Alex By ten a. m., Deborah had already done three things I’d asked for, two things I’d forgotten about, and one I hadn’t even known I needed her to do until it was sitting neatly printed on my desk. She had a real knack for always completing my lists by noon, and honestly, I didn’t think I would have survived in this position without her. Thank God for competent assistants, that’s all I can say. I sat behind my desk while she stood across from me with a tablet tucked under her arm and her reading glasses perched on her head like a tiara. Deborah Andrews had been an executive assistant for longer than I’d legally been allowed to drink. She was nice, efficient, and after raising five kids of her own, she had precisely zero tolerance for nonsense. She could also read my mind. I had no empirical evidence of that, but it sure as shit felt that way. “You asked for a rental in Lake Forrest,” she said after making a note of a meeting I would need changed. “This weekend, right? As in, from this evening?” “Yes,” I said, bracing myself to hear her say she hadn’t managed to find anything. “What’s the verdict?” She frowned like she didn’t understand the question. “I found one.” I broke into a wide grin and mimed applauding her. She slid the tablet across my desk, giving me a quick breakdown of the place while I scrolled through the pictures on her screen. “It’s an old Victorian mansion, but the plumbing has been updated and the floors are heated. There’s a fir eplace in nearly every room. Gated drive. It’s tasteful.” My brows lifted as my gaze dropped to the price listed below the pictures. “The daily rate is obscene.” “So is yours,” she said with a smile. “But it’s also lovely, available, and private. It’s the perfect place for a winter getaway.” “Do you think it will feel cozy?” I asked, then stopped and cleared my throat. “I mean, functional. Obviously. Is it functionally cozy?” Deborah smiled wider. She knew this was my first weekend away with my new wife. “It feels like a place where someone can relax. I assumed that was the goal.” I nodded once. “Book it.” “I already have,” she said. “Through Monday. I’ve also had fresh groceries arranged and snow tires added to the SUV.”
“Of course, you did.” Even if the price was ste ep, it really was the perfect place for the peaceful getaway my wife so desperately needed. “Thanks, Deb.” “You’re welcome.” She hesitated, then added, “Your wife prefers oat milk. And citrus gives her headaches sometimes, so take it easy on the OJ.” I looked up sharply, but she just shrugged. “I have my sources and I listen to them.” “Thank you,” I r epeated quietly. “You know, if you and Mike need a getaway too, we could always book this for you for n —” As always when I offered to do something for her she deemed too extravagant, she cut me off before I could even finish the thought. “Enjoy your weekend, Alex.” She smiled and left me alone with my thoughts, which immediately betrayed me by drifting to Jane yesterday morning, probably still in her pajamas, pretending not to care about a Bentley as she tried, and failed, to hide her relief. I’d heard it, though. She might’ve tried to sound like she wasn’t excited, like she hadn’t needed a vehicle of her own for a long time and was doing just fine without it, but I knew it wasn’t true. A smile spread on my lips as I thought about being able to do that for her, making sure she no longer had to freeze next to the side of the road while hoping her ride would show. Nate and Zach were already waiting for me when I arrived in the conference room several minutes late for our next meeting. They were both sprawled out like they were already activating weekend mode, but we were still dealing with the Thayer board, and since I wouldn’t be here, I’d be counting on them to handle it if something should crop up. “Two down,” Zach said without preamble when I sat down, his gaze not lifting from his phone. “Two down?” I r epeated, tempted to smack the device out of his hand, but I held back. “Are we doing a crossword puzzle, Zachary?” “Two of the Thayer board members are resigning,” Nate said. “Effective immediately.” “I only needed one to maintain majority,” I said. “There are really two who are leaving?” Zach grinned when he finally looked up at me. “It turns out fear is contagious.” “Which two?” I asked. “Watson and Sanders,” Nate said. “Watson is claiming health reasons. Sanders took the retirement package and asked if we could have his name removed from future correspondence.”
