“Then why did you and Easton and Mulaney blow off my ideas? Hell, you like her better than me.”
“As of late, that’s true. But I love you more.”
I swallowed. As I searched his face, I found nothing but sincerity and the love he professed. How had I gotten it so wrong? Or was this just lip service, now that I’d confronted him?
He drummed his fingers on the edge of the desk. “I considered everything you presented with as much attention as what anyone else said. Hell, you were the one I confided in about how dire things were with Carter Energy.”
He had. I’d even rubbed it in Easton’s face.
“But you didn’t say a word about naming Mulaney CEO before you did it.” I pushed to my feet.
“There was nothing to discuss. I wanted you and Easton to have the time to spend with your mother. And”—he white-knuckled the edge of the desk—“I couldn’t choose between my sons.”
I staggered back and gripped the chair for support. “What?”
“You’re both equally qualified, just in different ways. But more than that, I couldn’t pick one of you over the other when it’s a job you should do together.”
“You think I could be CEO?” I asked incredulously.
“Of course. I didn’t make you a VP because you’re my son. You earned the position.” Pride radiated from him.
I leaned on the chair, not sure I could stand on my own. “You rejected every computer program idea I brought to you except EXODUS. And you only allowed that because I’d already done it and Easton liked it.”
“You know why I said no?” His chin lifted. “It intimidated me.” My brows hit my hairline with the admission. He ignored that, soldiering on. “I didn’t understand it, and I knew it was so far above me that I couldn’t learn.” His shoulders slumped. “I was too stubborn to admit that or even try, so instead of conceding my weakness, I brushed you off. That was wrong. It was a terrible thing to do to you, diminishing your creativity like that. I’m sorry. I have no doubt, if we’d have implemented a lot of your advanced ideas, it would have not only helped the company but our relationship as well. Obviously, you’re very good at what you do,” he finished wryly. “I had no idea you’d licensed any of your software to the big companies—or anyone else for that matter. I’m impressed you had the wherewithal to do that, and I’m a fool for not giving you a chance.”
“I’ve made as much off my software as I have my oil investments.” I still had this need for his approval even though I’d lost everything. My quest for revenge had been expensive.
“I’m proud of you, son. You’ve accomplished so much, despite my hindrances. They weren’t always intentional, even if they appeared that way.”
He clutched the edge of the desk, but it seemed like it was to stop himself from reaching for me. I wanted him to. I was tired of him holding back with me.
Somebody had to make the first move. I settled next to him against the desk and covered his hand with mine. A sharp gasp of surprise escaped him, but he flipped his palm up and gripped my hand.
My heart thumped. “What I did was dramatic, but I’d had enough,” I admitted, squeezing his fingers. “I was sick of Mulaney being more a part of this family than I was.”
His grip on me tightened, his expression somber. “I can’t even begin to express how betrayed, hurt—hell, I can’t even comprehend what you did. I was building it for you and your brother so you’d have something solid you could do together. I considered myself the luckiest man in the world, and that was one of the reasons.
“Carter Energy was important to me. You know that oil runs through my veins. It interests me, intrigues me, and after all these years, it hasn’t gotten old. I shouldn’t have expected you to have the same passion for it I do. What was most important to me was that you, your brother, and your mother were happy and healthy. I would have given up the company in a heartbeat for any of you. If it could save your mother . . .” His eyes clouded.
“I don’t love it, Dad. I tried because I thought it would make you happy.”
His chin dropped to his chest, as if the gravity of my words had finally sunk in. “I had no idea how far apart we were. I used to tell Loretta I couldn’t believe my sons were my best friends. I’m not gonna lie. I’m having a hell of a lot of trouble seeing things your way. I did respect you. I did value your opinion. I can’t see what I did that was so awful you’d do what you did to our family. Now I find out I have a grandson you’ve kept from us for years.” He shrank in on himself as if he didn’t have the energy to deal with me any longer.
“Not that it makes a difference, but I am sorry. I became consumed with revenge, and I didn’t think it all the way through. What I really wanted was to be rid of Mulaney.” I squeezed his hand. “I meant to hurt you—I can’t take that back. And Mama, she’s made me realize how precious life is. If you can ever find it in you to forgive me, I’d really like a shot at a relationship again.”
I gave him a solemn look and left the study before he could give me hope or shatter what little of it remained.
Chapter Forty-Five
Sonya
“This is a lot more work than taste testing.”
It was the second day of Trish’s food truck grand opening, and we were way busier than we’d expected. Yesterday, we’d sold out of everything in three hours. I was stunned even though the menu was awesome and the food delicious.
Trish had done very little advertising so we could work the kinks out and get the hang of things. There had been no time for that. We’d both gotten a crash course in the food truck business, but we were doing okay.
“Customer.” She nudged me in the ribs as an elderly woman approached, bundled in a long red cashmere coat with a black scarf wrapped around her neck.
“How can I help you?” I asked with a bright smile. Here, I got to pretend to be thrilled to wait on customers, but it hadn’t taken long for that to become genuine. Most of the people we met were pretty cool, and they were raving about Trish’s food.
