Twisted Affair Vol. 4 (3 page)

“Another family dinner so soon?” she had asked, her eyebrows raised in wonder.

I’d been surprised that she seemed surprised. Then I realized she had no working knowledge of family dynamics, considering she hadn't had a real family for fifteen years. Fortunately, she hadn't planned on doing anything other than working, so she had no problem with going. Based on what Katka had told me, working was pretty much Livie's life, so maybe attending social events with me was helping her as much as it helped me, and not just from a business aspect.

Dinner was more casual than an actual event, but my parents still expected us to dress nicely. Livie and I both stuck with dress pants and nice shirts, hers a perfectly tailored blouse and mine a fitted long-sleeved shirt. In a surprise that made us both laugh, we'd picked complementary shades of blue.

“Perhaps this will convince your father that we are truly a couple.” Livie gave me a rare, genuine smile.

For the first time, instead of noticing an instance when Katka looked like Livie, I could now see my Kat in Liv. The feeling was unsettling for a moment, though I couldn't quite figure out why. I shook it off before we got to the house and when we entered, Livie and I looked like the perfect power couple.

Both of my brothers and their families were here, of course. Benjamin was my father's namesake and heir. No way would he miss a single family gathering. I sometimes thought he'd spent half of his life kissing our father's ass.

Samuel, on the other hand, wasn't there because he wanted something. He was a peacemaker. It was easier to comply than to fight and, in Samuel's opinion, when he chose his battles, dinner was low on the list of important things.

Ashlyn was also here, though her older husband wasn't. The youngest of my sisters was thirty-seven, but her husband was twenty-five years older and wasn't exactly the healthiest of men. He only came to family functions when it was truly important. Like when my parents had tried to marry me off to Rebecca Stirling, the daughter of another prominent Philadelphia family. I'd put an end to that before it had gotten too far and, from what I'd heard, it was a good thing too. The company Rebecca had convinced her parents to let her run because her older brother was off somewhere trying to find himself was in trouble. I didn't know how bad, but there were also rumors that she was sneaking around with someone she shouldn't be.

My other sister, Cecily, wasn't present with her family, but that wasn't a shock. She was younger than Benjamin by fourteen months and had an MBA just like he did, but our father had never considered letting her run the company. When she'd realized that, she'd gone elsewhere, marrying a wealthy Philadelphian and managing his estate and businesses. She usually used that as an excuse to avoid as many family events as possible.

The butler gave me a friendlier look than he ever had before, but it was nothing compared to the look he gave Livie. I glared at him as she and I walked by. A flare of anger and something that almost felt like jealousy went through me. The intensity of it caught me by surprise, but I told myself it was because no one should look at a married woman like that. Also, Livie did look like Katka and I knew how much Kat loved her sister. That was all there was to it. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Livie, it's so good to see you again.”

Hannah greeted Livie warmly with a hug and I had to suppress a smile at the look on Livie's face. I doubted anyone else noticed it, but Livie's eyes widened and she stiffened in my sister-in-law's arms. I'd gotten so good at reading Katka, I was able to catch some of the nuances of her sister's face.

Hannah laughed as she released Livie. “Sorry, dear. I do tend to get a bit affectionate.” She lowered her voice to a conspiring whisper and winked. “Drives the in-laws crazy.”

Livie smiled, a real one. She liked Hannah, I could tell.

“Come on, little brother,” Samuel said. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Save me from having to listen to Dad and Benjamin talking business and acting like I'm still in high school.”

I glanced at Livie, reluctant to leave her.

“She'll be fine,” Samuel said. “Hannah will make sure Mom behaves herself.”

I nodded and followed my brother into the sitting room where we usually waited until we were called for dinner. Still, I couldn't resist a look over my shoulder to make sure Livie was okay. She gave me a smile and a small wave, but I still didn't relax. As much as I trusted Hannah, I still didn't like the idea of leaving Livie alone.

“So, Blayne.” Benjamin turned on me as soon as I walked into the room. “How are you enjoying doing real work?”

I gave my brother a tight smile and answered honestly, “I like my job, Ben. Especially since it's working for Samuel and not you.”

He scowled at both the nickname and the comment, but Dad spoke up before my brother could respond. “I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself.” He glanced at Samuel. “I just hope it's not all fun and games.”

“He's good at his job, Dad,” Samuel said.

For once, he wasn't just covering for me. I'd asked him to be honest about my job performance. Besides the fact that I really was liking the work, I knew if I screwed up, it'd reflect badly on my brother and I didn't want that. I may have been a jerk sometimes, but I really did love Samuel.

“Glad to hear it,” Dad said.

The conversation then went back to being between Dad and Benjamin while Samuel and I were expected to be a captive audience, learning from all of their brilliance. What we actually did was exchange exasperated eye rolls and knowing looks whenever neither of the others was looking. Fortunately, we didn't have to do it for long.

Dinner was ready right on time and I was able to make my way back to Livie. She didn't look too bad for having spent some time with my mother, sister and sisters-in-law, but I still caught a hint of relief on her face when she saw me.

We'd been put at the end of the table, which was my usual place, but this time, it didn't keep my father from talking to us both. Or, more accurately, talking to Livie about the progress she'd been making on her business. While I was grateful it wasn't open season on me and that Dad was being polite to Livie, I couldn't deny that it hurt a little. How could he seem so interested in what she was doing, but not care about me unless I was casting a negative light on the family name?

I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the conversation. I'd talked to Livie a bit, but I hadn't realized just how far she'd gotten over the past couple weeks. She even had an appointment this week to officially present her business proposal to someone at the bank.

“I could make a call,” my father offered.

