Chapter Seven

WITH EACHmeasured, even stroke, Dylan sliced through the water, leaving behind only faint ripples on the surface. From his office window, Ryan watched the play of muscles on Dylan’s back as his lean legs and arms propelled him through the water. It occurred to him that no one had ever used the pool for actual exercise before. Lindsay didn’t use it at all except to lounge around it with her friends. The pool was another excuse for a fashion show more than something fun. How many times had he invited her to join them when he played with Leo in the pool? A picture of the three of them splashing and laughing in the water together formed in his mind. In his vision, Leo was healthy, but it wasn’t Lindsay he was laughing with. It was Dylan.

He exhaled, leaning his arm against the glass. The first few days after Dylan arrived had been awkward. It was Leo who brought them together and helped them find balance. Dylan was wonderful with him. Even playing with Legos, Dylan skillfully integrated science, math, history, and reading into the activity. There was more laughter in the house than before, making it feel more like the home Ryan always wanted. Dylan’s presence also reinforced how dysfunctional his marriage to Lindsay had been. Stephanie and his parents reassured Ryan that he’d made the right choice marrying Lindsay, and he’d be happy when he settled into married life. Ryan thought he wanted a wife and children. The children part, yes, but he wanted more than a wife. He wanted a partner, someone he could talk to at the end of a long day. A relationship where they would inspire each other to be the best versions of themselves. But instead of growing together, he and Lindsay grew apart. Lindsay was available to talk, but their conversations were limited to Lindsay sharing gossip Ryan didn’t care about or where they should go on their next vacation. Ryan hoped Leo’s birth would bring them closer, but Lindsay viewed Leo as more of a burden than their child.

The knowledge shattered him, leaving him alone in accepting the hard reality that his marriage was over while everyone else turned a blind eye.

Now that he’d met Dylan, Ryan was even more disgusted with himself for the choice he’d made. Marrying Lindsay, or anyone who could be so hateful and callous, would be out of the question for him. He felt a deep sense of regret for believing the lies that Lindsay and her family had told about Dylan. From the moment they’d met, Ryan knew that there wasn’t a shred of truth to what he’d been told about Dylan.

Dylan pulled himself out of the pool, water sliding off his body, leaving tiny droplets that glistened in the sun against his tan skin. No, Dylan’s actions reflected his caring and compassionate nature. He was so sweet with Leo, the two of them instantly bonding. The reality was Dylan had all the qualities Ryan’d hoped to find in his twin.

Ryan turned away and let out a deep, shuddering breath, feeling the familiar tug in his gut that he had thought successfully banished.

“Ryan, are you okay?”

His sister walked into his office with a worried look. She came toward him, looking over his shoulder with a frown.

“I see he’s already making himself at home.”

“He’s a guest, Steph. He can use the pool.”

She turned to him with an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t approve. I’m anxious about, well… everything.”

Ryan put his arm around her shoulder. “I know. This is….” He shook his head with a sigh. “I still can’t believe it—the last year feels like it’s been a dream, or a nightmare.”

“Once we get through the transplant, things will get better.”

“I hope so. There’s still a chance it won’t work.”

“It will. It has too.”

She spoke with the confidence Ryan wanted to have. Over the last year, his understanding of hope had changed drastically. How many times had he said something as thoughtless as “I hope it doesn’t rain today?” Now he spent his time hoping his son didn’t die. Hope was a funny thing, a tiny spark that could ignite or extinguish in a heartbeat. Hope could bring so much joy, but it could also break your heart. Especially when the thing you wanted, hoped for, wasn’t what you needed when you finally got it.

He nodded and looked back down at Dylan, who was drying himself off.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to move in? I can help keep you keep an eye on him while he’s recuperating.” Stephanie asked with a slight sharpness to her voice.

There was something in his sister’s tone that set his teeth on edge.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” he snapped.

Stephanie frowned. “Of course not. It’s not you I’m worried about.” She nodded toward Dylan.

“Why would you be worried about Dylan?”

“What do we really know about him? Lindsay’s parents told me—”

Ryan cut her off. “When did you talk to Lindsay’s parents?”

“Just because you’re angry with them doesn’t mean I am. They’re Leo’s grandparents, and they have a right to know what’s going on with their grandson.”

“The grandson they almost killed with their secret.”

“They’re grieving, and they weren’t thinking straight. They understand how important this is now, and they’re so sorry. You know how much they love Leo, Ryan. You need to give them a break.”

“I can’t stop you from talking to them, and I won’t keep Leo from his grandparents, but I have nothing to say to them. At least not right now. As for Dylan, there were no red flags in the private investigator’s report.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t agree with what Stephanie was saying, but Leo was Lindsay’s parents’ grandson. Their only grandson.

Stephanie patted his shoulder. “You’ll see. Once we get through this procedure, things will get back to normal.”

What was that supposed to look like? What was normal, and was that what he wanted? Ryan didn’t want to go back to living a life where he was passing time waiting for… something. There was a hole in his life that he didn’t know how to fill because he couldn’t define what was missing. He’d had occasional moments in the past when he believed he knew what he was missing, but he didn’t have the will or desire to go against his family’s beliefs.

Thankfully, Stephanie changed the subject. “I had a nice visit with Rebecca. I told you she would be a great fit.”

“Thanks for taking the time to vet all the candidates. Finding a nanny with a nursing degree was a good idea.”

