The Chosen Heir (The Bolles Dynasty Book 3) (23 page)

“I’ve been recovering for the last few months and haven’t been able to get to everything.”

“Please don’t worry,” Bridget said kindly.

Mary moved about the kitchen and put on water for tea.

Bridget gently ushered him over to the pine table and pulled out a chair for him and then sat down next to him.

Mary served them scalding hot tea, taking a seat opposite them at the table. He decided not to ask about her illness. It was better to let her disclose information.

He kept his voice low and respectful. “I’m renovating The Donne Golf Resort and a few of the locals told me that you were in love with my father. It was widely known that when he died tragically you were carrying his child. Why didn’t you approach the family for help?”

She folded her hands. “It was a long time ago.” She looked away for a brief time, then looked at him. “What are your plans for Oliver?”

What could he possibly say? They were going to be at odds. They were from different social and economic worlds. “I’m curious about him. I’d like to spend some time with him and find out if he is interested in a establishing a relationship.”

Mary’s voice hesitated. “He is a good boy. He does well in school and likes football. But not having a family has been hard for him, especially when I got sick a year ago.”

“I’m sorry.” Bridget reached across the table and took Mary’s small hand in hers.

“I’m recovering, but during my hospitalizations, Oliver had to take a year off from school.”

William sipped his tea and listened to her. She had dedicated her life to Oliver and worried that she wouldn’t be around to guide or encourage him. He stopped himself from offering to take Oliver under his wing. It would be up to his brother.
 

He heard the door open and a young man call out, “Mama, I’m home.”

William stood up and came face-to-face with a younger version of himself. It was unmistakable. He was a Bolles. They could do sophisticated DNA testing, but it wouldn’t matter.

The boy held out his hand and said, “I’m Mary’s son, Oliver Barrett.”

He shook his hand and said, “I’m your brother, William Bolles.”

The teenager became still and the color drained from his face.
 

His mother went over and led him to the table. “I know it is a shock to meet your brother in this way. This is his friend, Bridget.”

He held out his hand to Bridget.

Oliver looked at him and said, “I never met my biological father. With all due respect, I don’t know what you want from us.”

Mary interrupted. “It’s not about wanting anything. It’s about getting to know your father’s family. You have a brother and two sisters.”

Oliver looked at his mother. “It’s always been you and I. We don’t need other people in our lives.”

He understood the boy’s reluctance to open himself up. He was at a difficult age. It was the age he was when his father died.

“Oliver, I know the entire situation is awkward. You can treat me like an acquaintance or a distant family friend.”
 

Oliver shrugged. “Fine.”

“Mary, are you well enough to come out for dinner this evening?”

Mary nodded. “I’m on the mend and can certainly have dinner.”

Oliver met his gaze. “I don’t want to have dinner and pretend this is normal. It would be better if you said what you came to say and then leave.”

“I’m not expecting you to be overjoyed at the prospect of having an older brother. It will take time to get to know each other. But doing small things such as sharing a meal or going for a walk will make this process more bearable.”

“You haven’t said what you want from us.”

This kid was impossible. “I want a younger brother. Someone who will kick the football around or go on an adventure with me.”

“I used to want that when I was a little boy, but now that I’m seventeen, I’m not interested.”

He stood up. “I’ll see you at dinner. Thank you, Mary.”

He heard Bridget say goodbye and could feel her arm linked with his as they walked outside.

Walking back to his Range Rover, images of his father assaulted him. He would need to relocate to London for a period of time if he was going to help Oliver get into a university and rebuild his family’s legacy. Eventually his brother would take on the Bolles name and he wouldn’t allow the media to make his brother’s life difficult.
 

***

William was quiet on the ride back to the hotel. It must have been odd to come face-to-face with someone who clearly shared the same genetic background. It was uncanny how similar the two looked.
 

“Do you want to relax at the hotel or go for a ride?”

“I’ll go for a ride.”

After checking in and changing into riding clothing, they went outside and took the bikes off the Range Rover. William went over her bicycle and then pointed for her to get the helmets when took his bicycle off the vehicle.

“Do you have the route mapped out?” Was he planning to do an insane amount of kilometers?

He put his helmet on. “I found a few different routes. Why don’t we start and see what happens? We only have two hours if we are going to make it back in time to have dinner with Mary and Oliver.”

Bridget lost all sense of time as she followed him through the winding roads. The area had rolling hills and pristine forests and was much more rural than she first realized.

Setting an intense pace, Bridget pushed herself to keep up with him. She thought about his family and how amazing it was to have siblings. Oliver would be a welcome addition to the Bolles clan. She could imagine how much love and attention his sisters would lavish on him. And William would take the boy under his wing.
 

