Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel (41 page)

“Just one more green light to go and I’ll have a perfect set,” Cassie said
in a dry tone.

Jace turned as the women opened the door of the truck. He started back over, hating the look of worry on Cassie’s face. He wished he could smooth away her concern, but he also knew what her brother meant to her—what his approval meant. Jace wished he had no doubts they’d attain it. He also wished he had no doubts that she would follow through with her promise and stay with him even if they didn’t.

He waited until the two girls passed in front of him, liking that Krista patted Cassie on the back comfortingly. They weren’t blood, but they were definitely family. Cassie had a tight knit
group of friends and he really hoped he could stay on the inside.

They entered the huge house, making Jace wonder about the inheritance they spoke of. If Sean
owned a mansion on a hillside in an expensive part of the world, it must be large. Before he could think on that more thoroughly, though, they turned right in a huge foyer and walked into a large living room decked out in matching finery.

A man sat on a plush leather couch, a remote in his hand. He looked up as they walked in,
a vivid green gaze taking a moment to connect with Krista, before touching his sister, and finally landing on Jace. The clear, focused stare held command and authority, a man used to issuing orders, but also manipulating within business politics. That and his tailored suit hinted at a high-ranking position.

Jace recognized
Cassie’s facial structure and poise, but beneath that cultivated exterior lay a vicious and capable fighter, Jace would bet his life on it. Sean was a man who would not only stand his ground, he could physically hold it if need be. He was a force, while Cassie was the chaos, and they’d survived their family together. Jace could respect that.

“Hi. I’m Sean.” Sean came forward with a balanced step, taking
Jace’s hand with a firm, solid handshake.

“Jace.” He matched the strength in the handshake with firm eye contact, feeling the assessment and vulnerability of being held on a giant scale. Sean could look all he wanted, though. Jace knew his strengths as well as shortfalls, and he was satisfied in what he had to offer Cassie.

“Welcome. Please, come in and have a seat. I’m told dinner will be ready in about half an hour.” Sean motioned for Jace to sit on the couch. He gave Cassie a hug, next. “Hi.”

“Hey.”

“No punch this time, huh?” Sean smiled at his sister.

“Maybe later, we’ll see how long this charade lasts.”

Sean gave her a playful scowl. “Be nice.”

A naughty little grin lit up her face as she took
Jace’s hand and walked him to the couch. “How many people did you hire to make the statement of your vast wealth?”

“
I was under the impression you hated my cooking.”

“Yeah. Good point.”

“Besides, I usually hire in for dinner parties.” Sean moved distractedly to the recliner.

“Oh, really?
You
hire them, hmm? I wasn’t the one that organized?” Krista gave him a scowl before saying to Jace, “He always claims credit for my work.”

Sean’s focused gaze
switched from his sister to his girlfriend. A smile curved his lips. “Sorry.” He rose gracefully, a natural athlete like his sister, and moved across the room to take the seat next to Krista’s. She leaned into him, her irritation from earlier turning into a contented smile and soft sigh.

It dawned on Jace. This was what Cassie was talking about—what she longed for. What he did. The mutual respect and adoration the two of them had for each other had been built from a solid foundation and deep
-rooted love. They cherished the ground the other walked on and would do anything to make their partner happy.

Well, at least Cassie and he had the same goal in mind. They had the same desires. They also had the love that had already taken root. Now they just needed time and experiences to build that love into something unbreakable and long lasting.

“So,” Sean said as a woman dressed in black walked into the room with an opened bottle of wine.

“Oh shit!” Cassie snapped her fingers.

“Language, Cass,” Sean said automatically, waiting for her to go on.

She ignored him, making Jace grin
.

“I got you guys some wine. Some of it might not be good—I stopped being able to taste it. I forgot it, though.”

“That’s because your memory is full of cheese.” Krista took an offered glass.

“Made out of cheese, dummy. The holey kind. You should come over and pick it out, though, before Kate comes over. She’ll take as much as she can.”

“I heard you met the friends,” Sean asked Jace.

“I did,” Jace answered, taking a glass of wine. Cassie took hers next with a grimace. “They’re a fun bunch. Crazy.”

“Yes. Loyal, though. They warmed up to you, I take it?”

Jace couldn’t help a smile. “The evening started with the third degree, but yes, they went through the steps and then started picking on Ben. Or each other. Or me.”

“Be thankful. I had long periods of time when they wanted to physically cause me harm. Kate probably would’ve pushed me off a cliff if she’d had her way. It wasn’t pretty.” Sean grimaced down at Krista.

“You deserved it,” she responded. She patted his leg.

Sean turned his attention back to Jace. “And your brother is Peter, I hear.”

“Yes. He’s the youngest of four. I’m the oldest.” Jace took a sip of his wine.

“I like Peter. He’s a good guy. You didn’t know he was gay, though, huh? How’d that go?”

Jace threaded his fingers in Cassie’s. “For me, fine. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t a shock—it was. I’m still getting used to it. My family, though…aren’t taking it so well. My brothers will come around, and my mom subscribes to unconditional love, but my dad…”

“Think he’ll come around?” Krista asked.

“I’m not sure. I
think he’ll pretend to if everyone else is on board, but I don’t think he’ll ever really change his mind.”

Sean nodded and took a sip of his wine, questions bubbling behind those intelligent eyes. Jace just waited.
“What is it you do?” Sean asked.

“I run a business that
restores old cars and motorcycles. We have three garages in Texas, and I’ll be opening one here.”

“
In Texas? How will you oversee that from here?” Sean asked, still studying him.

“I get the shop up and running, hire in a staff, get everything
in a flow, train in a manager, and move on. It works better when the big bad boss isn’t around.”

