Chapter 40
KATE
The following Friday, we landed in upstate New York as husband and wife. I still wasn’t used to thinking about us like that. Honestly, it was crazy.
It had been less than a week, but somehow, we’d already settled into a domestic routine, spending early mornings tangled together in the sheets, long days at the office, me filling in for Nate as CFO—for reasons still unknown to me—and then, we always had dinner together in the evenings.
Marital bliss, but for busy people. Heavy on the busy.
The jet engines wound down, the cabin settling into silence. Nate stood, offering me a hand like I might need help standing, but I took it anyway, just because I could.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“No,” I said cheerfully. “But that doesn’t really matter, does it? My parents are waiting for us either way.”
He smirked. “At least we already know your dad likes me.”
“My dad likes the idea of you and the opportunity you offered.”
He thought it over for a beat before he shrugged. “I’ll take it.”
I sighed and followed him to the door, desperately trying to brace myself for the night ahead. I hadn’t seen my parents since I’d left them in that diner, but with Nate by my side, I felt steadier than I expected, stepping onto the tarmac.
The late afternoon air was crisp and cool. My parents were already waiting near the car, my mother looking nervous but composed while my father was practically vibrating.
“Kate!” Mom called, opening her arms.
I hugged her quickly before turning to Dad, who pulled me into a tighter squeeze than usual, murmuring against my hair. “Good flight?”
“Yeah, it was great,” I said. “I’m sure you remember Nate?”
“Of course, I remember.” Dad released me and turned immediately, like he’d been waiting for permission. He beamed as he stuck out his hand. “It’s good to see you again, son.”
Nate shook with him, polite but definitely still apprehensive. I didn’t blame him. My parents had sat there at that breakfast with us at Westwood Manor and neither of them had said a word about the deal being put together behind the scenes.
“Sir.”
“None of that,” Dad said warmly. “You’re family now.”
Nate smiled, but it was tight. “Yes, sir.”
He turned his head toward me and I had to bite back a laugh as we exchanged a glance. They were both acting like they’d had nothing to do with it that we we’d been forced into this. Like they’d simply swept that whole business under the rug and decided everything was fine.
It wasn’t. At some point in the future, I was going to sit them down and talk to them about what it felt like to be betrayed on that scale. By my very own parents. That wasn’t what today was about, though.
Meanwhile, Dad clapped Nate on the shoulder like they’d known each other for years. “Welcome to the family, Nathaniel. I’m serious. We’re happy to have you.”
“Thank you,” Nate said, considerably less warm than Dad but not rude at all. “I’m glad to be here.”
Technically, that was true. Just not in the way Dad had meant it.
Nate and I were both happy to be in New York because it meant we were putting the Hinds’ acquisition to bed. Hopefully after that, we’d finally be able to breathe and spend some more time figuring ourselves out.
“No hotel for you two this evening,” Dad said as he gestured toward the car. “Abram has invited us all to stay at the estate.”
“We told him it wasn’t necessary,” Mom said. “He insisted anyway. It’ll be a nice little break, though. Don’t you think?”
When I realized she was talking to me, I shrugged. “Yeah. It’ll be fine. Abram’s place is nice.”
Nate opened the back door of Dad’s SUV for me and stepped aside, catching my eyes. “You’ve been there before?”
“Once or twice,” I said. “It’s nice if you like sprawling estates and feng shui.”
Dad either didn’t hear me or chose not to as he got in behind the wheel. “You’ll love it, son. Abram’s estate is one of the best in the country. Wide-open spaces, only the best scotch, and a sunset like you won’t believe.”
When Dad glanced at Nate in the rearview mirror, Nate nodded but didn’t say anything.
He reached for my hand instead. My heart skipped when he wrapped his fingers around it so naturally.
It was almost like he was doing it without any thought at all.
His thumb brushed gently against the side of my palm, sending warm feelings through me.
Dad launched in almost as soon as the engine was running, twisting in his seat to glance at Nate before he put the car in gear. “How’s it going, filling in as the CEO for your brother while he’s out?”
I leaned forward a little. “You knew about that?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Kate has been a lifesaver,” Nate answered smoothly, deftly making me the subject instead of himself. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without her.”
“I’m sure she’s been indispensable,” Dad said, sounding deeply satisfied. “You’ll have to tell me how you’re structuring things, Katie. Temporary support roles can get messy.”
