Chapter 3
W ednesday: Three days until the wedding
Brooklyn Angelique Bennett came shooting into the world during a tornado.
Mark had never been so scared in his entire life, because as a man who prided himself on being a protector and provider, he was faced with two simultaneous events that were completely outside of his control. All he could do was reassure Alayna and pretend everything was fine. Thankfully, in the end, it was.
The hospital sustained serious damage, but little Brooklyn was perfect. She was so serene. She barely made a sound.
Now, she tore around the villa like an EF5, barking orders at anyone who would listen. Her brothers weren’t on that list, but her daddy sure was. He watched her cycle between ranting, staring wistfully into space, and frantically texting, her fingers flying a mile a minute.
“Would you please calm down?” he finally said after he noticed what appeared to be her hyperventilating.
She looked up at him and poked her bottom lip out. “It’s my wedding!”
“We’re all aware,” Mark said. “Most of all, me.”
She stopped moving long enough to give Mark the puppy dog eyes he’d never been able to refuse.
“Daddy, you know I’m grateful. You know that, right?”
“I do.”
“Good.” She plopped herself down on the champagne colored chaise lounge Alayna had insisted on getting for the sitting room despite having two dirty boys running around. “No matter how stressed out and irritable I get this week, please know I appreciate everything.”
He sighed. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing, right now. But…” she trailed off, pulling out her iPad. “Dav’s family will be here any minute. I’ll let you know when they’re pulling up so we can go out and greet them.”
“And you’ve never met these people before?”
She ran her finger across the touch screen. “I met his mom over the phone. I’ve hung out with his brothers. I told you that, remember?”
He didn’t. “Anything I need to know?”
“Nothing you don’t know already.”
That was the problem.
He didn’t like going in blind with these people. Davion talked about his family very sparingly, and if Mark didn’t know him to be an upstanding young man, he would have thought the boy was hiding something. Learning his parents got divorced explained some of it, but Mark was still wary.
"I gotta handle some business,” he said to her as he walked toward his study. “Text me when they get here.”
Brooklyn nodded, her eyes glued to her screen.
Mark closed the door behind him and pulled out his phone. Knox, his attorney, had left him two messages. He’d read through the lawsuit, and he was preparing a countersuit. And yes, this could all wait until after the wedding. No rush. Enjoy yourself.
But Mark wasn’t so sure. He’d known Sterling Harris for years before they became business partners. He’d trusted the man, built a profitable business with him, treated him like family. But any man who can throw family under the boss was not to be trusted.
Mark dialed Knox.
Contrary to his reassuring message, Mark knew full well that this could not wait.