Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Killian
He left his wife sleeping in their bed, unwilling to wake her again after he’d kept her up so late the night before.
He’d needed her in a way he’d never let himself need anyone else before, and she’d responded to that need as she always had, giving him her full and complete submission until he’d wrung every ounce of pleasure from both their bodies.
But she needed sleep, so he let her rest as he made his way downstairs to his office.
The routine of it settled him, as much as he was able to be settled these days.
War or not, there were still the normal business things to be seen to.
Quarterly taxes, invoicing, client requests that needed addressing.
For a few hours at least, he was able to lose himself in the work and not think about what came next outside of it.
It was the buzzing of his phone that dragged him, however reluctantly, out of his comfortable work. His heart gave a single, sharp jolt at the number for the front gate before he hit the button to answer. “Killian.”
“Hey, boss. Mr. Elliott is here and he’s refusing to leave.”
The night before, he’d given clear orders that Braden was not to be allowed in.
And though he knew she’d skin him alive for it when she found out, he’d taken the extra step of blocking his number from Aria’s phone.
Not permanently, but long enough to give her time to process the events of the day before.
“Send him in.”
It took a few minutes for Braden’s car to get from the gate to the front door, time Killian took to once again settle his system as he waited for the man he’d once considered a brother to join him.
He stayed seated when the door to his office flung open, a move he employed often when he wanted someone to know he didn’t consider them worth the kind of power struggle men in their positions often engaged in. But one look at Braden’s wild eyes told him he needn’t have bothered.
“Where’s my daughter?”
“Upstairs. Sleeping.” In my bed.
The last little bit felt a smidge too petty to actually say out loud, especially when Braden came to a stop, his entire body vibrating with what Killian recognized as terror.
“I want to see her.” His voice cracked, and for the first time in weeks Killian didn’t see his ex-best friend, furious at his betrayal, but a father desperate to know his only child was safe.
Because it was a feeling he could so deeply empathize with, he waved to the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit.”
A dozen emotions flickered over Braden’s face. “Killian—”
“Sit, Braden. Your daughter is upstairs sleeping and I will not disturb her until she’s ready. She needs her rest.”
Braden wanted to argue. The struggle was there, clear as day on his face. But eventually he stepped forward and stiffly lowered himself onto one of the chairs.
“I don’t know how to do this.”
The words were spoken so quietly, Killian could almost believe he’d imagined them. “Do what?”
“This.” Braden waved his hand between them. “Be so at odds with you and my daughter. I don’t want it to be this way.”
“Then fix it.”
He barked out a humorless laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It is.” Sometimes, he knew, compromise wasn’t about sacrificing wants or needs, but your own pride. “Aria is going to need you these coming months.” I’m going to need you. I miss my friend.
Grim understanding twisted Braden’s expression. “You’re going to war.”
“Yes.” There was no point in trying to soften the blow as war, he knew, was anything but soft.
Braden, to his credit, didn’t flinch away from it. “This isn’t what I wanted for her.”
The guilt he carried with him always grew heavier yet in his stomach. “I know. I want to tell you that I wish it was different, that I wish Aria weren’t involved. But the truth is, I can’t imagine facing this without her by my side.”
Of all the things they’d discussed so far, it was that simple confession that had Braden’s eyes going round with surprise. “You love her.”
“Aye.” Another truth he saw no point in trying to soften.
“Fucking hell.” Raking a hand through his hair, Braden let out a shaky breath. “That complicates things.”
“I happen to think it makes them rather simple. I love her, she loves me, and so we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.
” Leaning forward, he kept his gaze locked on Braden’s eyes, the blue shimmering with too many emotions for him to name.
“And I promise you that I will do everything in my very considerable power to ensure those are very long, very happy lives.”
Silence stretched between them, more strained than in the past. But he could be patient when it mattered, and he couldn’t think of anything that mattered more than ensuring Aria had her father back in her life.
“All right.” Though they were tinged with weariness, the words were strong, full of conviction. “What do you need from me?”
Relief washed through him, would have made his knees weak if he’d been standing. “What I’ve always needed.”
“And what’s that?”
“Your friendship.”
