Chapter 25
WORTH
When I step through the door, Brianna barrels towards me with a wide grin on her face.
I drop my bags and catch her, lifting her off the ground like I used to when she was small.
She’s taller now, lankier, but I don’t care.
I hug her tight and kiss the top of her head, breathing her in. God, I missed her.
“Dad!” she squeals, squeezing my neck. “You’re back!”
“Always, Piglet,” I murmur, setting her down but keeping my arm slung over her shoulders. “You look happy to see me.”
“Duh!”
I bark a laugh. “I missed you, little one.”
She grins, a wicked little thing. “Me too!”
Before I can get another word in, Bri starts yapping about her week. I let her talk, the sound of her voice untangling the stress in my chest as we head towards the kitchen together.
Maggie is at the stove, wooden spoon in hand, stirring something that smells delicious. At the island, Henson sits with a glass of something green. His face says it all. He catches my eye, then points at the drink, mouthing help me.
I chuckle under my breath and raise both hands. You’re on your own, brother.
It’s probably one of Maggie’s so-called miracle juices. She swears her concoctions can cure everything from headaches to heartbreak. Judging by Henson’s grimace, he must’ve complained about something earlier and got stuck being the guinea pig.
I circle the counter and press a quick kiss to Maggie’s cheek. “Smells good in here.”
“Welcome home.” She gives me a side hug before turning back to the pot.
Then, casually, she asks, “So… Are you boys going home to Nantucket for the holidays this year?”
“Yes,” I respond without hesitation at the exact same time that Henson says, “No.”
We both turn to each other, and Maggie’s brow shoots up.
“Mom is going to be upset,” I tell him flatly.
He shrugs, sipping the juice like it’s poison. “You know how I get at functions where there are too many people. She’ll understand.”
Crowds trigger Henson’s anxiety, and pushing him into a situation like that usually ends badly. I’ve been there, seen it firsthand. But this is family. And if there’s one thing our mother loves, it’s gathering every last one of us under the same roof for the holidays.
“Hen, this isn’t some gala or fundraiser. Mom needs you there.”
He gives me a look as if he wants to argue, but I see the unease in his eyes. Panic lingers under the surface, even when he tries to mask it.
I sigh and sit on one of the barstools across from him. “I get it. I do. But maybe we figure out a compromise, because Mom will never let you live it down if you don’t show up at all.”
Henson scowls at me like I’ve just betrayed him. I take it as a win.
Maggie shoos us out of the kitchen to give her space, so I pull my laptop from my bag and settle at the dining table.
Henson drops into the chair across from me, setting his own laptop down with a sigh. We work for a while, the only sound the clacking of keys and Maggie humming faintly to herself.
Then, out of nowhere, Henson says, “So… how was the trip?”
I don’t bother looking up. “Fine.”
“Fine?” He draws the word out. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“Yes.” Besides the fact that I’m getting married to my employee.
A beat of silence, then: “How’s Mya?”
My jaw clenches. I shut the lid of my laptop harder than necessary and level him with a look.
He smirks, unbothered. “Your silence tells me all I need to know.”
“It tells you nothing.”
“Please. You’re my brother. I’ve known you my whole life. You shut down whenever something hits too close.” He leans back, arms crossing over his chest. “You like her.”
I exhale sharply, shaking my head. “Even if I did, it doesn’t matter.”
“Why not?”
My throat tightens, but I push through it. “Mya is not interested in me like that. She thinks I’m some fucking playboy—and let’s face it, I’ve given her plenty of reasons to think that.”
Henson’s gaze softens. “You don’t help your image, I’ll give you that. But if she knew the real you, the one I know? She’d think differently.”
I shrug, leaning back in my chair. “Doesn’t matter. She’s my employee. And she made it clear she doesn’t want to be entangled with her boss.”
Henson smirks again. “So fire her. Then ask her on a date.”
I bark out a laugh. “Right. Like she wouldn’t hate my guts after that.”
His grin fades when I lower my voice. “Something else happened. It’s to do with Vanessa…”
“What about her?”
I fill him in on everything. About Vanessa contacting me twice to see Brianna, running into her in Singapore, and the threat to take me to court for custody. My hands fist as I talk, the words tasting like poison.
Henson’s expression sours. “Shit. Have you spoken to Ryan?”
“Yes. Last week.”
“Good. Don’t let her get one inch past the line. Not after what she did.”
“I won’t.” But the truth is, I’m not sure I can stop her. If Vanessa really pushes, the law will be on her side.
That thought alone makes my stomach twist.
Before my nerves can get the best of me, I tell him about my plan to marry Mya.
