“Not confront. Discuss,” I corrected gently, suddenly feeling a small grin tugging at my lips. “Think about it more like a board meeting than a family fight.”
The stakes were definitely higher. This was my family, my marriage, but I’d never thought I would be planning a wedding without my mother involved. If I was going to do it though, there was no one I would rather be doing it with than Aurelia.
Her lips twitched, amusement flickering in her eyes in the low light. “A business meeting, huh? With my future mother-in-law. Somehow, I don’t see CC taking minutes or obliging with the decision of the majority.”
“I don’t care if she does,” I said, and I was completely serious. “We’re going into this as a team. Fierce and united, just like we will be for every acquisition and every boardroom battle in the future. Only this time, it’s personal and I don’t plan to lose.”
“I never plan to lose.” Aurelia’s hand squeezed mine tight. “Okay. Yeah, okay. You’re right. We can do this. As long as we stick together, yes?”
“Yes.” Her touch lit something in me, stirring to life an unshakable certainty that we could handle anything if we were aligned. I squeezed back.
“We’re not going to let them derail this,” I said, just to be perfectly clear about where my head was at as I put my carinto gear. “At this point, I don’t really give a shit about what happened anymore. I just need to know that they’re not going to try to get in our way.”
She leaned back, nodding as a determined smirk appeared on her lips. “Bring it on.”
Just like that, the tension between our families didn’t feel like such an unscalable wall anymore. It felt like fuel. We were doing this—with or without their approval—and as much as I would love for my mom to get onboard, the train was leaving the station even if she refused to get on it.
CHAPTER 34
AURELIA
I had been in more comfortable positions in my life than walking into Harlan and CC Westwood’s mansion unannounced. It was almost seven o’clock, and if they were anything like my own parents, they would be done with supper and retiring to their bedrooms at any moment.
Garvey didn’t even open the massive, double-wide front doors for us this time. Instead, Harrison pushed the doors open, his shoulders square and his chin held high. I tried not to let it show how attractive I found him in this moment, ready to stand up to his parents for us even though he’d barely told me two hours ago how he really felt.
The fact of the matter was that his family definitely underestimated him. His parents, at least. I wasn’t sure about his brothers yet, but it’d become abundantly clear to me how strong he was, how decisive and capable.
This guy didn’t back down for anyone or anything. He was smart and calculating, but he was also brave, and when he set his mind to something, it didn’t seem like there was anything that was going to stop him.
A secret smile spread my lips and I ducked my head to hide it. Footsteps came from the other side of their cavernous foyer, andwhen I looked up, my heart started pounding. Harlan Westwood was standing in the hallway that led to their living room, one hand clutching a tumbler of amber liquid and his phone in the other.
He was in a pair of sweats with fluffy socks on his feet, a washed-out, comfortable-looking hoodie with it. Those sharp blue eyes narrowed on us immediately, but a moment later, he broke into a wide, happy grin.
“Children! This is a surprise.” He waved us closer and called back over his shoulder. “CC, you’ll never believe who’s here. Harrison and Aurelia have popped in.”
Unsurprisingly, CC didn’t respond. I didn’t know where she was or what she was doing, but she didn’t rush out to greet us with a welcoming grin to match her husband’s. I felt Harrison tense at my side, but I tugged him forward, smiling at his dad as we approached.
“Hi, Mr. Westwood. I hope we’re not interrupting.”
“Not at all, my dear.” He swept me into a hug that was relatively awkward because Harrison still wouldn’t let go of my hand, but then he chuckled and clapped Harrison warmly on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here, actually. What with Claire interrupting our dinner, it’ll be good to have the opportunity to sit down together. Come. Let me get you something to drink.”
“Dad, we’re not here to?—”
“Oh, have a drink, son,” Harlan urged, sending him a grin as he led us down the hall. “It’s the holidays. We haven’t seen much of you lately.”
“Yeah, I wonder why that is,” Harrison muttered, sighing. He tightened his grip on my hand once we reached the living room.
CC sat in an armchair by the fire, dressed comfortably herself, but in a designer tracksuit with elegant, furry boot-type slippers instead of Harlan’s worn-out fluffy ones. Her manicuredfingers were wrapped around a glass of red wine, her gray-blonde hair still styled in that sharp bob after the day.
She didn’t say anything as we walked in, a deep scowl settling across her features before she turned her attention back to the flames dancing in the fireplace. Harrison scoffed, but the sound was drowned out by Harlan’s cheerful chatter.
“We’re so blessed that you’re going to be joining the family, Aurelia. Have you thought more about my offer for you to join W&S? We’re hoping you’ll be willing to start as soon as our offices open up for business in the new year.”
For just a moment, I wondered why this man seemed to love me so much already, but frankly, his obvious approval made me feel warmer and fuzzier inside than his slippers. I didn’t really care why he felt that way, only about the fact that he did.
“I’m so proud of the choice Harrison made when he proposed to you, and the Kingsley deal? I’ve taken a look at what you did and I’m even more impressed now than I was before. You two definitely make a formidable team.”
Harrison accepted the drink his father stuck into his hand, so I did the same, but neither of us sipped. Harlan showed us to the pair of armchairs beside theirs. We sat down, and for a second, I didn’t know if he’d changed his mind, but as soon as I glanced at my future husband, I realized he was as determined as ever to have this conversation.
