As the limo continues up the driveway and the Aston Martin disappears, I’m feeling a little smug. “So, Oliver, change your mind about her now?”
He’s frowning, and Kai snorts. “Dude, are you really surprised? Dad’s going to make us all pay for that little stunt even if we weren't actively involved. He’s not going to believe that we didn’t all know about it, and it’s going to be guilty by association. I can’t say we don’t deserve this, and I don’t think you can argue that either.”
“No, I guess not,” he grumbles, slumping back on the bench seat next to Kai. “But my car!” he whines, the sound of his voice throwing me back to when we were younger and he didn’t get his way. It almost makes me smile or let loose a laugh, but I hold it in, refusing to give an inch to anything associated with her. The car falls back into silence as we all contemplate Kai’s words. Holden and Thomas’ brows furrow even further as they worry, and I find myself chewing my lip over what else Dad might do to me as well, but I shake it off. I don't care.I can’t.I stand by what I did, and I will continue until I see Harlow Stubbs out of our lives for good.
* * *
“Come in, sit down, anddon'tsay a word.” Dad’s orders are said in a tone I’ve rarely heard, like an approaching thunderstorm. When all the pressure builds up in the air and you can feel it pushing down on you. The only way the pressure will cease is when that storm breaks and the rain comes pouring down. The seven of us quickly take seats, and I notice that Nana and Poppy are in the room as well but Cecelia isn't. Thank God for that, I don't really need her to see our utter humiliation; she would hold that over us for years. That's another bitch we haven't been able to get rid of yet, and I’m pretty sure she thinks her position in this household is more secure than it is. Dad won’t ever look at her as anything other than a PA, and she’s going to be bitterly disappointed when she doesn't get any further than that.
Dad paces back and forth in front of us, his face a storm of anger and disappointment, causing more of that nasty guilt to roll through me. He’s given us so much, and knowing that I’m mostly the cause of that look on his face is causing a sharp pain. Then he stops and clears his throat, his gaze cutting like a laser to the seven of us.
“I know I said it the other night, but I think it needs to be said again. I have never been as disappointed in all of you as I am now. That night, I didn't see my mature, successful, and confident heads of industry that the seven of you have become. No, that night, I saw a bunch of insecure, catty, and scared children. The kids you were when you first arrived here, with all your bumps and bruises and shaken self-esteem. The ones that Nana, Poppy, and I worked so hard to bring out of their shells, to instill love and confidence in.” Dad's words hitch a little, and my stomach ties itself in even more knots.
“I say it’s sad because although you all started off in shaky situations, you landed on your feet with relative ease once you joined this family. You’ve had advantages and privileges that countless parents wish they could give their children, that kids all over the country dream of having. Harlow has had to fight tooth and nail to get ahead in life for a lot longer than any of you. Although she was fostered with a good family, that damn woman still had a place in her life, one that wasn’t deserved at all. Don't you understand the guilt and devastation I feel that she had to go through that? That I could save all of you from horrible situations, but I couldn't save my own blood? I can’t understand how you don't recognize Harlow as being a kindred spirit, similar to your younger selves. Instead, you feel threatened and see competition. I brought her here so that she could have a family, so that I could develop a relationship with her that wasn’t above any of you, but equal. Even though it might be too little, too late, I wanted her to know what it was like to be welcomed into our family as my daughter. Haven’t I proved to you all how much love I have in my heart? What have I done as a father to make you think one person could so easily steal away all of my love for the seven of you?”
He stops in the attempt to let all his words sink in, and I can see it’s working with the softer half of my siblings. That God awful hint of doubt is back in my twin’s eyes, hardening my resolve. Damn it, she really must have had an impact on him if these cracks keep showing. I need to nip that in the bud quickly, but I’ll wait until the two of us are alone before I work on him.
The boys all start to say something, but I just sit back and wait. I know Dad, and he's not going to listen to them at all. He thinks we stepped over the line, and he may be right. Bringing the business into it might have been taking it too far, but I’m not sorry. Even though it didn't have quite the effect I was aiming for, aka her leaving, it was more than satisfying, and I hope it’s a step in the right direction. She’s going to realize that she can’t muscle her way in so easily.
Nana and Poppy have sat quietly while this has been going on, disappointment on their faces. It’s weird to be in the same room as all of my family and not have Nana fussing over one of us. With the softness she can show her grandchildren, it’s sometimes easy to forget that Nana was an integral part of building Neighpalm into the mega company it is now. Well, there’s no way of forgetting that right now. Her face is lined with sharp creases, and she has a frown that I’m sure many a businessman has cowered before. It’s certainly disconcerting to be on the end of that look now.
Dad holds up his hands. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. It’s not me you have to make it up to. You need to make it right with her, but I’ve already told her she is under no obligation to listen to any of you. I’ve told her she doesn't even have to look at you or be in the same room as you if she’s not comfortable with it.”
“Does this mean we can come home?” Declan shoots to his feet, a hopeful look on his face. “Princess must need me; she’s getting close to having those kittens.”
