Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,4
knew her as Mrs. Chadwick or the mother of the terror twins. She lost her identity, and when she came to her senses, she walked out on us. I’m not sure if she hated us too, but maybe she did and that’s why she left without saying goodbye. Even if Ford and I are twins, I tried to shelter him from what was happening. He’s always been the more apprehensive of the two of us.
Needless to say, I’ve had a big attitude since I was six. Teachers hated it, and my peers feared me. I take no shit from others. I did learn how to channel it and use it to my advantage though.
Mr. Richardson used to say, “Mr. Chadwick, I’m not asking you to change. I want you to learn when and where to push those boundaries. You know why your twin brother is in college and you’re not?”
Ford skipped a couple of grades. I love my brother. He’s my best friend. However, we’re very different and I hated it when they compared us. Our IQs are similar, but my attention span when I don’t give a shit about a subject is microscopic, unlike his.
Ford can sit in one place for hours to solve a problem. I, on the other hand, find someone to do it for me. Usually him, while I move onto something that’s a lot more fun. No, I didn’t mooch from him. We have different strengths and interests. We always help each other with what the other needs. That’s why at almost thirty-five we are still a fucking great A team.
He might’ve been ahead in school, but I caught up and we started our own company, LNCWare. I’m the president of the company and handle all the deals, but he’s the brains. Without his products, I wouldn’t be in the tech business. We’d probably just be doing something else, but we’d be the number one at it.
He doesn’t do well with people which is why he chooses to lay low. His current hiding spot is in Denver, Colorado. I live between Seattle and New York, overseeing LNCWare and its subsidiaries. Trying to drag him to either office is almost impossible. He shows his face once in a blue moon. I’m still surprised he traveled to New York, and that he agreed to stick around at least until Friday.
This is what love does to people. We stop thinking and do crazy, stupid things. Which is why I have to be the one asking the questions, what, who, why, when, and how for him. Because I could bet my left nut that he’s thinking with his dick—or worse, with his heart.
I could stay in Seattle and just let him handle himself in Manhattan, but I have to make sure this woman is not using him.
When I arrive at the penthouse, Demetri, my house manager, greets me as the elevator doors open at the foyer. “Mr. Chadwick, it’s good to see you.”
“Hey, D,” I greet him. “Where is he?”
“Your brother is in the library, sir. Everything you ordered arrived a couple of hours ago. The guest rooms are ready too,” he answers and looks at Brock, my Wheaten Terrier. “Do you require me to walk him?”
Brock barks and I laugh because this guy understands more than people want to believe. “You said the w word.” Handing Demetri the leash, I reply, “Of course he wants you to take him along the park. I’ll be in the office. Is he alone?”
“Yes,” he replies.
“Thank you, D,” I say, walking down the hall to the library where I spot the one and only Langford Chadwick sitting at my desk.
He is wearing one of my favorite suits. The fucker couldn’t bother to bring his own clothes. At least he shaved.
“Look at you, showered and looking like a respectable man. You even look like me,” I joke as I enter the library.
He grins, standing up and saying, “I wonder why that is, asshole.”
He hugs me and I pat his back. Even though we’re identical twins, there are a few differences between us. I’m an inch taller, my skin is a shade darker, and my eyes have a hint of gray with the sunlight.
“Where’s your mutt?” he asks, his eyes grow slightly wide. “You just came for a day, didn’t you? You’re going to leave me here to fend for myself until Friday.”
I shake my head. “He went on a walk with Dimitri,” I inform him.
“I’m glad Persy didn’t bring Simon,” he states, and