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“And yet, you have fallen for my son, a man who isn’t in the business of helping regular people. Does that give you pause?”
Shaking my head, I can’t help but think he’s trying to trap me in the subtlest of ways. “Anderson’s career is his own. I’d never think to tell him what to do, and god help the woman who tried. If he wants to help me in my crusade, I welcome the help, but I would never try to tear him away from his family’s work. Though your firm caters to the upper echelons of society, you’re also heavily involved in charity, and being able to make generous donations requires sizable funds. I might be an idealist in some aspects of life, but I am foremost a realist.”
“That is very good to hear. Has he mentioned that I want him to take over?”
“We haven’t spoken much on the matter, but I had assumed that to be the case. He’s been groomed since birth for the role, and I cannot think of someone better suited.”
Elliot smirks, and it’s unsettlingly like Anderson’s smirk, except it does not turn me on. But the smirk fades into something else. Hesitance? “No need to campaign for him, June. You’re right. I have groomed him for the role. The reason I ask is, he will need a partner in this. Someone as dedicated to the firm as he is. Or at the very least, someone who understands what his work entails. That there will be long nights. Long weeks. Times when he cannot come home, no matter the reason. Running the firm must be his first priority. Not his wife. Not his family. It requires everything of him. He needs a strong partner who can weather that. Who understands the score. Is that something you can do?”
Not hesitance, then. Elliot wants to know if I’m willing to give up myself for Anderson’s responsibilities. It would be easy to say yes and tell him what he wants to hear. It would all but slam dunk this whole thing. But what he wants is too much to ask of anyone.
The next woman Anderson brings home will be asked the same thing, and the woman after that, and the next one, and so on. Someone will say yes, and it will blow up in Anderson’s face, along with the rest of the family. His child will be raised to be another Anderson, another kid who needed his dad around to make him a better person. I hate that Anderson was neglected. He might have been a happier kid. He might not have bullied me.
If I say yes now, Elliot will think this is okay. That this is how the world should work, because for him, it always has. I can lie about a lot of things. But not this.
“No, Elliot. I can’t do that.”
“Then perhaps it’s for the best that?—"
“What you ask for is too much. It’s too much to ask for anyone who wants a true partnership in marriage. When I said yes to him, I said yes to him. Not to a legacy of cold, lonely dinners and children who don’t recognize their father. Anderson grew up like that, and I won’t continue it into our family. He deserves more. Our future children deserve more, and so do I. A parent is supposed to provide more for their child than they had, not perpetuate a cycle of loneliness.”
He all but rolls his eyes at me. “You would say no to a lavish life of what you’ve seen around you? Of vacations around the world, multiple homes, all the clothes you could ever want. The best nannies for your children and the latest car under a big bow at Christmas? Gold and diamond?—"
I laugh, shaking my head. “I’m not here to absorb his inheritance, Elliot. Anderson’s financial situation is easier than most, but that’s not what interests me about him.”
“What then?” he growls.
“Him. Just him.” I shrug. “I knew Anderson back in Appleton. Did he mention that?”
“Yes.”
“He was so different back then. Kind of a dick, actually.” I laugh at myself. “But I always knew there was something deeper beneath the surface. Then we ran into each other again at Boston U, and it was like the edges had been sanded down some. Not enough, so I kept moving. And then finally, when I ran into him at a charity ball, it was as though all the rough edges had been sloughed off, and what was left was the good man I knew was under all that bravado. He’s kind. Thoughtful. Generous. Those qualities I want in a partner. I am grateful he had Kitty to instill that in him.” I leave the obvious lack of his father out of the conversation, but we both know what I’m saying. Anderson has those qualities in spite of his father. Not because of him.
Elliot stares for a moment, contemplating something I’m sure I won’t want to hear. “So, you would sign a prenup, then?”
Oh that? I laugh. “Happily.”
His brows slide up. “If I happened to have a prenup ready to be signed here and now, you’d sign it?”
“Give me a pen, and I’ll sign it.”
Instead, he laces his fingers together like a villain and smiles. “It is a rare thing to meet a woman with your convictions, June. I don’t have a prenup—Anderson hadn’t mentioned that he’d proposed. He doesn’t tell me much about his personal life,” he grumbles the last part. “Not that I blame him. A man’s personal life is his business, and I try not to interfere unless needed. He will be required to work long hours at the firm. That is the nature of the beast. How he works that out with you is between the two of you. I will not interfere.”
Whoever Anderson actually marries owes me big time. I smile at Elliot, feeling a hint of relief. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Someone knocks at the door, and Elliot says, “Enter.”
When I see Anderson, I feel like the cavalry arrived just after I won the battle. But I’m still glad to see him. “Thought I’d check on everyone.”
Elliot smiles at his son. “You’ve done well for yourself, Anderson. A word of warning, though. June isn’t going to put up with your nonsense.”
He chuckles. “Oh, believe me. I know.”
Chapter 30
ANDERSON
I can’t believe she’s in one piece after so much time with Dad. Not red-eyed or shaky. In fact, she’s smiling brightly. I always knew June was special, but I think I underestimated her.
