Page 98 of Crimson Love

“Who knows? He could take her with him.” Harlow leans back in her chair. “Now you can get to the meeting since I won’t have to cry again.”

I gape at her. “I made you cry because I called this meeting?”

She shrugs. “I can’t help it. Giving you a kidney has made me emotional. There’s no scientific reasoning for it. I also cried when Devon and I had our first meeting with Felicity to plan our wedding, and when we had a meeting with the contractor about my grandmother’s staircase.”

Patrick reaches over and squeezes her hand. “I told you he wasn’t leaving.”

I look between the two of them and get to it. “It seems the world assumes I’m incapable of everything when it comes to Stonebridge. Between the board meeting and the bit on the news, it’s clear.”

“Ignore them,” Harlow says.

But Patrick proves he’s no bullshit in everything he does. “I agree. No one thinks you can handle it, but I know otherwise. They’re underestimating you.”

I lift my chin in agreement. “One thing to know about me, I do not back down from a challenge.”

A slow smile spreads over Harlow’s face. My father, on the other hand, nods, and for the first time in my life, I know what it feels like to have a parent be proud.

I clear my throat and get on with it. “Fuck them all. I’m doing this. Consider me all in.”

Patrick glances at Harlow before pinning me with an intense stare.

Harlow leans in and lowers her voice. “Are you sure?”

“Harlow,” Patrick bites. “He wants this.”

“I want to make sure he knows what he’s getting himself into. Look at you. You work nonstop and put a target on your back. He could just live here, take his spot on the board, and live happily ever after. He just got his health back.” Harlow turns to me. “Make sure this is what you want.”

“I don’t need time, and I already started studying. I lost myself in books while fighting for my life—this is the same, just a different kind of trial. And I’m going to prove to every board member, the company, and the world, that if my father is going to offer me more than a seat at the table, I’m going to dive in headfirst. Maybe it’s because I’m healthy again, but I refuse to not take life by the horns.”

Harlow shakes her head. “As long as you know what you’re in for. I’ll always be here for you.”

“I know. And I appreciate it more than you know.” I turn to Patrick. “I’m prepared to earn the respect I need to do the job. It’s not going to be easy, but I have time. I need to learn the business. Throw me into the trenches. I want to soak in everything from the bottom up.”

Harlow glances at Patrick. “Dad, say something.”

He says nothing for a beat. I hold his stare, but somehow, I know. I haven’t overstepped.

I lower my voice. “I want in. If you still want me.”

Patrick pulls in a deep breath and looks back and forth between his children. “It’s yours. And yours. There’s no one in the world I trust more than the two of you. I almost killed myself building this company. It’s your legacy. Fight for it. Protect it. But don’t do what I did. Promise me you’ll put your families first. Put each other first.”

“You have my word,” I promise.

“Always,” Harlow echoes. “That’s the easiest promise I’ll ever have to make. It’s all I want.”

“Kills me,” Patrick says, full of emotion. “Kills me that we missed out on this. I’m not fucking up my last years. I don’t know where I’m going to live, but I’ve decided I’m going to be in Winslet as much as I can.”

“Oh yeah,” I add. “Last night, I told Lennon that I was stepping up to the plate. But what I refuse to do is move to New York full time. I’ll find a way to work from here and will travel when I have to.”

A smile breaks Harlow’s face in two. “Stonebridge is going small town. Do I see a new headquarters in the future?”

Patrick shakes his head like he can’t believe it, but what he doesn’t do is argue.

It’s my turn to get down to business. “This is going to piss a lot of people off.”

Harlow smirks. “It sure is.”

And our father proves he’s got grit. It’s why he’s made it as far as he has. “I can’t fucking wait.”