Two of a Kind: Kind Brothers Book 2 Read online

  “Thanks.”

  “I just want you to know that we’re all here for you despite what happened between you and Stefan.”

  “I appreciate it. Thanks for carrying Lily upstairs.”

  “No problem. I’ll check in on her later.”

  I gave him a smile as I went back upstairs and woke Lily.

  “Good girl.” I smiled as she took her medicine.

  “Let’s get you out of these clothes and into some pajamas.”

  After I helped her change, she fell back asleep, so I went downstairs and pulled my phone from my purse. Taking in a deep breath, I sent a text message to Stefan.

  “Lily is sick and you’re almost out of Tylenol. You’ll need to pick some up on your way home.”

  “Sick how?”

  “She has a fever of 102.3, a bad headache, and a sore throat.”

  “Poor kid. I’ll be home early then after I pick up the Tylenol.”

  I didn’t respond. The less we spoke, the better for everyone.

  Chapter 34

  Stefan

  I walked over to Sam’s office and opened the door.

  “I’m heading out. Alex just texted me and Lily is sick with a fever. I need to run and pick up some more Tylenol.”

  “That’s too bad. I hope she feels better soon.”

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  “I’ll pop over later and check up on her.”

  “Thanks, bro.”

  I climbed in my car and drove to the store. When I got home, I set the Tylenol on the counter and as I walked up the stairs, I heard Alex strumming the guitar in the bathroom and then she started singing You’ve Got a Friend in Me. I stood and listened as she sang the entire song before opening the door.

  “I hear someone isn’t feeling well.”

  “Hi, Dad.” Lily pouted as she sat in the bathtub filled with bubbles. “I asked Alex to sing to me.”

  “I heard. It was amazing.” I smiled as I looked at Alex and she ignored me. “Are you feeling any better, baby girl?”

  “No.”

  “Come on, Lily,” Alex said. “If you stay in there any longer, you’re going to turn into a prune.”

  “Now that my dad is home, do you have to leave?” she whined.

  “I guess I can stay for a while longer.”

  “Okay.” A tiny smile crossed her face.

  Alex turned and looked at me.

  “Why don’t you go make her some soup while I help her out of the tub.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I’d rather have macaroni and cheese. Uncle Sebastian’s macaroni and cheese.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Okay. Let me give your uncle a call.”

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Sebastian.

  “Hey, bro.”

  “Hey. Lily is sick.”

  “Yeah. I know. I carried her from the car to her bedroom when Alex brought her home.”

  “She wants your macaroni and cheese. Are you at the restaurant?”

  “No. I’m not going in tonight. And tell Lily that her macaroni and cheese will be ready in about five minutes. I knew she’d want it, so I made it.”

  “You, my brother, are the best. I love you, man.”

  “I love you too and I made a huge pan, so I’ll bring it over and we can all eat.”

  “Thanks. I’ll let Lily know.”

  By the time I got off the phone with Sebastian, Lily was back in her room.

  “Good news. Uncle Sebastian said he’ll be over in about five minutes with your macaroni and cheese.”

  “Okay. Does this mean I can’t go to school tomorrow?”

  “Nope, you cannot. You are staying home and resting all day,” Alex told her. “I’ll go get you some more water.”

  Alex walked out of the room, and I followed behind her.

  “Thanks for taking care of her.”

  “Isn’t that what you—” she paused for a moment. “No problem. I’m just doing my job.”

  She removed the lid from Lily’s cup and placed it under the waterspout on the refrigerator.

  “Stay and have dinner with us. Sebastian’s mac and cheese is award winning and to die for.”

  “I can’t. I really need to go.”

  “Where are you staying?” I asked.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “To me it does, Alex.”

  “It’s none of your business where I’m staying,” she spoke through gritted teeth. “You are nothing but my boss, and my personal life is none of your business.”

  “Hey. Everything okay in here?” Sebastian asked when he stepped into the kitchen.

  “Everything’s fine.” She stormed out.

  “I can’t do this,” I said.

  “It’s only been a couple days, bro. She’s hurt and angry. Just let some time pass. Consider yourself lucky that all she quit was you.” He smirked.

  “Very funny, asshole.”

  “Tsk, tsk. No macaroni and cheese for you with that kind of language.”

  “Did I hear someone say, ‘macaroni and cheese?’” Sam walked in.

  “I sure did, brother. Grab a plate.” Sebastian grinned.

  “I saw Alex’s car is still out there. I thought she was high-tailing it out of here the second you get home?”

  “Lily asked her if she could stay.”

  “How is Lily feeling?”

  “Not good. I’m going to take this macaroni and cheese up to her. Did anyone text Simon?”

  “I did,” Sebastian answered. “He said he’ll be over in a while.”

  I took the bowl of macaroni and cheese up to Lily’s room. When I opened the door, I stopped when I saw both Alex and Lily sound asleep. Setting the bowl on the dresser, I grabbed a blanket from the corner of the room and covered Alex with it since Lily was already underneath the covers. When I went back downstairs, I set the bowl on the counter.

