Chapter 26 Sienna
TWENTY-SIX
SIENNA
After a celebratory drink with Cat to celebrate my new apartment, I text my two oldest brothers, then ask my driver to drop me at Beckett’s house.
Cat is right. I want to succeed in this position, and in order to do that, I need their support and I need to know what they expect from me.
Beckett’s home is filled with life when I arrive.
Finn, my eleven-year-old nephew and my brother’s shadow, gives me a nod so reminiscent of my brother’s it’s uncanny.
They may not share DNA, but he’s a mini-Beckett to the core.
Before I can wave in return, he’s focused on the baseball game playing on the TV.
The twins, who are almost five, rush into the hallway, squealing, with Vivi hot on their heels. Gavin lumbers into the small space next, his arms outstretched and making monster noises.
He dips his chin, though he doesn’t break character as he follows the girls into the living room.
At the kitchen doorway, I stop and peer around the frame, making sure I won’t get bowled over by anyone else involved in their game.
Addie sits at the kitchen counter with a notebook open in front of her, and Liv is pulling out drawers, one after another, muttering to herself.
Their kitchen never fails to lift my spirits.
The room is gorgeous, with white cabinets up top with brassy handles and marble countertops marred with jagged black lines.
The half dozen stools around the island are black, and the lower cabinets are as well.
Beckett gained access to the Pinterest boards Liv created while still married to her ex—probably daydreaming of a life she never thought she’d have, only for my brother to eagerly give it to her years later.
God, I love them.
When I realize Liv’s still in the dress and blazer she wore to the office today, guilt gnaws at my stomach. I should have been more respectful of their family time. It is a school night, after all. And this probably could have waited until business hours.
Liv spots me, and her eyes light up. “Oh my god, are you any good at math? Addie needs help. Winnie’s the resident math whiz around here, but she’s not home from debate team yet.”
“Debate team?” I muse, a smile teasing at my lips.
She sighs, her shoulders dropping. “Right? Like anyone in this house needs to hone their arguing skills.”
Beckett appears in the doorway, one brow raised. “Every one of our children should be an expert at winning a debate. It’ll serve them well in the future.” He gives me a peck on the cheek and squeezes my shoulders, then heads for Addie, who looks up at him and grins.
Warmth blooms in my chest as I study my niece.
Addie is tiny, with long brown waves cascading around her shoulders.
She’s got a fantastic sense of style too.
She tends to dress more on the girly side, yet she’s obsessed with hockey.
I love that she proudly displays both facets of her personality.
The generation of girls growing up today is given so many more options and is encouraged to be everything they want rather than being pigeonholed.
It gives me hope that even though my background is in fashion, I can eventually find my place in the sports world.
Beckett rounds the counter and buries his face in Liv’s neck, murmuring words I can’t make out.
“I’m thinking Chinese,” she says as he steps away. She drags a menu from the edge of the counter and offers it to me.
“I’m good with whatever.” I take the stool next to Addie and rest my elbows on the cool marble. “Sorry if I threw off your night by showing up like this.”
Laughing, Liv holds out an arm and pans the space. “Do you see my life?”
As if on cue, Gavin and the three little girls tumble into the room, the lot of them screaming.
Beckett snags June and Vivi around the waist and hauls them up, rescuing them from Gavin. That leaves poor Maggie on her own, crying about how Daddy forgot her.
Liv scoops her up and positions her on her hip, then points at Gavin. “Stop scaring them.”
Addie shakes her head. “Why would you want to come over here?”
Giggling, I swivel to face her. “I heard you’re a little hockey star.”
Her eyes light up, but behind her, Beckett makes a growling sound. “She’s a great softball player too.”
“My Addie girl knows that hockey is the superior sport,” Gavin says, sweeping an arm around her shoulder.
Genuine happiness courses through my veins as the decades-long battle continues. My oldest brothers have been arguing about this for as long as I can remember.
“Before you boys get into this,” Liv says, using the mom tone that instantly causes us all to toe the line, “circle what you want so we can call in the food. I’m starving.”
