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“Son, we have business to discuss. You can catch up on the details and thank me later,” my father said as my heart rate tried to return to normal.
“I need a minute.”
Dove was in front of me, her face filled with so much emotion and elation. I read her like a book. She hadn’t known I’d tried to stop the wedding. I’d had no idea the wedding hadn’t happened. She’d only said yes to Trevor because he had threatened her dad. I figured as much but still needed to hear the truth. Dove would never have betrayed me like that without cause. My heart had always known that, but my head hadn’t been so sure. She still loved me.
“Baby,” I whispered, and she smiled at me for what felt like the first time in years. When the person you loved was forcefully removed from your life, it was like losing a limb. You didn’t ever get over it; you simply lived with the phantom pain. “I love you.”
“I only love you,” she said before leaping into my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist.
My hands moved to her ass as I held her tight there.
“I’ll make this right. I promise,” I said before reminding her who she belonged with. My mouth was on hers, claiming her tongue with my own.
I planned on marrying this woman tomorrow if she’d have me. I’d never let anyone or anything come between us again.
“I’m not mad at you anymore,” she said.
I kissed her again, stifling a thankful laugh. You never knew with Dove.
My father cleared his throat. “Jesus, you two. Enough. Do thismaking upstuff later. We need to talk.”
I looked around once more. “You sure you want to do it here? Should we go somewhere more private?”
He shook his head. “This is better. In public is safer for now.”
Safer?
“What the hell is going on?”
My father looked uncomfortable, like Dove had mentioned earlier. It was the first time I’d seen him look like he wasn’t the one in control.
“I hate that it’s come to this, but I need you to step into the family business.”
This. Shit. Again.
It always came back to this. Politics. The family business. My refusal to be a part of it.
“No.”
“I’m not asking this time.”
Dove reached for my hand, her fingers interlocking with mine, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.
“Why do you need me when you have Trevor? Can’t he do whatever it is that you need?”
“I thought so, but these people not-so-politely disagreed.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because Trevor isn’t family. They knew that if he was threatened or used as a bargaining tool against me, I wouldn’t budge if I didn’t want to. I don’t care what they do to Trevor, and they know it. He’s not my son.”
I stood stoic, soaking in all of the information that he had slowly dished out for the first time. Trevor wasn’t enough for whoever these people were, and my father was even more of a fuckup than I’d originally thought. None of it made me want to bend to their whim. I’d decided years ago that I’d never turn into the kind of men my father and grandfather were. And I didn’t feel any differently about that decision today than when I’d first made it.
“They can still threaten my life and use me against you, no matter what I do for a living.”
I tried to make sense of it all. I didn’t understand why my existence wasn’t enough. It wasn’t like my development company didn’t wield power in its own right. I could do plenty of illegal things, but I never would, and I was sure they knew that.
Why was me in a political seat suddenly a requirement?
