@PieceOfString
MatildaIThink wow! What a lovely story, he sounds lovely, how fortunate you have had another chance to have this great person in your life. Parents sometimes create such unnecessary issues, you wonder what they were thinking at the time!
It is crazy when you realise that nearly all people's issues come from their parents. My parents thought making things a competition would be good for us, I am competitive, but my brother is not, they favoured me because I played their game, but I always felt he was "better" because he "won" more, even though he did not care about winning.
He really is amazing and you are right, I am very lucky to have him in my life, especially the way we are now. What I do find so sad is that because of so much of the way my parents were my brother has self esteem issues and is not confident with women despite all my friends (though they are now already partnered) thinking he is the perfect man. He is very good looking (according to my friends) and amazingly fit, but in no way arrogant about it, he is one of the most intelligent people I know (and I work with more PhDs that I have fingers and toes), amazing with children, runs his own business and is financially in a good position, and an incredibly kind and caring man. But because of how our parents treated him growing up, especially nothing ever being good enough and needing to keep trying harder, he really struggles with confidence with women, he does not think he is good enough for them. He is having therapy and it does seem to be helping him, I really hope it means he can find someone who he feels happy with.