Chapter 36
OCTOBER 10 – FRIDAY 7:45 PM
T heo
The seconds ticked like loud clicks in my head. Ten, twenty, a minute. The four of us stared at one another in what felt like a silent standoff. The grandfather clock sitting in the corner was the only thing to break the silence as the pendulum slowly swung back and forth as if it, too, was waiting to see what happened next.
Mrs. Hicks was the first to blink. She burst into tears, and all the nervousness that I’d managed to push down stormed to the surface, making me feel ill all over again. Liam’s hand tightened on mine even though I hadn’t moved.
“But…but….”
She looked between us, and I could see the shock registering. I swallowed, waiting for the blow-up. Mrs. Hicks didn’t like surprises. It was widely known, but I still hoped that she would smile and be happy.
“I’m never going to have grandchildren. First Nora, now you, and I’ll probably be long dead by the time Sierra is old enough,” she wailed, her face twisted in anguish. “All I ever wanted was a full house,” she cried and got up from the table, walking out of the room while her sobs carried through the house.
Mr. Hicks looked at the swinging door where his wife had just disappeared and then turned his attention to us. He sat back and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, reminding me of a king on a throne. He didn’t say anything, and I couldn’t tell by his face what he was thinking. At least he hadn’t screamed at us to get out of his house. I remained hopeful that at least one of Liam’s parents was going to accept me…us.
We all winced as plates clattered and what sounded like metal pots crashed together. Mrs. Hicks stormed back in and dropped a massive platter with a rack of lamb down in the middle of the table.
“Bridget.”
Mr. Hicks tried to get her attention, but her hysterical crying only got worse as she walked back out again. He waved his hand in her direction.
“I love your mother, you know I do, but…she can be very dramatic,” he said, just as Mrs. Hicks walked in with the bowl of potato puree and a plate of veggies.
“I am not dramatic! Did you hear what he said? None of our children want to get married, carry on our bloodline, or…who am I supposed to spoil? It’s my job, my one job, and….”
“Technically, Liam hasn’t said anything yet.”
Mrs. Hick’s face went a violent shade of cherry tomato, and she screamed like a banshee. She swore in Gaelic before dropping the two dishes on the table, making the plates and cutlery bounce.
“Don’t you dare give me that shit, Emmett, or so help me, you’ll be in the spare bedroom.”
He smirked. “Which one? I kind of like the one with the jacuzzi.”
“Ah!”
I was pretty sure that Emmett was a dead man. Mrs. Hicks appeared ready to jump on him. Instead, she stormed back out. Her tears were like a tap that wouldn’t shut off now that she’d turned them on.
Emmett remaining ultra calm while Bridget cried was not what I had expected. I glanced down at the table to see my watch peeking out from under my suit jacket sleeve and couldn’t imagine taking it off forever. The few days I hadn’t worn it were too long as it was. I’d never felt so naked.
“Don’t mind your mother. She processes…loudly. She had a similar moment when we were informed of our marriage contract, the day of our wedding, the moment she found out that she was pregnant with Nora, and then again with you. There’s more, but you get the idea.” He sighed and linked his fingers together on the table. “Let me start by saying I don’t care that you two want to be together. What I care about is the tradition of marrying families together to strengthen bonds and bottom lines.”
“Does that mean you only cared about what mom’s family could do for you when you married her?”
Mr. Hicks smirked. “We grew to love one another. But ours wasn’t a marriage based on love. So, Theo, tell me what you bring to this alliance?”
“That’s your first question,” Liam said, and Emmett shrugged.
“Like I said, I don’t care if you want to marry a purple dinosaur. What makes this union more profitable than the others I’ve begun lining up? If you two are this serious, then I want to know what he brings to the table?”
“I’m not some breeding stock to be sold off to the highest bidder,” Liam growled, but if Emmett was fazed, he did not show it.
Instead, he laughed before his face turned serious once more.
“Yes, you are. You all are and don’t fool yourselves into thinking otherwise. I was, your mother was, and our parents were before that. In this world, we marry to increase our financial holdings or to create a bridge with another powerful family for protection. That’s how we stay alive generation after generation. You, of all people, should know that, Liam. So, I’ll ask again…Theo, what do you bring to this union?”
“Nora left because of this exact reason,” Liam said, fuming and about to explode “Do you want me to leave, too?”
Emmett smacked his hand down on the table, and I grabbed Liam’s arm.
“You’re not leaving. We’re not leaving,” I said, and Liam turned his raptor gaze on me.
“You don’t have to answer this question, at least not tonight,” Liam said. “We came for dinner, not a business meeting.”
“And yet, this is a business issue. You dropped it at the dinner table, so now you get to either discuss this or leave,” Emmett said.
“Our relationship shouldn’t be considered business,” Liam said.
“Liam, he’s right. We could’ve waited until after dinner, but we brought it up, and your father has a valid point.”
