Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Arabella
The tension between the five men is thick enough to cut with an actual utensil. It’s why I came.
They’re going to need a reminder that this is a family matter and that the entire situation will require some heart.
I wasn’t strong enough to be that person before now.
I’d run, I’d hide, I’d let them fight it out. Not today.
We’re putting some of the past aside and we’re moving forward as a family. And like it or not, Gris is going to be part of that family.
I feel Mason stiffen next to me, as Leo and Gris shake hands.
I know that Leo does a lot of things just to irritate Mason. Mason thinks that Leo is just difficult, but honestly, I think Leo understands the truth. Mason needs to be regularly challenged.
He’s a man who competes because it’s deep in his gut. I see that now, and Leo takes on a ton of that energy.
Then again, Gris is well matched for Mason too. In some ways, he’s a better opponent for Mason. Because Leo fights with brute strength but like Mason, Gris uses cunning.
My fingers tighten on my brother’s arm. He looks down at me with a grimace. I don’t know if Preston was a miscalculation on Mason’s part, but either way, recompense is coming all the way around.
The elevator opens, and my brother Roman steps out.
Roman is suave, sophisticated. Classically handsome, he doesn’t have the same rough edges as Mason or Leo.
I turn to smile at him, but he stops dead when he sees me.
Yeah. I wore this dress on purpose, but I still hate the way my brothers’ eyes fill with hurt when they look at me.
I don’t want to hurt them, but I do need them to understand. We’re joining forces with the Smiths again.
They’re about to be my family, and by extension, theirs.
Gris’s hand is still at my waist, and I watch Roman quickly assess the situation. “Gris,” he calls, greeting him first.
Roman is as smart as Mason. He doesn’t ask any questions, I’m sure he’s figured it all out already.
“Roman. Good to see you again.”
Gris lets me go to turn and shake Roman’s hand but once he lets go, his hand is on me again.
I’m still holding onto Mason, and looking up at him, I quietly say. “Before we all meet, I need a short conversation with just the Kincaids.”
“Bella,” Gris protests. “That’s not?—”
I shake my head. I know Gris is ready to go into the conference room and fight. Threaten to leave it all behind.
And I appreciate that. It might even come to that. But for the first time in my life, running won’t be my first move.
Gris gives a quick jerk of his chin, saying that he understands. I let go of Mason’s arm then, taking Gris’s hands. “I won’t be long. I know you have important matters to discuss.” But I have a few things for my brothers to consider before Gris enters the conversation.
Maybe I should have told Gris this was my plan.
But Mason and Gris aren’t the only ones who can work hidden agendas. “Leo?” I ask. “Would you lead the way, please?”
I already know Leo is going to be on my side and I’m going to use it to my advantage. Leo is my Switzerland right now.
Luke is angry at Gris, even if they are friends. Mason is the one who cut Gris out to begin with.
And Roman? I can’t say. We’ve hardly spoken.
I hand Gris my coat and straighten my shoulders. What I do know is that all of my brothers love me. I’m going to trust in that.
We enter the conference room with its U-shaped arrangement of tables. This is where Mason reigns supreme. Not today.
I stand in the middle, not bothering to take a seat.
“Arabella,” Mason rumbles. “If this is the part where you tell me that we have to accept Gris with open arms, it’s not happening.”
Everyone stops as my arms cross, and I pivot toward my brother. “You will compromise on this one, Mason Kincaid. I’m not asking.”
He narrows his gaze. “This isn’t the place you tell me what to do.”
“You are such an asshole, you know that, don’t you?” I’ve got a few things to say to Mason and that seems like a great place to start. “At the point you started messing with my marriage, you lost the right to draw those distinctions.”
I see the very subtle wince.
“I love you, we all love you, but if you continue to refuse to compromise, to scheme behind our backs, you’re going to lose all of us.” I point at Luke. And then Roman. And finally, Leo.
Mason’s wince becomes far more distinct.
“Gris and I are considering moving to England.” I see all my brothers react. Roman’s eyes go wide, Leo growls from deep in his chest.
But it’s Luke who huffs. “He’s not leaving Smith Brothers.”
