Chapter 25
25
BENNETT
W hen I was twenty, I experimented with a few things. The world was at my disposal I had money that no twenty year old should have and I had unresolved shit that I didn’t even want to think about. So for a small period in my life I turned to drugs. It wasn’t the brightest decision in my life, but it was something that got me through the day.
During that period, I experienced some major highs. I thought at I was at the top of the fucking world and nobody could touch me. I knew hat one I stopped taking whatever landed in my hands that I would never experience a high like that every again.
I was so fucking wrong.
Those highs are nothing compared to the one that I’m currently experiencing. And I have two things to thank for that. Being CEO of my families company and Ella.
I expected to feel like I was on the top of the damn world when I became CEO. That was already a mindset that I was in. What I didn’t expect was for the woman that married to get the title to hit me like a damn bulldozer.
I expected the next two yeas to be simply be time that I wouldn’t think about when it was over. In my head, I would be grateful to Ella for doing this, for marrying me to help me out get what I wanted but that was it. I didn’t think anything would come out of Ella’s and I’d relationship. I thought at most we would be friends at the end of this. Not emotions. No feelings, and not titles. `
But like I said, the woman is a damn bulldozer and knocked all of those thoughts out the damn window without even thinking about it.
I should have expected it, since she is the one woman that was able to do what other’s haven’t. I should have known from day one that this woman was going to be more than just an assistant. More than just a fantasy. More than anything that my mind could think of.
It’s been three months since we gotten back from our honeymoon, and in those three months a lot of things have changed.
Not only has my role of CEO officially been cemented and I officially moved into my father’s office, things with me and Ella are also different.
Before the wedding we had come up with a set of rules that we would abide by during our two years of marriage. When those rules were set up, I thought that they could with difficulties. Ella was my assistant and I was essentially hiring her to e my wife. She was my employee and I couldn’t cross the lines with her. But shit changes, and now I crave to cross each and every line with her.
The rules are forgotten and there are days where both of us forget that we are only married for convenance and not love.
Since getting back from the honeymoon we have been acting like an actual married couple, something that not only took us by surprise but also Henry and the older kids. I don’t know what they thought would come from this, but I doubt that it included catching Ella and I making out in the kitchen before breakfast or right after dinner.
But from what I’ve noticed, everyone is embracing it.
Henry says he hates having two more people to cater to but, from the way he smiles whenever Ella or Charlie enter the room, I know that it isn’t true. But when it came to embracing things, I knew Henry would be easy.
My worries were mostly with the kids.
In the last ten years, I’ve never brought someone into their lives like this. I’ve never had a girlfriend long enough for them to meet. So I knew there was going to be some issues with having Ella and Charlie coming to live here.
But they proved me wrong.
All four kids have welcomed Ella and Charlie and have made them feel like they are part of the family. They have included them in their every day life so much that is has started to get hard remembering how things were before Ella and I got married.
For the kids and for me.
I went from sleeping alone and occasionally getting woken up by a snoring ten year old, to sharing a bed with a beautiful woman that I don’t want to let go of.
We spend the majority of our days together at the office and then come back and spend even more time together. Since the honeymoon, we have spent maybe three full days apart and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I crave being near her. I want to see her and have her within arms reach. If I go out of town, she is coming with me. If I have a meeting that I need to attend she is sitting the chair on my right. Three months and I don’t want her to leave my side.
It’s fucking the most unhealthy thing, but I don’t give a shit. If I have two years with this woman, I’m going to take advantage of it.
Two years won’t be enough.
No, it won’t, but that is all that I am going to get.
The thought that I could ask for more time with Ella pops into my head, but right now may not be the best time to think about something like that.
Especially since we are currently at a hockey game with all the kids and Henry, having a family night out at Drake dubbed it.
“I can’t believe you bought a hockey team for an eight year old.” Ella says from next to me as we sit up in one of the boxes at the hockey arena.
We are currently at opening night for the Chicago’s own hockey team, the Dark Knights, and Grayson just finished telling Ella, how I bought the hockey team for him when he was eight years old.
“It wasn’t really for him . The old team owner was in a bind so I decided to step in and take the burden off of him. It just so happened that I had a nephew who’s favorite sport was hockey and who has dreams of being a professional hockey player one day.”
