More Than You Know by Jennifer Gracen Read Free Book Online

terrified. I’m not trying to set you up with anyone, nothing like that. I was just thinking about some things, and that led to other things, and long story short, I realized I honestly have no idea if you ever give serious thought to getting married.”
    Dane shrugged, sat back in his chair, and lazily crossed one long leg over the other. “Not really. I don’t give it any thought at all, actually.”
    He grinned, enjoying the sensation of being truly relaxed. Spending some down time with his siblings always made him feel that way, feel more grounded. They weren’t just his older brother and younger sister; they were truly his two best friends. He was glad Tess had asked him to come out and spend the day with her, and even more so when Charles had decided to join them for dinner—without his three surly kids in tow. Time alone, just the three of them, was more and more rare lately.
    Sipping his Cabernet, Dane let his gaze wander along his family’s majestically landscaped property. Up on a slight hill, a hundred or so yards across the expansive emerald lawn, was the Main House—which had always struck him as a funny title, considering it was a twenty-seven-room Georgian mansion. It stood proudly, a testament to four generations of Harrison work and rewards. His father still lived there, but only with a small household staff. The mighty Charles Harrison II had lived there alone since throwing their mother out almost two decades earlier.
    Tess had moved back from Manhattan and into the guest cottage two years before, a picturesque four-bedroom house that shared the back property before dipping to the small cliff that overlooked the Long Island Sound. Dane had always loved that vista, one of the very best things about the magnificent estate. Now, the three of them sat outside on her back patio after a delicious dinner Tess had made, enjoying some wine as the sound of the water just beyond lulled them into a state of serenity. The late May sun glowed orange as it dipped slowly into the horizon, turning the sky over the Long Island Sound into streaky shades of purple, hot pink, and deep blue. The briny scent of the Sound carried up on the warm breeze that blew across the estate’s tremendous backyard—all ten acres of it.
    â€œYou’re evading the question, Golden Boy,” Charles teased.
    â€œHe’s never quiet. I think I scared him witless,” Tess taunted.
    Dane chuckled. “I ain’t a-skeered of you two. I ain’t a-skeered o’ nothin’.”
    â€œStill avoiding,” Tess singsonged.
    â€œI guess I’m not morally opposed to getting married, if I genuinely thought I’d found the right woman,” Dane hedged. “But hey. All three of us are single, and with good reasons.” He kept his tone jaunty. “Besides, wouldn’t it be bordering on cruelty to drag someone into our clan? Who in their right mind would want to become a part of the Harrison family dramas?”
    â€œHe makes an excellent point,” Charles conceded, and took a swallow of his wine.
    â€œAnd, well, my standards are too high. And I work a lot. And I travel . . . Hell, I’ve met so many amazing women, why should I have to choose just one?” Dane grinned as his brother and sister laughed at that. “Not to mention: after our parents’ debacle of a marriage and shitstorm of a divorce, and then you doing the same thing, Charles, I don’t need to follow along that path, you know? And then you, Tess, your broken engagement, all that ugliness after . . . I’ve seen enough.”
    â€œMore excellent points,” Tess allowed with a sigh. Charles nodded in agreement.
    â€œSo, yeah, I’m thinking it’s unlikely I’ll dive into that.” Dane shrugged. “But never say never, right? Like I said, I don’t think about it, to be honest. It’s not on my to-do list. I’m too busy living my life.”
    â€œFair