I shrug. “Ask him yourself. But I’m telling you, he’s the spare to the dukedom. Without the tunnel access, he’ll cut his losses, and we’ll leave.” I know the reasons are more personal. “In a similar vein, if Luke sells, I don’t want the shares. I’ll cut from this family, and you won’t see me again.”
“Are you seriously threatening to leave the family if I don’t give Gris access?” Mason’s fists clench and I feel both Roman and Luke draw closer to my side. The battle lines are being drawn.
“I don’t agree with what Gris did to Nia. What any of you did…” I slash my gaze over them. “For men who say they love their women, you’ve been playing pretty rough with all of us.”
I don’t stop there, though.
“But Gris was loyal to you. If anything, you were the one who went back on the terms.” I point at Mason. “You know I’m right.”
I’m the one who tried to bring Mason and Luke back together. I still want that. But instead of pleading with them to get along, I’m threatening to leave the way Luke should have done months ago.
I’m going to give Mason a chance to make it right.
Mason draws himself up. “We can’t trust the Smiths to help with our agenda. They come with their own.”
“Oh please,” I scoff. “Pot. Kettle.”
I get a small laugh from Roman. Leo smiles. Luke runs a hand through his hair. He knows I’m angry with him too. “Bug,” he starts, “You wouldn’t really leave, would you?”
“You did,” I point at him, and everyone goes quiet again.
I shake my head. “Don’t get me wrong. I left too. Went to New York. But you’re all about to have families. And Gris and I… we’re getting married.”
“Shut up,” Luke rumbles. “How long have you even known…”
“Don’t start, Luke,” I hold up a finger.
“You can’t trust he’s not just working an agenda,” Mason cuts in. “He’s using you.”
“He is the only one who seems to actually be protecting me.”
Silence fills the room. I’m not going to tell them how I feel, or try to explain why I know Gris and I are different. “You can believe me or not. You’ll each make your decision based on how much you trust my judgment. I accept that. And I’ll accept whatever decision you make. Give the Smiths access to the tunnel. Don’t. But just know, I’ll make my decisions, and you will accept them as well. You are choosing whether or not to come together as a family or blow us apart, never to be put back together.”
Dramatic? Maybe.
But the silence is deafening as I cross the conference room and open the door. “Gris?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“You and Triston can come in now.”
Gris comes toward me, stopping to place his forehead against mine. “Are we staying or going?”
“Going?” Triston barks. “Where the fuck would you go?”
“I don’t know yet. They’re thinking on what I said.”
“Griswold Smith,” Triston thumps his brother on the back. “I think we might need a meeting of our own.”
“Don’t bother,” Mason sighs. “I vote to honor the original terms of the Smith contract.”
“Nia?” Roman asks.
Mason looks at Gris. “Thoughts?”
Gris glances down at me, and then back up at my brother. “I think I might start with some groveling.”
Several smiles greet those words.
“Wait,” Triston is still thumping his hands on Gris’s back repeatedly and hard enough, they’re reverberating through me. “We’re back to paying for the tunnel?”
Gris ignores his brother, bending down to wrap his arms around my waist, and lifting me in his arms. “Vegas, huh?”
“Vegas,” I sigh. “No one is as surprised me.”
He chuckles as he kisses me long and slow. “Don’t worry, we’re going to take plenty of vacations to England and Italy.”
“And New York,” I smile against his lips.
“Not too many,” Luke moves closer. “I’d like to add an addendum to the agenda. I think we each donate two percent of our shares to Arabella, making her a ten-percent shareholder in Kincaid Enterprises.”
“You’re not selling,” I gasp and then smile. Finally. I got through their thick skulls.
“No,” he shakes his head. “But I am stepping back from my duties. And with Roman involved in the charity division, we might need to restructure the hierarchy.”
Mason lets out a frustrated moan. “Can we please not make any more changes today?”
Gris lightly sets me down and crosses to Mason. “So… we’re going to be family.”
Mason looks like he might spit nails, but he holds out a hand to Gris. “I’m an even worse family member than I am a business partner.”
“I noticed,” Gris shakes his hand. “But that’s nothing new. The Smiths and the Kincaids have always had that in common.”
I smile. They’re about to have me in common. What a rollercoaster keeping them together is going to be.
But honestly, this was the job I was meant for.