chapter 20
Wesley
“Can you grab that folder off the top shelf, Wesley?”
My morning was spent putting out fires, answering emails, and drafting my letter of resignation.
The knowledge that Granny had been playing puppet master behind the scenes, dragging me on the internet, revealing private shit to anonymous keyboard warriors pissed me off. Even more than that …
That shit hurt.
Life hadn’t been easy for me. Even before my father died, I’d struggled to feel like I belonged.
That I was a Batchelor in more than just name only.
I busted my ass for her every day. She’d given me the keys, but it was up to me to walk through the door.
I’d done the work. And she’d embarked on this smear campaign to embarrass me, to make me the laughingstock in a family that had never really accepted me.
The anger that coursed through me after Albany revealed her findings hadn’t dissipated completely, even after I’d driven her to her first orgasm of the day.
I’d spent the rest of the morning turning everything over in my mind and I still couldn’t figure out what I’d done to deserve this, what I’d done to make Granny want to hurt me.
“Wesley?” Granny called.
I stared at her for a moment, before I handed her the folder she’d asked for.
“Sit down,” she ordered. “Did you get the report about that property near Belleville? I’m considering developing the land into a studio.
Not as big as Tyler Perry’s but comparable.
There’s nothing like it in this area, and the tax dollars it could bring …
Hm. Let’s talk about it in our next one-on-one. ”
“Why did you do it?”
She froze, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Her gaze flickered up to mine. As always, her face was unreadable. She dropped her hands into her lap. “Excuse me?”
“Why would you do it?”
Granny sighed, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs. “What would that be, grandson? If you have something to say, please just say it.”
“Albany kept telling me that Ms. Tea was someone close to me. I shrugged it off, because I’d never really given anyone access to me.
Aside from my mother, Hendrix, and Erica—and you—I try to fly under the radar.
It made sense to me that John would try to destroy me.
He wants me out of the company. It even made sense that Jackson or Samira or even Elijah would try to sabotage me. ”
“Elijah?” she asked.
“Of course. He spent years in prison because of my father. He could’ve bided his time, waited to make his move, to make Cedric’s son pay.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she grumbled.
“It doesn’t matter because none of them tried to hurt me. You did.”
Seconds passed before Granny pressed the intercom on her phone.
“Please hold my calls and cancel my afternoon meetings.” She stood and walked around the desk.
Leaning against it, she sighed. “I’ve done a lot of things to change the trajectory of people’s lives.
Some I’m proud of, some I’m not. Ms. Tea was never meant to hurt you. ”
“Why did you do it?” I repeated.
“I felt guilty,” she explained.
Frowning, I stood and paced the floor. “Guilty? For what?”
“Your life wasn’t easy, Wesley. You did everything you could to destroy yourself.”
“That was a long time ago. Things are different now.”
“They weren’t so different, Wesley. I could see that you were drowning.
Yes, you’re productive. You show up every day.
You do an impeccable job. But you also drink a lot.
You were hanging out in bars, taking random skanks to bed…
. You isolate from the family. I didn’t want to watch you go down that hard road again.
Not when you’ve worked so hard to come out of it. ”
Closing my eyes, I blew out a slow breath. She was right. As much as I’d tried to deny it, I wasn’t where I needed to be. While I wasn’t doing those things every night, I could’ve easily fallen back into a pattern of numbing myself with liquor and women.
I’d realized that after the fundraiser. Since then, I’d taken steps to avoid my triggers.
I avoided certain parts of the city that reminded me of my father, stayed away from Wellspring, and kept my ass in the gym or at the crib.
Or with Albany. I’d stopped drinking liquor and limited myself to one beer at a time.
And only for certain occasions. Even when I was tempted to drink the cognac in my cabinet, the night I made love to Albany, I’d settled for apple juice.
I was good.
“Why do you feel guilty, though?” I asked.
“I started this,” she confessed softly. “When we found out what your father had done, I was shattered. I was also determined to save our family’s legacy, the company that your grandfather and I built together from the ground up. But then, Cedric’s seedy connections put the family in danger.”
I studied her face, noted the tears standing in them. Which was jarring because I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen her cry.
She peered up at the ceiling as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
She wiped it away with her finger, then glanced at me again.
