CHAPTER 28 ALEXIS
The two days pass far too quickly for my liking. I try to savor every moment we have together as much as I can, but I feel the time slipping away.
He asked me what would be so bad about my dad finding us.
I told him I was worried he’d find some way to ruin us.
The truth is I’m not just worried about it. It’s inevitable.
I’m sure there’s some fine print in that old contract that says I’m not allowed to date somebody or marry somebody without his approval first. And which contract will win in the end?
The one my father drew up when I was sixteen, or the government document marriage license I signed twelve years later?
I don’t have proof there’s anything of that nature in the contract, but I know my father.
Or at least…I thought I did.
I never thought he’d blackmail me into marrying Brooks, and he did.
I never thought he’d put his own interests before mine, and he did.
The thought occurred to me a few days ago, but I pushed it out.
Now, though, with just Danny and me in this quiet desert house moments bright and early before we’re going to check out and make the two-hour trip for our honeymoon celebration day at Disneyland, I sit in front of the glass windows and stare out at the pool sunken within the brown landscape and the sparse cacti and sharp succulents as I analyze the whole situation.
I’m holding a hot cup of tea while I look outside, and I glance over at him as he slides onto the couch beside me. He slides a hand onto my thigh.
“Everything in the car?” I ask.
He nods. “Ready to go. You seem lost in thought. What are you thinking about?”
I lift a shoulder as I return my gaze out the window. “My dad. How strange this whole thing is. I feel like I’m missing something, but I can’t put my finger on what.”
“What do you mean?”
I blow out a breath. “Just…I don’t know. I always figured he’d keep the company forever and then pass it down to me, and now I’m on the run from him because I don’t want to be forced to marry someone I don’t love.”
“Did he say he would keep it forever?”
“Not in so many words, but I’m not sure why I would have thought that otherwise.
He built it from the ground up, and aside from me, it’s his pride and joy.
” My brows crinkle together as I try to fit the pieces together.
“And then he just suddenly wants to merge with a management group? It doesn’t make sense. ”
“Well, things change as life changes, right?” he points out. “Like us. Did you ever think you’d end up married to the bad boy of baseball?”
I glance over at him. “You really like that nickname, don’t you?”
His lips tip up. “Yeah, I do. But seriously. Do you think maybe his priorities just changed?”
I shift my gaze back to the window. “Bodega Talent has been his main priority since my mother passed away. It’s been eighteen years, Danny. It doesn’t make sense that suddenly that would change overnight.”
“Was it overnight, though? Or has this been brewing since he first started letting the world believe you were with Brooks?” His words are definitely something to consider.
“You think he’s been planning this for the last four years?” I wonder.
“Maybe longer, and maybe Brooks is in on it, too. Maybe he’s got something on your dad, and he’s forcing this merger.” He shrugs. “How did he initially set you up with Brooks?”
“My dad has been working with D-Three for years.”
“D-Three?” he repeats.
“The Donovan’s management company. The one we’re merging with,” I explain. “They’ve been my management company since the beginning, and Brooks has been my manager.”
“Hm,” he grunts.
“What?”
“Just seems…strange. Does your dad have money?”
I shrug. “We don’t talk about his financials. I assume he’s doing fine since he takes his cut on all of my deals plus everyone else he represents, but it’s all handled by his business partners. Why?”
“Money makes people do strange things sometimes, that’s all.”
I nod. He’s right, but I don’t see my dad being in financial trouble. He has far too many clients for that to be the issue.
Unless he’s right and Brooks has something to do with all this.
But I just don’t see Brooks doing that, either. He’s quiet and stoic, he lets me live my life, and he’s a good manager who fades into the background most of the time.
I trust him…I think. Maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time. Maybe it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.
“What does Brooks do for your career versus your dad?” he asks.
I take a sip of my tea before I answer. “My dad primarily handles performances and appearances. Management companies usually deal more with the career goal side of things, but since my father is so ingrained in my career, he does that part of that for me, too. Brooks tends to help with the musical production side of things—arranging recordings and making sure my band will be there, maintaining my schedule, things like that.”
“And what advantages would this merger have for either side?”
I’ve been thinking about that, and mostly, it seems like it’s financial advantages for the head honchos involved—my dad and Brooks’s dad.
“I guess the biggest advantage is that it would dominate the market since it’s two huge companies coming together.
A lot of money will exchange hands with this merger, and it’s the businessmen who will benefit from it in the end as they cut some of the overhead costs.
And it would create a conglomerate housed under one roof—a one-stop-shop for artists, which is attractive to people like me who have busy schedules. ”
“And the downsides?” he asks.
“Some artists might feel lost in the shuffle at such a big organization. Others might jump ship if they don’t like one or the other company or the way the merger is handled. Apart from that…” I shrug. That’s about all I can come up with.
“So if this goes through, both men are set to make a shit ton of money and potentially might lose a few clients but will likely gain a hell of a lot more in the process?”
I nod. “That pretty much sums it up.”
“Sounds like a no brainer, then. Maybe there’s nothing fishy going on, and your dad just really wanted this to happen.” He squeezes my thigh.
“I appreciate that you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt,” I say softly. “But I’m not sure he deserves it.”
He leans over and presses a soft kiss on my cheek. “Either way, let’s enjoy our last day on the run, shall we?”
I nod, and we leave this lovely house and head on toward our magical honeymoon day.