  “She changed her mind?” Sebastian asked.

  “She’s asleep, and so is Alex.”

  “That’s odd for Alex to have fallen asleep. I hope she’s not getting sick.”

  “I’m sure she’s not sleeping well wherever she’s staying. She’s probably sleeping in some cheap shitty motel. I’m going to ask Simon to put a tail on her.”

  “Don’t,” Sam said.

  “Why? I want to know where she’s staying and if she’s safe. Cause I swear to god, if she’s staying in a Walmart parking—”

  “She’s not.”

  I stared at Sam with a narrowed eye for he knew and wasn’t telling me.

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Listen to me very carefully. I swear on my life if you even remotely hint that you know where she’s staying, I will come after you. Brother or not. I will disown you. We will no longer be brothers and I—”

  “Stop being so damn dramatic, bro,” I said.

  “Jesus.” Sebastian laughed.

  “I’m not joking. Julia threatened me. I mean really threatened me and she was serious. No sex for two months or until she could trust me again.”

  “Damn. That’s harsh,” Sebastian spoke.

  “I got your back, brother. If you tell me just so my mind can be at ease, I swear on Lily’s life that I will not let Alex know I know.”

  “She’s staying at Jenni’s apartment.”

  I let out a sigh of relief.

  “Okay. That makes me feel better. Thank you.”

  “Let me ask you something.” Sebastian cocked his head. “Why do you care so much? Aren’t you the one who told her that you couldn’t be ‘her perfect guy’ and rejected her?”

  “So what? I still want her to be safe.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You think I like what I did?” I spoke in a quiet but stern voice. “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. I freaked out. Okay?”

  “Freaked out because your feelings are raw and real, and you don’t know how to handle them?” Sam asked. “Been there, done that
. Remember? We all make mistakes, brother. Let me give you a piece of advice that a wise man once told me. Mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before. Sometimes we need to make those mistakes to see things clearer.”

  “Who told you that?” Sebastian asked.

  “Our father.”

  I could see Simon walking up to the sliding door.

  “What the hell happened?” I asked as he stepped inside with a cut and bruised eye.

  “Had a little run in with a suspect. No big deal. I’m starving.”

  “Go grab a plate,” Sebastian said.

  “Lily told me that Alex makes me happy.”

  “I think Lily is right. Do you?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah. She is right.” I set down my fork and ran my hand down my face.

  “Then you know what you have to do. Stop being a pussy.”

  Chapter 35

  Alex

  My eyes opened and for a second, I forgot where I was. Looking at the clock on Lily’s nightstand, it was ten o’clock. Shit. How did I fall asleep? Climbing off the bed, I grabbed the thermometer and held it up to her forehead. It read 101. Walking out of her room, I went downstairs and saw Stefan sitting on the couch. When he saw me, he got up and walked over to where I stood.

  “Hi.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “I just took Lily’s temperature and it’s 101. In an hour, she needs another dose of Tylenol. Make sure she gets it.”

  I walked into the kitchen and grabbed my purse.

  “Stay the night,” he said.

  “What? No. I’m going home.”

  “You’re obviously tired, and since you have to be back here in the morning, I think you should stay.”

  “I’m leaving, Stefan.” I turned and headed for the door.

  “You’re still angry with me. I understand that. But please stay. We need to talk.”

  “Angry?” I turned around and stared at him. “I’m not angry. And what do we need to talk about? We’ve said everything we needed to the other day. You made it very clear to me how you felt. Do you just want to twist the knife some more?”

  “No. That’s not it at all.”

  “I’m tired and I want to go home.”

  “And where is that? Where is home now?”

  “Does it matter? Why do you even care? I’m sure you’ll have Simon find out.”

  “I wouldn’t do that. If you don’t want to tell me, then fine. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

  I let out a laugh.

  “Okay. Good night, Stefan.”

  I walked out the door and heard him shout, “I don’t care if you don’t believe me, but it’s the damn truth.”

  I held up my hand as I walked to my car and climbed inside.

  Spoken words. They can cut you like a knife. Especially when they come in the form of rejection. He said what he meant that day, and there was no going back. I had my dignity and I’d accepted the fact that the feelings I’d felt for him were not returned. I had no choice but to accept it because I had a baby to think about now. His baby. A baby he doesn’t want or need complicating his life and his daughter’s life. I understood, and I wasn’t going to make things difficult for them. I’d do what I had to and then leave before anyone noticed I was pregnant, because leaving was what I did best.

  I was foolish to think he’d fallen in love with me. I’d let myself get too comfortable. And the only reason I did that was because I truly believed he was my prince charming. Fuck that. There was no such thing in this world, and I knew that a long time ago. But he roped me in with his kindness, his charm, his good looks and his smile. His smile was the type that lit up a room. It was the kind of light that brightened my world. I’d always thought I was pretty happy, but it wasn’t until I spent time with Stefan and Lily, I’d found I wasn’t. As bad as he hurt me, and as hard as it was to see him, I couldn’t continue to treat him the way I did today. It wasn’t good for my mental health or the health of my baby.

  Picking up my phone, I sent Stefan a text message.