I exhaled slowly. “Well done.” “We should probably talk about filling one of those seats,” Zach said, straightening up in his chair. “I was thinking maybe we should reach out to Sterling?” I nodded immediately. “That’s a good idea. He’ll bring balance. Float it to him and let me know what he says?” “Sure thing,” Nate agreed. “It wouldn’t hurt to have someone else who’s loyal to us on the board. The remaining members are suddenly very interested in loyalty. Like they have a damn clue what that means, the vultures.” I leaned back, my fingers ste epled as I shook my head. “Let them sweat. They don’t deserve mercy.” They exchanged a look, but it was Nate who finally let me in on what they were thinking. “You’re enjoying this one a lot more than most.” “No, I’m just enjoying watching Jane not have to fight alone anymore. Those assholes have been taking advantage of her for much too long, and they never fucking intended on ke eping their promises to her. The way I see it, they stole from her.” “Stole from her?” Zach frowned, sitting up even straighter now. “If we need to get a PI in volved n —” “Not like that,” I said on a long sigh. “You’ve seen the offers she had on the table. The money she could’ve made and the benefits she would’ve had working for any other company. It’s not even just that. Think about how much time she spent fighting for a legacy they were never going to let her ke ep.” Nate’s eyes suddenly widened, shining with disbelief and a healthy dose of humor. “Oh, man. You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” “I know,” I muttered. “I might kind of like my wife. What’s right is right, though. So again, let them sweat it out for now. Ke ep them guessing.” My brothers nodded their agreement, then gave me the last few updates about what was going on with the Thayer deal. I went directly from that meeting into the next, and by late afternoon, I was so ready to get the hell out of town. I packed up, buzzing with a kind of energy I hadn’t felt in years. I told myself it was the success we’d achieved this week, not the idea of a weekend away with my wife. I didn’t know if I believed that anymore, but we’d had a pretty damn good week, so it wasn’t impossible.
Outside, the snow was coming down hard in thick, relentless sheets. Even though Thayer Steelworks was only a mile away, it was slow going, my tires slipping and my knuckles white on the wheel. When I finally got to her building, I shook the snow from my coat and headed upstairs, finding her long before she even knew I was there. It wasn’t hard to track her down, though. I definitely hadn’t needed anyone to show me to her. All because Jane had a man backed into a corner near the windows, his shoulders hunched and his face pale. I recognized him vaguely from our files, the manufacturing head, I thought. Big salary. Tiny balls from what I’ve seen. “I don’t care what the preliminary r eport says,” Jane was saying, her voice low and lethal. “An injury happened on your watch.” “Yes, ma’am,” he said quickly. “You didn’t r eport it properly.” “No, ma’am.” “And now OSHA is sniffing around because you tried to bury it.” “Yes, ma’am.” I leaned against the wall, watching and glad she hadn’t noticed me yet. It gave me the opportunity to observe her go scorched earth on a negligent, dishonest head that probably hadn’t earned his position on merit, but by his relation to someone on the board. Yet, she wasn’t yelling. She wasn’t cruel. She was precise, surgical, every word landing exactly where it was meant to. “You’re lucky that the worker will make a full recovery. Luckier still that I’m willing to handle the fallout quietly, but if I ever find out you’ve cut corners again n —” “I won’t,” he said fervently. “I swear.” She held his gaze, letting the silence stretch before she finally nodded. “Good, because next time, I won’t protect you. I’ll drive the bus I’m going to throw you under.” He nodded rapidly, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to leave once she’d dismissed him. Jane exhaled, rubbing her temples as she finally turned around. “That went well,” I said. She looked up, her eyes flashing before they softened when she saw me. “How long have you been standing there?” “Long enough to know I never want to be on your bad side.” She sighed. “He deserved worse.” “I know,” I said, and I meant it. “You weren’t wrong about how lucky he is that he’s dealing with you and not someone else.” She glanced at the window, her gaze swe eping across the snow piling up on the sidewalks outside. “You’re insane for driving in this.”
