Finally when she was out of the room, he turned his attention to Salazar. “Congratulations. Look what you’ve done.”
“Me? You’re the one who asked.”
“I didn’t.” Dane bared his teeth in a nasty smile. “You did.”
Salazar paused, then narrowed his eyes. “You’re such an asshole.”
“Thank you,” Dane said coolly, tilting his scotch Salazar’s way. “I learned from the best.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Dane rolled his shoulders as he made his way to his suite. Two-plus hours of dinner, and there hadn’t been a single toast to Mark and Hilary. The couple had been dying to get away.
They should’ve just skipped the farce from the beginning and eloped like Vanessa and Justin.
Speak of the devil… Dane scowled as a text from Vanessa came in. Meet me in my room.
Did she really want to spend more time with him? Or was she plotting something?
Dane went inside Vanessa and Justin’s suite without a knock, then raised an eyebrow when he spotted Iain and Shane as well. Iain was sitting, his face unnaturally serene, probably in some kind of meditation so he wouldn’t do something he’d regret later, while Shane was sprawled on a couch, nursing some scotch. Vanessa sat in an armchair with a glass of the family’s orange juice. She was vibrating with energy. If she hadn’t been so heavily pregnant, she would’ve been pacing.
“Where’s your husband?” Dane asked.
“Out,” she said.
“Mark?”
“This is his wedding. I’m not going to bother him.”
“What’s the issue?” Dane took a seat.
“Is Dad going to sign?”
Iain and Shane’s gazes swung Dane’s way. He shrugged. “No idea.”
“Weren’t you at his place about that?” Shane asked.
“Not about that.”
“But you were there.”
“So? Have you ever known him to share his plans?”
Iain breathed audibly.
“Fine. How about if you had to guess?” Vanessa sucked down her juice.
Poor kid. For the kind of family bullshit they were all going through, she deserved a real drink. “I would say probably. Mom’s right in that it’s just a formality. The marriage is over.”
Vanessa sighed, visibly deflating. “I can’t believe it.”
“Don’t tell me you still have any romantic notions about the two of them,” Dane said. “You’re an attorney. Don’t you know better?”
“They were in love when they got married.”
“Shit happens, Vanessa. Love is not forever.” Dane forced himself to stay relaxed. “And a miserable marriage will kill it every time.”
Bitter cynicism curled in Dane’s chest.
He remembered…
He lay in bed at night, waiting for Salazar to stop by to kiss him. He always kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep because then his father would linger a little longer.
Right on cue, Salazar entered the dark room and sat on the edge of the bed. A faint cologne and unfamiliar perfume came from him. His fingers caressed Dane’s head, fluffing his hair.
“Sleeping without a worry in the world, while I’ll never be free,” Salazar murmured. “Never, not with more babies popping out of her all the time. If you’d just…” His hand stilled and there was a sigh. “You should’ve never been born.”
The final words were whispered so softly that Dane almost hadn’t heard them. An icy, paralyzing shock slammed through him. His eyes popped open, but his father wasn’t looking at him anymore.
“Then I would’ve divorced your mother, and we would’ve both been happy. Away from each other. Now…it’s too late.”
Dane would never forget what he’d heard. Even if he’d wanted to, he couldn’t.
“Love can last. You just have to find the right person,” Iain said, jerking Dane’s attention back to the present.
“Well apparently, our parents didn’t.” Dane’s voice was much sharper than he intended, but he didn’t give a damn.
“Like I said, I don’t want to have to explain to this child,” Vanessa rubbed her swollen belly, “why his grandmother is younger than his mom.”
“Then just cut ties. It’s not like he’s your biological father,” Dane said.
“Vanessa has a point, though,” Shane said slowly. “I don’t want to have that conversation with my kids either.”
Vanessa gasped, then put a hand to her lips as tears shone in her eyes. “Is Ginger…?”
“No, no. But we’re going to have one or two. Probably two. A couple of girls who look just like her.” A goofy smile lit Shane’s face.