  “I’m staying at Jenni’s apartment. You wanted to know, so that’s where I am.”

  “Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.”

  I didn’t reply because I was done talking to him.

  When I walked into Stefan’s house the next morning, I found him in the kitchen in nothing but a pair of dark gray Nike pajama bottoms. No shirt, no socks, nothing. I swallowed hard when he turned around as he heard me walk in.

  “Good morning. Coffee?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Really?” His brows furrowed.

  “I’m cutting back on my caffeine.”

  “Why would you do such a thing?” he asked with a smirk.

  “How’s Lily this morning?”

  “Her fever is down to 100.2 but she’s really tired. I gave her some Tylenol and some juice, and she went back to sleep.”

  “Maybe I should take her to the doctor,” I said.

  “I think she just has a virus. If she’s not better tomorrow, then I’ll call and set up an appointment.”

  “Aren’t you going to work?” My hand gestured at his half naked body.

  “Yes. I was dealing with Lily, so I’m running late. I’m going to go finish getting dressed.” He walked out of the kitchen and then stepped back in. “By the way, I promised Lily we’d order fried chicken from her favorite place tonight. Join us for dinner.”

  “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  “Why? I know Jenni is in Europe. You shouldn’t eat dinner alone.”

  “It’s what I prefer.” I conveniently left out I was working at the restaurant tonight.

  He shook his head and walked away.

  One Week Later

  Stefan

  I was sitting in my office going over some building designs when Sam walked in.

  “Have there been any issues with the McAllister project?” he asked.

  “No. Not yet. Why? Are you anticipating some?” I smirked.

  “I don’t know. McAllister is a dick, so we’ll see. Have you had your talk with Alex yet? You haven’t said anything lately.”

  “No. I haven’t. And you know why? She won’t be in a room with me longer than five minutes max. She comes over in the morning right when I have to leave for work and the second I get home, she runs out the door.”

  “You have to pin her down at some point. You need to tell her how you feel about her. Have you tried calling her?”

  “Really?” I cocked my head. “Do you seriously think she’d answer? I’ve texted her a few times and she doesn’t respond.”

  “At least she didn’t block you. That’s a plus.”

  “She wouldn’t do that because of Lily.”

  My phone rang and I saw Sebastian was calling, so I answered it and put it on speaker.

  “Talk to me, bro. Sam’s here as well. You’re on speaker in case you were going to talk shit about him.”

  “Very funny. Did you know that tomorrow is Alex’s birthday?”

  “What? How do you know?”

  “I was clearing some paperwork off my desk, and I found her application I had her fill out and noticed her birthdate.”

  “Shit. We have to do something for her. Damn it, bro. You couldn’t have cleaned your desk sooner?”

  “Relax. She thinks she’s working tomorrow night, so we’ll have a party here for her in the banquet room. I’ll have the staff get everything set up and you guys will come in through the back door so she won’t see you. It’ll be a total surprise.”

  “Thanks, brother. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. I like Alex, and I want her to have an exceptional birthday.”

  “Like her how, bro?”

  “You’re a dick. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I chuckled as I ended the call.

  “I need to buy her something. What should I get her?”

  “Something special.” Sam smiled. “I’ll go call Julia and Simon and let them know
about tomorrow.”

  “I can’t believe I didn’t know.”

  “Did you ever ask her?”

  “No. She did tell me that her birthday was the one day of the year her father didn’t drink. I should have asked her then when it was. God, I’m so stupid.”

  “No, you’re not. Now get out of here and go buy her something. After tomorrow night, she’ll be moving back in with you and all will be right with the world again.” He gave me a wink.

  I left the office, climbed in my car and thought about what to get her. A nice necklace sounded about right so I texted Julia.

  “Hey. I want to get Alex a nice necklace for her birthday but I’m not sure where to go. Any ideas? And don’t judge. This is all new to me.”

  “Lol. No judgement here since my husband had to take all his brothers to help him pick out my wedding ring. Go to Tiffany & Co. They’ll have what you’re looking for.”

  “Thanks, Julia.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I had been looking at the display of necklaces for a few moments when a young woman with long auburn hair behind the counter walked over.

  “See anything you’re interested in?” she spoke in a flirtatious manner.

  “Can I see that pendant right there?” I pointed.

  “Of course. Are you shopping for your wife?”

  “No. I’m not married.”

  “Even better.” The corners of her mouth curved upward.

  She pulled it from the case and draped it across a blue satin pillow.

  “This is our loving heart pendant by Paloma Picasso. It’s his interpretation of love. Is this for your girlfriend?”

  “I’m hoping she will be after I give her this. How much is it?”

  “Twenty-four hundred.”

  “Perfect. I’ll take it.”

  “I was hoping it was for your mother.”

  “It’s for a woman I’m in love with.” I handed her my credit card.

  “Shame.” She took it and walked away.

  Chapter 36

  Alex

  My alarm went off and when I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, I saw I had a text message from Stefan.

  “I decided to stay home from work and spend the day with Lily, so consider this your day off and enjoy yourself.”