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His brothers and sister openly gaped at the man. Beside them, his mom looked ghostly.
Marshall lifted his chin in silent...what? Acceptance? Disbelief? The only thing he knew for sure at the moment had nothing to do with him and everything about his family. He could sink the Blackwood name with one false move. Fight the tide their father threw him in or swim with everyone in tow.
It took a colossal amount of control to not say every fucking curse word in the book and then invent a few the occasion called for. Instead, he kicked back in his chair and turned to Houston’s simmering skyline.
The irony of his father’s legacy versus the demands of his will wasn’t lost on Marshall. “Well happy fucking birthday to me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The original reason Marshall had called the lawyer to his office took a permanent back seat as he considered all options.
Well maybe not. Two weeks. Plenty enough time for a miracle. Right. Not even he believed that.
Either find a loophole or a willing bride.
No way would he let anyone get their hands on this company.
Sam and Cole worked quietly over the plans at the small conference table that took up a third of the office space, but he could feel their questioning stares on the back of his head.
Stella, his ever-observant sister studied the news, her eyes not really focused on anything or anyone at the moment.
They were worried. He could read it in the tightness of his brother’s shoulders. The way his sister bit at her nails. Shawn was the only one he couldn’t read. From an early age, the man had learned how to school his emotions. Said it helped in his lineof duty when the opposite team couldn’t get a bead on his state of mind.
Marshall grunted and made a beeline for the coffee pot.
He didn’t want it to come down to finding a bride but if that was the only way to secure his family’s future and fortune well, he’d take one for the team.
His company. Their future. Marriages didn’t have to last forever. Divorce was as common an occurrence as birthdays. He could find a bride to share the I DO’s with, give her a hefty settlement with an ironclad contract and bam—done deal inside of a year.
Less, if he was lucky.
Nothing in his father’s will said he had tostaymarried. Unless Cruise came through his door with another addendum to his father’s final wishes, that was. And if that happened, he'd be looking for another lawyer.
Cruise had dismissed himself shortly after delivering the blow to the family and his mother said her farewells with the promise of dinner this evening at home, with a long talk for dessert, no doubt.
Even with the help of a stiff scotch on the rocks, he couldn’t swallow the sour news. Unchained and free to run the company was how he preferred his life. Uncomplicated was the word he’d used to describe his dating life when his father had asked a few weeks back.
Now that answer lodged in his gut and swelled and swirled, making everything taste bitter. The old man had used his own words against him. He’d tried the dating routes but no matter how he looked at it, being a Blackwood had huge pitfalls in theromance department. Too many wanted the dollar signs and forgot about the man.
The only fake thing he wanted in his life was the tofu turkey his mom tried to push on them every Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The years he had dedicated to this place, all those late hours at his father’s side. To lose all of that now? No. Not now and not ever.
But two weeks?What in the world were you thinking, Pop?
“I know what Daddy was thinking.” Stella turned from her TV and Marshall cranked an eyebrow. It was freaky when she did that.
“I take that back. I think I do. Remember last Fourth of July company BBQ?”
“How can we forget?” Shawn looked up from the paperwork he had to have memorized by now.
“You nearly killed us all with those blasted roman candles.”
Stella gave a half shrug and smiled. “How many sorries do you need to let that go?”
Sam and Cole tossed their pens down on the table and turned their gazes to Stella.
“After all the fuss settled down from the fireworks and when Daddy and I were dancing, he asked me about all of you. Who you were dating and how you liked your jobs here and so on. Usual nosy, caring father stuff. But he was oddly focused on you, Marshall. When was the last time I saw you on a date? If you were interested in anyone? How you felt about children and so on.”
