The From Paris With Love And Regency Season Of Secrets Ultimate Collection. Кэрол Мортимер

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СКАЧАТЬ he couldn’t. The only thing he could do was accept that he had changed.

      Like Evangeline had said.

      But if he accepted that his life was something different now, who would he be?

      He called Lucas and then flipped on the TV to lose himself in the oblivion of sleep.

      The door crashed against the wall, waking him. Groggily, he sat up and swung his legs off the edge of the bed. The empty bed.

      He wasn’t in Venice with Evangeline. He was in Dallas. Alone.

      A fuzzy Lucas lounged against the door frame, hand in his pants’ pocket and a smirk on his face.

      “God Almighty, you look like roadkill in August.” Lucas tsked.

      “Thanks. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. I was sleeping, by the way,” Matthew groused and rubbed a hand across his eyes. His brother’s form snapped into focus. “Though I appreciate that you were so eager to see me you couldn’t wait.”

      Lucas snorted out a laugh. “I just didn’t believe you were actually here. Had to see it for myself. You back?”

      “Looks that way.”

      “All the way back?”

      “Why does everyone keep asking me that? I’m here, aren’t I?”

      Lucas sat on the edge of the bed a couple feet away, dipping the mattress. “You were in bad shape. I’m concerned. Sue me.”

      Well, I am a sanctimonious lawyer.

      Matthew’s head dropped into his hands. It wasn’t just jet lag crushing him. Evangeline—knowing he’d hurt her, being without her—weighed more than he could bear.

      “Honestly, I don’t know if ‘all the way back’ is possible.”

      “Amber’s death nearly destroyed you. Don’t let it finish the job,” Lucas advised quietly. “You took some time away. Now rejoin life. I’m working on trouncing Richards Group. Another Wheeler on the job can’t hurt.”

      Matthew nearly laughed. “If only Amber were the problem, I’d be all set. Unfortunately, I traded one impossible-to-solve issue for another.”

      Lucas nodded sagely. “This has to do with the very sexy lady you met. What happened?”

      Matthew met his brother’s sharp gaze. “How do you know about that?”

      “Everyone knows about that. You photograph well, as it happens. So she figured out she’s too good for you, huh? Am I going to be nursing you through a broken heart?”

      Matthew growled. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

      “Oh, poor baby. Did she make you cry?” Lucas thumped him on the arm, and Matthew shot him a glare.

      “Back off. She’s pregnant.”

      He hadn’t meant to say anything. But it came out nonetheless, too huge to stay under wraps.

      “Then what are you doing here without her?” His brother’s eyes narrowed. “Oh. It’s not yours.”

      Matthew’s fist curled, and he almost let it fly, but curbed the impulse at the last second. Where had that anger come from? He wasn’t in Venice, free to do whatever he wanted, when he wanted to.

      “Of course it’s mine. And God, it’s a mess.”

      Lucas started laughing and didn’t stop even when Matthew shoved him. Finally, Lucas wiped his eyes. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?” His brother’s face might actually be improved with a good slug to the jaw.

      Still sniggering, Lucas crossed his arms. “May I remind you of what you said to me about Cia? I believe you accused me of getting a one-night stand pregnant and self-righteously informed me that accidents happen.”

      His stomach twisted as he vaguely recalled saying something asinine to that effect. “Is it too late to apologize?”

      “Nah.” Lucas grinned. “No apology needed. It’s nice to know you’re human like the rest of us. Where is she now? Did you have a fight or something?”

      “Worse. She threw my marriage proposal back in my face and took off with her friends.”

      “That sucks.” Lucas whistled in disbelief. “Women. Can’t live with ’em, can’t shoot ’em.”

      Matthew had made it sound like Evangeline was a flighty, irresponsible girl who didn’t understand what she’d given up, which was completely unfair and not representative of how badly the whole thing had gone down.

      “I guess I didn’t actually propose.”

      Lucas’s eyebrows rose. “What did you do then?”

      “Told her we were getting married.” Out loud, it sounded even worse than it did in his head. “It made sense, you know? You marry a woman you get pregnant. Instead, she’s talking about lawyers and custody arrangements.”

      “Geez, are you that clueless?” Lucas huffed out a disgusted breath. “No wonder she dumped you. You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, obviously. How in the world did you score with Eva?”

      That bristled the hair on the back of Matthew’s neck. “I didn’t score with her. It wasn’t like that. We had something—” Special. Meaningful. Unexplainable. “I don’t know. Different.”

      “Different than what? Amber?”

      Matthew’s throat burned, and he almost used it as an excuse to clam up. But once, he and Lucas had been close. That their bond had deteriorated was totally his fault. He wanted it back. And the first step was being honest.

      “Different than anything I’ve ever experienced. Amber fit me, fit my plans. Evangeline...doesn’t.”

      But she fit Matt comfortably, like a second skin. Evangeline was different—sexy, arousing, provoking and flat-out frightening.

      “So? Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.”

      If only it was that easy.

      “Since you’re so smart, you tell me. If everything you thought you knew about yourself got flipped upside down, what would you do?” Yeah, asking what would Lucas do had gotten him into this mess. Why break tradition?

      A perceptive light crept into his brother’s eyes. “Well, now. That very thing happened, as a matter of fact. When it did, I looked to my older brother and said, that’s who I want to be.”

      Matthew flinched. “Me? Which part of dumping all my responsibilities in your lap did you aim to replicate?”

      “Nobody blames you for that. You needed a break. But I guess you forgot the rest of that conversation the afternoon Grandpa died. You said I could be you, and you СКАЧАТЬ