Chapter 45
HARRISON
While I was very much ready to take my wife and blow this popsicle stand, I knew Aurelia was right.
At the very start of all this, our marriage had been arranged as a business partnership, and despite all the things that had changed between us personally, our dreams for our careers had remained the same.
We both had something to prove and the wheels were in motion. Stopping now would be stupid. Strike while the iron is hot and all.
Back at the party, I made my way over to my dad and Sterling, rehearsing the words in my head. This wouldn’t just be some casual chat over bourbon. It was my shot at finally making the kind of move I’d been thinking about for months.
“Gentlemen,” I said, trying to sound casual even though my pulse was hammering. “Have you got a minute?”
Harlan gave me a surprise smile and Sterling nodded, fingers wrapped loosely around his glass. “What’s up, little brother? Am I even still allowed to call you that, now that you’re married and whatnot?”
I rolled my eyes. “No matter how old I get, you’re always going to be ancient to me, big brother, so sure. Go ahead and call me whatever you want.”
Sterling laughed, a spark of knowing in his eyes. He swallowed the sip of whiskey he’d just taken. “You’re about ready to get out of here, aren’t you?”
“Yep, but I wanted to talk to you guys first,” I began, my heart now pounding in my ears. “I have a pitch for you and I’d appreciate if you’d hear me out.”
“You want to do this here?” Dad asked, brow furrowing in surprise. “At your wedding reception?”
“There’s only about a week until the new year and we know you’re expecting both of us over at HQ soon, so—”
“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about leaving,” he said. “Honestly, Harrison. You’ve got a place right here. You don’t have to leave the family to start your own empire. I thought we’d moved past that threat.”
Sterling blinked rapidly. “You’re leaving?”
“No.” I shook my head quickly. “Well, yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. We don’t want to leave the firm anymore.”
Dad slowly cocked his head, those intelligent eyes not missing a beat. “You don’t want to leave the company, but you also won’t be there when we reopen in January. Something tells me this is going to be interesting, so alright, son. Pitch us. What have you got in mind?”
“What if we had a full east coast branch of W&S? Not just the branch in Chicago that also sometimes covers the east coast, but a proper branch located right there in Manhattan. It’d be a chance to double our footprint, strengthen the brand, and set us up for the next generation no matter which coast they might want to be on.
It’d be an expansion that’s long overdue and Aurelia and I would like to head it up.
Take the W&S name to New York. By ourselves. ”
Sterling rocked back on his heels, his eyes narrowing in thought. Harlan didn’t answer right away, but I could see the idea sink in.
“With Aurelia helping me—” I stopped, grinned. “Let’s be honest. With me helping Aurelia, we could make it work. She has the vision and the drive, and I’m smart enough to stay out of her way and watch her run the entire show while I pretend to keep up.”
“Right, well, it’s good to know that you’ve accepted that she’s the brains of the operation and you’re just the face,” Sterling teased. “I suppose that’s as good a place as any to start.”
“Exactly,” I said. “That’s why this works. I’m in awe of my wife. I want to build a life with her while also making my family proud of me. Of us. I just feel like we need to do it…”
“Where you’re not in our shadows,” Sterling finished for me, his jaw hardening.
He blew out a breath. “I can’t pretend to understand, Harrison.
I really don’t, but it’s not a bad idea.
We’ve been stuck to the west coast like white on rice, the Chicago cousins are more focused on the midwest, and there’s never been a better time for us to expand.
I’ve actually had the thought myself that it might be time to consider it when I take over. ”
Harlan rubbed his chin, studying me. For a second, I thought he’d shut us both down just out of principle, but then he sighed and clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You might be on to something. Westwood & Sons, east coast. I can live with that.”
Sterling nodded his agreement, the tension leaking out of his face as he made his decision. “You and Aurelia together out there? That’s a power play. I wouldn’t have thought to send you two, but if you want to go, I’m all for it.”
I exhaled, only realizing then how tightly I’d been holding my breath. They were in. I almost couldn’t believe it. “You’re sure about this?”
Sterling’s blue eyes connected with mine, and I saw it then, the certainty.
The pride. “Like I said, as the incoming CEO, I’ve been thinking about what moves I need to make to take the company forward.
We operate on a near-global scale, but we’ve only got one branch and it’s right here. It doesn’t make sense.”
Harlan chuckled. “When I took over, the world wasn’t nearly as small or as connected as it is now. It’s the right move, boys. I can feel it in my bones.”
By the time I left them and their satisfied smiles behind, the deal was sealed tighter than a clam and I was so shocked I could barely think. My dad and my brother were trusting me to go open up a whole new branch of W&S without even taking a day to think about it.
It was incredible, and just like that, I really was ready to get out of here. My and Aurelia’s futures were starting now and I went looking for my wife, beyond eager to share the news. It didn’t take long to find her, standing near the piano in the living room, laughing with Maisie.
She caught my eye the second I walked in, like she always did. It almost felt inevitable at this point, like my compass always knew exactly where north was. I bent close to her ear, lowering my voice so no one else could hear.
“Are you ready to ditch this circus and come home with me?”
Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “Now? You’ve already talked to them?”
“Yeah, but more importantly, it’s Christmas Eve,” I said. “I have something for you at home and we’ve done our rounds. Our moms are doing fine and I’ve checked in with all my brothers. They’re getting ready to leave. Yours seem to have disappeared. We’re good now, baby.”