“Holy shit!” Henson whisper-shouts. “We have to call Griffin, right now.”
“No, don’t—”
But it’s too late: my brother already has my best friend on a video call.
Griffin crosses his arms and pins us with a stare. “What’s going on?”
Here we go.
After I’m done filling him in on the issue with my ex-wife, Griffin exhales. “Damn, Worth. I’m sorry, man.”
I chuckle, but it’s humorless.
“So, what’s the plan?”
I don’t bother sugarcoating it. “Mya is going to help me with the situation. We’re getting married.”
“Come again?” Griffin’s head jerks back. “You’re joking, right?”
“I wish I was.”
His laugh is incredulous. “You said you’d never get married again. You’ve sworn that for years, Worth.”
“True,” I concede. “But this isn’t a marriage of love. It’s a means to an end. I need to prove to the judge that I’m a family man who can give Brianna a steady, stable household. Vanessa’s sudden reappearance means I can’t leave that to chance.”
“And you think a whirlwind marriage to your employee is going to scream stability? Come on, Worth. Everyone saw you walk into the charity event with Sophia on your arm not long ago. Now you’re telling people you’ve been secretly dating Mya? That’s one hell of a pivot.”
Griffin turns his gaze to Henson. “Hen, help me out here.”
“Nothing happened with Sophia that night,” I snap.
“Didn’t have to. Optics, Worth. Optics,” Griffin argues.
“She was just my companion for the event. We didn’t touch. We didn’t kiss. There’s nothing to spin there.”
Henson’s smirk spreads slowly. “And why was that, Worth?”
I glare at him, teeth grinding. “Shut up.”
“Uh huh. That’s what I thought,” he says, smug as hell. “In all seriousness, though. You think this is a good idea?”
“It’s the only way.”
Griffin leans forward on the screen, his stare cutting through me. “What if feelings get involved and you get hurt?”
I scoff. “You know me, Griff. I swore off relationships a long time ago.”
He gives a dry laugh. “Yeah, you and me both, my friend. But this is different. She’s not some date you’ll forget in the morning.
She’s going to be your wife, living in your house, brushing shoulders with you every day at work, entwining her life with yours and Brianna’s. That’s a very fine line to walk.”
“I know,” I admit, dragging a hand down my jaw. “But what other choice do I have?”
Griffin studies me for a long beat. “How did you even get Mya to agree to this insanity?”
“I spun it in a way that made it mutually beneficial. I’ll help her out financially, and she’ll help me look like the steady family man the court needs to see.”
Henson brows climb. “Wait. You’re paying her to be your wife?”
I glare at him. “No. Not like that. I offered a solution that works for both of us.”
Griff shakes his head slowly. “I just hope you know what you’re doing, Worth.”
I lean back, exhaling through my nose. I hope so too.
My mind keeps coming back to the same thing.
How the hell am I supposed to bring this up to Brianna?
The prenup will be ready tomorrow. But if my daughter reacts badly to the idea of me dating—let alone marrying—I’ll have to pivot. Bri comes first, always.
After ending the call with Griffin, Brianna—having finished her homework—joins us at the table, laughter and teasing floating through the air as Maggie serves us delicious food, and for a while, I let myself forget the storm brewing outside these walls.
When dinner is finished, Henson says his goodbyes, and Brianna scoops up her books and heads back upstairs, announcing something about a FaceTime with Kennedy. I make a mental note to ask her about him. She’s been talking about him a whole lot lately.
While part of me wants to shrug it off as harmless school chatter, the dad part wants to know exactly who this boy is, and why my daughter’s eyes light up every time his name slips from her lips.
I glance at Maggie, who’s busy stacking dishes. “Can I talk to you about something?”
She tilts her head, curious. “Of course.”
I clear my throat. “There’s… someone. A woman I’ve been seeing.”
Her eyes widen, surprise turning into a smile. “Worth. That’s wonderful.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to sound genuine. “I’d like your advice on how to bring it up to Brianna. I don’t want to blindside her.”
“You’re right to be careful. She’s old enough to understand, but still young enough to take it hard. The key is honesty. Let her see how important this woman is to you. If you’re steady, Brianna will follow your lead.”
Steady.
That’s the word that keeps circling me like a hawk. With Mya, steady is the last thing I feel.
Maggie dries her hands on a dish towel and gives me a look that says she’s about to dig even if I don’t want her to.
“So… Who is she?”
I pause mid-sip of my drink, pulse ticking a little faster. “Just someone from work. Her name is Mya.”
Her brows lift. “Wow. Someone from work who has you smiling to yourself while you’re pretending not to?”
I grunt, shaking my head. “Busted.”