Page 63 of Revealing Mark

“I need you to keep Sophie and Matthew away as well.”

“That may be tricky.”

“I need time without any of you breathing down my neck.”

He nodded. “For forty-eight hours and that’s it.”

“Yes.” I felt an anticipation mixed with nerves. Two days would be enough to do what I needed to and deal with whatever I had to.

I was reaching a point that I just needed this to be over with, no matter how it ended.

I was running out of time. I was aware of the time ticking by and the promise I had made to Mark. After a good night’s sleep and a decent breakfast, I called Sebastian and asked him to set up a meeting with his family as soon as possible. It was short notice but I couldn’t waste any of the time I had negotiated with Mark.

But when I found myself in front of a massive house surrounded by perfectly maintained gardens, I lost my nerve. This was worlds away from my quiet upbringing. I had never wanted for anything but this was something else.

The front door was only a few feet away but I couldn’t move. It had taken me thirty minutes longer to find the place as I had gotten lost a few times, but the fact that I was late didn’t budge me closer to the door. They were waiting for me.

I gripped my purse tighter, trying to build up the courage to put one foot in front of the other. Just get to the door and knock.That’s all you have to do.

I remembered how my first meeting with Sebastian had gone. I had been nervous in the beginning but it had gone much better than I had expected.

For a fraction of a second, I considered turning around, getting back in my car and leaving. But I squashed the thought before it could take hold. To get back to some sort of normality, I had to deal with this. My life had been a bit of a mess since finding out, and if I didn’t do this now it would really start to impact on my business and my ability to earn money, which in turn would impact my independence.

I also had to show Mark and my family that I could handle things, even when they were difficult. I still hadn’t thoughtabout how I was going to deal with my parents when I confronted them.

I shut my eyes briefly.One step at a time,I told myself. First I had to do this before I could take the next step. An image of Mark flashed in my mind. I couldn’t think about all the stuff he had said the day before. He would want answers and there was no more putting it off.

That pushed me into action and I walked over to the front door. I knocked and waited, shifting from one foot to the other. I had agonized over my outfit for a couple of hours. Having changed well over ten times, I had settled on a plain black skirt and white blouse.

The door opened and Sebastian greeted me. “You made it.”

“I’m sorry. The traffic was horrendous and I got a little lost.” I felt like I was babbling.

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

He hugged me and I was taken by surprise. When I hugged him back awkwardly, he released me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

“No, it’s fine.” I brushed my hair behind my ear. I wanted to feel that same brotherly love for him that I felt for Matthew, but I didn’t. He was still a stranger to me.

“You can be honest with me. I might overstep sometimes and you need to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable. I don’t want to do something that might push you away.” He sounded so sincere and there was a part of me that felt something for him. It wasn’t love, but I cared.

“There’s a lot to figure out and…sometimes it might take me a while to come around, but there isn’t anything you can do that will push me away,” I reassured him. “You’re my brother and I want you in my life.”

He smiled brilliantly but there was no hiding the relief. “That’s good to hear.”

For once I had an insight into the fact that I wasn’t the onlyone who was dealing with nerves and a situation I didn’t know how to navigate.

“It’s time to meet the other brother and my mom.”

I nodded. I hoped Cole was as welcoming as Sebastian.

My palms felt sweaty and I wiped them on my skirt as Sebastian closed the door and led me into the living room. It was overwhelming but I pushed through it.

When I entered the room behind Sebastian, I took a breath and when he exited my line of vision, I saw another man, who looked very similar to Sebastian, step forward. Cole.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Tracy,” he said.

“It’s nice…” Emotion clogged my throat and I was unable to finish my sentence.