Someone Like You (2 page)

The day he escaped Long Island, he'd sworn he'd never come back. Yet here he was, practically with his tail between his legs.
Damn.

There it was, the whole lavish compound, a ridiculous amount of land for one family to call home. The mansion was set back on the ornately landscaped Harrison estate, where he had been raised with his three siblings. He'd never been close with his two older brothers. Part of it was the age gap—Charles III was eight and a half years older than him, and Dane more than six. Pierce had always known they saw their much younger brother as a nuisance to be tolerated. Tess, the only girl, his sweet sister whom he adored, was only four years older than him, and had always, always been there for him. She was the only Harrison Pierce truly felt any kinship with.

His parents? A joke. His self-absorbed, wayward mother had left to travel the world when he was six years old, after their father threw her out. And his father . . . Pierce's tumultuous relationship with Charles Roger Harrison II wasn't a secret. Some of their nastier fights had been the stuff of family legend.

He swallowed hard, both amazed and infuriated at how the very thought of his clan still could reduce him to feeling like an unwanted, frustrated child. He reminded himself he was thirty-one now, not a kid, but a grown man. A strong, successful man, one with some power of his own. Power that had nothing to do with the Harrison name, legacy, or funds—just his own skills and talent with a soccer ball.

But God bless his sister. Tess always welcomed him back with open arms, no matter what he did. He was grateful for that unconditional love and acceptance, now more than ever. The car came to a stop in front of the guesthouse that no longer housed guests, but Tess herself since she broke off her engagement three years ago.

Pierce helped the driver take his duffel bag and two suitcases out of the trunk, tipped him generously, and then watched as he drove away. Tess's car was in the driveway. Taking a deep, calming breath, he rang his sister's doorbell.

Chapter Two

“Pierce!” Tess threw herself into her younger brother's arms with a yelp of astonished joy. “Oh my God, what are you doing here? What a fabulous surprise!”

Her long mane of dark curls tickled his forearms as he returned her warm embrace and kissed the top of her head. “Hey, Tessie.”

She pulled back and gave him a quick once-over. “It's so good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too.” In fact, he hadn't been so glad to see anyone in a long time. Affection flowed through him as sweet as honey, and he couldn't keep his smile from spreading. “You have no idea.”

As if suddenly remembering, her smile turned down and her brows puckered. “Yeah . . . you've had a hell of a few weeks, huh.”

His smile faded. “The worst,” he murmured. He gestured toward the luggage on the ground behind him, then slid her a sheepish glance. “I, uh . . . I know I should've called first, but can I stay with you for a while?”

“As long as you want,” Tess said without pause. She reached up and held his scruffy face with both hands. “I'm always here for you. You're good here. On safe ground. Okay?”

His chest tightened and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “Thanks,” he whispered gruffly before pulling his sister into another hug.

“Aww, honey.” Tess rubbed his back, soothing him. He closed his eyes, drinking in the comfort. He'd needed this more than he'd realized. It felt so damn good to know someone truly cared about him, and about what he'd been through recently. Tess might be the only one on the planet who did.

They each took two bags and went into her house. Within seconds, the sound of tiny footsteps and staccato barking were heard as Tess's white Maltese burst into the room. With happy yelps, she headed right for Pierce, spinning and dancing in little circles at his feet.

“Oh, are you happy to see him!” Tess said to her dog in a singsong voice.

“Heeey, Bubbles!” He crouched down to lift the eight-pound dog into his arms. She yipped and wiggled happily. “Hi, girl. How ya been? You're good? Yeah, you're a good girl,” he cooed as he stroked her soft fur. After a minute of this, he released the dog carefully onto the hardwood floor and rose to stand again.

“She missed you,” Tess told him.

“She always loved me,” Pierce said with pretend swagger.

“I never saw a woman who hasn't,” Tess cracked.

Pierce snorted as the grin faded from his face. “I met one recently who didn't. . . .”

“Jesus, I'm sorry.” Tess shook her head at herself. “I didn't mean to—”

“Of course you didn't, stop it.” Pierce scrubbed a hand restlessly over his face and sighed.

“So take your things up to whichever room you want and settle in,” Tess instructed. “Take a shower if you want, unpack a little, but we're leaving in half an hour.”

“We are?”

“Yup. Your timing is incredible. Big family get-together up at the main house at four o'clock.” She pointed a finger at him as soon as he opened his mouth to speak. “Don't even try to say you're not going. I'm insisting.”

Pierce scowled. “Seriously? I haven't even been back here for ten minutes and you're making me put in an appearance at the
palace?
This sucks.”

