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“Woman,” Huntsman growled, but it only made her smile grow bigger as he joined us at the table.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I answered, trying not to be put off by the stern look on Huntsman’s face. Drake had warned me he was just like that. A little closed off to new people.
“How’d the meeting go in Boston?” Huntsman asked, his brow raised at Drake.
Drake rolled his shoulders back.
They’d been so relaxed a few moments ago, but there was obvious tension bothering him now.
“Barlowe didn’t show up. He sent his son-in-law. Threw the punk out before we got even close to talking about the actual plans.”
Zoey’s kind smile instantly dropped, and she looked over at Drake with a heavy frown. “What? Why?”
“He addressed me as Hudson Shaw.”
Both Huntsman and Zoey cringed, and I narrowed my eyes, searching for some kind of answer as I glanced between them. “Um…”
“It’s my government name,” Drake offered, sitting a little taller. “My mom named me after her bastard of a father, my grandfather.”
“Can’t completely blame her for that,” Huntsman argued, finally speaking up. The man was a little intimidating if I were being honest, though I could see where Drake got his seriousness from. “I agreed to it. It was just one attempt to stroke his ego… the first male grandchild named in his honor. We thought it might make him ease up on his bullshit.”
“But everyone hated the bastard.” Drake scoffed and shook his head. “Which is why I ended up being called Drake.”
“So Drake is a nickname?” I asked, completely surprised.
Huntsman nodded. “Everyone was too scared to say it to his face, but the man was draconian. A complete asshole. He was set in his ways and living in the old days, not willing to change with the times or the way the club was moving. So, when we used the old man’s name, everyone started calling the baby little Dracon as a joke. Over time, he just became Drake.”
“You guys ready?” a young girl asked, stepping outside.
“Not fucking really,” Huntsman muttered under his breath as he got to his feet.
Drake grinned. “You know you only have yourself to blame for this, right?”
Zoey laughed quietly as she followed suit, gathering her things into her arms. “Wish us luck! Drake, I’ll see you later. Suit and tie, remember?”
The second they disappeared, I turned to Drake. “I have so many questions.”
He was clearly amused, his smile growing wider as he explained, “That’s my step-sister, Blair, Zoey’s daughter. When they moved in, my dad taught her to shoot. It’s been their thing, and she’s actually gotten damn good. The other day she asked if she could join the local sports shooting club and start competing, so they’re going to check it out.”
I was impressed. “Your dad didn’t seem so eager.”
Drake nodded, looking out the way they’d gone. “He’s protective of the people he loves.”
“I guess that runs in the family.” I paused for a second, strumming my fingers on the table while raising my brows, daring him to argue.
Thankfully, he was smart and simply chuckled as he turned the page on the building plans.
“What was Zoey talking about? Suit and tie?” I asked, sweeping my hair back from my face. I could feel a few beads of sweat building along my hairline, the heat really doing its job.
“Yeah, we just finished some apartment buildings,” he explained, shuffling through the pile of papers in front of us and pulling out a picture. They were stunning and modern but somewhat kind of beautiful. “We’re having a grand opening party tonight. Zoey is demanding I’m there…”
I let out a soft laugh. “Well, you did build them.”
I was still a little in awe of exactly what Drake did.
He ran a billion-dollar business he had started from basically nothing, and on top of that, unlike most wealthy men you saw on the news or in the gossip columns, he did it all to support the club.
His family.
