“Nice suit,” she said, then immediately regretted it.
She was married to his brother and flirting shamelessly. After that kiss, how could she not? If he weren’t her husband’s brother, she’d probably have an affair with him.
“Did David make it back to the ranch?”
“No.”
She checked the door and the thickening crowd. He’d been doing this a lot lately, abandoning her for his own agenda. Withdrawn and disinterested. Neglecting her. She was afraid that was directly related to her unresolved feelings for Brandon.
“Did he know you were coming?” she asked.
“I haven’t seen him.”
Her brother wasn’t there, either. Since he was the reason for the party, she’d be embarrassed if he didn’t show. Another check at the door produced Ryker. Her mood brightened. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about explaining why her brother didn’t show up at his own birthday party. He and his wife looked stunning. Six feet tall with brown hair and green eyes, Ryker was handsome in khaki pants and a white golf shirt. Aegina looked incredible in her little black dress, red hair up in a stylish clip and green eyes brighter than Ryker’s.
Behind them, her mother appeared. She was plump around the middle in a layered and flowing blue dress, and her graying hair was short now. She’d come out of her severe depression after losing her husband but was a quieter version of the mother Eliza had once known. She had her occasional bubbly moments, but losing her husband had devastated her. Her mother never really seemed to move on. Once you loved someone that deeply, there were no replacements.
Seeing her, Ryker led his wife and their mother over.
“Happy birthday.” Eliza hugged him, and he stiffly hugged her back.
“You could’ve stopped by the house. The kids keep asking why we had to leave them at home.”
It was a deliberate jab. “I’ll make it up to them.”
“Eliza, look at you. You’re my beautiful girl.” Her mother came in for a hug.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
She always said that. Over her shoulder, Ryker smothered a glare.
“Stop it, Ryker.” His wife elbowed him. “Eliza went to a lot of trouble planning this fabulous party for you.”
Sidling between Brandon and Eliza, her mother took in the room in delighted amazement. “Wow.”
“She’s come a long way,” Brandon said.
Eliza wondered what he meant.
“Where’s your husband?” Ryker asked derisively. He had always thought David was selfish and now he was married to Eliza, who was equally selfish in his opinion.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. The truth was too complicated.
Brandon noticed her sinking mood. “I’m going to get a drink. Would you like anything?” he asked everyone.
“A pinot grigio.” Aegina Harvey was full of life. “I can’t pass up a night without the kids!”
“I’ll have the same.”
This was the brightest Eliza had ever seen her mother since her father died.
“I’ll go with you,” Ryker said.
Brandon waited for Eliza to answer. “Nothing for me.”
That gave him pause, and then he went with Ryker to one of the four bars. She was glad for the reprieve from both of them.
“He’ll get over it, Eliza,” Aegina said. “He goes through this every time you come here to visit.”
Her mother hooked her arm with Eliza’s. “I keep telling him to change his attitude.”
“Why does he blame me for leaving Vengeance?”
“You knew what you wanted at eighteen,” her mother said.
“And Ryker didn’t figure that out for himself until it was too late,” Aegina added.
That wasn’t enough for Eliza. “He wanted to be a doctor. He always talked about it growing up.”
“Yeah, but notice how he never did anything about it?”
Aegina’s tone caught Eliza’s attention. She glanced at her mother, not sure she should say anything more. Her mother did it for her.
“He feels he was forced to stay in Vengeance because of me. Responsibility isn’t part of his vocabulary.”
“He moved in with me before you did,” Aegina pointed out.
Ryker had fallen in love, and that was why he had stayed. Then why did he resent Eliza?
“He didn’t have the gumption that Eliza had. He didn’t go to college because he didn’t want it badly enough. That’s why I don’t move out of the carriage house, you know. He’s so confused he doesn’t even know he’s in denial.”
Eliza laughed a little and so did Aegina.
“Maybe that’s why he doesn’t love me anymore,” Aegina said.
Though she joked, Eliza could see she was serious. “He loves you. He must. Why else would he have stayed?”
“At first he may have believed he loved me. But as soon as he realized everything he gave up, that all changed.”
This was new, alarming news. Didn’t Aegina believe Ryker was only going through a phase? One that had lasted ten years…? “Are you two okay?”
She snagged a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. “Oh, yeah, we’re fine. What do you expect after a decade of marriage?”
“Love.” The kind her parents had before her dad had died. the kind Eliza never planned to have. She loved David, but he was more of a pal. Pals were safer.
Unless they were Brandon Reed…
She caught the faraway look in her mother’s eyes and knew the talk about love had sent her back in time. Eliza never wanted anyone to catch her looking like that.
Ryker returned with the wine. Brandon wasn’t with him.
A quick survey found him talking to a stacked brunette just south of the bar. Why that chafed her, she’d rather not explore.
With a scowl, her brother handed their mother her wine and then his wife’s, watching in disgust as she drained the champagne glass with one hand and took the pinot with the other.
The band started playing. Many in the crowd cheered. Even Eliza was impressed with the turnout. If only Brandon could
