Page 16 of Falling for the Maverick

“Was or is, Lucas?”

A frown settled into Lucas’s features. “Why are you questioning my verb tense?”

“Because I want you to see what you’ve always denied, son. That you’re reluctant to get involved with a woman because it doesn’t neatly fit into the plans you’ve created for yourself. Your life isn’t a profit or loss statement, you know. You can’t enter women as an asset or a debit. They aren’t numbers that total enough for you to share tiny pieces of your life with them for a limited amount of time. Or discard the ones that don’t.”

“Could it be that I’m not involved with a woman because I’m just not ready to take that next step?”

“And what step is that?”

“Marriage and kids.”

“You are thirty-flipping-four years old, Lucas Brandt! Will you postpone your decision to become a parent until you’re in your forties? By then you’ll be too old to play ball or shoot hoops with your teenagers. You’ve got to stop making up excuses why you can’t commit to one woman.”

Lucas struggled not to lose his temper and say things he knew would facture his relationship with his father. “I’m not your only son who isn’t married.”

Phillip threw up his hands. “I’ve completely given up on Ethan settling down.”

“So that means I’ve become your focus to continue the Brandt name?”

“Now that my daughters are married they chose to carry their husbands’ names, so yes, it’s up to you.” Rising slightly, Phillip positioned his chair closer to Lucas. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve come to learn a lot about women because your mother has forced me to watch those damned Jane Austen movies and that other series that starts with a bridge.”

Lucas smiled. “Bridgerton.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Mom forced you?”

“Well, not really forced, but I humor her and watch them with her because she stopped complaining when I watch sports most nights.”

“Most nights, Dad? You’re playing yourself. You watch sports every night.”

“Okay, you’ve got me there. As I was saying, I learned a lot about how women view romance. They’re not as complicated as we make them out to be.”

“So, you’re saying they’re simple?” Lucas questioned.

“No, they’re far from it.”

Tired of the conversation, Lucas pushed out a breath and pointed to his laptop. “Dad, why are we talking about sports, movies and women when I came to Bronco to show you the figures I worked up for a new franchise?”

Phillip slowly shook his head. “You just don’t get it, Lucas. When I was your age, I was married, had children and ran a large dry-cleaning business. Even when I opened a second location, my priority was still my family. And it always will be, because businesses open and close every day. I’m saying all of this because I know you’ve sacrificed a lot and invested well in order to have the resources to set up your ranch. And now that you know the Big Doggo is workable, you need someone else in your life besides your dog and horses.”

Lucas massaged his eyes with his fingertips. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he suspected his mother had convinced her husband that he should question Lucas’s love life or lack thereof. Mallory Brandt hadn’t been reticent when she claimed she wanted to see all her children married so they could give her lots of grandbabies.

“For your information I already have a date lined up,” he said, referring to the plan to take Michelle to the pumpkin spice crawl.

Phillip smothered a curse. “And all this time you let me beat my gums about you not dating?”

Lucas smiled. “I wanted to see how long you’d go on about something I already planned to do.”

“Don’t you know it’s not nice to fool your old man?”

“No, Dad. You started it, and I just finished it. Now you can tell your wife that her son is one step ahead of her, because I know what she’s up to. Using her husband to harass me into giving her another daughter.”

“No, Lucas. We’re going to keep this between us men. Now, show me the projections you’ve worked up for a new store in Laurel.”