The woman’s gaze roved the menu board. “Darlin’, I’ve gone and forgotten my glasses. Tell me what’s good.” Her twangy accent automatically made me think of Drew. Then again, everything made me think of him. I couldn’t get his sorry ass or Sam off my mind, and it had only been three days since I’d seen them.
“My personal favorite is the short ribs. The cream sauce is to die for. And the roasted potatoes . . .” I kissed the tips of my fingers and made a sound of approval.
“When you’re my age, honey, there ain’t much that isn’t to die for. Never know what’s going to take you to old glory.” I snorted and then covered my mouth with my hand. “Just wait until you’re eighty-seven. You’ll figure out the number of breaths you’ve got left is less than what you started with.”
“Hurry up and order those short ribs. You need to have those and a piece of strawberry cake before you can go anywhere.”
“If I don’t like it, it’s on you.”
I laughed at the warning. The woman didn’t mince words, but she spoke in such a way that I didn’t feel affronted.
“Fair enough. Would you like some lemonade while you wait?” I offered.
“Heavens no. I can’t stand the stuff.”
I leaned forward, and whispered, “Neither can I.” She grinned as Trish handed me her food. “That will be fifteen dollars and sixty-four cents.”
“You sure think a lot of this stuff,” the woman muttered. I was pretty sure I heard something about the damn city and the things she went through for “that boy,” but I couldn’t be sure. She handed me a large black velvet box with a twenty-dollar bill on top, snatched her bag, and hustled away. “Wait,” I called and was promptly ignored.
I opened the box, the hinges creaking, and my eyes grew large when I saw the familiar contents. It was the jewelry my mother had given to me for graduation. I snapped it shut and dashed out in search of the woman. She was nowhere to be found.
“What’s going on?” Trish asked whe
n I stepped back into the truck, she and the customer I’d abandoned giving me strange looks.
“I’m not sure.”
I waited on five more customers before I caught a break. I opened the box again and lifted the piece where the jewelry rested. The note from my mother was still there, along with a new piece of paper with a series of numerals scrawled on it that meant nothing to me.
I replaced everything, closed the box, and held it to my chest. Thank God. Relief to have my things in my hands again overwhelmed me. It was all I had left of my mother. Drew had gotten back my jewelry, but what did it mean? I wasn’t sure if this was his way of saying he forgave me or he was sorry, or maybe it was just another scheme. I had to decide if I cared enough to find out.
Chapter Forty-Six
Drew
This was the right thing to do.
Having the paperwork drawn up was easy, but presenting it? That was going to be the tough part. I’d already looked into the faces of my family and asked for their forgiveness, but I wasn’t sure I’d admitted what I did was wrong.
I took a deep breath and counted to ten before I blew it out and entered my parents’ dining room, where I’d asked them to gather. To my astonishment, they were all there, sitting at the table, waiting for me. Sam lifted his head, and I swore he scowled as though he blamed me that Sonya was gone.
The conversation stopped, all eyes on me as I set the briefcase my father had given me on the wooden surface and pulled out a stack of papers, passing one set each to my father, brother, mother, and sister-in-law.
“What’s this?” Easton asked. He was pretty much the only one on speaking terms with me.
“My way of saying I’m sorry. It doesn’t fix everything—anything, really—but it’s a step in that direction.”
Mulaney took in the words on the pages in front of her. “Are you for real?”
“Very much so,” I confirmed. Wariness showed on her face as she tried to figure out what I was up to. There was no ulterior motive. Just me, trying to correct some of my mistakes.
“Is this because SPE is a financial mess?” she asked accusingly.
“It is in a mess, but I’m not trying to dump it on you.”
By now my brother had had a chance to skim the document. “You’re just giving all of us the company?”
“Yes.”
“You said you didn’t want it anyway,” he reminded me.
“That is true. It’s no hardship on me to do this. If you’d like my help in righting the ship, I’ll be glad to. If you don’t, I’ll understand completely. This is my way of giving back what I took. If I had the cash, I’d give you that instead.” I hadn’t even been tempted to keep the money from Sonya’s coin.
“What’s the catch?” my father asked, skeptical, as he had a right to be.
“No catch. I’m giving you the company, free and clear. That’s it. I seriously considered including Gabriel, but I hadn’t discussed it with Holly or any of you. If all of you are agreeable, I’d like for him to be part of this too. I still don’t want him to know I’m his father, but I owe him something.”
“You put my name on here too.” Mulaney said.
“You’re part of this family.” I shrugged, not bothering to elaborate. I still didn’t like her, but in time, my bitterness toward her would subside. Then maybe I could give her a real chance. Even if we never cared for one another, I’d behave a little better toward her because my brother loved her. That should have been reason enough all along.
They were all staring at me as if I’d grown two heads. “You can let me know if you want to leave it this way or if you’re forming a new corporation. That’s up to you now.”