Had he spoken with them already? In New York, Olivia hadn’t mentioned anything.

She had a couple of messages from Breen on her phone and she needed to throw herself back into work.
 

The hotel came into sight and she pushed herself to pass William. He caught up to her near the Range Rover and said, “You are amazing on a cycle.”

“I’m surprised we didn’t use the entire two-hour block of time.”

William climbed off of his bike. “I have a different activity planned for us.”

She laughed. “I have a few work calls to make.” Stepping off the bicycle, her legs could barely support her.

“The hills were intense.”

After dealing with the equipment, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her provocatively. “You should put off the calls.”

She could feel his hard body against hers and she didn’t have a chance. “Let’s go.”

An hour later at the restaurant, they waited for Mary and Oliver in the foyer. She could barely take her eyes off of William. The last hour between them had been raw and intense. He had wanted to pleasure her and didn’t stop until she was satiated and limp.

He held her hand. “I can’t wait to get this dinner over with and have you all to myself again.”

How could she have thought that they shouldn’t spend every night together? She would miss him when he traveled next.

Mary and Oliver arrived and they stepped forward to greet them.

William signaled the host and they were shown to a private table.
 

“Thank you for inviting us, William.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He took a look at the menu.

Bridget said, “We went for a bike ride this afternoon and the area is unspoiled and pristine. Spending so much time in London and now Dublin, the rolling hills and forests are majestic.”

“I came to this area when I was pregnant with Oliver. It was a magical place to raise a little boy. Now that he will be going off to university, it is far from everywhere.”

“Maybe I can convince you both to stay with me when you look at schools in Dublin. I live in a converted pub and there is a ton of space.”

Mary smiled. “That would be lovely.”

The waiter took their order and their conversation stayed carefree and easy.

***

Much later, when they were walking out of the restaurant, William said, “We are staying another day if you have time tomorrow.”

“Oliver has school, but I’ll be home if you want to come over for tea.”

William shook his brother’s hand and then gently hugged Mary. Bridget did the same and they watched the mother and son walk to their car.

“They are both lovely.”

William took her hand and they walked back to the hotel.
 

“I’ll have to tell my sisters in the next few days.”

She looked at him. “Why haven’t you?” Was he afraid of their reaction?

He shook his head. “I’ve been waiting to confirm a few things with a local attorney.”

“Oliver is you. How could you think for a moment that he is not your brother?”

“These things can be complicated. It’s smart to be careful.”

He was a man of integrity, clearly intending to help his estranged brother. Revealing a weakness was not something that came easily to him. But he’d allowed her to have a front row seat for the emotional meeting with his brother. Maybe they had a chance at making their relationship work.

Chapter 11
 

Bridget woke up on Friday morning entangled in William’s arms. Struggling to pull the sheet out from under her, she glanced at her phone. It was six o’clock in the morning. They were flying to London that evening, but she needed to spend the day at Breen. The company was devouring all of her energy and time, but it was starting to turn around. She lightly kissed William on his lips and he groaned.
 

He had not given her any assurances about the future. Taking a shower, she mentally went through her day and began to plan out what she could accomplish and what needed to wait. Stepping out of the shower, she dried off and went back into the bedroom.

William had woken up and was watching her intently.

“I’m needed at Breen this morning.”

His voice was rough and insistent. “I need you more.”

“Funny. But you have things to do as we are flying to London tonight.”

He propelled himself out of bed and walked naked over to her. “Your loss.”

She gave him a surprised look and went in search of her clothing. She had packed a bag two nights ago. She dressed in a stylish light tweed business dress with a narrow black belt and gathered her laptop and files.
 

***

They flew in his plane to London that evening. A hired car was waiting at the private airstrip to take them into the city.
 

“It’s odd to be here after two months. So much has changed between us,” Bridget said, walking in behind him to his London flat.

“I was fascinated by you from the moment you got off the train.”

She placed her handbag on the entry table. “Didn’t you hold a grudge from our first meeting?” Her heels clicked on the wooden floor.

“I couldn’t. You broke down all of my defenses.” He placed their luggage in the living room.

Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her. Pure pleasure swept through her and she clung to him.

He picked her up and carried her through the flat.
 

She held onto his shoulders. “I didn’t see your bedroom the last time I was here.” It was fun to be carried by him. He was strong and lifted her effortlessly.

“I would have given you a tour if you had asked.”

“I seem to remember you were all business that night,” she said teasingly.

He placed her on the bed and came down on top of her. “It was an act.”

He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. She ran her hands over his tightly sculpted chest and he let out a groan.

He kissed her neck and pulled her body closer to his. “You are wearing too many clothes.”