I always wanted to be part of the family business, but on a small scale. It’s why the hotel was perfect for me. That is until some shit went down and things were crashing around me. I know now that it was my mother meddling in the business, but it doesn’t matter. It changed everything.
I would never take it back. It gave us Ari. Still, I wonder sometimes if I am where I am supposed to be. I enjoy being CEO more than I thought I would, but with Iris acting off lately, I wonder if I could still do it without her by my side.
Maybe it’s her that I really want for my future.
“London was gloomy, and I wanted to see Ari. I plan to stop by tomorrow,” I tell Mason.
Ari was already in bed by the time I arrived. In fact, I woke these three assholes up to meet me here. It’s nearly midnight, but I didn’t want to go back to my cold, lonely place. I wanted to be with people, which is such a contradiction to what I normally like. I hate social interactions, but today I needed it. With my boys.
“Where is Iris?” Eli asks, his eyes taking me in.
He is ever the observant one. I both hate and love it. He pushes me like Iris does to an extent.
“She wanted to stay in London for a few days,” I tell them. “She works hard enough, I figured it is the least I could do.”
“Better be careful. I swear the woman would move there if she could,” Brantley jokes.
“She looks like she could fit in there,” Mason adds.
Eli only stares at me as the dread settles in.
I’m scared that Iris is on a date over there. Maybe not right this second. It’s like five in the morning there, but that she went on one last night, or maybe she is going on one tonight. If thisis the guy she really likes, what if she does decide to move? It wouldn’t be such a hardship for her. She truly does love the city.
“She does love the city, but she loves Boston too. Speaking of which, have we found a building yet?” I ask Mason, changing the subject.
“The old Mercury building down on Howard. It looks promising. It’s big enough for a majority of what we would need moved here. All the rest could be remote work, or they can work out of the New York office. With it only being a four-hour train into Boston, we could pay compensation if we need them to come here, or you could go down there,” Mason says.
“Did you tour the place?” I ask him.
“I did. I can probably set up another one for tomorrow if you want to see it,” he says.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“So the prodigal son wants to come home,” Brantley jokes, slapping my shoulder.
“I never wanted to leave, asshole. Besides, I think it’s about time the four of us are all in one place once more. It’s been far too long,” I tell him.
“The kings of Boston,” Eli snorts.
“That is what the girls used to call us back in school, wasn’t it? I forgot about that,” Mason says, rubbing his jaw.
“Oh yeah. I got laid so many times because of that title.” Brantley smirks.
“Better not say that too loud. You have Chloe, and she’s crazy. She will cut your dick off,” I remind him.
His smirk grows. “I know. I love that. My little psychopath.”
I shake my head. “Anyway, how are things at the foundation?”
Eli looks down at his beer. “We have had our best quarter ever. Adrianna has a way of convincing even the tightest wad to open his wallet and hand over his precious fortune.”
“She does have a way of tugging heartstrings. She got me for fifteen K the other day for some poor dog who needed surgery. I don’t even know if that’s what he needed, but it was either write the check or start crying,” Brantley admits.
As we all start teasing Brantley, I look around and realize that I should have moved home far before now.
I know Dad moved the office to New York to get away from Grandpa controlling things, but that isn’t working for us. I don’t want to miss out on my family like this. I want to be home.
I want to bring her home.
