"James and the concept of marriage have never seen eye-to-eye." Gideon smirks. He’s having too much fun at my expense. Wanker. I glare at him.
He smiles wider.
"You don’t have to see eye-to-eye to get married." Margot shrugs.
"You’ve been taking lessons from Arthur?" Gideon’s referencing Arthur Davenport, patriarch of the Davenport family, friends of ours.
"You’ve got to hand it to the man. He’s been on a single-minded mission to get the Davenport brothers married and settled down over the past few years, and he succeeded." She purses her lips.
"I gotta say, all of them look mighty happy, too." Beckett nods.
The rest of us glare at him.
"What?" He holds up his hands. "Not saying anything that isn’t true. I just ran into Nathan Davenport, and the man’s over the moon. Couldn’t stop smiling the entire time we shared a pint at the pub."
"If you’re so taken in by the thought of getting married, why don’t you be the first to get hitched?" I sound aggressive when there’s no need to be so, but Margot’s words have definitely touched a nerve.
She’s made it clear I’m putting off the inevitable.
I have no desire to get married. Sure, I have three stars. But I want more accolades. More restaurants; one in every big city in the world, if I have my way. I want more.
Maybe, that will fill this hollowness inside of me?
For some reason, Harper’s face intrudes in my thoughts. I shove it away.
It’s true that I kissed her within a few hours of meeting her on a night we spent exploring my home city. It’s true, I’ve never forgotten her.
And when she appeared in my restaurant, all the old feelings I buried came rushing back.
It confused me. It made me feel like I wasn't in control anymore. It’s another reason I’ve been standoffish with her.
I want to make sure she doesn’t realize how much her presence affects me.
“When you told me you didn’t want to join the Hamilton group as CEO, I was understanding.” Margot firms her lips.
“And I’m grateful for that.” I set my jaw. “I’m not going to apologize for it. I knew I’d never be happy if I joined the business.”
“Not when your heart lay in joining the Marines. And then, in building your restaurant business. Of which I have been supportive.” Her tone dares me to contradict her.
But I can’t.
She never stood in the way of me pursuing my dreams. “I have a feeling you’re going to exact your price now?” I narrow my gaze.
“If by that you mean that I insist you lot marry before you inherit your portion of the Hamiltons’ wealth… Then yes. But you can’t blame me for protecting our family legacy.”
She has a point.
“You look out for the Hamilton name. No one can deny that,” I concede.
"For people like us, marriage is a business arrangement.” Margot’s tone is matter of fact. “You marry to have kids and secure the Hamilton legacy. With the right incentive, no doubt, you’ll find plenty of women who’ll agree to it."
"And if I don’t?" I have to ask.
No matter what my personal feelings are about settling down, I need to know what my grandmother is thinking.
She leans back in her seat, tapping her fingers on the table. "I hate to be unoriginal about this, but if any of you don’t want to get married, then I’m afraid I have no choice but to take a leaf out of Arthur’s playbook."
"Meaning?" I tilt my head.