I snag a pen from the collection in front of Addie and quickly mark my selection, then pass the menu off to Gavin to do the same. None of us argues with Liv. She’s a saint as far as I’m concerned.
Beckett disappears for a moment, and when he returns, he’s cradling a bottle of red wine.
I don’t need to see the label to know what it is.
My brother only stocks one type of wine, and that’s the Jackson pinot noir his wife was drinking the night they “accidentally” got married in Vegas.
He serves his wife first, then offers me a glass, which I eagerly take.
I take a sip and close my eyes, willing my muscles to relax. When I feel marginally more at ease, I turn back to Addie. “I’ll help you with your homework if you agree to help me with hockey.”
Her lips curl up on one side. “Deal.”
Gavin grunts. “I can help you with hockey. I taught this one”—he squeezes Addie’s side, making her squeal—“everything she knows.”
“Actually, Uncle Brooks did,” she teases.
“I’m sticking with her,” I tell my brother. “Now go. We need girl time.”
Shoulders slumped, he retreats, dragging his feet the whole way and grumbling about being forced to watch baseball with Finn and Beckett.
Liv calls in our order, then heads upstairs to change, leaving Addie and me on our own. After her math is done—the girl was mostly on her own; turns out math has changed—she grills me about hockey jargon to see what I know.
After she tries to explain a term involving the word hat, we determine that I know absolutely nothing.
“Am I a lost cause?” I ask as we head into the dining room for dinner.
She shakes her head. “Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ve got you.”
“What’s Millie up to?” Liv asks once we’re all seated, our plates full.
Gavin sets his wineglass on the table. “Napping. The pregnancy is taking a lot out of her. Especially since Vivi never stops.”
“It’s wild to think that next year, they’ll all be in kindergarten,” Liv says wistfully. “They grow up so quick.”
Gavin shoots me a wink and shovels a bite of food onto his fork. “That’s how we feel about Sienna.”
Liv shifts in her seat, giving me an expectant smile. “So how was the first day?”
Based on the way Gavin’s expression goes pensive, it’s safe to say he’s already heard from his GM. “It was fine. I met Ezra.”
Beckett holds his fork aloft and frowns. “What happened?”
In those two words alone, I can hear the protective big brother fighting his way out. But that’s not why I came over. So I school my features. “Nothing. He seems nice. Said he’s happy to help me get adjusted.”
My oldest brother practically sags with relief. “Good.”
“He’s lucky he didn’t have to deal with a CEO like you,” Liv tells her husband. She picks up her wineglass and swirls it gently. “Just ask Cortney how much he prefers my style of CEOing.”
Beckett scoffs. “I was a great CEO. Very helpful.”
“You were better at interfering than helping,” she says pointedly. “If you’d asked Cortney, he probably would have told you he didn’t need your help.”
Beckett narrows his eyes. “Does he or does he not come into your office to ask for your opinion?”
She shrugs. “He does.”
“And do you think you provide good advice?”
“I do my best,” Liv admits.
My brother looks at me, the lines on his face easing a little.
“Here’s the thing: none of our decision-making is done in a vacuum.
Conclusions made regarding money and team dynamics are all influenced by the coaches, the chemistry of the players, and the amount of money in the cap.
Sometimes one person sees it differently from another. It’s why it’s called a team.”
Beside me, Gavin smirks. “He’s not wrong.”
Liv sighs into her wineglass. “No, I don’t suppose he is.”
“But I don’t know hockey,” I admit.
“So learn.” Beckett says it like it’s so easy. “You don’t think Liv grew up thinking she’d be running a baseball team, do you?”
I eye my sister-in-law. I guess I’ve never thought about it.
She lets out a breathy laugh. “No. When I stepped into that elevator all those years ago, it was for a position with the corporation’s PR department. Not the team’s.”
The two of them share a look. A memory maybe. I have no idea what happened on that elevator, but whatever it was, it feels big.
Beckett takes his wife’s hand, his green eyes—the same color as mine—warm as he presses his lips to her knuckles. Then he turns to me. “Now she’s one of the most respected owners in the league. And not just because she’s my wife.”
