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“Charlotte, I think it would be best if I had some words with my son alone. Do you mind?”
Charley’s warm, brown eyes find mine before looking toward my father. “Yes…I mean no, I don’t mind,” she stumbles, scrunching her eyes together. I can feel her nerves and all I want to do is take her upstairs and fuck them out of her. “I can go,” she looks at me. “Should I go?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head, my thoughts a mix of confusion and horror that she even considered it. “You’re right where you belong…with me.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be ten minutes,” I say brushing my lips against hers. “Drew, keep her company.” I point at him and he nods.
“Absolutely, want to take some shots?” he says, shooting me a grin, and I shake my head as I follow my father back to my office.
He looks at my phone, staring hard at it before I see him forward the email to himself. “He just sent this?”
“Yeah, like an hour ago.” I’m suddenly irrationally agitated. Despite the fact that we were inmyhouse, inmyoffice, I find myself searching the space wondering what my father can possibly make a comment about.
Who gives a fuck what he has to say?
That’s what J.R. will say. He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone’s opinion and lets people know it —often.
The thing is, I give a fuck what people think.
I give a fuck what J.R. Montgomery thinks.
And he is ruthless with his thoughts.
He brings the glass to his lips, taking a healthy sip before he points at me, his eyes never leaving my phone. “This is what happens when you stick your dick somewhere it doesn’t belong.” He shakes his head. “I figured you would have gotten all of the inappropriate pussy out of your system in college or, I don’t know, grad school? Who does this shit at thirty? Who throws a wrench in their life for a piece of ass?”
My blood begins to boil. I expected this. I was prepared for this. I repeated over and over the words“do not engage,”and yet I still can’t stop the words as they flow from my mouth. “Oh, that is really rich coming from you. How many twenty something assistants have you slept with?”
“You watch your mouth, William. None of them weremarried.”
“No…just you. You were only riskingyourmarriage.” I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes at him. “I’m fairly certain there was a woman across town, that stuck by you and raised your sons while you were out philandering your way through Atlanta’s sluttiest,” I snarl.
“Well, maybe you’re better than me!” he yells. “Maybe I don’t want you to be like me.” The room becomes so silent, all you can hear is J.R.’s heavy breathing. I don’t know what to say. His words hit me harder than I’d imagined, having never heard him say anything like that. “I was never going to sacrifice anything for them. And you’re willing to give up everything for her. This is different.You and Iare different.”
Well, thank fuck for that.“You’re right, I’d never hurt the woman I love.”
“So easy to say that at thirty. Come talk to me in twenty years. You think you’ve got all the answers figured out? You don’t. Love is fleeting, William.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“You know what’s not fleeting? Hard work that leads to a lifetime of power and prestige. I’m leaving you and Drew the keys to the kingdom. A legacy you can count on. What will your legacy be if everything you’ve ever worked for is about to go up in flames for a whirlwind romance?”
“It’s not a whirlwind, J.R.”
“You’ve known her less than a year and you’ve already bought her a house? Are you insane? This all may be fun and romantic and exciting now, but what happens in a few years, William? I’ve seen this happen too, you know. You may know love, but I know divorce.”
“So, do I. I’m a marriage counselor.”
“Which is why I’m so astounded that you allowed yourself to get into this position! You of all people should know that love is just as much about being smart and protecting your assets as it is about emotions.”
“Look, I’m not here to argue the details of my relationship with Charley. I called you here to help me. So, either you can do that or you can leave.”
He looks at me, those cold, blue eyes that are almost an exact replica of mine boring into me like they had so many times growing up. I am almost the spitting image of my father, something that to this day pisses me off. I hate that when I look in the mirror every day, I seehim.
The devil in disguise.
People see a good-looking face. Women stop on the street, their eyes raking over me lasciviously, at times even in front of their husbands. They see something different than what I see.
