Chapter 31 #2
“So they can’t fire you now?” he asked, finally breaking his silence.
“They could have done it with a simple majority vote during the probationary period. They wouldn’t have needed any reason other than that they wanted someone else.
It would have been legal to oust me. But now, they have to have cause.
And the provisions are narrow. They have to prove I’ve done something illegal or that would fundamentally harm The Haven.
Their hands are tied because I haven’t done either of those things. ”
She’d expected a fist bump. A smile. A whoop. Okay, maybe not a whoop. Mo wasn’t the whooping type. But what she got was brooding Mo. Brooding Mo did not bode well for . . . anything.
She waved a hand in front of him. “Hello?”
He turned toward her and rested a knee on the wood. He tapped the back of the bench and pinched his lips together. The fidgeting would drive her up the wall if he didn’t explain himself.
He finally heaved a breath and said, “I need to tell you something. And it’s important that you hear me out.”
Bronwyn didn’t want to hear him out. She didn’t want him to say anything that came with that kind of warning. But she nodded.
“Tomorrow, we have to return to your office, regardless of who’s there. If Peter Brown comes by, I’ll have security remove him. If Bob shows up and asks you to lunch, I’ll tell him you have plans into infinity and to shove off. But I need access to every file and every server.”
She relaxed at his words. “No problem.” That had been easy. “Maybe in the future you could be a little less dramatic. You had me scared there for a minute.”
“I’m not done.”
The fear came back with a fury.
“I’m sorry, Bronwyn, but you have to know. Someone’s been playing a very long game. And right now, they’re winning. I will get to the bottom of it. I will figure it out.”
“What are you talking about?”
Mo reached for her hands and she placed them in his.
He looked her dead in the eye and continued.
“Right now, based on the information I currently have on the computer, if someone asked me under oath to tell them who was behind the misappropriation of funds at The Haven, I would have to tell them”—he cleared his throat—“that it was you.”
Bronwyn tried to pull her hands free, but Mo held on. “I know it wasn’t you.”
His voice had no give. No hesitation. No doubt.
“Then, why—”
“I don’t know why. Like I said, someone with way more intellectual savvy than I anticipated is behind this.
That’s fine. I’ve hunted down people far smarter than whoever this is.
Right now, my money’s on Nathan. Maybe Uncle William.
The way they’ve slid the payments in under accounts you manage is .
. . delicate. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a total travesty, I would have to say that it’s a diabolically elegant construction. ”
Bronwyn’s brain was stuck on the “it looks like you did it” part of the conversation. “I would never—”
“I know.”
“I didn’t—”
“I know.”
“How did they—”
“I’ll find out.”
“Mo?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you believe me?” That was the real question, wasn’t it? “You just said everything points to me, but you don’t believe it. Why?”
He couldn’t have looked more shocked than if she’d slapped him upside the head with a dead fish. “I know you.” He didn’t release her hands but scooted closer to her on the bench. “I deserve the questions, I’m just not happy that you felt the need to ask them.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t. Listen. We have so much drama between us. So much hurt. So many times when one of us messed up and the other flamed out and refused to forgive, rinse and repeat, until we turned something beautiful that God gave us into something so toxic we couldn’t even speak to each other.”
He let go of her hand momentarily and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
“I acknowledge my role in that, but one of us has to stop the cycle. That’s what I’m doing.
I’m not looking at the numbers. I’m not looking at the supposed facts.
I’m looking at you. I’m basing my decisions on who you are.
On your character. On your dedication. On the way you love this place and the people who work here despite the way your family has treated you your entire life. ”
She’d dropped her gaze to where he clasped her hands. When he disentangled one hand, she didn’t try to hold on. She didn’t expect him to use that hand to lift her chin, but when he did, she forced herself to look into his eyes.
“I see you, Bronwyn. I haven’t always. I was young and selfish, and I saw what I wanted to see and ignored the painful parts of your life to the point that I couldn’t understand your choices.
But I’m grown up. We both are. And I choose you.
I will keep choosing you. I will dig until I figure out who’s behind this and what they’ve done and then I’ll vindicate you in front of all the people who are too stupid to realize how amazing you are. ”
He slid his hand to cup her cheek. “I’ll fight with you and for you. But I will not fight against you. Those days are over. You have my word.”
She had no idea what to say. Or do. She probably should have said something profound.
Instead, she did what she’d wanted to do for . . . longer than she was willing to admit. She held his gaze while she leaned forward until her lips brushed against his.
His eyes widened, but his lips didn’t move. She pulled back and whispered, “Thank you.”
He still didn’t move.
Well, that had not gone as—
His lips crashed down on hers. Hers responded eagerly. Both of his hands were in her hair. She slid her hands around his neck, and he pulled her closer. She never, ever wanted the kiss to end.
When he finally let her come up for air, he murmured against her lips. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. I won’t forget. Never again.”