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Henry? She’d started calling me Henry a few days ago. Things were changing way too fast for me right now. I needed to escape.
“Sorry, Mary. I gotta run. Busy day ahead.”
“It must be if you’re setting off this early. Do you not have time for a quick breakfast, or have you already eaten?” Her brows knitted together with a look of concern.
“Grabbed a coffee, but I have an early meeting with Aidan Hall, so I need to move my ass. I’ll get Ashley to get us some breakfast, as I doubt he’ll have eaten either.”
“You men need to look after yourselves better. You’ll be sending yourselves into an early grave.” She said. Then she looked at me, guiltily. Christ, everything came down to me being a widower. The tragic man who lost his wife young.
And who’s to blame for that? My inner voice chastised me.
“I’ll be back before you leave,” I promised Mary, for reasons I didn’t know.
She nodded, wished me a good day and then I was out the door.
Aiden walked into the office cool as fuck.
“Morning, bro. How’s the corporate world?”
“Yeah, fuck that. What are you playing at with Amelia?”
Aidan had the audacity to smirk. “Why, H, you’re very overprotective about your employee.” He emphasized the word employee. “Sure there’s not another reason why you’re banning me from pursuing her?”
“She’s like family.”
“Stop bullshitting us both, H. You like her. It’s written all over your face. You look like you want to tear me limb from limb and I only took her out on a business dinner. This has nothing to do with her working for you, or her being any kind of family. The way I see it, you want her and she wants you. So what’s the fucking problem? Live your life, H. Date the girl, fuck the girl. Go and do it before someone beats you to it.”
“You’re way out of fucking line.”
“Someone’s got to be. I spoke to her. She might be twenty-three but she’s naive, innocent. She’s working in the world of billionaires; you think one of them isn’t going to take a shine, an interest, in the hot, young, blonde? Get over yourself. You’ve played the suffering widower card long enough. We’ve all had shit in our life, H. All of us. My brother died when I was fourteen.”
My mouth drops open.
“Yeah, you didn’t know that. Motorcycle accident. First thing I did, learned to ride a fucking bike when I was old enough to say fuck you to the universe. Can’t say my mom was thrilled but she said, and I quote, ‘Honey, when the Lord decides it’s your time, he’s going to take you if you’re on a motorbike or a fluffy cloud of cotton wool.” I see a tic beat in his taut jaw. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aidan this pissed.
“If there is a God up there, he must be pissed with you right now, wasting your precious life. Now I’m telling you, man. Make a move on that woman if you want to, and if not, back off, because she can date who she chooses to date. It has nothing to do with you. You aren’t family. You were married to her sister and barely knew the girl herself. Now are you getting us some coffee and breakfast so we can talk business or do I need to come over there and beat the shit out of you first?”
I sat back in my chair and buzzed through to reception.
“Coffees and a breakfast selection please.”
“Coming right up, Mr Carter.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“I kissed Amelia last night.” I confessed.
“You did what? Why didn’t you say so in the first place? I wouldn’t have made my speech if I’d known you’d already made a move.”
“I told her it was a mistake, and I went back to my room.”
Aidan places his head in his hands. “You fucked up.”
“I was confused. This is all so new to me. I’ve had no proper relationships since Veronica. Just the acquaintances at the club and whatever the hell you’d class the three-way with Tiffany and Brandon as.”
“Well, I personally would class it as you were almost ready to date again but then you wimped out and added Brandon to the mix. Of course, she then went on to fall madly in love with Brandon and you got kicked to the curb.”
“Maybe.”
