Chapter 44
Angela
I should have known a man like Jordan would go for the throat.
With a deep breath, I meet my father’s scowling face. It reminds me of being seventeen again. Me, pushing for independence, so eager to be let off my leash and him, holding on tight, unwilling to believe I’m ready.
Well, I’m ready now.
See me. See my truth. See how good this is. See the echoes of you and Mom and know, the same way I know.
“He’s right,” I say with a deep sigh. “My relationship with Garrett has evolved and I will not let this man make it sound like it’s a bad thing.
” I turn to Jordan, pointing an angry finger in his face.
“I’ve come to understand you’re the one with the pattern, Mr. Clement. Lying. Cheating. Betrayal.”
My hands tremble as I meet my father’s eyes.
He’s glaring at me. At Garrett. He looks upset, but he always looks upset.
I can’t tell what he’s thinking. Is he angry with us? Does he think I’ve lost my mind? Or does he understand? For the millionth time in my life, I wish he wasn’t so good at hiding what’s going on in his head.
Uncle Wyatt runs his hands into his hair.
“Can someone please tell me what in the world is going on? I’m a little lost and a lot concerned because until five minutes ago, I was under the impression we were walking into a good thing today.
And this? This sounds like a whole lot of bad. Lose the hotel? Angela…”
I understand his despair, the disappointment dripping from my uncle’s words, but I’m doing the right thing here. He’ll understand that soon.
“Mr. Hutton…” Garrett’s face is as unreadable as my father’s as he steps forward. My heart races and the world swims around me.
Black spots swim through my vision.
My fingers and lips tingle.
I’ve finally hit my limit. From the moment construction on the Bliss site ground to a halt, I’ve been in water up to my throat, trying to smile through the disaster.
I can’t keep pushing. I’m staring at the loss of the hotel.
The loss of my family’s respect. The loss of the man I’m falling in love with…
“Your daughter,” Garrett says, holding out his hands to my father and uncle.
“Your niece. She’s right. The contract I drafted is fair to you, but Vision Enterprise isn’t interested in fair, not when Jordan’s involved.
He will bury clauses in the fine print and drag his heels until your finances are in such a dire position that you have no choice but to sign a shitty deal.
He will ruin your business while he squeezes every last cent out of the name.
He doesn’t care about the future of this hotel or your family.
He only sees a chance to make more money for our company and therefore himself. ”
“He’s right, Dad. There’s so much to this story you don’t know yet.”
Jordan dismisses me with a look of utter disgust. “Are you really going to take the word of a love-struck woman who already put your business in jeopardy once?”
My father scowls and Jordan takes his silence as encouragement.
“I’ve done some research on you family. If I were you, I’d consider Wyatt’s son as heir to the proverbial throne. Or really, any of your nephews would be better than a woman willing to sleep her way out of a good deal—”
Garrett and Dad lunge forward in unison. “Shut your fucking mouth!” yells Garrett while Dad growls, “That’s my daughter, asshole…”
Jordan stumbles back and Wyatt leaps into action, stopping Dad and Garrett, his hands on their chests, his calming presence the only reason Jordan isn’t bleeding.
“Get out.” Wyatt jerks his head toward the door.
Clement huffs. “You misunderstood—”
“Oh no…” Wyatt says mockingly, loosening his grip on the other men and pretending to falter. “I don’t think I can hold them back much longer…”
“You know I’ll have your job for this,” Jordan says to Garrett as he heads for the door.
Garrett sneers. “Good. Take it. I have no intentions of returning to Vision after this.”
My jaw drops. What could that mean for us? Do we have a future after all?
“I hope the pussy’s worth it because—”
Wyatt releases his hold. Dad lurches forward. But it’s Garrett’s fist who connects with Jordan’s face. His head rocks back. His eyes glaze over. He stumbles, then drops to the floor, blinking up at the man who hit him.
“Apologize.”
Jordan coughs, dabbing at his lip and checking for blood. “When I tell Brans—”
“The next words out of your mouth had better sound different.”
I always thought rage would be the primary emotion of a man willing to throw a punch, but Garrett looks so calm, sounds so composed, looks so in control. He didn’t fly off the handle. He isn’t a loose cannon at the mercy of his emotions. He knew what he was doing.
And he did it for me.
I blink, trembling.
Jordan sits like a sullen child and Garrett steps his way.
He glares at the man towering over him. Petulant. Unrepentant. “I’m sorry…”
“Not to me, asshole.” Garrett points my way, his eyes blazing with protection, with love, with wild adrenaline.
For some strange reason, I smile.
“Apologize.”
Jordan licks his lips. “Sorry…” His poisonous gaze flicks my way.
Garrett looks unimpressed. “You can do better than that.”
Pulling himself off the floor, Jordan smooths his suit, testing his mouth with his tongue before delivering a tepid apology. Without waiting to see what happens next, he storms out of the room, muttering as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and jams it to his ear.
Outside, the storm rages. Rain buffets the walls as the wind-thrashed sea pulses with energy. Now what? The one chance we had at saving the hotel just walked out the door…because I chased him away.
I’m holding my breath, clenching my fists. The walls are closing in. I never wanted to be the Hutton who ruined the family legacy, but I am. That’s me. It’s done.
If I hadn’t slept with Garrett…if we hadn’t gotten so wrapped up in each other…would any of this have happened?
What now, Angela. What now?
Garrett glances my way, his face as violent as the storm, though as our eyes meet, he smiles. Gentle, almost serene. It’s not a familiar look on him, but he wears it well.
Inhaling deeply, he turns to my dad. “I should probably apologize. That was incredibly unprofessional of me…”
Dad shakes his head. “If you hadn’t hit him, I would’ve.”
“And if he hadn’t, it woulda been me.” Wyatt folds his arms over his chest. “Something tells me the little shit had that coming from you for a while now.”
Garrett rakes his hands through his hair, huffing a laugh, shaking his head, closing his eyes. I cross the room and put my hand on his arm.
What does one say in a situation like this? Standing in a room full of men who listened to that asshole humiliate me?
A half-smile tugs at my lips as the perfect response comes to mind.
“I was handling that.”
It’s a callback to the night we met at the bar and my voice sounds shakier than I intended. I’ve never had someone talk to me, about me, the way Jordan did. Knowing I didn’t have to handle it alone is a relief.
Garrett’s eyes meet mine with a smile that fills my heart.
“And you were doing a phenomenal job.” He gently pushes a lock of still-damp hair out of my face before turning to my dad.
“I care a lot about your daughter and I will not be the guy who ruins her life, I promise you that. Let me fight for you. For her. Not just a better deal.”
Dad cocks his head. “You can’t fight for anyone if you don’t have a job.”
“I’ll invest in the hotel.” Garrett takes my hand, smiling as his eyes meet mine. “I’ll invest in Angela Hutton.”