Chapter 25
Liam
Lottie
Thank you very much, Liam.
You’re welcome???
Xander
What did he do this time?
Fuck off.
Lottie
Dad is considering wedding me to a Lock.
Xander
Fuck
Fuck
Lottie
Not helpful.
It’s not exactly my fault.
Lottie
You could have married Tawny (crying emoji)
Xander
Dad can’t be serious. And I can’t believe it, but I agree with Liam. It’s not his fault.
Lottie
Oh, right (eye-roll emoji). It’s YOU who didn’t marry her!
I’ll fix it.
Lottie
How?
Xander
That promise scares me. What are you planning?
Calm down.
Lottie
As long as I don’t have to marry and you don’t end up in jail.
Xander
Or at least the first one.
I’ve got to go.
Entering the Merged building, I head for the elevators.
I put my phone into my pocket, wondering just how I will get it fixed. Victor Lock might welcome my marrying his daughter.
Roxy might even agree. Not because she wants me. The thought lands harder than I expect.
She would do it to protect her sister. To secure stability for the child. Practical motivations. Rational. Defensible.
But insufficient.
For her, perhaps, they are enough.
For me, they are not.
We’ve been avoiding any conversation about our future. Or my betrayal. The only semblance of a substantial exchange happened this morning, when I told her we’ll find a place and move in together.
She hasn’t fought me on that, which should be comforting. A step in the right direction.
I know Thunder. When she goes quiet, she’s making a decision.
She’s likely packing, ready to drag herself back to that apartment that barely qualifies as livable.
The irony? I’ve been an unwilling participant in most conversations. The only conversation I really, truly need to happen is eluding me.
The past three days proved we could exist together. We didn’t kill each other, and she didn’t run away.
That’s a low standard, even for someone like me. Unfortunately, in our situation, anything counts.
The fragile rapport we established scares me, so I don’t press the conversation, because there is more at stake now.
I’m going to be a father. Fuck. Even days later, the idea still sits well. Amazing. Like my future. Destiny. Anchor.
Winning Roxy isn’t a discipline I’ve mastered. But today, I can begin.
“Liam,” Alina squeals as I step out from the elevator. “They’re waiting for you in Corm’s office.”
I nod and walk across the open-concept floor toward Quinn’s corner. I pause in front of Roxy’s open door.
Her office is empty, and yet her presence seems to linger. This place has meaning for her.
It’s been her first breath of freedom. A tower she built brick by brick, to achieve something her family never supported.
She succeeded here. She found respect here. She found a family here. And this is where I start on my journey to rebuild her trust.
I close her door. To protect what’s hers. To make sure it waits for her, untouched.
Walking over to Corm’s domain, I nod at Larissa, knock once, and enter.
Cal and Corm sit on the white sofa across from each other, looking over some paperwork. They both look up.
Corm gestures to the armchair where Roxy usually sits. “Sorry, but Declan won’t be joining us. He’s been called to deal with something at home.”
I ignore the offered chair. It belongs to the mother of my child. The thought lands and spreads through me like something I should fear. And yet… the feeling, while unknown, is far from fear.
The mother of my child.
I sit beside Cal. “That’s okay. I’m sure you will debrief him.”
Corm observes me for a moment. It’s an annoying habit of his to subject everyone to his glare. It’s also an effective tactic on most, I’ve observed.
Not on me. He should know this by now.
The silence stretches, and for the first time in my life, I decide to fill it. Not because it unnerves me—I welcome it—but because I need to get back to my… Fuck, she is not mine.
“If we are not waiting for Declan?” I shrug in question.
“Yeah, I need to be somewhere else, so maybe we can start,” Cal chimes in.
Corm picks up a folder and moves it in my direction. “I’m not absolutely certain this is going to work, but I guess you’ve proved yourself.”
I ignore the folder and consider my next words. I can’t fuck it up for Roxy.
“Are you ready to sign?” Corm asks, impatience seeping from him.
I push the folder back to him. “We both know I’m not the person you want at this table.”
“We can agree on that,” he mutters.
“So why don’t we fix that?” I cross my legs nonchalantly. And flex my fingers.
“What do you have in mind?” Cal perks up.
“You should offer the stake to Roxy. We all know that. And frankly, I’m offended on her behalf that you are wasting your time. She proved herself time and again here. She is an asset you can’t afford to lose.
“She’s smart, capable, and already up to speed with everything that’s going on here. She might lack experience, but she makes up for it with her drive, dedication, and loyalty. While I don’t understand why she wants to work with you two, she deserves the seat more than anyone else.”
The silence that descends on the room is different this time. Both of them stare at me with more respect than they ever have.
I’m slightly winded after my speech. Too many words. All of them essential. Perhaps not enough.
