never wants to cause trouble. I see all of those things. For her to step out and make something her own, like she did with the crisis in New York, was unusual and very much needed, in my opinion. And I’m guessing you had something to do with that.”

Tags: Donna Alward Heirs to an Empire Billionaire Romance
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