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“He’s not going to bear-hug you, like Macon probably will the next time he sees you, but I assure you, when it comes to Brady, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Cooper …” Emotion was suddenly filling her tone. “I’m so relieved.”
“Does that mean you’d be down for a family dinner tonight?”
She laughed. “Tonight? Really?”
“Jo and Jenner invited us over to their house to celebrate the news. She promises mocktails, whatever the fuck that is. Macon and Brooklyn are coming. Brady said he is too. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the Daltons pop over.”
“I want to cry.”
“It’d better be out of happiness.”
“It is.” She sniffed. “Oh God, I’m just suddenly so overwhelmed by all the love.”
My grin grew as I pulled up to Walter’s gate, hitting the code that would allow me to enter. “I’ll call you on my way back to the office, baby.”
“See you soon.”
I hung up and parked off to the side of his driveway, an area designated just for his guests. While I was walking to the front door, Walter’s housekeeper, Mary Sue, opened it. A woman who had been working for him since he’d divorced Jo’s mom and bought this mansion.
“I saw you drive in,” she said as she welcomed me. “It’s nice to see you, Cooper.”
“And you, Mary Sue.” As I stepped into the foyer, my stomach growled from the scent. “Did you make cookies?”
She smiled, her cheeks like a paper fan with the way her wrinkles folded. “Chocolate chip, just took them out of the oven. I’ll bring some into the study, along with milk.” She patted my shoulder. “Hurry on. Your uncle is waiting for you.”
I made my way through the house, passing through the wide hallways and boxy rooms, sconces on the wall leading me toward the back, where his study was located. Inside, the walls were aligned with hardcovers and antique art, the room filled with the scents of leather and a faint hint of cigar.
Walter’s style was more old money than new money.
“Cooper,” he said as I neared the couch where he was sitting. He didn’t rise to shake my hand; he just extended his arm. “I was surprised to hear from Kathleen today, inquiring if I was free to meet.”
“I’m surprised you’re not out, golfing with my father.”
He released my hand. “I was intrigued to hear what my nephew had to say and moved our tee-off time.”
I took a seat on the couch across from him, the cushion beneath me not even sinking when I sat. “What I have to say is a conversation that’s been long overdue.”
“How so?”
I stayed silent as Mary Sue delivered a plate of cookies with three glasses of milk, shutting the door after she left.
When the lock clicked into place, I said, “Since the merger, today’s the first day I can say that things feel back to normal between my brothers and me. Brady finally came around, but, Jesus Christ, it was a battle.”
“I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened.”
I rested my elbow on the armrest, loosening my tie. “You know, you’ve been saying that since day one.”
“That’s because I know my family. I know what they’re capable of. And I was right.”
“But the problem is, Walter, we don’t know the Coles. We don’t know why we were supposed to hate that family for all these years. We just heard you and my father bash them nonstop. In turn, we tore them apart because we felt if the Coles were that bad to you and Dad, we couldn’t ever find anything redeeming in them.” I gripped my neck, trying to keep the resentment out of my voice. “Had we known what they’d done to you, we could have made our own choice. We could have moved on much faster than we did—and even though we’re past it, we still don’t have much of a relationship with them.”
“You mean the brothers. I’d say your relationship with Rowan is just fine.”
I nodded. “You’re correct.”
“What are you asking for, Cooper?”
