It meant momentum. It meant Alex hadn’t been bluffing when he’d said things were shifting behind the scenes.
“That’s good,” I said slowly. “If it’s true, things are going to start moving fast from now on. Everything I’ve heard about Sterling has been along the lines of him not dragging his feet.”
“Same. Even Zach said that when Sterling and Alex are working together, mountains don’t just move, they run away.” Colin watched me for a second longer than necessary, his expression suddenly unreadable. “Is being CEO really what you want?”
I frowned. “Of course.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged, like he hadn’t expected any other answer but had felt obligated to ask anyway. “I figured that’s what you were going to say.”
“Then why?—”
“I talked to Mom,” he said, gently cutting me off.
My frowned deepened. “When?”
“A couple days ago.”
Unease rippled through me and I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms over my chest and wondering what this had to do with me becoming the CEO. “And? What did she say?”
He hesitated for a second. “Our brothers are flying in this weekend.”
“Yeah, I know. We’re having dinner.”
“No,” he said. “Flying in.”
“Yes,” I repeated, slower this time. “I had my secretary set up the tickets.”
Colin’s brow creased. “You did?”
“Yes,” I said, irritation creeping in as I looked at him. “Why? Just spit it out, Colin. I really want to leave before it starts raining.”
“Mom told me Alex paid for their flights.” He exhaled through his nose. “This whole visit is happening on Alex’s dime.”
What he’d said didn’t compute right away. When Alex asked me how soon my brothers would be able to fly in, I’d never expected him to pay for it. After getting the news that they were coming, I hadn’t even thought about how they might’ve been able to afford it.
I just… fuck.
Colin was clearly committed now, though it looked like he hated what he was saying. “She also told me that she’s taking that as a good sign, that you’re letting him pay for their flights.”
“I didn’t know,” I said, the wind just about knocked out of me at the shock. “I really didn’t know.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense, but she also said she’s hoping you’ll take a step back now. Enjoy being Alex’s wife. Let him run things.”
The room felt suddenly too quiet, but shock morphed into hysteria bubbling up from deep inside as I processed what he’d said. “That’s ridiculous.”
“No,” Colin replied. “Those were her exact words.”
“You must have misunderstood,” I said immediately. “Mom was always my biggest supporter during college. She knows what I want, my hopes and dreams. Being a barefoot housewife, pregnant in the kitchen, has never been one of them.”
He held up his hands in a don’t-shoot-the-messenger gesture. “I’m just telling you what she told me.”
“Well, she’s wrong,” I said, standing abruptly. “So if you think I’d just step aside, you’re wrong.”
“That’s not what I think.”
“Really?” I lifted both my eyebrows as I grabbed my phone and my keys off the desk. “Then why are you bringing this up?”
“Because it sounds likeMommight think that you’re going to step aside,” he said, his voice tightening with exasperation. “I brought it up to make sure you were ready for it whenshebrought it up.”