“I’d already lost him,” she whispered. “I’d lost your father, my son …
I couldn’t lose anyone else. I panicked.
Then, I sent you away. Told you not to tell anyone.
Not Hendrix. Not Albany. And you suffered for it.
I didn’t stop to think about how such a hurried departure would affect you.
I kept telling myself I was protecting you, doing the right thing.
But when I saw you again, after the move … I knew I’d fucked up.”
“It was my fault. I own my choices, Granny.”
“True, but sometimes circumstance can push you to a point where you feel like you have nothing to lose.”
“I wasn’t suicidal.”
“But you were reckless. What if you would’ve jumped behind the wheel, killed someone or yourself because you thought you could handle it? Your mother and your sister would’ve been devastated. It would’ve broken my heart.”
I lowered my head. “Why not just say something? Why go to all the trouble to create an online persona and blast me like that?”
“Believe it or not, I didn’t create Ms. Tea to air out your business. It started as a fun thing to do with my friends. A little mess. A little shade. Nothing too harmful.”
“What changed?”
“I felt like I did something wrong in life. My kids … they’re entitled assholes. And I could see that my grandchildren were following in their parents’ footsteps. Even you.”
Rage simmered in my gut. “I will never be like him.”
“I hope not. I loved my son, but he wasn’t a good person. It took me years to not blame myself for his transgressions.”
Granny was one of the strongest people I knew. I couldn’t even fathom her placing blame on herself for what my father did. “It’s not your fault,” I said unnecessarily. “He was just a fucked-up individual.”
“Thank God you had your mother.”
I smiled. “Yeah, she’s amazing.”
“Neither of my sons deserved her.”
Silence stretched between us for a moment. Finally, I glanced at her. “What was the end game? With Ms. Tea?”
“Good old-fashioned matchmaking. Ms. Tea was already operating when I found out Albany was divorcing her husband and moving back to Detroit.”
Realization dawned on me as I let her words settle in my heart. “You hired her—for me.”
“Sure did,” she admitted. “And I’m not going to apologize for it.”
“Don’t.”
“Albany gave me the flux, quitting every two minutes. But I’m not a quitter. I figured the best way to get you two to see each other, to hear each other, was forced proximity.”
“Giving her that apartment was genius,” I agreed. “We were already teetering on something, but that was a good move.”
“I knew it was only a matter of time before you made your declaration. I’m assuming that happened last night?”
Scratching the back of my neck, I grumbled, “Something like that.”
“Then it was worth it.” Granny gripped my chin in her hand, turned me to meet her gaze. “You are worth it. You’re so worthy of love, Wes.”
“I don’t want to hurt her again.”
“Then don’t.”
“I’m not perfect,” I mumbled.
She let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve seen a lot in my old age. One thing I’ve learned is it’s never too late. It’s never too late to be a better person. It’s never too late to tell the truth. It’s never too late to apologize. It’s never too late to take a risk. And love is worth the risk.”
“I do love her,” I whispered. “So much.”
“I know. That’s why me and Liv were running around here doing crazy shit to get you two together.”
“You still could’ve just talked to me.”
“It was fun seeing you squirm though.” She grinned. “It was also fun taking that Samira Jackson down. Never could stand her mother.”
“That’s when I couldn’t deny that Ms. Tea was someone close to me. Because you helped me out with the Wellspring baby thing.”
“Boy, I almost went in on her for that. Then I found that lyin’ girl in Wellspring and sicced my lawyers after her so fast … she’s still apologizing to me. Every day, all in my DMs.”
I cracked up. “You’re funny.”
“About Elijah …” She sighed. “Somehow, he discovered my secret.”
I thought about my conversation with Unc, the knowing look in his eyes. “I’m not surprised.”
“Shoot, I was. I’d done everything to conceal our identities. I think one of the women spilled because she wanted to be about that Cougar Life. Spilling the tea for some di—”
“Whoa.” I held up my hands. “Alright, Granny.”
“Anyway, I offered to pay him off, but he told me he didn’t want my money. Said he was rooting for me to succeed.”
“That makes sense too.”
“I’m sorry, Wesley. I realize I could’ve done things differently. Even back then, I should’ve let you contact her. My need to be in control caused a lot of pain and sorrow for both of you.”
“Thanks for that.”