“What—” I point to the contract on my desk. “—is that?”
“Exactly what it says.” He steps into my office, shutting the door behind him. “And before you bite my head off,” he adds immediately, “this wasn’t my idea.”
“Well, who the heck’s was it?”
But suddenly, I know.It’s so something she would do…
“Your mother’s,” he says, corroborating my thought. His eyes twinkle as I curse under my breath. “Mia Matilda, you may think your mother was an old-fashioned romantic; however…”
“May?” I resist the urge to shout, forcing my voice to stay level. “Dad, we both know Mom read romance novels as much as she read the Bible. And I’m a grown woman who’s worked at this company since I was in high school. I do not need a man to help me run things.”
“No, you do not,” he agrees. “But your mother was very clear when we drew up this contract. She wanted you to have a man to stand beside you. She was worried if you took over the company without a work-life balance, you’d tip too far in one direction and never find your way back. Working solely for a company’s goals is no way to live. Life’s too short.”
My eyes smart with tears, but I blink them back. “Dad, Mom made an error in judgment. She got caught up in the idea of romance or she would never have stood for something like this. It’s ridiculous.”
“The same stipulation was in her contract.”
I stare at him. “Seriously?”
He nods. “She wasn’t allowed to take over the business from her father until she got married. It worked out well for her, and so she felt right about having the same rule established for you. It’s been there since you were a child. After she passed, I never changed it.” He pauses. “I thought about changing it, to be honest. But then, I decided to keep it. I couldn’t undo her wish like that. It would be dishonorable.”
“I understand,” I say because I do. “But Mom took over the company years ago! Times have changed since then.”
“The need for happiness hasn’t. Youdoneed balance in your life, Mia. Ever since we lost your mother…” His eyes get watery, the way they always do when he mentions the woman who was the rock in our family and whose absence nearly broke both of us. “You’ve been focused solely on work. Other than your friendship with Jamie Beth, you don’t socialize much or just have fun. This company is your life. And that worries me.”
“Please.” I hold up a shaky hand, begging him silently to keep it together. “I’m reeling. It’s personal who I marry and when. It shouldn’t be tied to any business transaction. And Dad, I’m not even dating anybody.”
“If you need suitors, I’d be happy to have Henry do a background check on some young men.”
“Dad. Good God, no.” I slash my finger in the air, drawing a clear line. “That’s not necessary.”
He taps the contract on my desk. “Well, then, I guess you have some work to do.”
“I don’t have to love him, right?”
He narrows his eyes. “I would prefer that you do. I know your mother would have preferred that you do.”
Mom. “I know she would have,” I say slowly, “but she’s not here for me to argue with.”
Dad lets out a deep breath. “No, she’s not. I know how much that hurts.”
I follow him with a deep breath of my own. “If she were so adamant about marriage, I don’t understand why the requirement is for only one year.”
“She and I both agreed not to make it longer than one year. Not because we wished for your marriage to be that short but because we didn’t want to be cruel. We wanted you to have an escape clause in case things weren’t what you wanted. However, I know you. I trust you to choose your husband wisely. And hopefully, to love him as deeply as I loved your mother.”
Oh, shit.
“I want you to marry a good companion, someone you trust.”
“And at the end of a year of marriage, the company is mine?” I confirm.
“Yes.”
“Even if my husband and I tragically divorce…”
More narrowing of eyes.
“Yes,” he concedes. “Even then.” He picks up the contract and flips to the back. He tugs near the binding, and a handwritten note appears in his hand.