A pause stretches.
My heart hammers in my chest.
I flex my fingers.
The pause deepens, and then Cal laughs.
The sound feels offensive under the circumstances, but I stay focused on Corm.
One corner of his lips curves up. Not a smile, but more a smirk. Like the fucker just discovered a secret.
“I’ll be damned. I thought you two were just fucking, lover boy.” He stands up and goes to his liquor cabinet.
Lover boy? What the fuck?
I glance at Cal, who is leaning comfortably, enjoying himself as if this were some sort of show.
Corm returns with three glasses of whiskey. He actually pours me one for the first time since we met.
I flex my fingers. Again, what the fuck?
“The problem is she quit. She walked out.” Corm swirls the liquid in his glass.
I put down mine without tasting it. “The problem is you let her leave.”
“Okay, let’s figure out how to bring her back,” Cal interjects.
Corm raises his hand to stop him. “Liam is right. We didn’t do enough to make her feel appreciated. To make her believe she’s irreplaceable.”
“That we can agree on,” I say, impressed by his candor.
“Okay, let’s make her a partner then,” Corm says.
I let out a breath. The solution sounds straightforward.
It won’t be. Not with Thunder involved.
“As much as all three of us want her at the table…” Cal leans forward, resting his elbows on his legs. “She’s not at the table, and even if she comes back, I hate to be practical here, but I don’t think she has the capital to buy in. I doubt her father would agree to sponsor this.”
I snap my head to him. “You know who her father is?”
He looks at me, deadpan. Of course they know who she is. She’s in their trusted circle.
“I’ll pay for her.” Finally, a good use of my trust fund. Corm raises his eyebrow, and my enthusiasm dies immediately. “Right. She would never accept that.”
He nods. “More importantly, since you’re a lovesick puppy, she would never forgive you.”
I ignore his comment. “What now?”
“Now, you did the right thing. Cal and I will meet with her. She wanted this, so I’m sure she anticipated the cost.”
I polish the valve cover with unnecessary force, the word “love” contaminating the calm, methodical rhythm that usually keeps everything in line.
Lovesick puppy?
I thought you two were just fucking, lover boy.
Fucker.
And yet. I couldn’t return to Roxy after my meeting. After Corm’s knowing smirk.
Ever since I appeared at Merged, Cormac Quinn has been trying to shake me off balance. He’s been watching my every move, trying to find proof I don’t belong there.
I stayed focused. He never had a chance… until now. Now the fucker’s unsettled me.
Am I in love with Roxy?
The Bentley is almost ready to be sold. Usually, I restore and then sell. It’s strange to think about this beauty being gone.
This particular restoration carries memories that are sneaking up on me with a significance I didn’t consciously award them. Memories that involve her.
The mother of my child.
She’s not mine. Not yet. And she might not be for a long time. But time has never stopped me before.
I came to New York to advance my revenge agenda. Instead, a fiery pixie redesigned my lifelong beliefs, my values, and my plans.
A thirst for revenge would only keep me connected to him. I don’t want to give him so much power.
It’s hard to acknowledge that my driving force might have been all wrong. For years, I believed I needed to destroy my father to feel better about losing my friend.
I didn’t grieve for Noah. Not the way he deserved. I didn’t allow myself a space to accept what happened. Perhaps that was a cowardly way to deal with everything.
I don’t know anymore. Because the only thing I know—I used to know—was revenge. Roxy is right; it gave my father power over me.
I want my child to have a father he can trust. A father he can rely on. A father who will always stand up for him.
I want to be a different father from my own.
While my revenge was eating me alive, fatherhood is giving me a new lease on life.
I attach the valve.
We can’t avoid the conversation anymore. If I want to be present, really present, in my child’s life, I need to make sure Roxy forgives me for the deception that led us together.
My phone chimes. I wipe my hands and grab it, the latent worry that settled in my bones when I found out Roxy was pregnant spiking. Is she okay?
Roxy
Corm called. Where are you?
Quinn doesn’t waste time. I look around the grim space, the source of peace. It’s bittersweet to finish a job like this. But that sentiment is on the back burner right now.
Is she going to fight us on the offer?
Is she going to remain stubborn?
Is she upset I went to them?
But I can’t control her thoughts, feelings, or actions. What I can do is let her in a bit more. To share more of myself with her.
Before I talk myself out of it, I text her the address.
Roxy
What are you doing in Brooklyn?
Come and see for yourself.
I wait for anxiety or some sort of alarm bell, but nothing happens. Maybe sharing my life with someone doesn’t need to be taxing. The concept feels stupid, because Roxy isn’t someone.
Jesus. I do love her!
She’s the one.
Now I only have to make her see that.