Liam sucked in a deep breath and crossed his arms but didn’t argue. I could tell by the look on Liam’s face that he wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.
“I want to answer,” I said. My talk with Ren earlier had prepared me for this very moment. Liam wasn’t the only one that could read people. The only thing I could think of that Mr. Hicks valued as much as passing along his name to an heir was money and business connections. So I’d prepared everything that I could think of.
Turning to Emmett, a calm washed over me. I’d been terrified until this second, but now that it was finally out there, I could breathe better than I had since I first started worrying about this night.
“Mr. Hicks, I am a massive asset that you’ve already utilized without realizing it.” He narrowed his eyes.
“How so?”
“The paperwork that you just had Truform Steel sign, who do you think wrote that contract?”
“That is the most ironclad contract I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“Exactly, and if you think that is good, then imagine how exceptional of a lawyer I’ll be when I graduate from Harvard. I’ve already been accepted. Yes, my father signed off on it, but he didn’t change a single line.” Emmett sat back, and I could see the astonishment in his eyes. “I don’t need to tell you that we are always in need of top lawyers, but how about a lawyer who will also be co-owner of an investment banking firm?”
“Co-owner with who?”
I looked at Liam. “We’re small right now, but with a little more capital, it’ll be a thriving business.”
“That is a cutthroat industry. What makes you think you can handle those sharks?”
Liam smiled. “Have you seen me at the poker table? I will eat them and use their bones as my toothpicks.”
Emmett looked between the two of us. “You’ve put real thought into this and have been planning for some time. So, you’re serious? This isn’t some whim to get out of a marriage arranged by your parents.”
“We have, sir. You also know that I’ll end up with half of my father’s law firm, O’Brien, O’Brien, and Spector, as well as the construction business my mother built from the ground up. This isn’t what you were planning, but you haven’t met anyone more dedicated to succeeding and being the best than me.”
He rubbed at his chin, his shrewd eyes trying to cut through me to see if I was telling the truth. I’d gotten used to that look from Liam.
“I want to see numbers, but…I will say that I’m impressed so far. That’s enough business talk until after dinner. I should go check on your mother.”
“No, let me,” I said, standing.
Squeezing Liam’s shoulder, I followed the muffled cries. They were much softer now, but when I walked through the kitchen door, Bridget was standing at the counter icing a cake.
“Mrs. Hicks, may I speak to you for a minute?”
She jumped a little, and to my surprise, she didn’t whip the cake at my head.
“Sweetie, you know you can call me Bridget,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m a mess.” Grabbing tissues, she dabbed at the tears. “I’m not angry, despite what it looks like.” We walked over to the small table with two tall stools in the corner and sat down.
“You’re allowed to be upset. We sprung this on you without warning.” Laying my hand on hers, she smiled.
“I think I knew all along that you and Liam were more than friends,” she said. “You share a closeness that only comes with intimacy.”
“Are you disappointed?”
She shook her head. “No, and yes. No, because I love you like my own, you know that. Ella and I raised the two of you together, and I have memories of you sitting on the same blankie playing with toys. Well, you wanted to play. Liam kept trying to steal them.”
I smiled. “But you wanted grandchildren?”
She nodded. “It’s selfish, really, but I just always pictured the house full for generations. Nora and Emmett are barely speaking, and I have no idea how to fix that. Sienna is only ten. I pinned all my hope on Liam. I think I’m suffering from empty nest syndrome. Most of the time, it’s just me in this massive house. Emmett works all the time, and….” She wiped away more tears. “I’m sorry, I feel so greedy. Some people never have what I do. I should be thankful for what the good Lord has given me already. I just need a little time to wrap my head and heart around the changes coming.”
“Well, I can’t guarantee where we’ll live, but we’re definitely having kids.”
“You are?” Bridget’s eyes brightened.
“We are?” Liam was lurking in the middle of the kitchen after doing his impression of the Invisible Man.
“Yes, we are,” I said, ignoring his wide-eyed expression and turning my attention back to Bridget. “Don’t give up on that dream.”
The tears were instant. “Really?”
Standing, I gently helped Bridget to her feet and wrapped my arms around the woman I’d known for my entire life. I smiled when Liam hugged his mom from behind, making her laugh.
“I love you boys so much.”
“We love you too, Mom,” Liam said.
“You know Lawrence isn’t going to like this,” she said.
Liam and I shared a look over her head.
“What am I missing,” she asked, looking back and forth between us.
“Let’s just say that there is more we need to discuss with Dad,” Liam said, and Bridget chewed her bottom lip.
“Please tell me you’re not planning anything dangerous. I couldn’t live if something happened to either of you.”
Liam gave his best reassuring smirk and wink. “We wouldn’t do anything to get in trouble, would we, Theo?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Nope, never.”
