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Twenty-Six
Earlier today
“Thank you all for coming.” Gia stood at the head of the conference table and addressed the upper management team of ThomKnox. “I have a proposition for you.”
Brannon, tapping a pencil, eraser side down, on the table, shot her an easy wink. Royce, on Gia’s left, wore a muted smile. Taylor was grinning like she’d gleaned what was coming next.
“We’ve been in discussion about adding a vice president position for a while now,” Gia began. “And then at the pool party, Daddy decided to offer that position to Jayson.”
Brannon frowned. Taylor mimicked his expression. Royce curled his lip.
“Jayson didn’t accept it.”
“But he had no problem claiming chief technology officer for himself,” Royce grumbled.
She blinked. Royce knew plenty.
“Daddy called you.”
“He called me, too,” Brannon said. “We each received a Jack Knox speech about how he’s failed and won’t fail us again.”
“He does love his grandstanding.” Gia shook her head, but smiled to herself. “Jayson would make an excellent vice president. But I’d make a better one.”
Taylor elbowed her husband and then bounced in her seat. “I knew it. You owe me twenty bucks.”
Royce’s smile came out of hiding. “I don’t need twenty bucks, but we can negotiate terms later.”
“Anyway,”Gia said with an eye roll in the direction of her besotted oldest brother, “I want to earn the position of VP on my merits, not based on what Jack or anyone else says. I want this position. I want it to include Marketing and Tech, and then I can oversee both my passions. And I want Jayson to stay exactly where he is—in charge of the department he built.”
“I had a meeting with the CEO, COO and president of this company this morning,” she told Jayson now, aware of many onlookers, said CEO, COO and president included. “I specified that while I’ll be overseeing both Marketing and Technology, I would only do it if you were involved. I need you exactly where you are.”
“You don’t need me, Gia. You never did.”
“ThomKnox needs you.” She reached down, way down, and found her bravery. Jayson had been brave enough to stand in front of everyone and tell her how he felt. She knew she could do the same. “And I need you,” she added on a broken voice.
“Gia—”
“I never had the courage to admit that. I never wanted to appear weak in our family of titans.” She glanced over at Royce and then Brannon, who each wore compressed smiles of pride. She turned back to Jayson. “Marriage is about admitting you need someone else. It’s about being someone’s other half.”
The lines on Jayson’s forehead softened as he tilted her chin gently. “I’m leaving so that you don’t feel compelled to take care of me. I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”
“I guess we’re just going to have to take care of each other.” She shrugged, vulnerable and unsure. “I mean, if that’s what you want. I don’t want you to feel like I’m controlling you.”
A slow grin spread his mouth. “How ironic.”
She grinned back at him.
“I love you, Gia. I’ve made so many mistakes. I’ve been holding on to you without realizing it.”
“We both made mistakes.” She gently touched his hand, still cradling her face. “And hey, I’ve been holding on, too. Have you checked my last name lately?”
“You never dropped the Cooper.”
“I couldn’t let go. Not all the way. Letting go’s not the answer and you know it. We screwed up, Jay.”
“Yeah. We did.”
“I have a better idea of how you can make it up to me and it doesn’t involve you leaving ThomKnox. You can’t leave me in a lurch and force me to find a good executive to run this department with no notice at all.” She affected a stern expression. “Do we understand each other?”