“You know what?” Cassie said, letting go of
Jace’s hand. “Why don’t you guys go for a walk around the house? Sean, you can grill Jace, and Jace can get pissed and punch you in the mouth so I don’t have to bother.”

“Good idea—“ Krista started pushing at Sean. “Go. And hopefully we can all chat together when you get back.”

Sean met Jace’s gaze, silently asking if that was a good idea. Jace nodded and stood.
Let’s get the show on the road.

“I’ll show you around the house.” Sean
waited for Jace to step closer before starting toward the foyer, and then turning left toward the back of the house, entering a long hall.

“She punch you in the stomach yet?” Sean asked in a light tone.
He was friendly and cordial, amiable and polite, perfectly mannered without being stuffy. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, actually.

This was the guy everyone was so worried about? It didn’t seem to fit. Jace expected an asshole.

“Yeah.” Jace chuckled. “Randomly, too.”

“She’s violent. I used to beat the piss out of her. You know, as kids. She’d instigate and then I’d wrestle with her. All in fun. She’s an athlete, though, so it was good sport.”

“She said you practically raised her.” Jace noticed some of the same style paintings along the wall that Cassie had in her house. “These done by Ben?” Jace pointed to one that made him want to stop and stare with his mouth open at the swirling design.

“Yes. I snatch up as many as I can. He hates selling them, but I think he’s getting used to it.” They continued down the hall. “These are the ba
ck bedrooms. Not all that exciting.”

Sean led them to the back of the house and stopped by a window overlooking the backyard. A grill was set up with a great patio overlooking a breathtaking ocean vista. “Yeah. We didn’t have a great time of it as kids. I looked after her—tried to keep her out of trouble. Wish I’d done the same for myself.”

Sean spared him a troubled glance and turned away down a hall. “Would you need to move back to Texas?”

“No. I would need to travel back and forth occasionally to check up on everything, but they would be quick trips
, in most cases. I have extremely competent managers.”

Sean
led them up a flight of stairs to the second story. “You like her, I can see that. But it’s only been a short time.”

“Yes. Hopefully it’s just the beginning.”

They turned into a room hardly used. There was a large TV with some sort of game console set up. There was a love seat and gaming chair with a stool, and some small tables. Across the room was a computer, equipped with joystick. It was carpeted and comfortable, painted a bright yellow, had shelves and plenty of storage area, but nothing was in it.

On a bare wall hung a painting, the only piece of
décor. Bursts of vivid and bold colors dotted seemingly random spots, but soft colors connected them in such a neat and flowing way Jace had to step closer to look. Completely chaotic, the colors ran around the canvas at the speed of a bullet, entrapping the eye and yanking it along. The painting evoked a deep but profound sort of feeling, comfortable and exciting at the same time.

“Ben did this?” he asked in a hush.

“Yes.” Sean stepped up beside Jace and surveyed the work. “Look, Jace, I’m going to be frank—I think I owe that to you. To her. I’ve babied my sister since she was a kid. If she asked me to cut her meat for her, I still would. I’m overbearing and suffocating in how I deal with her, and she’s gotten used to that. I love my sister. She’s my lifeline. She is the best sort of person on this earth. I got really lucky to go through my childhood hell with her. And in a way, I was intensely lucky I had someone to look after. It focused me. But I’m a realist—not many guys are willing to put in the time, even though they’ll be rewarded ten-fold. I won’t stand by and let my sister get stepped on.”

“
I’ve often been described as pushy and suffocating myself.” Jace couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the painting.

“She also isn’t stellar with money.
She’s incredibly smart--she probably would be if she tried, but…again, I can be suffocating. She lets me handle it.” Sean laughed. “It’s probably also laziness on her part. Regardless, I manage a lot of her affairs, and I will be a custodian for her large trust fund, which she’ll get next year.”

Sean took a breath and said, “This is not going to come out well, but we’ve had problems in the past with…people trying to cash in on my sister. Hell, I’ve had my fair share of women going after me for my money. It’s why I never told Krista about it until after I was sure. Be that as it may,
I’m supposed to pass the rights of my sister’s trust fund over when she gets married, but if I don’t think her spouse is in it for the right reasons, I’ll work around that. I’m confident I can, and I’m equally as confident she’ll let me. She trusts me with her life, and I will always uphold that trust to the best of my ability. It’s not out of badness, man, but I have to look after my sister. Hope you can respect that if things continue on.”

Jace glanced at the man next to him and couldn’t help feeling a budding respect
. There weren’t many men that would go to the lengths this guy did to ensure his sibling had the happiest life possible. He also knew this conversation was less about warning him away, or sizing him up, as it was about Sean admitting his guilt in Cassie having a harder time finding love. Sean seemed to feel he was somewhat responsible for her loneliness.

Jace turned back to the painting. The guy was just doing what was right. Jace would’ve done the same thing in Sean’s situation. Everyone had been anxiety-ridden for something completely logical.

“I have a small fortune, only getting bigger. My ex was in it for the money. I tried to deny that as long as I could, but… I know where you’re coming from.”

“As long as we’re clear,” Sean said quietly as he studied the painting alongside Jace.

Jace couldn’t resist. “And I could give you a run for your money with investments. I know a guy.”

Sean coughed out a laugh. “
The stock market is my bitch.”

They both chuckled and shared a quiet moment. Finally Sean said,
“So you’re in this for the long haul, huh? She’s caught your eye?”

“Yes. And yes. I don’t jump in very quickly in most situations, and even though I am now, it doesn’t feel like it. It doesn’t feel like we’
re rushing anything. My family loves her, I love her friends—we fit. This fits.”