Gray was mildly surprised when he saw his niece walk into the restaurant where he was experiencing a somewhat boring date with a gold-digging divorcee. She was holding hands with a tall, dark-haired man Gray had met in a rather memorable way. Noah Singleton, the son of Aaron’s right hand man.

He frowned. Wasn’t Violet dating someone else only a few months ago? Not that he had any room to judge, since his girlfriends had never lasted more than a few weeks at a time.

But Jeremy Ward was set to inherit her father’s business so he was definitely a better match according to Alistair Hale’s standards. Gray smiled wryly. Aaron never cared about that man’s philosophies; he wanted to live simply and happily with the one he loved. Of course he would allow his children the same freedom.

Gray knew a fair amount about Noah Singleton. He had seen pictures of the boy many times over the years included in the ones Aaron showed him during those prison visits. He had obviously been close to Violet and the Hale family since he was in diapers.

His brother likely wouldn’t be pleased if he knew how thoroughly Gray had investigated his family. A man of few words, Aaron was always so stingy with the details about his life and family.

Looking into what the Hales had been up to over the past twenty-five years had been one of the first things Gray did after getting out of prison. He wanted to know everything about Aaron’s company expansion, Keeley’s career as a rising star in the field of genetics, and what sort of people his niece and nephews were.

Noah Singleton, as the most frequently appearing person on Violet’s social media accounts, warranted investigating as well. Gray didn’t know what was so appealing about a karate instructor but he supposed he hadn’t understood Keeley’s appeal when he was younger either.

Now that he was older, he understood it a little more. It had been a very long time since he was jealous of his little brother but Gray couldn’t deny that spending Thanksgiving with Aaron’s family had brought those old feelings back.

He wasn’t jealous of Aaron’s success or wealth. Goodness knows, he had more than enough of his own money. His plans to build another empire were well underway too.

No, what Gray was jealous of was how his brother had managed to find meaning in his life outside of work. He had warmth and love to come home to every day. His wife cuddled with him as they watched TV. His sons horsed around with each other while watching football. Every single member of his family seemed to get along for the most part.

The Hale home was absolutely nothing like Gray had ever experienced. His mother had loved him deeply but the house had been pretty empty with just the two of them. Uncle Louie wasn’t the warm type. And his many foster homes were various degrees of chaotic. No one ever really wanted him there.

Even as an adult when he had been in relationships those women were only in it for the money, his body, or both. No one had truly loved him since Mary Gray died.

He wasn’t naïve enough to believe Aaron actually cared about him. It was obvious he only tolerated Gray’s presence on the fringes of his life out of a sense of guilt and obligation.

Not that he really minded. Gray had known his brother was a cold fish ever since he first started spying on him way back when Aaron was in middle school. Keeley was an anomaly. All of Aaron’s affection was reserved for her and her children.

Given the way Aaron was raised, Gray understood it somewhat. If Aaron truly hated him, he wouldn’t give him the time of day. He believed that based on their early interactions.

But he had written and visited diligently, albeit reluctantly, the entire time Gray was in prison. And since getting out, the Hale brothers had lunch or dinner together every few weeks. That had to count for something.

Gray wasn’t dissatisfied with his relationship with his baby brother. He merely wanted to have the same thing Aaron had. His entire life had been spent either trying to get revenge or attempting to build an empire bigger than Alistair Hale’s.

For the longest time he didn’t mind it. As a Hale, business was in his blood. He still had no intentions of slowing down on rebuilding from the shadows but after getting out of prison he realized he wanted more out of life than that. Gray wanted someone who loved him.

‘Who could love someone like me?’ he thought wryly. Certainly not the woman sitting across from him right now.

Cynthia Bush was a forty-six year old former beauty queen with a teenage daughter who wasn’t satisfied with her alimony and child support payments and wanted to live in style. She was only here because of Michael Gray’s carefully put together online dating profile.

It was mostly false anyway. The only true things on it were his birth name and his financial status. How else was a convicted murderer supposed to get a date?

The chances of someone coming into his life and accepting him the way he was without ulterior motives—like Keeley had with Aaron—were one in a million. In his mid-fifties now, it wasn’t impossible for him to have children though it was much less likely. Having a family like Aaron’s almost certainly wouldn’t happen at this point in his life.

Sneaking a peek at his niece’s table, Gray nearly sighed. What would it be like to have a child adore him the way Aaron’s children obviously did?

He had gotten sentimental in prison. If someone had told him at age twenty-nine that he would wish for a wife and children after everything he went through growing up, he would have called them crazy.

Gray had loved his lifestyle of going to the best parties, having the most attractive woman on his arm, and enjoying the finer things in life that he felt were owed to him for being denied his birthright. But now a home-cooked meal prepared by someone who smiled at him like he was the best thing in the world appealed to him more and more.

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