“I’m having our lawyer read this over,” Dad said, the same way he had in countless business deals with people he respected. The man wouldn’t just roll over, and that made me secretly happy.
“I’d expect you to. Even if none of you want the company, it will be yours to do with as you please. Sell it, run it, close it. The bottom line is it’s yours. It has been all along.”
Easton leaned forward and folded his hands on the table. “I know what you paid for this and the pipeline and Carter Energy. It’s far more than what you took from us.”
“Consider it interest then.” The truth was I’d almost matched what I’d taken from Carter Energy with my own wealth. It wouldn’t change what I’d done and didn’t make it right, but it was a small price to pay compared to losing my family.
I’d been thinking a lot about the conversation I’d had with my father a couple of days ago. We were both right, and we were both wrong. I believed what he’d told me, his actions over the years proving as such for the most part. His exclusion hadn’t been intentional. He and Easton and Mulaney just had more in common, so they gravitated toward one another. My sensitivity and jealousy had overruled my ability to think rationally on the matter, and in turn, I’d retaliated instead of taking a step back and assessing the situation.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” Mulaney said.
“It’s all right there. Have the attorneys look at it. Martindale Keeling is the one who drew up the paperwork.” That was Mulaney’s attorney, one we all used too, and he was capable. It was also a sign of good faith that I was looking out for their interests by using someone they trusted.
“Excuse me,” she said, holding up an index finger and digging her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans. In seconds, she had Martindale on the line, confirming he had written up the agreement. After promising to be in touch, she hung up and tossed the phone on the table. “Who the hell are you?”
“This is the Drew I know,” Mama said quietly. She hadn’t said a word the entire time, barely glancing at the papers I’d put in front of her.
Her vote of confidence had me swallowing around the lump in my throat. “I appreciate you meeting with me. That’s all I have. Let me know how you want to proceed.”
I closed the flap on my briefcase and left. No one stopped me, and I wondered what would happen from thereon. There was a time not so long ago when I thought I wouldn’t care. But now, everything was heavy . . . and unpleasant. Unbearably so.
As I dropped my briefcase in the guest bedroom, something rubbed against my leg. My brows knit when I found Sam looking up at me with those brown eyes.
I sat on the bed, and he nudged his way between my legs. He leaned into my hand when I rubbed behind his ears.
“Thought you were mad at me.”
He smacked his lips, his long tongue swiping the air. “Are you trying to lick me, or do you want a dried apple?”
I pulled one from my pocket, and he lapped it from my palm. He stomped his front paws a couple of times, then nosed my hand. I gave him another dried apple and stroked his head.
This dog had made Mama feel better, and I suspected Sonya too. Now he was here for me as though he had this sixth sense of people who needed him.
I leaned forward and kissed the top of his head. He licked my face, then took off. Probably to find Mama.
* * *
After he left, I went up to the rooftop deck as loneliness overtook me.
The last thing I wanted was to see anyone, but when I opened the door, laughter greeted me. Gabriel, Holly, and Carlos were playing soccer. Their two chocolate labs ran with them, barking and charging the ball. Fuck me, that scene was getting harder instead of easier, and I had nobody to blame but myself.
Holly was the first to spot me. Gabriel kicked the ball to her, but it hit her in the shins because she was staring at me. Carlos immediately went into watchdog mode, firing a warning look across the deck. Gabriel ran right over the second he saw what had his parents’ attention.
“Hi, Mr. Drew. Are we still on for the baseball game on Saturday?”
“Yeah, we are.” I was looking forward to a few days from now. My son had organized the game, and all the boys had agreed to play with him. I’d pawned a Rolex so I could buy him a ball, bat, glove, and a tee. I couldn’t wait to give them to hi
m, no matter what I’d told my brother. Baseball had broken my heart, but I let it stay that way. Gabriel was better than that. Not teaching him what I knew was far worse than introducing him to the game.
“You’ll be there for sure?” He blinked, needing reassurance, as if he were already anticipating I’d let him down.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I said.
His mother had probably prepared him for disappointment. That was fair, but his faith in me meant more to me than anything had in a long time. “What are you doing up here? Did you come to play with us?”
“Just like this spot up here,” I said.
Carlos and Holly had moved closer, cautiously watching the exchange. I made them nervous. They didn’t know what I was going to do next. I liked that I kept them on edge, the sick part of me that got off on power rearing its head. One day, they’d figure out I wasn’t going to take Gabriel away from them or do anything that would harm the boy. Until then, we’d continue these awkward interactions.
“Sister Alice taught us today that we should think before we act,” Gabriel said.
“She sounds like a smart lady. What else did you learn?”
“That my handwriting isn’t leg-legi—Mama, what’s the word?”
He looked at Holly, whose eyes brightened. “Legible.”
“Legible,” he repeated.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” I said, leaning toward him at the same time he leaned toward me. “My teacher made me retake a test because she couldn’t read my handwriting when I was a little older than you. Keep practicing. It will get better.”
Thick As Thieves: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romance (Paths To Love Book 5) Page 25