Wallflower (Whittaker Floral #2)

1. Declan

1

DECLAN

S tanding in the airport, I wondered if coming to Chicago had been a good idea. When I’d been offered the position three months earlier I’d wanted to come, and I always followed my gut. Now I was second-guessing everything.

I looked at the restaurants surrounding me, one after another serving hot dogs, Italian beefs, and pizza. I was hungry, but for none of those things. I didn’t plan to give myself a coronary in the few months I was visiting.

Instead, I stopped at a shop and bought some overpriced almonds, eating as I walked through the airport, twisting to and fro to maneuver deftly around families who moved aimlessly through the terminal.

Down the escalators to baggage claim, then out the doors, bracing myself against the surprising cold. I should’ve been used to it—I’d lived most of my adult life in New York City, for fucks sake—but I’d spent the past month in the eighty-degree weather of Arizona, and acclimating back to a frigid spring was going to be rough. I paused to dig my coat out of my luggage before tossing the suitcase into the waiting trunk of the nearest cab.

“Where to?” the driver asked as I got in.

I looked at the address on my phone, suddenly wishing I could skip this part of my day. “Millennium Point? You know the place?” The driver’s weak nod didn’t fill me with confidence, but he hit his GPS and pulled away from the curb.

I scanned through my phone while we drove, but my mind was elsewhere. I hadn’t seen my brother in over a year. We’d been so close once, but it seemed like lightyears separated us now. The last year of his life had been insane, and the frequent calls and texts we once shared had dwindled until he was a virtual stranger to me. Suddenly he had kids and a fiancée I’d never even met, and though I knew my parents liked the woman, I needed to meet her myself before I could possibly trust her.

I hated that Ethan and I had been close our whole lives and suddenly we weren’t. If I were honest, I’d taken the MLB assignment in Chicago both because it was an exciting opportunity and because it put me in the same city as my older brother. I was eager for a chance to reconnect, but I worried I’d strain our relationship even further if I didn’t like his fiancée.

Ethan had always been sweet and sentimental. Pair that with his immense wealth and he was one hell of a mark for a woman who had an eye on living comfortably. Just because the wedding was only a week away didn’t mean I would pull any punches if I thought this woman was using Ethan.I rubbed my chin tiredly. I’d do anything on earth to protect my big brother, even if it meant fucking up our relationship in the process.

Despite him being a couple years my senior, we used to share an easy friendship. I’d settled in New York after college with Ethan a frequent visitor as he launched his app development company. I’d landed a job with a prestigious ad agency but was quickly miserable. It’s strange to be in your twenties and realize you chose a job you’re not willing to do for the rest of your life. The optimists in your life will tell you your twenties are the perfect time to start over, but the reality is daunting.

It was only a year ago I started the job with Major League Baseball, and I was still green. Rather than doing analytics from the New York office, as most of the senior analysts did, I’d been sent to various locations around the country, tasked with developing press releases.

My new job was equal parts fun and low-paying, two adjectives my parents could never approve of, but it had me looking forward to waking up in the mornings. It was as if someone had taken the boring job I’d always been great at and magically turned it into something I was excited to do every day.

I’d spent the last month in Arizona watching Spring Training games and now I was in Chicago, where I’d spend the majority of the season highlighting the Cubs compound and their upcoming All-Star Game.

But all that could wait, because today marked the first of ten days I had off between assignments, a chunk of time which lined up nicely with my brother’s wedding, set to take place six days from now. My cab was headed to his apartment—the apartment where he’d once lived full-time and where he’d agreed to let me stay for the next couple days.

The driver pulled up to a random building and stopped.From out the window, I could see only the beginning of the building name, Millen—, but we were clearly in the right place. My pulse ticked up—a steady beat in my ears—as I paid my driver and pulled out my bags, stepping up onto the curb. It was a nice-looking place with a small but well-decorated lobby and a doorman at the desk inside. I put on my friendliest expression as I walked up to the man. “Declan Andrews for Ethan Andrews.”

With a smile that appeared genuine, the doorman held a hand out behind him to a bank of elevators, each labeled with a different set of floors. “Forty-first floor. 4109. Family’s up there already.”

The words unnerved me— family’s up there already. Ethan was my family, and while I understood he now had children and was set to get married, the finality of this man’s statement was jarring. “Thanks,” I replied, giving a nod and wave to the doorman that did little to belie my true discomfort. “Have a great day,” I added as I walked to the center elevator, the one that would take me to the forty-first floor .

Ethan had lived here a couple years before settling out in the suburbs, and while I knew he loved the apartment, it was far from what I’d choose. Back in New York, I had a small brownstone. No doorman, no trips four hundred feet into the air via elevator, just a house. Realistically, my home probably cost more than Ethan’s place thanks to New York’s insane cost of living, but it didn’t have the grandeur. Ethan, much like my parents, had always eaten up this kind of opulence.

Stepping out of the elevator, I could already see my brother waiting for me down the hall to my right. He looked good—Ethan had always taken care of himself—but as I approached I noticed his face was more tired than the carefree thirty-year-old I’d last seen. I scanned, searching for some clue he was unhappy or rethinking things, but I found nothing. Instead, I was greeted with a big grin, and when I was close enough, he embraced me. He held me for a second longer than usual and I thought, as I tightened my grip on the familiar squeeze, how odd it was I’d gone so long without seeing him. We barely even talked on the phone anymore, and I missed him. He stepped back, giving me the same once-over I’d given him. “You look good, Deck.”