And hopefully said nephew could play for the team I own one day. It’s nepotism at its finest, but I’ve seen Grayson play. He’s going to make a for himself on his own. It doesn’t matter if he plays for his uncle team or not.
Ella looks at me dumbfounded. “If his favorite sport was baseball, would you have bought a team too?”
I don’t even have to think about that, because the answer is a hard yes.
Just like with Ella, anything the kids want, they get. It may be in obscure ways, but they still get what they want.
Instead of telling Ella that, and getting a lecture from her about how I just throw money around, I give her a shrug.
“Oh my god. What other random things have you bought the kids?”
Before I can respond, Sam inserts herself. “For my sixteenth birthday he got me a 1964 Shelby and brand new Aston Martin.”
Ella quickly turns to look over at my niece. “Aren’t both those cars worth like a hundred grand each?”
Same gives her a nod. “The Aston Martin is a good two hundred grand alone.”
“You got a teenage girl a two hundred thousand dollar car?” She asks, sounding bewildered.
Instead of answering here, I turn to look over at Sam and Grayson, narrowing my eyes at both.
They mouth sorry and turn their attention back to the game playing on the ice.
Instead of doing the same, I look back at the woman sitting next to me that looks like she has a lecture ready to go on the tip of her tongue.
“I did,” I answer, holding up my hands in defense. “But to be fair, I’m a rich kid that doesn’t know what a reasonable car for a teenager is. So I just got her a car that I would want.”
“That’s a crazy way to spend money.”
“Sure.” I wonder what she would say if she found out that the ring that she is wearing cost more than sixty grand.
“How does spending that much money not bother you?” she asks almost in whisper.
I know where is coming from. If I had childhood that was similar to Ella’s, I would fee the same way about money that she does. But we didn’t have similar childhoods. Even after my parent’s died, Henry mad sure that I didn’t want for nothing. Money has always been around, and there’s a lot of it, so spending it on things like a professional hockey team or cars, doesn’t seem like a lot.
“I guess when you have the amount of money that I do, buying things like that seem trivial.”
The way she scrunches up her nose I know that what I said is wrong.
“Must be nice.” She grumbles, turning her attention back to the game, but I know that she is still very much thinking about the whole money thing still.
Great. Now she’s pissed at me for a reason beyond my control.
“If you had that type of money, what would you do with?”I ask, out of curiosity and to make her less mad at me.
The question has her facial expression shifts away from frustration.
Her question comes a lot quicker than I thought it would. Like she has thought about this.
“I’d help foster kids.” She turns to me and gives me a small smile. “I know it sounds cliche, but I’d dedicate my time helping foster kids. Create programs to help the kids that age out so that they aren’t just thrown out into the world without knowing what to do or where to go. Create group homes that are safe spaces and where a child might actually choose to go and not just get thrown in. I’d spend money giving foster parents more education on mental health and how to better help some that may have special needs. Id also use some of the money to find better ways to screen foster parents. Make sure that every one applies to be one is doing it for the best intentions and not because they are in it for the money.”
I run through all of her ideas and I like every single of of them. To pull something like off, you need a lot of funding and possibly have a well known name supporting every step of the way.
The more that I think about it, the more an idea springs into mind.
“What if you did have the money?” I asks, already drafting up opportunities in my head.
Ella lets out a small chuckle. “What are do going to do, give me the money?”
“In a way.”
She turns to look back at me just as the Knights take the puck away from the other team and drive it across the ice.
“What are you suggesting?”
“The Lane Foundation. They have a lot of the resource that you would need to pull off something like and the money. We can bring you in and you can start wherever you need. It won’t happen right away, but I think with some time, you can really do great things.”
Thinking about it some more, I think Ella would be perfect for the foundation. I know that Henry has been wanting to step down for a while now, and Ella would be a great replacement.
The foundation already donates money to different foster care programs, but it’s not enough. With Ella at the helm of things, I think the foundation could do great things.
“You really think that I could do something like that?” She asks, her eyes full of wander and excitement.
I’m honest with her. “Yeah, I really think you can. The foundation could really use someone like you.”