At those words, she didn’t even hesitate.
Her hand slid into mine and that was all the answer I needed.
We said our goodbyes to those few people we ran into on our way to the door with polite smiles.
Then we slipped out into the night, already laughing and giddy with the small act of rebellion as we left our own wedding without making a big deal of it.
The drive back to the city felt faster than usual, and when I unlocked the door to my townhouse, the familiar warmth wrapped around us.
I’d had a team come by earlier to light a fire and they’d set up some Christmas lights in here too.
Lights from the tree I’d insisted on putting up flickered softly when we walked into the living room, the couch we’d spent our first night together on doused in rose petals with a charcuterie board on the coffee table and a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket.
Aurelia’s feet slammed to a stop as her gaze swept across the room, a sharp intake of breath telling me she hadn’t expected this. “Harrison.”
“It’s our wedding night.” I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pulling her tight to my front. I spoke against her throat. “You couldn’t honestly have thought you were coming home to nothing.”
“I wasn’t sure I’d be coming home at all.”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t book a suite at a hotel for the occasion.” I hummed against her skin. “I wanted to bring you home. Because this is where you belong, Aurelia. It’s where I belong.”
She turned her head to face me, her eyes sparkling with what I hoped were happy tears as she pressed her lips to mine for a chaste kiss. Neither of us deepened it, but it still sent a bolt of electricity through me, so I let go of her and took her hand, leading her over to the couch.
“Sit,” I told her, pulling a small velvet box from my pocket. My chest felt too tight as I handed it over. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Westwood.”
She opened it slowly and carefully, and when the necklace caught the light, her hand flew to her mouth. The pendant was a tiny golden chess piece—the heir, the one we’d fought over the first day we’d met. Kingsley.
“A reminder of the moment everything started,” I murmured, sinking down on the couch beside her.
She leaned forward and kissed me again, a soft and lingering one this time, before pulling back with a mischievous grin. “Well, it’s a good thing I got you something too.”
She produced a slim envelope from her purse and I frowned, confused. “Is it a contract?”
“Nope. I think we’ve signed enough of those.”
Beyond curious, I pulled out the card inside. It wasn’t tickets or a property deed. It was a USB drive, neatly labeled in her handwriting.
“It’s a training video,” she said, trying to hide a smile. “For my espresso machine. Watching your blood pressure shoot through the roof every morning is only funny for so long.”
“That’s cruel.” I groaned and she laughed, collapsing against me.
“It’s perfect,” she corrected, kissing my jaw. “Just like tonight.”
“It really was perfect, huh?” I slid my arms around her, gaze landing steadily on hers. “I, uh, I have one more gift for you.”
“Is it the gag gift?” she asked, wincing as she looked up at me. “I wound up not getting you one of those. It turns out I wasn’t in the mood to perpetuate any of my family’s traditions after all. Not even that stupid thing of my brothers’.”
I chuckled low in the back of my throat. “It’s not the gag gift. I didn’t feel like perpetuating any of your family’s traditions either. I’ll get there, I promise. I just…”
“I’m not there yet either,” she whispered reassuringly, cuddling closer. She peered up at me through those long lashes.
Laney, Sadie, and Maisie had done a heck of a job, helping her get wedding ready in less than thirty minutes. Her hair hung in soft, ringlet curls past her shoulders, pinned up in a few places only to keep it out of her eyes.
I tucked a lock behind her ear now, that need I’d felt as soon as I’d seen her appear at the top of the aisle slamming into me all over again.
I just needed to get through this first. “Harlan and Sterling gave us the go-ahead. They’re onboard, baby.
You and I are opening an east coast branch of W&S. ”
Her eyes widened, darting from one of mine to the other, but as soon as she realized I wasn’t joking, she squealed and tossed her arms around my neck. “We’re really… Wow. I can’t believe it. Harrison, this is…”
Instead of trying to find the words, I caught her cheek in my palms and slanted my lips over hers, kissing her deeply. I finally managed to pull back just enough to add, “It’s a dream come true, but you’re the dream, Aurelia Westwood.”
She melted against me, her laugh slipping into a sigh. I tugged her closer until she was in my lap on the couch. “I love you, Harrison. Always.”
“Good,” I murmured. “Because I don’t plan on giving you back to those people.”
She chuckled into my mouth before she slid her tongue into it, moaning in a way that made me as rigid as the hardwood beneath our feet. My hands skated up her sides, pulled her closer, and slid around to her back.
Her arms locked around my neck, her hips nestling into the cradle of mine, but the dress prevented her from straddling me the way I wanted her to. Needed her to.
“Aurelia,” I murmured into her mouth. “I don’t know if I… I mean…”
She smiled against my lips. “Take me to bed, husband.”
I lifted her effortlessly, suddenly understanding why it was called a bridal hold.
These dresses were stunning, but they made it impossible to do things any other way, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck.
The soft glow of the Christmas tree cast flickering shadows across the walls as I carried her down the hall.
Her hands threaded into my hair once we got upstairs, tugging me closer.
Every brush of her skin against me sent shivers up my spine. The warmth of her body, the soft press of her lips, the intoxicating scent of her hair and perfume working together to drive me to the brink of insanity.
Tonight wasn’t about the deal, or our family names, or anything beyond this moment. It was about her—my wife, my anchor, my beginning, and my always.
Starting our forever, together.