Another silence, though shorter this time before Braden gave a slow nod. “All right. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I’d like to walk my daughter down the aisle. I don’t care what the state of South Carolina says, I want her to have a real wedding with the poofy dress and the flowers and the cake. All of it.”
“If that’s what Aria wants, I’ll make it happen.” The weight he’d been carrying since he first realized the truth of Aria’s pregnancy lightened as he rose to his feet. “I’ll go see if she’s awake.”
“Thank you.”
He didn’t have to go far. She was already halfway down the stairs when he stepped out into the entryway. They both froze, their gazes locking, and even with the distance between them he could see the way her eyes lit with happiness at the sight of him.
And he vowed then and there that he would die before he allowed anyone to dim that light.
Moving to the bottom of the stairs, he held out a hand, waiting as she descended, regal as any member of the royal family to settle her hand in his. “Good morning, husband.”
“Good morning, wife.” Unable to resist the siren call of her smile, he dipped his head, capturing those curved lips in a brief kiss. “Your father’s here.”
Like flipping a switch, happiness turned to fury. “Seriously? He’s got some fucking nerve after everything he pulled. He didn’t even have the decency to call and check on me yesterday. Bastard.”
“Ah… that last is my fault, I’m afraid.” At her confused frown, he ran the pad of his thumb over her knuckles, hoping to soothe her a bit before telling her the truth. “I was worried he would upset you if he called, so I may have blocked his number from your phone.”
Her eyes went wide, then narrowed. “Okay, we’re going to have a long talk about that later. Where’s my father?”
“In my office.”
To his surprise, she didn’t jerk her hand free, but instead wound her fingers through his as they made their way back to his office. And in yet another surprise move, she didn’t go running straight for her father, choosing instead to stand behind the desk with him. A silent, but powerful message.
We stand together. Always.
A message Braden clearly received. He hadn’t built the businesses he had, accumulated the wealth he had, without being able to read a room. Tilting his chin ever so slightly, he met his daughter’s gaze. “I owe you both an apology.”
It took considerable effort to conceal his surprise. Even with the conversation they’d just had, those were the last words he’d expected from Braden Elliott’s mouth.
“You do,” Aria replied, as calm and cool as if she’d been born for this role.
And perhaps she had.
“I treated you both horribly. You, most of all, Killian. My only excuse is that I was scared. No.” He shook his head. “I am scared. Terrified. This isn’t the life I would have chosen for my daughter, and I can’t imagine there are many men in this world who would.”
You’d be surprised. The number of men who would gleefully choose a life of violence and terror for their daughters for even a taste of the kind of power Killian wielded was, quite frankly, sickening. Richard Williams was, unfortunately, not a singular case.
“But that doesn’t excuse my actions,” Braden continued. “Instead of supporting you, Aria, I tried to force you to bend to my will.” His lips twitched, ever so slightly. “You would think I would have learned by now that never works.”
When Aria spoke, her words were tinged with the same amusement playing out on her father’s face. “You would.”
“Yes. Well. As I said—I’m terrified for you. But I realize now that if I want you to be safe, to be happy, the best thing I can do for you is lend you and your… husband my full and unwavering support. If you’ll have me, of course.”
“And you’ll stop being an asshole to Killian?”
“Yes. Unless he’s an asshole first.”
A glance up at his wife revealed a smug, satisfied smile. “I suppose that’s fair since he tends to be an asshole pretty often.”
“Careful,” Killian murmured, reaching down to deliver a sharp pinch to her thigh.
The move didn’t go entirely unnoticed by her father, who looked pained for a moment before carefully clearing his expression. Aria, for her part, simply looked down at him with that damn haughty brow raised.
“Can you really look me in the eye and say you aren’t an asshole?”
God, was it any wonder he was head over heels in love with her? “I certainly cannot. But that’s a discussion for after your father leaves.”
“Jesus Christ, this is going to take some getting used to,” Braden muttered. “Can we move on, please?”
Because Braden had proven himself to be the man Killian had always believed him to be, he took pity on his friend. “Yes. I believe this is the part where you hug and make up.”
Braden shifted his gaze to his daughter, the question clear in his eyes. And an instant later she was in his arms, her body trembling with the emotion she’d been holding back during their conversation.