Liv rolls her eyes, though there’s nothing but adoration in her expression.
“I love the game. I love our team. But yes, before I found myself handling PR for the Revs, I didn’t even like baseball.
But I learned all I could as quickly as I could because I wanted to succeed.
Maybe I’m the CEO today because I’m Mrs. Beckett Langfield, but either way, I want people to respect me and I want to be helpful.
The only way to do that was to learn the game. ”
“Right. And to insert yourself in those discussions,” Beckett adds.
“But you had years,” I say to Liv.
Gavin hums, sitting back in his chair. “So start small. Focus on the players whose contracts are coming to an end. You’ve got their files.
Study them. Their positions and stats. Then compare them with others in the league.
Now that we’re past the trade deadline, we’re focusing on what changes we’ll make next year. You’ve got time.”
Beckett brings his whiskey glass to his lips. “Isn’t Harrison’s contract up this year?”
At the sound of his name, my muscles lock up. Shit. I can only pray my expression hasn’t given away my reaction.
Gavin nods. “Yup. Brooks too—”
“Sienna can’t be involved in that decision. It’s a conflict of interest,” Liv chimes in.
I laugh. “It’s a conflict of interest for every person with the power to make big decisions, wouldn’t you say? So if I can’t, then who can?”
The Langfields could give two shits about being accused of nepotism, but even so, this is one more reason to steer clear of Noah. The last thing I need is to be accused of favoritism.
Beckett grunts. “That’s why we brought in Ezra. He’ll make the final decision when Brooks’s or Aiden’s contracts are up for renegotiation.”
“Or mine,” Gavin adds.
Beckett nods. “Or his.”
“Wow, that’s—” I blow out a breath. “He has the power to fire you?”
Gavin dips his chin. “If I’m not doing my job.”
“And then I’d fire him,” Beckett growls.
The four of us burst into laughter. Beckett is fiercely protective of his family.
“Except that would negate the whole reason we brought him on,” Gavin points out. “I’m not planning to make the kind of epic mistakes that would lead to being fired from a team I actually own.”
A lump forms in my throat. And now I’m CEO of that team.
This conversation makes my situation feel so much more real.
I’ve never put much thought into the business side of the teams my family owns, yet it’s clear that Langfield Corp means just as much to my brothers as my company meant to me. And I want to make them proud.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” I tell them. “I won’t let you down.”
Gavin nudges me with his elbow. “We know.”
Their trust in me is incredible. And it’s a reminder to stand firmly on principle when it comes to Noah. Nothing can happen with us, not only because I’m angry with him but because I refuse to let anyone down again.
Before leaving the table, I text my real estate agent and ask to get into the apartment to take measurements. This is my fresh start. I’m ready to move forward.
Thirty minutes after I leave Beckett’s, I collect the keys to my new place from the building manager and hit the button to call the elevator. The whole way up, I wear a stupid smile, giddy about what’s to come for me.
As I pad toward the apartment, a door nearby swings open and a man steps out into the hall. I’m so lost in my thoughts that his identity doesn’t register until he says my name. “Sienna?”
Heart stuttering, I blink up at the man I’ve just sworn to myself I’d stop thinking about.
Noah’s jeans are worn in all the right places, and the sleeves of his black shirt are rolled to his elbows. Dammit. Why does he have to look so good?
“Sienna?” he says again, snapping me out of my stupor. “Are you here to see me?” His brows are furrowed, but there’s a hint of hopefulness in his eyes behind those black glasses that I swear will be the death of me.
“You live here?” I mumble.
“Yeah?” He says it like it’s a question. “Why are you here?”
Eyes shuttering closed, I sigh. “I just signed a lease.” My arm feels weighted down as I point to my new place.
He chuckles and slips his hands into his pockets. “You know, I once knew a girl who would swear this is fate.”
I huff a breath. “More like a coincidence.”
“Really? That same girl swore she didn’t believe in coincidences. Though this certainly feels like a happy coincidence, doesn’t it?” He’s full-on grinning now.
“Yup, another freaking happy coincidence,” I grind out.
Lucky me.