Chapter Two Connor
CHAPTER TWO
CONNOR
Laney gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, her attention moving toward me. Her gorgeous eyes lacked their usual warmth or joy, and seeing her sad gutted me, leaving me without any rational thought except wanting to know how to fix it.
A flash of anger danced behind her eyes, and my chest ached. I loved feisty Laney. It wasn’t a side she showed often. I just wasn’t familiar with being on this end of it.
“What is it?”
“You rented the house next door?” She slammed the coffee down in front of me and spilled it on the table. “You can’t stay there.”
“Why?” I figured it was the perfect place to stay to win her back.
Her face reddened as she spat, “You just can’t.”
“Not sure that’s the rule, babe. I paid, and it’s happening.”
She gritted her teeth. “Are you hoping to torture me?”
“The opposite.” I smiled briefly. “I’m here to fight for you.”
“What about… your job? The cyber breach? You can’t take off work.”
“I’m the boss. Of course I can.” I shrugged. I needed her to truly understand that this wasn’t an off-the-cuff choice.
My dad hadn’t heard about the event yet, which would lead to me getting an earful, but this was my wife we were talking about. My other half. It still didn’t make sense that no one in my life thought that her leaving was a big deal.
Laney sniffed, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing. Her face crumpled, and her shoulders slumped. A gnawing ache formed in my gut, and I stood there, helpless, as she let out a humorless laugh.
“If you can take off work whenever, then how am I supposed to feel about when I asked you to come to a photography show? Or the weekend trip to see my college friends? Or the anniversary dinner you forgot about? Your words and actions don’t align, Connor, and it’s exhausting and devastating to think you’ll never change. ”
Before I could respond, she pointed to the door. Her chin wobbled, and I hated more than anything that I put that tremble there. The way she swiped under her eye with her finger, not able to hide her tears… that was my fault.
She was right. I hadn’t prioritized those nights.
One of our employees had been involved in a sexual assault case that involved another colleague, and then Petra—my executive assistant—learned her mom passed, and she’d needed help.
Both reasons seemed solid at the time, but hearing them from Laney now…
What if I can’t save this?
“Please, leave. I can’t make you go back to our…
your condo, but please, leave me be. I know you care for me and hate seeing me cry, but every time we talk, that’s all I want to do, okay?
” She ran her hands over her face before opening the front door.
“I don’t know why you’re making this so much harder on us. ”
There was one thing I had learned from being the CEO of a multimillion-dollar business for the last decade: it was when to argue, when to be quiet, and when to be patient.
Laney wasn’t in the place to talk this out and figure out solutions.
Her pain was too loud and fresh. It’d just hurt us if I spoke up, so I sighed and stopped right in front of her.
“I’ll be next door. We’ll talk soon.”
Then, without kissing my wife, I walked out of her parents’ house with my heart beating in my throat. The brisk Illinois air hit my face, the sting welcome as it distracted me from the growing pressure in my chest. This was just unacceptable. Our marriage wasn’t ending.
I’d convince her. Hell, I’d won over executives ten times more terrifying than my wife. But was that even the same thing?
I entered the rental and slammed the door shut. That didn’t go as planned. I foolishly thought seeing me would help… When did things get so bad?
It was barely 10:00 in the morning, and I needed a damn drink. The house wasn’t stocked at all. In my rush to get here, I had shoved three outfits into a suitcase. I’d need more if I was going to stay here.
Like clockwork, my emails pinged with media requests. Where is the CEO during a breach? Is it worse than we think?
I dove in, welcoming the distraction while I figured out what to do about my marriage.
I knew peace wouldn’t last long. My dad would find out about me leaving, and sure enough, a few hours later, he called. I shoved the late lunch I had ordered to the side and answered the call, steeling myself for a berating.
“Father.”
“Why are you not in the office? Dennis told me you’re dealing with an emergency? You better be in the hospital right now. I didn’t convince my friends to invest in this company to have my son bail when shit gets hard.”
My stomach sank. He would never understand my reasons.
“I’ll be back after the holidays. The team can handle everything. Hell, they are the ones that do the work. I just smile for the press.”
“Don’t try to be cute with me. You belong there, not in some suburb.”
“So you do know where I am.”
“Petra informed me that your wife left you. You seem to be under the impression you can save the marriage, yet many believe that’s a waste of your time. If Laney isn’t happy receiving your generous salary, the condo you provide for her, and her luxury lifestyle, then who cares? Let her go.”
“Do not speak about her like that. What the fuck, Dad?” In less than twelve hours, both my assistant Petra and my dad had insulted my wife. “I’m trying to save my marriage because it matters to me. She matters to me.”
He scoffed. “The company matters more. She’s fine, but she’s not worth losing the company. I always knew her artsy values would be an issue. I think you understand what’s at stake here, son.”
“You’re threatening me with your influence over the board.
You’re explicitly saying that I should give up on my wife, my marriage of nine years, because you’ll remove me as CEO.
I’m correct, right?” A sliver of cold seeped into my spine, making me sit up straighter.
I had never spoken up against him. He could ruin me, despite the good job I’d been doing and the increase in profit I’d been making every year.
The constant game of politics had slowly sucked the life out of me, and I was fucking tired. “Am I right, Dad?” I asked again.
He cleared his throat. “You’re being dramatic, which must be because your wife is messing with your head.
You should be better disciplined and not let your emotions distract you like this.
That means you’re weak, and I know I raised you better than this.
I expect you at the office in a week or you, Dennis, and I will meet to talk about expectations and job duties. ”
Then my dad hung up.