“Think of it as getting it over with,” Tess cracked. “Dane requested a family gathering. He's been away for a few weeks and asked us all to meet there for dinner.”

“Command performance?” Pierce bent to lift two of his overstuffed duffel bags.

“It's a little odd, I'll grant you that,” Tess said. “He hasn't been away on business, he's been on vacation. He took Julia on a cruise of the Greek islands. It was supposed to be for two weeks, but they stayed for three. They just got back the day before yesterday.”

Pierce knew that his brother, Dane, who had never committed to a woman in his life, had fallen head over heels in love with Julia Shay, the singer at one of his swanky Manhattan hotels. “He's still with her?”

“It's been a year now,” Tess marveled.

“Wow. Maybe they got engaged or something.”

“That's exactly what I was thinking. I hope we're right. She's lovely,” Tess said, smiling. “And she's good for him. I've never seen him so happy.”

“Must be, if he's been with the same woman for more than a few weeks.” Pierce headed for the stairs that led to the three guest rooms on the second floor. In a pretend snooty voice, he said, “The blue room all right with you?”

“Of course.”

He made it halfway up the stairs when Tess asked him, “Pierce? Just curious. How long do you think you'll be staying?”

He turned back to look at her. Tess's bright blue eyes, exactly like his and his brothers', stared at him with barely concealed worry. He knew she was concerned for him, and felt bad about that. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said quietly, “I'm not sure, Tessie. I, uh . . . I need to regroup. Thought maybe I'd do that here for a while. Sure that's okay?”

“Of course it is,” she said. “You stay as long as you want. I mean it.”

“Thank you.”

“But you're coming with me to this family dinner. They'll all be shocked and glad to see you. So get it in gear, Soccer Boy.”

He grinned at the nickname she'd called him since childhood. The relief and comfort he felt just being in her presence was almost overwhelming. “Fiiiine. Anything for you. Jumping in the shower, give me twenty minutes.”

* * *

Ignoring the dread that flowed through him with each step, Pierce followed his sister across the expanse of emerald-green lawn that separated her house from the main mansion. He took deep breaths, inhaling the familiar and cherished scent of the water that lay just beyond the edge of the estate. His great-grandfather had built the mansion on prime property, picking ten acres of land adjacent to the Long Island Sound. Pierce let the sound and smell of the water wash over him as he willed himself to relax. Not every family gathering had to turn into a skirmish. Maybe today would be one of the calmer get-togethers.

He could hope, anyway. Between his father and his eldest brother, there never seemed to be a lack of sparks to light the always quietly simmering keg.

Before he knew it, he and Tess were crossing the wide stone patio, being greeted by the members of his family. As Tess had predicted, they were all shocked to see him. Charles's children had grown and actually seemed excited he was there. He hugged his two nephews and niece briefly as they chattered at him.

But he knew what his father and brothers were thinking, as they stood there in their collared polo shirts and khaki shorts, looking like a collection from a J.Crew catalog. They were looking him over in his thin white T-shirt that revealed the many tattoos on his arms, the sporty mesh shorts that revealed more tats on his legs, and thinking that he was a colossal fuckup—as Charles Harrison II had always said he was. Thinking about how that summer he'd been embroiled in a trashy tabloid scandal over in England, a scandal big enough that it'd made its way across the ocean to the States, tarnishing the Harrison name and legacy. He saw the disdain in his father's gray eyes as he shook Pierce's hand with the same cool hello he always granted him. He felt the disapproval radiating from his oldest brother, Charles III, as they gave each other a quick, awkward hug.

Dane, however, had been ecstatic to see him. He hugged him tightly, slapping him on the back, going on about what a great surprise this was and how glad he was to see him. Pierce just smiled back. He had to give his middle brother credit; in recent years, Dane had tried to have some kind of relationship with him. It was Pierce who'd always held Dane at arm's length.

Now, as Pierce looked at Dane—charming and gregarious as ever—he seemed to be radiating with light. Pierce had never seen him so vibrant, and guessed Tess had been right about why by the way Dane proudly introduced him to Julia Shay.

“It's a pleasure to finally meet you,” Julia said as she shook his hand. “I've wanted to for some time.” Pierce couldn't help but be wowed by her. She was stunning. Curvy as hell, fiery red hair, beautiful face, hazel eyes that shone with intelligence. Strong and sharp. A presence. Pierce bet she gave Dane a run for his money. Together they were powerful, that was clear.

“Heard you two just got back from a long trip,” Pierce said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts. He could feel his father's eyes boring into his back, but Pierce refused to turn around and give him the satisfaction of engaging in verbal warfare.

