Chapter 17

Chris?! What the hell was my brother doing here??

There was no way that my brother was currently standing outside the front gates of James’ estate.

“That’s impossible,” I muttered briskly. “He’s supposed to be in Egypt, conducting some kind of archaeological excavation.”

“Clearly not,” James said dryly. He pressed the button once more. “Let him in.”

What was the guy doing back in the country so early? And why on earth was he looking for James?

It was more than obvious that the previous feeling in the room had all but faded. James didn’t exactly appear to be too happy about the whole ordeal, but I was gracious for the sudden interruption.

It wasn’t as though I didn’t want to be intimate with James...Quite the opposite, in fact.

The man was a walking daydream—my younger self would have happily twisted and bent for him had he just said the word. Before I felt him unclasp my bra, I was one hundred percent certain I was ready to toss all my current problems for a chance to seriously let go.

An overwhelming feeling inside of me told me that I could trust him to take control. Based on the way his sinful hands roamed and explored my body, the man knew what he was doing. He would have brought me insurmountable pleasure.

And that strange pull I kept feeling within my ribcage grew to encompass my heart, dropping all the way between my thighs.

But whatever this feeling was, there was no way I could simply throw caution to the wind. There was so much more at play here, I couldn’t just think about myself anymore.

What James and I needed was to actually sit down and have a proper conversation about the physical and emotional expectations of our newly formed relationship. Because, if he truly thought I was someone who could just jump right into bed with anyone at the drop of a dime—he was sorely mistaken.

My feelings for him had hardly dulled but I knew that I’d done a great deal of growing over the years. I surely wasn’t the same person he grew up with.

Once I re-clasped my bra and fixed up my disheveled appearance, I headed out of the room and rushed toward the stairs.

The second I caught sight of Chris, I eagerly picked up my pace and rushed up to wrap my arms around him. Despite my confusion, I was deeply pleased to see him and hugged him tightly.

Chris let out a deep, comforting chuckle and hugged back with an equal embrace until his eyes landed on James.

“Derek.”

James tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Jonhson. How nice of you to drop by for a visit.”

“Cut the shit,” he bit out. “How about at least one of you tell me why I was kept in the dark about your sudden marriage to my sister?”

My stomach dropped. “Chris—”

“Do you have any idea how shitty it feels to find out that my own sibling—my baby sister somehow ended up married, and I had to find out through the fucking news headlines?!”

I flinched under his sharp tone and lowered my head.

“My intentions were to surprise you. Imagine my surprise when I returned back to your apartment to find it completely empty and not a single note or idea as to where you could’ve been,” he added sternly. “So, I rushed here as soon as I could to find out what the hell was going on.”

I gently shook my head. “Chris, I assure you. You already know more than you think. James proposed and it was...quite unexpected.”

James made the quick suggestion to take this discussion somewhere more private and moved us all into his small in-home library.

I went on to explain the whole run-in with Peter and how I’d been deceived and impregnated by him, but was kindly helped and taken care of by James ever since.

I could tell by Chris’ anguished expression that he felt both guilty and sympathetic toward my situation. “Mia, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I feel as though I’m partially to blame. I shouldn’t have gone away for so long. I’ve let myself become too absorbed in my work and I’ve ended up neglecting you.”

I found it slightly humorous that his icy demeanor remained firmly in place whenever he glanced at James.

“It’s okay, Chris. Seriously. It’s not the first time you’ve been away from home for so long,” I reminded him. “Remember that one trip you took to Australia?”

For the next few hours, Chris and I had fallen into a conversation, reminiscing about the old times we shared growing up. It made me smile to discover that Chris was still quite the nerd compared to when we were all younger.

But I was truly glad that he was able to pursue his passions and the work that interested him. He shared several short stories about some of his past trips around the world which set a warm atmosphere for us.

He joked and laughed and continued to roll his eyes whenever he glanced at James.

“And here I thought you’d stolen my little sister,” Chris said half-jokingly. “Look, in all seriousness, given our past connection, I’m willing to accept this situation the two of you have. I’m fairly confident that James will properly take care of you.”

When it came time for Chris to head out, he turned back to face James and me. “Mia, how about you stay with me for a few days?”

Right as I was about to speak, James swiftly answered for me. “Sorry, but no. As my wife, I’m not willing to hand her over so easily.”

“Ever the control freak, huh, Derek?” Chris commented. “Surely, you can trust me to care for my own sister for a little while.”

James shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ve already arranged for a professional team including doctors, nutritionists, and maids to ensure Mia receives the best possible care here,” he explained.

Eventually, the two men looked at me to make the final decision.

A cheeky smile took hold of Chris’ face. “Well, my dear little sister,” he hummed with amusement. “It would appear that you must make a choice between this ‘questionable’ gentleman here and your loving, devoted brother.”

James nearly failed to cover up the snort in his throat while I let out a giggle.

“Oh, brother of mine, you’re placing me in a rather difficult situation. It truly is cruel of you to force me to pick, however...”

Deep within my bones I knew that the wise choice would have been to stay James. He’d offered me a life that I never imagined was possible for me and my baby. He knew well enough that I’d harbored feelings for him for quite some time. Perhaps I’d finally be able to explore them.

Given my recent interactions and material agreement with James, I’d decided it would be best to stick with him.

“...I trust James,” I told Chris. “I’m going to stay here with him.”

I watched Chris leave the grounds and waved him off. James curled a supportive arm around my shoulders and smiled. “I’m pleased with your choice. And you’ll be interested to know that I’ve already taken the liberty to draft up a schedule for you.”

I sent him a puzzled look. "What schedule?"