59. Byron
59
BYRON
I barely had three hours' sleep. At 5 am, Roman called, telling me to be in his office at 6am because my presence was required for a meeting with the Australians.
And you guessed it, despite my lack of sleep and taxed limbs, I was belting out Bohemian Rhapsody in the shower, the happiest man in the world.
I made a quick detour to my office before heading to Roman’s, and who was waiting inside but Kevin Malone. Sitting in the chair like he’d been planted there.
“Kevin!” I exclaimed. “A bit early. To what do I owe the honor?”
He didn’t laugh, but a smirk curled at the corners of his mouth. “Morning, Byron. Before you meet with the Australians, we need to talk.”
I frowned. “How do you know about the meeting?”
“I’ve been formally assigned as your head of security. I’ll know your schedule from now on.”
“I thought that was months down the road. When did this happen?”
“It happened Friday afternoon.”
There was a pause. “So, you know.”
He was trying very hard not to smile. “Yes. My team is handpicked. Your rendezvous on the boat with Meg Belfiore was monitored…very discreetly.”
I must have looked completely caught out because now he was grinning openly.
“That goodbye at the Uber?” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I should keep watching or look away and pray no one decided to kidnap you in the middle of your long farewell. But good on you, you look happy, and so does Meg.”
My laughter rang through the air. “Oh, do I have a few things to tell you. But first of all, this stays quiet. I mean very quiet. No one knows except the handful I allow. Secondly, I’m getting married this afternoon. It would be great if you could stand back and let me do this. This is the last thing I want to do without security on my tail.”
Kevin’s jaw might have dropped. I slapped him on the back as I left the office. “We’ll talk more later. I don’t want Roman to wait. And if you have a minute, please arrange for Meg to get a bouquet of daisies, as many as you can. There’s a card on my desk, ready to go with them.”
The meeting with the Australians was interesting. Roman sat back and forced me to take the lead.
In that part of the world, it was late in the day, and initially, the Australians were a little grumpy and uncooperative. But I told them a few Aussie jokes, and soon they were cracking beers open, while I was downing espressos, and the rest of the meeting went swimmingly.
It even coaxed a smile out of Roman.
“You’re good at this,” he said afterward. “I might know a lot about the business, but I don’t have your people skills.”
“That's why we’ll make a good team running this empire together, don’t you think?”
The look on Roman’s face spoke volumes. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell me something. Instead, he just smiled. “Sure.”
I wanted him to think I didn’t have a clue about his plans because that made him more determined to shape me into a formidable businessman.
And I wanted Roman to feel comfortable enough with me in this role for him to make the decision that could change his life. And Isabel’s too.
Shortly before 9 am, I was getting a little antsy. It could have been the four espressos I had, or maybe waiting for my future bride to make an appearance at 9 am.
Imagine what it took to remain Mr. Neutral when the minx entered the office. She looked ravishing. But I almost cracked a smile at her turtleneck because I knew why she was wearing it.
It was when Meg caught a glimpse of the picture of Isabel that she shared a secret glance with me. We both knew what was at stake, and we were both willing to do what it took.
“So I went over your Castle Rock proposal,” Roman began. “And I can honestly say it’s one of the best proposals I’ve ever seen. Great job, you two. So, how hard was it working together?”
And if the minx didn’t play her part perfectly. “We coped. It wasn’t all that hard.”
I flashed her a placid smile. “I beg to differ, it was very hard at times.”
Meg bit her lip. “Well, it didn’t last for too long.”
“All thanks to your efforts. You’re really good at diffusing explosive situations.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” she chirped. “You lent a helpful hand, too.”
All of this went right over Roman’s head. “ Anyway ,” he said. “have you thought about when you want to visit Castle Rock and get a feel for the project?”
“We’ll be going there as soon as this meeting is done,” I said.
There was a steel edge to Meg’s voice, punctuated with a look that could freeze fire. “Who says I can make it?”
We locked eyes. “It’s essential for you to tag along,” I insisted. “That’s to say, you don’t mind.”
Meg pouted. “Well, I’ll need more information. But I will, if I must.
Walking back to our offices, Meg and I kept up our cool, even though I was dying to take her hand.
“You look absolutely gorgeous,” I told her. “It’s extremely difficult not to touch you.”
“Thank you for the daisies,” she said. “They’re really lovely, and also, why are we going to Castle Rock this afternoon? It’s a little out of the blue.”
When we reached the door to my office, I yanked the minx inside, shut the door with my foot, and gently pushed her against the wall. And then I kissed her, I kissed her until she became pliant in my arms.
“We’re getting married…” I muttered as we kissed.
“I know, it’s crazy right?” she mumbled in reply, and we continued kissing like the end of the world was near and closing in.
Until the minx finally caught on to what I was actually saying.
She stepped back. “You don’t mean…”
“Yes, if that’s okay with you,” I said.
“And it’s this afternoon, at Castle Rock.”
“I’m trying to be romantic here. Bear with me, please.”
She bit a smile, shaking her head. “A little warning would have been nice.” Then a light bulb went off in her head. “Wait, is that why my mom gave me these earrings? Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue … She knows, doesn’t she?”
Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door, and Nelson entered with a grin on his face.
“Well, I see you two have successfully mended fences. That is excellent, because I’m here to tell you that everything has been arranged, and all you have to do is get yourselves to Castle Rock.”
Outside, a helicopter landed on the helipad by the pond. Meg’s mouth opened in a gasp. “Don’t look now, but a helicopter just landed on your front lawn.”
I smiled. “Our ride is here.”
Nelson got teary-eyed and took Meg’s hands in his. “You do realize you have brought hope to this house. Soon Isabel will be back too, and the new generation will begin at Belmont Manor. I, for one, cannot wait.”
A nervous smile tugged at Meg’s lips. “New generation? Wow. Quite a jump from just wanting to beef up my resume.”
“And please do realize that while this eloping business is fine,” Nelson continued, “there will be a big wedding once all is said, done, and settled. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
Nelson kissed Meg on the cheek and gave me a fatherly hug. “It seems like just yesterday you started your first day at school, and look at you now, eloping with a beautiful woman you barely know to some godforsaken place. I’m so proud.”
“It’s Castle Rock, and it’s less than 30 minutes away,” I said. “But thank you for everything, Nelson. And for finding a priest.”
“Goodness, yes, I had to settle on one willing to secretly marry two people very quickly this afternoon on the edge of the cliff at Castle Rock. Can’t vouch for him, all I know is that he’s a man of the cloth. I’m putting a bottle of champagne in the helicopter for you. Bon voyage.”
When he left, Meg looked up at me, those chocolate brown eyes wide with hope. “We’re actually doing this,” she said.
I nodded. “We are.”
She kissed me on the lips. “Will you give me five minutes. I just want to talk to my mom.”
“Of course. Tell her I say thank you. She’ll know what for.”
The minx walked to the door leading to the secret passage. And I knew right then, fifty years from now, I’d still love to watch the way she walked away.