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“Mother, I can’t understand you. Slow down.” Macalister had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. His parents hardly ever called, not since he made the mistake of choosing Twisted Vine over the job he had at an elite firm in New York City.
It had been two weeks since he and David had admitted they loved each other and Macalister had never been happier. They had been having a lazy weekend, walking around Dahlonia, going to one of the other vineyards in the area for a tasting since Macalister didn’t exactly think going to the place he worked would help him relax.
It was late Sunday afternoon and they had just gotten back from a craft fair in a nearby town. They were out on David’s back porch enjoying the garden of wildflowers and talking about where there were going to eat when Macalister’s phone rang.
“Your father had a heart attack,” his mom yelled. Apparently, she had been loud enough for David to hear because he jumped up and went inside. When Macalister had gotten off the phone, David was standing at the front door with a suitcase beside him and was talking on the phone.
“I don’t know how long we’ll be. Just reschedule or cancel any appointments you can’t be there for. Thanks Tori.” David hung up, picked up his suitcase and said, “Would you rather I drive?”
Normally Macalister drove for two reasons. The first was because he never let anyone drive his BMW, no one. The second had to do with David. Macalister had seen the man drive and there was no way he was getting into a car with David behind the wheel. If he could, he would take David’s car from him. He just thanked God David lived close enough to Tropical Beach that he walked to and from work every day.
Macalister eyed David’s suitcase. “Are you sure you want to come with me? I’m not going to lie. My parents aren’t easy to deal with.”
David closed the distance between them and gently kissed him. “Of course, I’m going. I love you. I’m here to support you.”
That meant far more to Macalister than he ever would have imagined. Then again, he’d never known that kind of unconditional love before. With his parents, he’d only received praise if he surpassed their goals for him. And his brother...well, Grant and he had never been close.
“Thank you, my love.” He kissed David once more and then they left.
They made a quick stop at Macalister’s apartment to pack a bag and were on the road within an hour. They had been lucky to find a flight out of Atlanta directly to New Haven with seats available in just four hours, giving them plenty of time to get to the airport and check in.
The entire drive, David kept up a conversation that didn’t require Macalister to think much, but it also helped to keep his mind off his father. But right after they checked their bags in and got to the terminal to wait for their flight, Macalister received another call from his mother in hysterics.
This time, not about his father, who according to her was now in recovery, it was about Macalister’s brother, Grant. “He’s refusing to come. Your father is still in critical condition and could die and your brother won’t come to see him. Fix this, Macalister.” Then, just like his mother tended to do when she’d had her say, she hung up without even saying goodbye.
“Wow.” David reached over and squeezed Macalister’s arm. “She must be quite overwhelmed with your father’s condition.”
Macalister gave a laugh. “I wish I could say that was true, but I’m afraid to admit, that is her normal behavior.”
David’s eyes widened a fraction before he recovered and linked their hands together. “So, why isn’t your brother coming?”
Macalister appreciated that David felt the need to change the subject, but he had no idea the can of worms he was opening up. “Because Grant does the exact opposite of what is expected. Plus, he hates our parents.”
Those pretty, blue eyes widened once more but this time David kept them that way. “But your father had a heart attack. He can’t hate them so much he wouldn’t want to check on him, could he?”
Poor naïve David. Macalister should have insisted he stay behind. “If you knew my parents, you would understand.” Then he dialed the one number he had never bothered to dial since Grant had left home when he was only seventeen.
There was no hello. No standard greeting of any kind when Grant answered. “I should have known mother would get her lapdog to call me. There is nothing you can say to get me to go to Connecticut, so if that’s the reason you’re calling...”
“It’s not,” Macalister interrupted. “Yes, mother asked me to do just that, but I already knew it would be a waste of time.”
There was silence on the line. “Then why call?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.” Macalister was six years older than Grant. By the time Grant was five, Macalister had been sent to a private boarding school. Before that, nannies kept Grant out of sight so as not to disturb the rest of the household, so Macalister had never really known his brother.
When their parents had decided to bring Macalister home and bring in tutors, Grant had turned his back on the life their parents wanted for them. He refused to go to boarding school, running away every time they tried to force him to go. And private schools weren’t much better.
Grant had only been ten when Macalister had started being homeschooled, and the two had nothing in common. Grant jeered at the way Macalister toed the line and did whatever their parents had wanted.
“I guess I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Macalister finally said.
There was a bark of laughter on the line. “Since when have you ever cared about me?” Grant had a point, but it hadn’t been true.
“I always cared. Mother and Father just made sure to keep us apart.” Although their age difference helped. “I found someone who I love and I would really like for you two to meet.” Macalister turned to David, who gave his hand a squeeze of reassurance. “His name is David and he owns a tanning salon.”
That sounded lame, even to Macalister, but he didn’t know how to talk to his brother. They might have been related by blood but they were basically strangers.
“Do our parents know about him?” Grant asked.
“Not yet, but David is going with me to Connecticut, so they’ll meet him.” He just hoped they didn’t drive David away, screaming.
“Well, big brother. Then you have just managed to do the one thing I swore would never happen,” Grant said.
Confused, Macalister asked. “What’s that?”
“Get me to Connecticut.” Then, just as their mother did, the line went dead without a goodbye. Grant would be loath to admit it, but he was far more like their parents than he imagined.
“Does your whole family just hang up like that?” David asked.
“Pretty much.”
“That’s just rude.” David leaned over and softly kissed him. Macalister hadn’t realized just how much he’d needed that until that moment. His family had a way of sucking the soul out of Macalister. Maybe, with David by his side, he’d find a way to keep it intact this time.