His sister gave him that look that always twisted his stomach in nervous knots. “She’s pretty, too, don’t you think?”

Ryan clenched his teeth. “Don’t start, Steph.”

“Leo needs a mother and you need a wife. It’s not too soon to start thinking about it. It’s important you have the right woman at your side.”

Ryan noted his sister didn’t say anything about love. What mattered to her was who would look good in pictures.

“And I’m not interested in dating anyone.”

“All I’m saying is Rebecca has the right qualities you need.”

Coldness swept over him. It was the same argument his sister had used to convince him Lindsay was the woman for him. It had worked then, and he’d made a mistake. He thought about how his life would have been if Lindsay survived the accident, and how these months with Leo fighting for his life would have gone. Neither of their families believed in divorce. He would have lived a ghostlike life. Looking down, he saw Dylan sitting on the edge of the dock, watching the boaters on the lake. He wasn’t going to repeat the same mistakes he’d made before. He wouldn’t get pushed into a relationship his heart wasn’t into.

He moved away from his sister. “I’m not having this conversation. Drop it.”

Stephanie frowned. His sister didn’t take well to being told what to do. He watched her, calculating how hard she could push.

A second later, her frown morphed into a soothing smile. “Of course. Once Leo gets his transplant, things will change.”

“Is there anything else, Steph? I have a lot of work to catch up on. I expect I’ll be at the hospital most of the day for Dylan’s procedure tomorrow.”

His sister’s frown returned. “Why are you going to the hospital?”

“Because that man”—he pointed toward the window—“is doing something that will save my son’s life, and the right thing to do is to be there when it happens.” When his sister opened her mouth in what he knew was going to be an argument about why he didn’t need to go, he cut her off. “This is not open for negotiation, Steph.”

He pictured teenaged Dylan, alone and scared, sitting in the school library, and shuddered. Dylan wouldn’t be alone at the hospital tomorrow. He’d make sure of it.

He studied his sister. There it was, that calculating look again. Had she always looked at him the same way she looked at a client, trying to figure out how much she could gain from them?

Her face brightened, but her eyes were still cold. “Of course, you’re right.”

She was placating him. What was that saying how once you see something you can’t unsee it? History was trying to repeat itself. His sister had pushed him into a relationship with Lindsay, and now she was trying it again with Rebecca, the nanny she’d carefully selected for him. He’d gone along with her choice. Rebecca was the right candidate. He would have hired her himself, but it was also easier to give in to his sister than argue with her.

A knock on the doorframe interrupted their standoff.

“Excuse me.” Dylan hovered in the doorway. “Mrs. Lieu asked what I’d like for dinner, and I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t mind if we had salmon? Is that something Leo would like?”

“Sure, that would be fine. Mrs. Lieu makes salmon nuggets for Leo. He’ll love them.”

“Okay, thanks.”

As soon as Dylan was out of sight, Stephanie scowled. “I hope he’s not going to walk around like that in front of Leo.”

“He’s wearing a bathing suit.”

Stephanie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What is it with those types always strutting around?”

Anger surged through Ryan. “Stop it.” His sister’s eyes widened at the sharpness in his tone. “Stop trying to find fault with Dylan. He’s not doing anything wrong, and he’s doing something wonderful for Leo. Dylan’s going in for surgery to donate his bone marrow tomorrow. Or did you forget that?”

Color flushed his sister’s cheeks, and she looked away, her mouth turned down. Ryan wasn’t surprised she refused to answer. Even when they were kids playing board games, Stephanie would walk off in a huff rather than acknowledge defeat. He gestured to the three monitors on his desk filled with numbers. “I have work to do. You’ll have the new algorithm for the Commerce Bank later tonight. I also sent the list of my recommendations to fill the vacant board position. That should be everything you need before I’m officially on PTO for Dylan’s donation and Leo’s transplant.” With a stern look, he said. “Dylan will only be here for a couple more weeks, and I think the least we can do is to treat him like the guest he is.”

Stephanie lifted her chin, and her eyes locked with his with a challenging glint. Ryan forced himself to hold her gaze. Usually he’d give in when they disagreed. It was easier than arguing. His parents would side with his sister; they always did. Everyone knew what was best but Ryan. Dylan was the only other person he’d ever refused to compromise on, apart from Leo and Mrs. Lieu.

“He won’t be here much longer. I doubt our paths will cross that often,” Stephanie finally said.

“When you do, you’ll be polite.”

“Of course,” she said with a brittle smile.

RYAN WASrelieved when his sister declined to stay for dinner. He didn’t want to make Dylan uncomfortable. Tonight would be the last night they would be together until after Leo received Dylan’s donation. The next few weeks would be filled with hospitals and anxious waiting. Their family dinner included Mrs. Lieu, Rebecca, Leo, Dylan, and Ryan.

“I’ve got one,” Dylan said, his eyes lit up with laughter and the sugar rush from Mrs. Lieu’s decadent chocolate cake. “Why is Spiderman good at playing baseball?”

Leo shook his head, bits of chocolate clinging to the corners of his mouth.

“He knows how to catch flies,” Dylan said.

Dylan’s joke got belly laughs from Leo and a groan from the rest of the table. Dylan and Leo had been exchanging bad superhero jokes through dinner. Watching the two of them, some of Ryan’s worry eased. For the first time in months, Ryan felt a sense of calm. The weeks ahead would be difficult, but everything would be okay.