“You too, man,” I replied honestly, because while Ethan looked worn to hell, he also looked happier than I could remember seeing him.

He laughed humorlessly. “Bullshit,” he muttered. “I’m so tired. The baby still isn’t sleeping through the night.” He gestured me inside, waving to my right. “The master is made up for you, so you can throw your stuff in there.”

I left my luggage next to the bed and pulled off the bag I’d slung on, setting it down gently. I’d stayed with Ethan once before, but I’d been in the spare bedroom rather than the master that time. I scanned the space quickly, but there was nothing of note—bed and dresser looking tidy and unused, closet open to reveal only a few items, and a door I knew led to the en suite.

I hadn’t made it two steps out of the room before I was confronted by a beautiful woman holding a chubby baby. Ellie. The woman who surprised Ethan with a pregnancy only weeks after they met. A google search told me she was a teacher in the little town where they now resided, making less annually than Ethan made in interest on his investments. And, sure, he’d told me she wanted to keep working, but that could be a ruse. God only knew how different she might be after they were married and Ethan’s money was locked down. They had a prenup, but the baby in her arms guaranteed a life where she’d be taken care of, even if she didn’t stay married to Ethan.

“You must be Declan! I’m so excited to meet you!” Her tone was, in fact, overly enthusiastic, right on the border of squealing, and I flinched back slightly. Ethan chuckled affectionately, but Ellie continued without a moment’s pause. “I’m Ellie, of course, and this is your niece, Cora.” She opened her free arm for a hug, and I obliged, awkwardly hugging around both woman and baby. “Do you want to hold her?” The baby was held out to me, and my eyes widened in fear—the sum total of babies I’d held in my life was zero, and I preferred it that way—but Ethan stepped in and took the child instead. The baby smiled and reached for his face with one clumsy hand, grabbing at his cheek and gurgling happily.

“Elle, let him get in.” Ethan shot his fiancée a grin. “He’s barely made it six steps in the door. He hasn’t even met Max yet.” His voice was like nothing I’d ever heard from the man before—gentle and sweet. He adored her—absolutely adored her—and if I found out she was in it for the money and had to be honest with him, it would destroy him. The thought made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

Looking chagrined, Ellie bustled ahead of us. “Sorry. Ethan’s right. I’m just excited.”She was beautiful—great body, dark hair that hung in waves past her shoulders, and bright green eyes that lit up her heart-shaped face.

As we walked, we passed a room on the left. It had been the spare bedroom when I’d last visited, but it was no longer. Ethan leaned his head in. “Max, your uncle is here. Come on out.” Although I knew my brother had a teenage son—a son he’d only recently found out existed—and although I knew this boy lived with Ethan full-time since the death of Ethan’s former girlfriend, the reality of seeing the guest bedroom changed into a child’s room was unnerving. I glanced in the room as I passed, getting the briefest glimpse of a red-headed adolescent putting away a video game controller. I wanted to get a better look, but he was joining us in a minute, so I tried to be patient and not invade his space.

Whether or not the apartment was my taste, there could be no question the view was breathtaking. The place had windows along two walls that offered an impressive view of the city, parks, and Lake Michigan. I walked to the couch, still about eight feet from the bank of windows, but no closer. I had never enjoyed being so unnaturally high in the air.

“Declan,” my brother’s voice pulled my attention away from the view, “this is Max, my son.”

I turned, a grin spreading across my face I was helpless to control. Standing before me was an exact replica of my brother at age thirteen. The only thing missing was Ethan’s brown hair—Max’s was a vibrant red. “Shit, you’re your father’s son. You look fucking identical,” I said. The boy giggled, Ethan frowned, and I grimaced. “Sorry,” I said in a rush, sure I was meant to watch my language.

Ethan grunted. “Nothing he hasn’t heard before,” he muttered, shifting the baby to his other hip. This nieces and nephews thing was going to be harder than I thought if I had to watch my language all the time. I smiled apologetically at Ellie, and she grinned in reply.

“Sorry,” I repeated. “What I meant was I remember clear as day when your dad looked just like you.” I’d been eleven to my brother’s thirteen, and no one in the world had been more fun or more aggravating than my big brother.

Ethan smiled. “Yeah, I see me a bit, but I also see his mom,” he said as he squeezed the boy’s shoulder.

I couldn’t even guess what features Ethan saw, because the kid looked like a duplicate of my brother, far as I could see. At least we didn’t have to worry about paternity tests.“If he didn’t have red hair I would’ve suspected you cloned him,” I mused. “I mean, Max, you look exactly like your dad when we were kids.” It was still blowing my mind. Max was smiling, obviously appreciating the comparison to his father.

Since Max’s mom had kept Max a secret from Ethan until she was dying of cancer, Ethan had faced a remarkable overnight change from tech-mogul playboy to suburban father. He met Ellie soon after, and now, even though Ethan kept the city apartment, they spent most of their time living in their suburban home about forty-five minutes northwest. I was yet to see the house, but now that I was staying in Chicago for a few months I’d probably end up driving out there.

Ellie reached for the baby, taking her from Ethan’s arms. “I’m going to change Cora. Can we have lunch in River North? I need to run into the florist really quickly.”

“Sure,” Ethan agreed. “You hungry, Deck?”

I shrugged, but my growling stomach was probably loud enough for Ethan to hear. “I ate some almonds on the way over from the airport, but yeah, I could eat.”