I roll my eyes, making sure he doesn’t see. He's such a damn hard ass in every other part of his life, but that damn cat could tell him to jump and he'd ask how high. It’s sweet but annoying.
“Yes, you can, but stay away from Harlow unless you intend on making an effort at getting to know her,” Nana warns us all while Poppy stands beside her, his arms crossed. He wears that look that he reserves for people he thinks are idiots, and I feel a bit ashamed at the fact that he's aiming it at us. Usually, it’s outsiders who get the look, not family.
“Just before you got here I was on the phone with Hope, arranging for her to show Harlow the ropes of each individual business.” Again, all of the boys try to say something, and I join in this time.
Hope is Neighpalm Industries' head of PR. She knows all the ins and outs of each business and has a huge team of people under her. Guaranteed, she’s the one who supervised damage control since the billboard incident.
Again, Dad makes his signature gesture for this unfortunate conversation. “No, I told you to sit there and shut up. Harlow will be learning about the businesses whether she decides to be involved in them or not. You know what the press are like as well as the people that are in our social circle. They will eat her alive if she comes across as anything less than knowledgeable, and you’ve all given her a severe disadvantage in making a strong first impression.”
“You guys will go about your lives as normal andstay awayfrom Harlow. If she approaches you, fine, but unless you are groveling for forgiveness, I don’t want to see you near her.” The boys now completely silent, he turns to me, his eyes filled with disappointment.
“Jacinta, I told the press that you were taking a break to design the next line for Neighpalm Couture, which you can do, but in reality, we’re going to get a couple of designers in to supplement you until you can get your shit together." His words are a knife to my heart, each stab of pain a reinforcement of what my new “sister” has already cost me.
“Sweetie, I think maybe you need to see your therapist again. It’s been a long time since you did, and I thought you were doing well, but it seems like maybe some old issues have been triggered by Harlow's arrival. Take this time to think about what you want from life, whether Neighpalm Couture truly makes you happy or if you would rather be doing something else. I know you hate the limelight, but you love designing. Maybe we could make someone else the face of NC, and you could just take a role as chief designer if that would make you happier.” I hear what he's saying, but I can't believe it.
“Give up my company?” I ask, confused, but then the anger surges through me. “Like fuck will I give up my company! The company that I made and put my own stamp on. Like fuck I'll give that up. I will see the fucking therapist, and maybe then you'll trust me with my own goddamn company again.”
Not wanting to hear another word out of his mouth, I stand up and leave, heading toward our wing of the house and the comfort of my own room. I have some serious planning to do, plus, I need to make a fucking appointment to see my therapist.
The echo of footsteps has me turning, and I stop, waiting for my brother to catch up. I know it will be Jaxon. It’s always Jaxon.
“Are you okay, J?” He wraps an arm around my shoulder as we continue to our wing. “Dad is just worried about you; you know he didn't mean that he'd take your company away from you permanently.” I growl, waving my hand around to cut him off.
“I know that! That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried aboutyou. Are you softening on that bitch? Can’t you see how upset she makes me? Don’t you want to get rid of her so I can be happy again?” He stops, and fuck, I think I might have just layed on the guilt trip a little too quickly. After what our mother put him through, Jaxon’s always been a bit sensitive to women telling him what to do. I’ve almost always been the exception, something my therapist tells me I need to respect, appreciate, and tread carefully with, but sometimes even I can trigger him if I come at him too aggressively.
He growls at me, eyes narrowed. “You know I would do anything for you, but I will not go against Dad again. He saved us and gave us the life we have. There might have been a little bit of wiggle room before, but he’s specifically told us to leave her alone now. I won't interfere with whatever you have planned, but I don't want to be involved either. I won’t go out of my way to make her comfortable, and that will be for you. I personally want to see what she’s going to do from here on in, and I’ll make my judgment from her actions. It will come out eventually why she’s really here, and if she’s here for the money, wewillcrush her then.”
His eyes soften, and he pulls me in for a hug again. “You know I’ve got your back in almost everything. It’s you and me versus the world, and I’ve always been okay with that, but I really think we might be wrong this time. Call it a gut instinct but I think your therapist might agree, J. Mom’s bullshit is really where all this is stemming from. It’s time to let it go, Jacinta. Stop looking back and start looking forward. Who knows? Maybe one day, when she proves she’s genuine, she could be another person who has your back.”
His decision about Harlow is not surprising, but that doesn’t lessen the sting. Jaxon has always been the one who tried to keep the peace. He got in between our mother when she was laying into me, physically and emotionally, and he’s always played the referee when my fiery temper got the better of me as a teenager. I think if he hadn't had that run-in with Harlow at our club, he might not have even sided with me in the first place. I mean, what are the odds that they run into each other there and not a week later, she’s staying with us? My brother has been burned as much as the rest of us, and I might have played on that history a tiny bit. There’s a piece of me that finally feels a little hint of guilt. Out of everyone, Jaxon is the person I want to hurt the least, so I nod my head in agreement, needing to rein in the part of me that wants to rage and scream.
I will still try to protect my brother from her, but sometimes I guess I also need to protect him fromme.Isn’t that a sobering thought?
