Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Harper
It was six o’clock when I went down to the lobby and climbed into the back of the Escalade.
“How was your day, Harper?”
“It was good, Damon. I’m having a girl.” I smiled.
“That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I haven’t told Grayson yet, so act surprised.”
“I will.”
I hadn’t heard from Grayson all day which pissed me off. I figured he’d at least call to see how it went. We pulled up to the building, and Grayson slid in next to me and gave me a kiss.
“I thought I told you to call me today,” he said.
“Sorry. I was busy with Charlotte and Laurel. Plus, I wanted to tell you in person.”
“Okay. So tell me how the ultrasound went.”
“It’s a girl.” I pulled the picture out and handed it to him.
“Wow. A girl.” He smiled. “That’s great, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed me.
Grayson
I swallowed hard as I stared at the picture of my baby. I suddenly became heated and noticed Damon staring at me through the rearview mirror as we were stopped in traffic. I loosened my tie.
“Is the air on?” I asked him.
“Yes. It’s on.”
“Well, turn it up or something. It’s boiling in here.”
I handed the picture back to her, and she told me to keep it. Was she testing me?
“I have three of them. So that one is yours.”
“Thanks,” I said as I folded it and put it in my coat pocket.
I didn’t know what else to say.
“Dr. Graham said the baby is growing well and right on point.”
“Good. Good to hear. So, the baby is healthy?”
“Yeah. She’s perfect.” She smiled.
After eating and leaving the restaurant, we returned to the penthouse. I really just wanted to be alone tonight. But if I suggested it, I would piss Harper off, and I didn’t need to rock the boat any more than it was already rocking. As soon as she was asleep, I went downstairs, poured myself a drink, and sat down at the piano, pushing one key at a time as I downed my bourbon.
The next morning, I got up before my alarm was set to go off andwent for a run. I needed to clear my head. When I got back, Harper was already up and sitting at the island eating pancakes.
“I got the note you left. How was your run?” she asked.
“It was good.”
“Are you hungry? I can make you some pancakes?”
“No. I’m just going to get in the shower. We need to leave soon for the office.”
“Are you sure? The batter is already made?”
“I said I don’t want any goddamn pancakes!” I shouted at her. “I’m going to take a shower.” I walked away and shook my head.
Harper
What the hell was that about? He’d never yelled at me like that before. I shook my head as I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, slipped on my shoes, grabbed my purse, and left his penthouse. As I was in the cab on my way to the office, a text message came through from him.
“Where the hell are you? I get out of the shower, and you’re gone.”
“I have a lot of work to do, so I left to get to the office early.”
“Whatever, Harper.”
Grayson
I threw my phone on the bed and changed into my suit. Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at her like I did, but I was on edge now and just wanted to be left alone. I grabbed my briefcase and headed down to the lobby, where Damon was waiting for me.
“Where’s Harper?” he asked.
“She went in early,” I spoke with an attitude.
“Did the two of you have a fight?”
“No. We didn’t have a fight. She’s just acting like a child.”
“Speaking of a child, I saw your reaction when you looked at that ultrasound picture. Are you having second thoughts about your plan?”
“No, I’m not, and I don’t want to talk about it.”
I walked into the building and took the elevator up to my office. It pissed me off that Harper left this morning, and I wasn’t about to go see her just yet. Just as I sat down behind my desk, my grandfather walked in.
“Good morning, Grayson.”
“Grandfather, good morning. You didn’t say anything about coming in today.”
“I have a meeting in an hour, and I need you to be there. I’ll be in conference room one.”
“Sure. What’s the meeting about?”
“You’ll find out in an hour.” He smiled as he walked out.
I felt restless, so I walked to Harper’s office to apologize.
“Hey.” I lightly tapped on the door jam.
“Hey,” she softly spoke.
I walked inside her office and shut the door.
“Listen, Harper. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“What was that all about, Grayson?” she asked as she got up from her chair and walked over to me. “Are you having second thoughts about us because of the baby?”
“No, sweetheart.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into me. “Not at all. Things have just been crazy here at work, and instead of talking to you about it, I just snapped. I’m sorry.”
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
“I know, sweetheart, and I promise I will from now on.”
“Okay.” She smiled as she kissed my lips. “You are forgiven.”
“I need to get some work done. My grandfather called me into a meeting in about an hour.”
“What’s the meeting about?”
“I don’t know. He said I’ll find out when I get there.”
“Good luck.” She patted my chest.
I walked down to the conference room, and when I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw my grandfather and our lawyer, Bill Steinman, sitting at the table.
“Bill.” I extended my hand. “What are you doing here? Don’t tell me we’re in some legal trouble.”
“Sit down, Grayson,” my grandfather spoke. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?” I asked with nervousness.
“Well, I decided toretire early and move to Florida. I’ve met a special woman down there and it’s where I need to be. And now that you have Harper, it’s time.”
“What?” I asked in shock.
“It’s going to take at least three months to get everything together for the transfer of ownership, which Bill will be handling. In a matter of three months, the company will be yours, son. Of course, I’ll still be on the board, but you will have full control.”
“Congratulations, Grayson,” Bill said.
“Grandfather, I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it because it’s happening. You’re the backbone of this company, and I know you’re more than capable of running it yourself. You’ve proven yourself to me both personally and professionally. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you. Wow. Who is this woman?” I smiled.
“She’s a special lady. You’ll meet her. Don’t worry. Another thing. I’m selling the townhome and was hoping you could hire Celia as your housekeeper. I know Harper doesn’t live with you yet, but I’m sure it’s coming, and with the baby, you two could use the help.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Thank you, son.”
“Grayson, it was good to see you again,” Bill spoke as he extended his hand. “The next time we meet, you’ll be signing the papers to your new company.”
“Thank you, Bill.”