And they can. Henry has done a great job for almost fifteen years, but there are a few things that need a female’s touch and if my mother was still here, she would think that Ella would be perfect for the job.
The roar of the crowd puts out attention back on the game but as the cheering calms down, Ella gives me her full attention.
“Maybe we can talk more about this at home? Get Henry opinion on this. I don’t want to step on any toes.”
I give her a smile, while I reach for her hand and bring it up to my lips. “Whatever you want.”
My wife beams and leas over to place a kiss against my lips. It’s quick and easy and just enough to get me through the rest of the night until we are back in home and I have her in my bed whimpering under me.
We go back to the watching the rest of the game with the kids, and having a good time. By the end, the Knights lost the game three to one, but at the very least we got some bonding time with everyone.
“Why are is the teams called the Dark Knight anyway? It seems like a name for a hockey team. Why not use a color or something?” Ella ask as we make our way out of the arena and to the car.
“Because of Batman .” Elliot answers as if that is enough explanation for Ella and she is in on the inside joke.
“Excuse me?” She asks, looking at Elliot and me for more details. “What does a hockey team have to do with a comic book character?”
“Everything.” Grayson and Drake say at the same time as they make their way to the car.
“It was Grayson’s favorite character when he was younger and then it became Drake’s. When I bought the team and the opportunity to change the name came up, I let them pick and that’s what they landed on.”
“And because uncle Bennett is Batman !” Drake yells out right before jumping into the car.
Ella lets out a laugh. “I didn’t know that you were a vigilante. Do you have a mask and a cape hidden somewhere that I don’t know about? Do you sneak out at night at fight crime?”
I roll my eyes. “None of the above.”
“Then why does the kid think that you are Batman ?”
“Apparently being a billionaire with a bunch of kids that aren’t his running around, with a big house and a lot of cars, makes it seem to little eye that you are the cape crusader.”
A finger land against Ella’s lips. “I mean I can see it. You are dark and broody. Maybe we should get you a mask and see how it looks on you.”
I can see her mind working with the idea. I better put a stop to it before she actually buys one.
“I’m not as mask guy.”
“Oh come on it will be fun.” She walks in front of me and before he is able to get far enough away, I wrap my arm around her waist and bringer her back to my front.
“You buy the mask and I get to use the wax that I have in my night stand.”
“You bought it?” She whispers.
I press my lips against her ear. “I did and I would rather use that than a stupid mask.”
She lets out a hum and grips my hand so tight it almost hurts, but in a good way.
“Then let’s forget about the mask, and just concentrate on the wax.”
“That’s my girl.” I take her ear lobe between my teeth, thankful that she has her lushes brown hair down so that nobody could see. “Let’s go home then.”
With an extra pep in her step, she closes the distance to the car. Since we came here start from the office, Henry and the kids climb into their own car, and Ella and I into another.
I’m about to suggest for the driver to take us to my penthouse that is only a few blocks away so that Ella and I could have a night without being quiet, when a phone starts to ring.
Both Ella and I take out our phones. Since becoming CEO, its been nonstop hours for both of us. Something is alway happening on the other side of the world that needs someone attention.
My screen is blank so whoever is calling is calling Ella.
When I turn to see who is calling at this hour, I find Ella with a ramrod back and shoulder so damn tight that she may need a message to relax them.
“Who’s calling?” I asks, reaching for the phone but she moves it out of the way.
“Nobody,” she says, her voice a whisper. Her face looks almost ashen as she looks down at the screen. “It’s just an unknown number.”
“Are you going to answer it?”
She locks the screen, ultimately ignoring the call.
Finally she looks up at me with a hint of fear in her eyes. “No. It’s late. Whoever it is could leave a message and I will call them back later.”
My teeth grind. It’s not like her to ignore a call. No matter the time of day. She will always answer a call whether it’s personal or business. So her not answering a call now brings so many questions.
“Are you okay?” I ask, because there has to be something behind this.
She gives me a tight smile. “Yes. I’m fine. The call just took me by surprise. There is nothing to worry about.”
I don’t buy it. Not for a fucking second.
But I don’t question it. She promised me that if anything was wrong, she would tell me.
I’m hoping that she keeps that promise.
Otherwise, if this continues to happen I will stop at nothing to figure out what might have made my wife so scared.