“My thoughts exactly.” She disappeared after him, presumably to grill him over the crime he must’ve committed. My guess was another sweet snuck from the kitchen and added to his stash.
I’d spent most of my adult life assuming satisfaction came only from accomplishment. Happiness hadn’t even been on my radar. My sole focus had been on the company.
To be fair, I hadn’t exactly been unhappy. I’d just always been moving toward the next acquisition or into another negotiation.
These days, I managed to balance that with time spent at home, but the company wasn’t everything anymore. Jane and Cam were everything, the family immediately after them, and the company coming in at a distant third.
For the last few years, getting my siblings married off had felt like a second full-time job, taking even more of my attention from my actual work. Charlotte’s union with Trent had been by far the smoothest, while our brothers had given me incessant headaches when their turns had come.
In the process, I’d earned myself a startling number of threats, insults, and accusations of being a tyrant. Some of thoseaccusations had been valid, though. I could admit, at times, I had gotten a little sucked into the details, the bigger picture blurring at the edges.
Thankfully, it had all worked out in the end—even if a few of my brothers had truly hated me for a while there.
Jane’s laughter drifted from somewhere inside the cabin, a delighted shriek coming from Cameron seconds before a loud crash. I bolted upright in the resulting silence, scrambling to my feet just as Jane called out.
“We’re fine!”
I relaxed again. “What happened?”
She walked out with Cameron hot on her heels, both of them grinning as she came over and settled on the wide lounge chair with me. “We had a minor mishap while I was changing him into his trunks. He might’ve knocked your laptop off the desk, but it’s fine.”
Cameron beamed as he climbed into my lap. “You’re not working.”
I wrapped an arm around him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “No, buddy. I’m not working, but you didn’t have to sabotage my laptop. I promise, I’m all yours for the next month.”
He clapped his hands and settled at my side, resting his head on my chest. Jane reached for her drink and took a sip before stretching her legs out and tilting her face toward the sun. “Nate, Kate, and Emma have landed. They texted to let me know that they’ll meet us at the marina in Rome when we dock tomorrow.”
“I still can’t believe Nate is actually taking a vacation.”
She chuckled, nodding without opening her eyes. “Kate physically searched his luggage and he hasn’t even packed a laptop. Unlike you, I might add.”
I groaned. “I need to be able to get online if there’s an issue. You know this. It’s the first time since I took over that neitherNate or I are going to be at the office. I still think it’s a recipe for disaster.”
She reached out and took my hand, lacing our fingers together before she squeezed it. “When was the last time your family took a vacation together, hmm? You deserve it and so do the kids. The company will be fine.”
My heart tripped over itself, but what was done was done. Since Theo was engaged now, Jane insisted this was a celebration of the end of my matchmaking responsibilities.
I was on cloud nine, more relaxed than I’d ever been now that I was officially off the hook. Jane was ecstatic too, but if I was being honest, I’d kind of enjoyed playing matchmaker. Even if a few of my brothers had ended up choosing for themselves in the end.
She shifted beside me, cracking open one eye to look at me. “What are you thinking about?”
“How do you know I was thinking about anything?” I asked quietly, glancing down at Cam, who was right on the verge of falling asleep with his head on my chest. “Maybe I was just zoning out.”
“Nope. You were making those little sounds you make whenever you’re trying to solve a dilemma in your head.”
“There’s no dilemma.”
“There better not be,” she grumbled, then opened her other eye too, her fingers tightening where they were still holding mine. “What’s going on in that big brain of yours, my love? You seriously shouldn’t be thinking about work.”
“I’m not.” I considered lying about what I’d really been thinking about but quickly decided against it. Jane knew me so well that she could practically read my mind, and besides, we’d always made a point of being honest with each other. “I was thinking about your brothers.”
She sat up and turned to face me, her eyes widening as she held my gaze. “Oh no.”
“Oh, yes,” I said, ignoring the warning in her tone. “Do you think any of them are interested in strategic marriage alliances? There are a few significant families who have reached out to me and I think?—”
“Alex, no.” She gave me a look that suggested she was about to throw me overboard. “Stop it.”
“What?” I asked mildly.