“It’ll be worth it,” I said. “Besides, we just need to swing by my place and pick up my SUV. It’s got the tires we need.” She studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Give me ten minutes.” As she walked back into her office with shoulders squared and her spine straight, I felt it hit me fully exactly what my wife was. Despite what I’d thought before, she wasn’t actually mean. She was formidable. Standing there, watching her command a room without raising her voice and seeing a man twice her age fold under the weight of her competence, I realized something terrifyingly simple. Jane, as stunning and brilliant as she was, was my wife. Mine. I loved it. Every time she rolled her eyes at me, I ate it up. That look she often gave me, annoyed and sharp but amused despite herself, did things to me that had absolutely nothing to do with business strategy or board seats. “Are you ready to go?” I asked when she emerged from her office, blinking myself out of the wonder that she’d actually said yes to marrying me. She slung her bag higher on her shoulder. “Are you sure you even want to? It might not be your crowd.” I shrugged. “I love pretentious artists.” She smirked at me. “You’ll fit right in then.” Twenty minutes later, we were on the road, snow coming down hard enough that even I had to admit the conditions were shit. My hands were steady on the wheel, but I could feel her watching the road and the headlights disappearing into white nothing. We were supposed to stay for two nights. Zara’s party was tonight, but the roads were slick, visibility was garbage, and if it got any worse, we were going to have to admit defeat, find a different place to stay tonight, and only head for Lake Forrest tomorrow. We’d miss the party, but we’d be safe and we’d still have the rental for one night. By the time we left the highway and turned onto narrow roads, Jane’s composure cracked. “You can turn around. I saw a motel not too far back.” I glanced at her, taking in her tight jaw and the way her fingers curled into the sleeve of her coat. “I’ve driven in worse and we’re almost there, but if it picks up, we’ll pull over at the next motel, okay?” She nodded, trusting me without question. My gut churned, my stomach feeling like it was about to drop out of my ass as I refocused on the road ahead. Responsibility had never scared me, but this did. When the gates finally came into view, wrought iron and heavy, I practically felt her exhale. I keyed in the entry code Deborah had provided and the gates swung open, the
house looming up out of the storm like something out of a Gothic novel. Victorian lines, warm golden light spilling from tall windows, and snow clinging to the roof. Even from the drive, I could see fires already lit inside, and relief spiraled through me that once again Deborah had proven to know what I’d need before I even knew it myself. Jane just stared as we rolled to a stop in front of the st eps. “Oh, Alex. It’s beautiful.” I watched her take it in, and the relief, the awe, and the way her shoulders dropped for the first time all day made it worth every obscene dollar. After I shut off the engine, I reached for my door, then turned back to her. “Make a run for it. The front door should be unlocked. I’ll grab our stuff.” She gave me a nod, then clutched her purse, reached for her door handle, and flung herself out into the storm, quickly disappearing into the snow. I inhaled a heavy breath, then followed suit, running around the car and just about freezing my balls off by the time I made it into the house. I dropped the bags next to the front door, shutting it quickly behind me. The interior was warm enough to make a rush of relief slide over my frozen skin. I brought my hands up to my mouth, blowing into them as I crossed to the nearest fir eplace. “Shit, that was cold,” I said, barely able to ke ep my teeth from chattering and letting out a low groan when I felt the heat from the fire wash over me. “Is the party even still happening with this weather?” Jane slid her phone out of her pocket, checking it before she looked over at me and nodded. “Yeah, it looks like it. Zara says a little snow has never stopped them.” I chuckled. “That sounds like her.” “Do you know her well?” I shrugged. “No, I don’t know her at all, but her brother has been working for us for a while. The company and the family. I wouldn’t call him a friend, exactly, but we’ve spent some time together. He talks about her a lot.” “I didn’t realize you guys needed lawyers that often,” she teased, but then she shuddered. “I’ll be happy if I never have to talk to another lawyer for as long as I live.” I nodded. “Your experience with them has definitely been different to mine, that’s for sure, but you’ll like her brother. If he’s even made it out tonight.” She gave me a brief smile before glancing toward the stairs. “I should go change, but there’s no rush. We’ve still got at least an hour.”
“Noted.” She laughed. “Corporate lingo is in your blood, isn’t it?” “Guilty as charged,” I joked, and she laughed again. Then she allowed me to help her take her bag to one of the guest rooms while I took the other. We didn’t talk about it, but I also wasn’t about to pressure her to start sharing a room, a bed, or anything else. If it was ever going to happen, it would happen when we were both ready for it. In my own room, I changed into something more casual, jeans, a long- sleeved Henley, and a sweater, and then waited at the bottom of the stairs with a glass of whiskey in hand, listening to the wind howl outside. When she finally came downstairs, she wore the faux-fur coat again, but beneath it was a mini cocktail dress with simple lines. It was nothing flashy, just gold like the ring on her finger, and my brain stalled completely at the sight of her. This wasn’t part of the deal, this pull. The quiet, dangerous wanting, but as the storm raged outside, I knew that whatever this was becoming, I wasn’t walking away.