The expressions on my siblings' faces said I wasn't the only one surprised by that statement. I was glad Cecily wasn't here. She probably would've had a heart-attack. As free as he was with our allowances, Dad never did anything like that for any of us. I glanced at Livie's flushed face and then at my father, wondering if this was some sort of trick, if he was trying to bribe her or something.

“I appreciate that,” Livie said politely. “But having your last name has opened enough doors for me. I would prefer to have my proposal accepted on its own merit.”

There was no mistaking the pleased look on my father's face. If she would've accepted, he would've done it. He was a man of his word. But, I had a feeling he would've thought less of her because of it.

The rest of the meal continued in a far more relaxed state than the previous one I'd had here. The others joined in the conversation, sometimes branching off on their own. Livie rarely initiated anything, but always gave a warm response to any inquiry sent her way. Even Benjamin was on his best behavior, though I suspected that was more because he feared my wife's tongue than any true desire to be polite.

Once we finished, everyone stood to automatically head to the sitting room where we'd end up taking dessert in about a half hour or so. It was the family ritual. In the past, I always tried to excuse myself right after the meal, but I didn't tonight. Livie appeared to be enjoying herself and I wasn't disliking it too much, so I figured we might as well stay, especially since it would make things look good for Dad.

“Blayne, may I speak with you in private?” My dad kept his voice low as he motioned towards the library. Across the hall from where everyone else was going, it would give us privacy, but wasn't so far that we'd be gone for long.

I nodded, my stomach twisting into knots as I followed him. This couldn't be anything good. Had he found out about Katka? I didn't think that was the case since he probably wouldn't have bothered with the whole pretense over dinner. It also didn't seem like the kind of thing he'd care about keeping from my family. Maybe he suspected something was going on and didn't want to say anything in front of Livie. Unless that's not what this was about. Maybe I'd misread him at dinner and he still thought she'd only married me for the money. Technically, I supposed that was true, but not in the way he would be thinking.

I shut the door behind me and turned to face him, bracing myself for whatever was about to happen.

“I don't say this often,” he began. “And I won't repeat myself, but I feel it needs to be said.”

Now I was confused.

“I was wrong about Livie.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“I told you before that I had changed my mind about her, but I'd still had my doubts. I was waiting to see if that had been an act, but tonight solidified that it wasn't. She truly is a remarkable woman.”

I nodded in agreement. I might not be in love with her, but I couldn't deny, she was amazing.

He pointed a finger at me. “I hope you appreciate how lucky you were to find someone like her instead of some gold-digger. Some men have spent their entire lives looking for someone like her. Don't fuck it up.”

My jaw dropped. My father rarely swore, reserving it for instances that he felt merited extra emphasis. He walked past me without another word, leaving me in the library to process the exchange.

I ran my hand through my hair. Well, shit. Now I felt even guiltier about sleeping with Katka behind Livie's back. Dad was right about how lucky I was. I needed to talk to Katka about telling her sister the truth. We owed her that much. It wasn't just about the freedom it would offer Kat and I. Livie deserved that same freedom as well.

I started towards the door when a man's voice stopped me. I recognized Benjamin, even though he was speaking in hushed tones. He must've been standing right outside the door, not realizing that Dad and I had gone into the library or that I hadn't come out yet.

“I told you I had a family thing.” He sounded annoyed. “Yes, babe, I know you had plans for us, but they're just going to have to wait.”

That asshole! My fingers curled into fists. Delphine might not have been my favorite person in the world, but she didn't deserve to be cheated on. The irony of the statement hit me harder than I liked. I told myself that it wasn't the same. We didn't have kids. Livie hadn't asked for my fidelity. That clause had been strictly my father. I wasn't betraying my wife. I almost believed it.

“Rebecca, darling, you know I want to be with you.”

Fuck. Was he sleeping with Rebecca Stirling? I really hoped I was wrong, because if it came out, the shit would hit the fan in a serious way.

“Look, babe, I gotta go. Take a picture of what you're wearing and send it to me so I can be thinking about you while I'm bored off my ass here. I'll come by later.”

I waited until I heard him go back into the sitting room before I ventured out of the library. I fixed a plastic smile on my face as I walked inside, making sure not to even look his way. If I did, I wasn't sure I could stop myself from punching that smug grin. I was no saint, but if I'd found someone I loved enough to marry and have kids with, I sure as hell wouldn't cheat on her, not even if I fell in love. Even if Benjamin didn't love Delphine anymore, I knew he didn't love Rebecca either. The decent thing to do would've been to get a divorce.

A stab of guilt went through me as I looked at Livie. I didn't love her though. I liked her and I thought she was attractive, but that was it. With the walls she put in place, she'd never let me close enough to know if I could love her. It was too late now. I had met Katka, and that was all that mattered. She was the one I loved.

Still, I had to admit as I watched Livie talking with my family, the thought of hurting her bothered me. I couldn't do it anymore. Katka and I needed to tell her the truth. Just not tonight. The timing wasn't right. But soon, I promised myself. We'd tell her soon.

Chapter 4

Katka

It had been too long since I'd talked to Livie and it was killing me. I couldn't call her or risk seeing her face to face because if I did, I'd tell her everything. I knew Blayne was getting to the point where he wanted to tell her, but I couldn't let him. I loved them both too much.

I knew he'd noticed I'd been miserable the past week, ever since he'd told me what his father had said. A part of me was glad his dad liked Livie so much and had told Blayne how lucky he was to have found her. The other part of me…well, didn’t know how to feel, so I'd lied and said I just wasn't feeling well. I didn't know if he believed me or if he wasn't paying that much attention, but he hadn't asked again. I was glad he hadn't. I wasn't sure I could explain it myself. Not in a way that anyone but I would understand, especially not Blayne. He had siblings, but even as close as he and Samuel were, it was nothing compared Livie and me. We weren't just family, we were twins. And everyone else was dead. All we had was each other.