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Unease tugs at me in the same way I’m unraveling my sweater with my incessant pulling. “What are you talking about?”
“Cash started a new company. Bankrupted James Whiskey. The merger”—he lets out a breathy laugh—“will be one big dent in Hanson’s portfolio.”
My stomach drops and my mind spins. I blink a few times, sorting through my brother’s words. “Hewhat?”
“He and Pa started a new company. In Bristol. Cat, this is good news. It means you don’t have to go through with the sham of a marriage.”
The phone falls from my hand, and I sink into the couch, drowning in a pit of quicksand and lies.
We should have been honest months ago.
Ishould have been honestyearsago.
And because I wasn’t, Jay’s family is going to pay the price.
69
YELLOW BY VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC
Cat
Hand in hand, Jay and I walk into my brother’s new office in Bristol. I dig my fingernails into his hand, willing him to stay with me. Jay didn’t yell or rage when I broke the news. It was almost like he wasn’t surprised. Like it made sense. And then he took me in his arms, kissed my forehead, and told me it’d be okay.
How, though?
The revelation led to a late-night phone call with his brothers and a vehement defense on my behalf. I can only imagine how much they must hate my family now. Will the feud ever end? Or are the Jameses and Hansons destined to hate one another for the rest of eternity? And if so, where does that leave me? And more importantly, where does it leave my daughter?
But the man sitting at the head of the conference table is not my brother. A small gasp escapes me at the sight, though I’m not sure why I’m surprised. For years, my grandfather has apparently been playing puppeteer with my life. I always believed he was the one person who saw me for who I really was and accepted me. That he was my protector. Somehow, he’s become the villain in my story.
“Theo,” my husband says, pulling me out of my stupor.
“Take a seat.” My grandfather nods at a chair to his right without greeting us.
Before we can sit, Cash strolls in wearing a smug smile. I don’t even recognize him anymore. “You can let go of my sister’s hand now.” Cash reaches for me but keeps his eyes on Jay. “She’s no longer your concern.”
Jay goes rigid beside me, as if he thinks I’ll abandon him at my brother’s behest.
I pull my hand back from Cash and press it to Jay’s heart. “Look at me,” I whisper, ignoring my brother and my grandfather. “It’s you and me.Only you and me.Got it?”
The surprise on his face breaks my heart. Does he not understand that no matter what, I’ll choose him? That there has never been an actual choice.
“Please tell me you didn’t actually fall for him.” My brother groans, rounding the table.
My blood heats in my veins. “You don’t even know him.”
“I know enough—”
“Enough!” my grandfather growls, and for a moment, a flicker of hope that he’s on our side ignites inside me. “Sit down and keep your mouths shut.”
Jay pulls out my chair, and once I’m settled, he sits beside me and pulls me close so he can rest his palm on my thigh. He gives me a gentle squeeze, and then his attention returns to my grandfather. “I see you put our ideas into action.”
I bolt up in my chair in response, and across from me, Cash gapes.
My grandfather’s jaw tics. Despite being relegated to a wheelchair, he looks good. His color has come back, and the look in his eye is sharper than ever. “And you betrayed every one of them,” he says, his voice hard and his gaze locked on Jay.
Jay squeezes my thigh and narrows his eyes at Cash before turning his attention back to my grandfather. “I kept your secrets for as long as I could.”
“What secrets?” Cash scoffs.