“We did indeed,” Dane said, a broad smile lighting up his face. He slipped an arm around Julia's waist to pull her into his side. “Ah! Right on cue.” He waved over the butler who had appeared with a silver tray covered with flutes of champagne and thanked him. “Everyone grab one. We have news to share.”

“I knew you were up to something,” Charles II griped good-naturedly.

Charles III glanced over at where his three children now sat on an outdoor sofa, each of them completely wrapped up in their electronic handheld games. Seeing they were situated, he took a glass from the tray and said to Dane, “You're glowing. Let me guess: You're pregnant, little brother.”

Dane barked out a laugh as Julia snorted. “Nope. Try again.”

“You got engaged on your trip,” Tess proclaimed. “Right?” She raised her glass to them.

“You're close,” Dane conceded, glancing at Julia. She smiled back at him.

Pierce stared. He'd never seen Dane like this with a woman: utterly, hopelessly smitten. Pierce and Dane shared one trait: They attracted women easily and went through a lot of them. Truth was, Pierce was more of a player than his older brother—Dane prided himself on the fact that even though he never settled down, he treated women like gold and stayed with some of them for weeks before ending things amicably. But they were both resolutely single and enjoyed playing the field. So seeing him so obviously gaga for a woman had Pierce truly gobsmacked.

“Well?” their father demanded. “Spill it!”

“We were on this fabulous cruise,” Dane began, “enjoying the trip of a lifetime in true paradise . . . and yes, I asked Julia to marry me.”

“I knew it!” Tess cried. She turned to Pierce, eyes bright. “I told you so!”

“Wait, Tesstastic, wait,” Dane said. A new grin curved his mouth as he looked at Julia, who met his gaze with a warm grin of her own. Still looking into her eyes, he continued, “We were already out there in paradise . . . we knew we wanted to be together . . . so, well, we eloped.” He turned his head to take in the looks on his family's faces as he revealed, “We got married last Sunday. An intimate ceremony on the island of Santorini, on a hilltop overlooking the sea. Just us. It was perfect.”

Julia nodded and blushed a bit. “It really was.”

“Wait, wait!” Tess said in excitement, and leaned in to grab Julia's left hand. A tremendous diamond ring and matching diamond wedding band sparkled on her finger. “OH! Oh my goodness! How did I not see that before?”

“I was kind of hiding my hand behind my back,” Julia admitted with a chuckle.

Charles II's eyes dashed from Dane to Julia and back again. “You
eloped?
”

“This is wonderful!” Tess squeaked, throwing herself at Dane. Careful not to spill her champagne, she hugged him tightly, rocking back and forth as she said, “I'm so happy for you! Both of you! Oh my God!”

Charles III stuttered out an awed laugh as he went to Julia. “Welcome to the family, sister-in-law,” he said as he enfolded her in a careful hug.

Pierce watched, feeling awkward. He'd only just met this woman. And now she was family. Part of their dysfunctional, high-profile family. God help her.

He glanced over at his father, who seemed both perplexed and annoyed. Any discomfort for Charles II was like candy to Pierce. Smiling, he went to Julia as his brother released her and gave her a light, quick hug. “Welcome to the clan, Julia. I wish you luck. We're a tough bunch.”

“Do you always have to be so negative about this family?” Charles II growled at his back.

“Ignore him,” Pierce whispered to Julia. “I usually do.” He pulled back and winked at her before moving to Dane. “Congratulations, bro.”

“Thank you!” Dane pulled Pierce into an embrace, clapping him on the back. “I'm so glad you're here and I got to tell you in person! Great timing on your part. I know I've been away, but I had no idea you were coming.”

“Nobody did,” Pierce admitted. “Was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Just got into New York a few hours ago.”

“He'll be staying with me while he's here,” Tess said. She raised her glass and said, “A toast! To the newlyweds! Dane, Julia, we wish you all the luck, love, and happiness in the world. All good things, because you both deserve them.”

“Here, here,” Charles III said, smiling.

All six raised their glasses and clinked them together lightly before sipping. The simmering mixture of excitement and slight tension wasn't lost on Pierce. It was an interesting moment. He smirked to himself. At least he wouldn't be bored his first day back.

“Got them to open a bottle of the Krug, I see,” the patriarch said after one taste.

“Of course. Nothing but the best for my bride,” Dane said, and leaned down to drop a kiss on Julia's mouth.

“I want to hear every detail,” Tess demanded.

“Let's all sit down then, and we'll tell you,” Dane said.

“And show you some pictures,” Julia added, beaming.

“You have pictures?” Tess squealed, practically bouncing. “Oh good!”