The Billion Dollar Fiancé [#8]

Chapter 2

Victoria was babbling on about something again, but Connor couldn't be bothered to listen when her lips moved just as fast as her hands every time her two year old son created a mess. Connor adored his younger sister, and he loved her children, but he was missing his niece who wouldn't be home from school for another hour, and he had yet to meet his nephew, Jacob, who Victoria was trying so hard to clean up.

"I got him," he finally said to avoid his annoyed sister. He picked Jacob up from his high chair and took a wipe to clean the food on his face. "You look just like Derek. At least my baby sister stayed faithful to this one."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "He's talking now, Connor. He's also repeating words so don't say things like that to my son."

"Oh, I'm only joking." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and held Jacob closer to him. "I missed so much being away on the job."

"You chose your career."

"I don't regret it."

"This Camilla girl," she said, wiping down the surface of her son's high chair. "You really love her, huh?"

Connor nodded. "I'm engaged to her, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah," she mumbled with the shrug of her shoulders. "It's just... you and Stephen have always had some issues growing up. How does he feel about you marrying his first love?"

"I haven't told him yet," he said, avoiding eye contact. "She wasn't his first love. They were always friends."

"He loved her," she told him. "Everyone knew. They were just young and dumb. So are you sure you want to marry your brother's lover?"

Connor took Jacob's small hand in his when he tugged at the collar of his shirt and looked away from his sister in shame. "They weren't together, Vic. If he loved her so much why didn't he bring her around the house?"

"He did. You were just always out fucking some new kid on the block to ever be home."

He chuckled at the memory of his immature high school days. "I remember that."

"So does Stephen. I'm sure Camilla remembers it, too."

"Vic," he said, ruefully smiling, "you know I love Stephen, but I love Camilla, too. Whatever they had, it was a thing of the past."

"You're too selfish for your own good," she murmured in disappointment. "I've watched you take everything from him our whole lives. I would never choose between my brothers, but Camilla might have to when she sees Stephen again."

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Do you know why he's in Italy?"

Connor shook his head.

"He's trying to fulfill that promise of going there with her."

"He took a girl with him."

"He went alone," she told him, rolling her eyes. "He's all alone, Connor. We remind him he has a family, but every time he starts to warm up again, he pulls away then leaves home."

"Why is that?" Connor asked. He was genuinely concerned for his brother. It was true that he and Stephen had had their difference more so than anyone else in the family, but he still loved his brother.

"He met this woman. The rest of his story is a mystery. He won't talk to us."

Connor didn't know what to say. The story wasn't a mystery at all to him. "He'll be at dinner tonight with Mom and Dad. You're coming."