“Between Kate, Will, and me, we have it well in hand,” Nate replied, curt and confident but still with that polished edge of politeness.
“Alex is supremely organized, so I’ve been able to stand in for him relatively seamlessly and Kate instinctively understands the way I do things, which means she rarely even has to come to me. There’s been no mess.”
“Well,” Dad said slowly. “That’s surprising. I thought for sure that you kids would need some help. You know, if Alex had just asked, I would’ve been happy to step in. It’s often better to—”
“I’m sure Douglas would’ve been happy to step in himself if he thought we needed help,” I interrupted pointedly. “Harlan might’ve intervened as well, but we don’t need help. We’re fine.”
He waved a hand. “I’m just talking, honey.”
I sank back into my seat. “You’re making it sound like we’re children.”
Nate coughed into his hand, very obviously—to me, anyway—hiding a smile. Dad grinned at him, shaking off my comment like I hadn’t spoken at all. “I always hoped Katie would find someone solid. Someone who has a good head on his shoulders and who is strong enough to be her partner in life.”
“I’m right here,” I muttered.
Dad, however, was only focused on my husband. “You seem like exactly that man, Nate. Steady, smart, and strong.”
Nate glanced over at me briefly. “I try to be.”
“I can see that.” Dad nodded, as if he’d been around us for weeks and had seen all the little things Nate did for me. “You take care of her now.”
“I do,” Nate replied simply. “And I will.”
“Of course.” Dad grinned again, seriously acting like Nate was the second coming. “Tell me, Nate. In your business, where do you see yourself in five years?”
I groaned. “You’re interviewing my husband, Daddy, but we’re already married. It’s too late.”
“I’m talking to him.”
“You’re vetting him.”
“I’ve already approved him,” Dad said.
Nate finally lost the battle and laughed. I met his gaze and pointed at my father’s back. “You see? Do you see now what I’ve been dealing with my entire life?”
Dad smiled, utterly unapologetic. “You’re my only child. I’ve had to be careful.”
And there it was, the truth hiding under the performance he was putting on.
After all these years, he finally had the son he’d always wanted.
He’d never said it outright, of course, and I knew he loved me, truly, but Mom had let it slip one night when she’d had one chardonnay too many that Dad had begged her to try for a boy.
Despite doing everything their power, it had never happened for them. So his excitement today made sense. His warmth and enthusiasm, the suspiciously cheerful mood. All of it was because he now had a son, albeit in-law.
Dad kept talking, already launching into something about the estate and weekend plans, practically glowing. I finally leaned back in my seat again and left him to it, trusting Nate to handle Dad’s enthusiasm without breaking too much of a sweat.
By the time we drove through the wrought-iron gates and started up the long drive to Abram’s place, the sun was dipping low enough to paint everything gold.
The estate stretched out in front of us in sweeping views of manicured hedges, wide lawns, and the kind of symmetry that required a full-time staff.
Nate didn’t even blink, but I supposed if you grew up in the kind of house he had and visiting the Westwood compound out in California—which had been the subject of enough lifestyle spreads that I felt like I’d visited even though I hadn’t—then this was just another house.
The car rolled to a stop out front, and before any of us had even opened our doors, Abram burst out of the house and grinned when he reached the front stairs. He spread his arms open wide, jogging down the steps to greet us.
“Kate,” he said as I stepped out. “It’s so good to see you, honey.”
“You too,” I said, but I didn’t really know if I meant it right now.
Abram and I needed to talk too, but again, this wasn’t the right time, so I just gave him a quick hug. When I let go of him, his attention immediately shifted to Nate.
“Congratulations, son,” he said, shaking his hand so vigorously it was almost like he’d just bought a prize mare at a state fair.
Nate took it in stride, stepping closer to my side and sliding his free hand around my shoulders. “Thank you, and thank you for inviting us to stay. You have a beautiful home.”
Hinds inclined his chin in acknowledgment, looking between us with obvious satisfaction. The kind that could only come from getting exactly what you’d wanted, no matter what kind of hoops other people had to jump through for you to get it. But he really had gotten everything he wanted.
The sale was happening. The contracts were locked in so tight, they might as well have been written in blood. Nate and I were married and even the government watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Commission, had reviewed the agreement, signing off without issue.