Pounding formed at the base of my skull, a scalding migraine from pure anger.
If I were home, I’d use a massive ice pack that goes over my face and eases the stress instantly.
Laney bought it for me after my third year in the job, and it became our routine.
She’d put on a playlist, let me lay my head in her lap, and we’d relax until the headache faded.
Knowing I didn’t have that comfort—and might not ever again—broke me.
The feelings I had refused to feel bubbled up, and I tossed my phone on the table and rushed outside.
Condensation covered my face from the chill, and I inhaled, staring up at the star-covered sky.
There were no clouds here or pollution like the city.
The blinking lights twinkled, almost mocking me with their beauty.
People were happy here, not constantly hustling and working fourteen-hour days.
They enjoyed life—something I seemed to have forgotten how to do. I had had what I wanted and lost it.
I wasn’t sure how long I stood out there, my hands turning to ice and my face numb, but laughter from next door distracted me. Light spilled out of the open garage door, and Laney’s familiar chuckle drifted toward me. God, I had missed that sound.
“There’s no way it’ll fit! You need to saw it!”
“I will not saw it. This is the tree I picked, damn it, and it’ll work.”
“Dad, I’m telling you—” She broke off into a fit of laughter. “This is like a movie scene. You’re being unreasonable.”
“I’ll tell you what’s unreasonable—it’s this stupid doorframe. I’m gonna take it off.”
“Don’t you dare touch my doorframe, Steven, or you’ll be sleeping on the porch tonight,” Laney’s mom said.
My lips curved up, despite not feeling joy. Laney’s parents were the epitome of warmth and love. They laughed loudly, showed emotion with ease, and focused more on loving flaws than pointing them out. When I first met them, I was jealous of Laney. I wanted parents like hers.
Hers would never tell her to end a marriage because work mattered more.
“Hon, take a breather. Can you throw this out on the curb? Walk it off.”
“Fine. But do not mess with my tree. I cut it down myself, and I love it.”
Footsteps thudded on the concrete as Steve carried a box of trash toward the curb. He grumbled something under his breath, but then his attention landed on me.
“Connor, why the hell are you standing outside like a creepo?”
I almost laughed. “I needed fresh air.”
Steve frowned and glanced at the garage, then back at me, and then back.
“Hmm, okay. Now, Laney might be upset if I do this, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
“Meaning…?”
“Can you help me get this tree inside our house? The ladies are tough, obviously, but they aren’t trying hard enough. This is one of those battles I refuse to give up on because the whole damn time they yapped about it being too big for the house. Man-to-man, you see my point?”
Regardless of my thoughts, I nodded. I wanted to be around their joy, around my wife, and if that meant helping Steve with this task, then I’d do it. “Sure.”
“Good man.” He nodded but then reached out and squeezed my shoulder.
“I know this is a hard season. I’m not sure what the future will bring, but I support a guy trying, and I know that’s what you’re doing here.
My daughter is stubborn and brilliant, and I’m on her side no matter what, but we love you too, Connor, so don’t give up too quickly. ”
My throat prickled from the kindness of his words. “I won’t.”
“Good. If you tell either of them I said that, I will find a way to hurt you. Now come on.”
He marched back into the garage, and sure enough, a huge-ass evergreen tree sat halfway shoved into their house. There was honestly no way it’d fit through the doorway, but I couldn’t miss the chance to help.
“Hey, can we use your back entrance? It has double doors that open.”
“Smart man. Yup.” He clicked his tongue. “Let’s drag her out. Honey! Open the back door. We’re coming in that way!”
“What?”
“Unlock the back door, please!”
“Unlock what?”
Oh my God. If Laney were here, we’d make eye contact and laugh our asses off. These two were like characters in a sitcom.
“Sherry Marie, I swear on Laney’s life, you can damn well hear me. Now, I’m marching around and breaking the door down myself!”
My lips twitched as we yanked the tree over and over. It was stuck in the door, and my muscles tensed as I changed my grip. The wood cut into my skin, and the smells of evergreen and sap filled the air.
“Steve, it’s pretty tight.”
“No. Don’t bail on me.” He grunted and pulled hard. So hard that he stumbled backward and landed on his ass. He howled. It wasn’t a quiet one either. It was like a coyote, and Laney ran into the garage, eyes wide.
“What happened?”
“Your dad busted his butt.”
“Dad, are you… Wait, Connor, why are you—”
“You foolish man.” Laney’s mom walked in with a smile on her lips. “You are such a moron, but I love you.”
“My ass needs ice.” Steve pushed up with a groan. “You win. I’ll saw the tree down.”
“Laney and I can move it,” I piped up. She stared at me with her eyes hooded, her teeth on her full bottom lip.
“We’ve moved trees larger than this, haven’t we?”
She nodded, but her frown grew. “Why are you here?”
“I asked him for help, but it was no use. I pretty much broke my tailbone, and the tree is still in the doorway.” Her dad ran a hand over his butt.
“Come on. I’ll get you ice and put on a rom-com.”
“The kissing ones?”
“Yes. Your favorite.” Her mom chuckled as she rolled her eyes. “Never boring with you, Steven. That’s for sure.”
Laney’s mom and dad walked inside. The front door closed with a thud, leaving Laney alone with me in the garage.
She wore an oversized sweater and jeans that I loved.
Her hair was up, she had no makeup on, and she looked beautiful.
Her bare left hand pissed me off, and I could tell she wanted to tell me to leave.
So I used a trick I had up my sleeve: her competitiveness.
“So, you think you can help me move this thing, or no?”