“Now I know you’re both lying.”
“What the hell is going on in here? Dinner is getting cold, and I’m sitting out there alone with my thumb up my arse,” Emmett complained.
“Don’t swear at dinner time. You’re right. Let’s go eat before it’s completely ruined.”
Liam tugged my arm, and I stopped as his parents walked out. “Kids?” He whispered. I crushed my lips to his and felt him shudder.
“Kids,” I said and walked out of the kitchen, leaving him to follow.
Making it past step one with Emmett and Bridget was huge, but shocking Liam silent was just as sweet as the icing on the cake.
OCTOBER 10 – FRIDAY 11:05 PM
Liam
Confident, intelligent, and commanding—all words that described the man who owned my heart and made my cock hard. I knew Theo was smart and could conduct himself like he had thirty years experience on any topic and he was certainly capable of commanding a room. But knowing it and seeing it…were totally different things.
We’d both grown and changed over the years, but in the last four months, I had been fighting a significant shift in our relationship. Change wasn’t easy for me at the best of times, but the changes in Theo felt like too much. He was my constant, and despite our dynamic in the bedroom, he was my fucking rock.
When my father had demanded to know what Theo brought to the table, I’d been ready to follow in Nora’s footsteps. Fuck him, we would strike out on our own. But Theo had taken charge and ordered me to stay. I wouldn’t have gotten to experience this if I had let my dominance get the best of me.
The four of us sat around the table talking and laughing like we always had, but now…the underlying tension about who we were to one another was gone. My father was busy talking about new deals while Theo thumbed through an arrangement that had Dad concerned. It took Theo all of ten minutes to read the document and point out the issues. When he handed the paperwork back, it was as good as scribbling his name across a marriage certificate.
My father had agreed to draw up a contract for us. Now, we just needed to figure out how that worked with Ren. My guess was that nothing would change. She didn’t seem like it would bother her, but that was our next big conversation.
“We really should get some sleep,” I said, standing and buttoning up my suit jacket out of habit. In reality sleep was the last thing on my mind and couldn’t wait to get Theo naked.
“Why so soon?”
“My initiation and oath swearing are tomorrow. You didn’t forget, did you?”
Mom and Dad looked at one another before my father stood and picked up his glass.
“Why don’t we take this conversation to the cigar lounge? I’d like to have one.” That was code for, we need to talk .
Theo glanced up at me from his seat, and we shared the same worry. What was so terrible about tomorrow that it required a cigar lounge discussion?
“I’ll look after the dishes,” Mom said, taking the plates out of Theo’s hands as he picked them up. “Go on, shoo, go talk.”
“Thank you for another fabulous meal,” Theo said, and I could see my mom melt as he kissed her cheek.
“Oh, stop, get out of here before I start crying again,” Mom said, and I hugged her before following Dad down the long hall to the room across from his office.
As soon as we walked in, Dad closed the door and opened his cigar box. He picked out his favorite and poured another drink. “Have a seat.”
“How serious is the challenge that you need to talk to us privately?” Theo and I sat down in two of the four leather chairs and waited for him to speak.
“Honestly, it depends on how you view it.” Dad wandered over with his cigar smoldering between his fingers and his brandy in the other hand.
This room suited my father. He’d designed it in dark woods with glass-door cabinets that displayed the bottles of brandy, scotch, and whiskey that he’d collected over the years. The furniture was dark brown to match the wood, and the walls showcased massive oil paintings of racehorses at the track. As far as I knew, my father had never gone to the races, been a gambler, or even rode a horse, and yet famous thoroughbreds such as Secretariat, Seabiscuit, War Admiral, Northern Dancer and even Man o’ War graced the walls.
“There is no gathering to attend tomorrow.”
“What?” Theo and I said together.
“Lawrence is away dealing with an issue in Ireland. We all know you can run circles around any mental, physical, or emotional challenges.”
“Okay…I’m sensing a but,” I said.
“You are correct. You’ll still need to make your contribution in some manner and prove your loyalty before you’re sworn in.”
I glanced at Theo, and he seemed just as confused as I was.
“What does Lawrence want me to do?”
“Not Lawrence. Me. He has left it up to me to choose your initiation trial.”
Staring my father in the eyes, I slid forward in my seat, trying to gauge what he might deem an appropriate contribution. Killing and assaulting people wasn’t his style.
“I came up with the perfect balance of what you can do and what will keep Lawrence happy, and more importantly what will keep all the other council members happy.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is my task?”
“You’ll play poker.”
“Lawrence wants money? Easy. How much?”
“Five million, and you have two weeks.”
My father stood and polished off his drink before stubbing out his cigar. He casually walked to the door and looked back at us.
“And son…I didn’t set the timeframe or the punishment if you don’t succeed. I suggest you succeed because you won’t like what Lawrence does if you fail. Good night.”