“Then it’s decided.”
“Tristan.” Katie points to the house. “I can hear him. He’s on the mic.”
My stomach drops. I start jogging for the house. I hear Katie behind me. Partygoers are outraged at being jostled but then see who it is and step aside.
“A Prince’s twenty-ninth birthday is an auspicious day,” my grandfather is saying. His voice doesn’t waver. His back is straight. There’s a determined edge to his gaze that only grows as I step from the terrace onto the ballroom floor. “Our family has always placed significance on the age of thirty, and my dear grandson is one year away from that happy day.” He smiles, but it’s almost a baring of teeth. He’s holding my gaze. I’m nearly at the edge of the pool of light cast by the overhead floodlight. “So far, he has proved a surprisingly elusive match. Which is why tonight, I’m pleased to announce—”
I snatch the mic out of his hand. I paste a cocky grin on my face. “That I’m looking for a spouse.”
There’s stunned silence from the assembled crowd. They didn’t expect this to be announced. They expected a carefully negotiated engagement with a woman from our world. Someone I barely know, whose family expects me to give her no more than three children and increasingly lavish birthday gifts. The prenup will detail incentives to be paid out for each child and penalties if one of us cheats. We’ll keep homes in Hart’s Hill and an apartment in New York, and she’ll have her pick of suitable holiday destinations the rest of the year. Our kids will go to private school and we’ll be so breathlessly unhappy that we won’t even realize it until we’re in our fifties andfuck it, what’s a few more years until we die?
I can’t think of anything worse than a marriage where I am never enough. At least if I choose my spouse, the expectations will be clear from the beginning. I’ll be in control.
Grandfather glowers at me. I give him a jaunty smile. Wediscussed the spouse search, but clearly he still planned to manage things behind the scenes.
I look around at the guests. College friends. The CEOs of several Fortune 500 companies. The children of several Houses in Hart’s Hill. Phones are out and filming. I let my smile grow.
“Oh come on, you all knew this was coming.”
There’s a light chuckle. I raise one brow. “Any takers?” Another chuckle, and a growl from my grandfather. “Well, now I’m offended.”
To do this, I can’t show any weakness. I need to be all in and I need the entire world to know. Otherwise, Grandfather will find a way to manipulate things.
“Fuck off.” That’s Whit. A laugh ripples through the assembled guests.
“Here’s the thing.” The crowd seems to stop breathing. “The Houses in Hart’s Hill have a long tradition of marrying the children of other Houses. Today, I want to change that. I’m looking for a spouse. I don’t care what their background is. I don’t care if they’re wealthy. I simply want the best.” There’s a collective intake of breath. I look directly into the camera of the phone that’s closest to my face. “You’re out there. Wherever you are. You’re my perfect match. Come find me.”
I pivot on my heel, slap the mic into Grandfather’s hand, and turn for the false wall that hides the entrance to the back hallway. I duck behind it before I make for the study and the bourbon we keep in it.
My hands shake the entire way.
“What the hell was that?”Grandfather’s voice cracks through the silence of the study.
We’re facing off over Dad’s old desk. Aiden swears he found an old gun in it once. Emory loves to tell the story of how Aiden pulled an engagement ring out of one of the drawers of junk on the night she cornered him in here. My lungs feel tight every time I’m in this house, but it’s worse in the seat of Dad’s power. All the wood is polished to a high shine and portraits of dead ancestors watch us from the walls.
Aiden is leaning against the wall, arms folded, eyes hard. My older brother butts heads with Grandfather even more than I do.
“I should ask you the same thing.” My voice is admirably steady. “We didn’t agree on an announcement tonight.”
Grandfather’s face tightens before he sighs. “You don’t understand.” His shoulders lower in defeat, and anxiety threads through my gut. I forget his age. We all do. “I have my reasons, Tristan.”
“I’m listening.”
He sinks into a chair. Aiden watches us silently. He won’t interfere. Not when he wants Grandfather to respect me as CEO.
“When I was born, my aunt and uncle were barely around. They spent their time vacationing and going to parties. As we got older, my cousins did the same. Much in the way your cousins do now. I’m an only child. My parents were worried about the future of the company. Do you know what the primary way families like ours lose money is?” He looks between us. “It’s divorce. Followed closely by inheritance squabbles and dissipated heirs like your useless aunts and cousins spending their inheritance on expensive toys or snorting it up their noses.”
Aiden gives me a speaking glance.
“Yes, I know about cocaine,” Grandfather says tiredly. I restrain a laugh. He sighs again. “The trust is designed to ensure the legacy of the family. Stable marriages. Children. An appreciation for the money we have since you don’t receive anything when you’re young. I won’t be around much longer, and you’re it. The two of you. You’re the only ones who know how to make the whiskey. The rest of the family doesn’t care beyond what the money can do for them. Before I die, I want great-grandchildren. I want to know that what we’ve built will continue after I’m gone.” He pushes to stand, leaning on his cane. His glance at me is serious, communicating the weight of history. I swallow hard. “I know you want that too.”
“I do.” I keep my voice steady. Grandfather has never wanted me to run Prince Bourbon. It might be our legacy, and Aiden and I might love the company like it’s our child, but Dad’s shoes are ones I was never meant to fill.
“I’m worried that without a push, you will never be ready.”
I don’t know what to say. My hands are shaking again, and I shove them into my pockets. My siblings excel at telling Grandfather to fuck off, but not me. I’m more of a nod and smile and then do what I want later kind of guy. I don’t rock the boat. I keep everyone around me happy.
“The timing changes nothing. I still choose my own spouse.”
