Page 191 of A Song for You

“A family. First your father took my mother from me, and it killed her. Then your grandfather hid my daughter from me. I’m not letting it happen again. I’m taking back what’s mine.”

My father and his mother?

“Jay, please. This is my family. You’re mad at me. Punish me.”

“I’m your goddamn family, Cat! Me! You, me, and Chloe. We’re the family. And I’m not mad at you,” he hisses. “I fucking love you. You’re all that matters to me. Everything I do is for you. You and Chloe are what I want. But that’s not enough, Kitten. That doesn’t right the wrongs. That doesn’t give me back the last thirteen years or any of the moments of my daughter’s life I missed. I want your grandfather to feel what I’ve felt. I thought he loved me. I thought he cared about me. But he betrayed me.”

“Jay, please, just…what can I do to make this better? I can’t change the past, but destroying my brothers? We won’t survive this. Don’t do this.”

“Agree to the merger. Say you’ll marry me. Then I’ll kill the story. I protect my family, Cat. Make your family mine, and I’ll protect everyone.”

I drop my head back and focus on the ceiling to keep the tears at bay. If I thought he actually cared about me, that he understood what love was, then maybe I’d think he was doing this because he wanted us. That he was moving mountains to be with me. But I’m not that naïve. To him, I’m nothing more than a chess piece.

Closing my eyes, I let out a long sigh. I’m out of options. I put my family in this position by allowing Jay into our lives all those years ago. By believing that anyone could fall for me the way he did. I’ve known it for years. That kind of love truly doesn’t exist.

“Kill the story,” I grit out. Accepting my fate, I hang up without waiting for a response.

“Who are you talking to?” Cash asks.

I turn to him, giving myself a few silent seconds to absorb the enormity of what I’ve just agreed to—an arranged marriage, a life without love, a life with Jonathan Hanson.

What was once a dream is now a nightmare.

Carter shuffles over to Cash. “What’s going on, Cat? What did you do?”

I take a deep breath and hold my head high. “I fixed everything. They’ll kill the story.”

“What? How?” Cash stutters.

“Jay is going to handle it. He owns the building that channel eight leases. He’ll make sure it doesn’t air.”

Cash’s eyes flare. “So you didn’t handle it. You are trying to handle it, but we all know Hanson will benefit from our family being destroyed. So in the end, that story will come out.”

Isn’t that the fucking truth. But I shake my head, refusing to let them see the way my heart is breaking. “He won’t.”

“Why, Cat? Why would Hanson suddenly care about covering up our family’s secrets when they’ve been trying to spill them for years?”

I look out the window to garner strength. When I feel like I can finally say it without breaking down, I turn back to my brothers. “Because we’re going to be family. Hanson Liquors and James Spirits will be merging.”

“The fuck they will!” Carter shouts.

“Jay and I are getting married. Our companies will merge just like our families.”

“Are you nuts?” This from Cash. When I don’t reply, he grits out, “Over my dead body.”

I settle in the chair opposite his desk and cross my legs, exuding all the tranquility and assuredness I can muster. I grasp for any kind of façade that will keep me from losing my shit.

“I did what I had to do. And now you guys will too. We’ll sign the documents, we’ll become family, and we’ll take this company in the right direction.”

Cash’s brow is furrowed, but his eyes are still wide. He’s looking at me like I’m nuts. And he’s right. “You can’t do this, Cat.”

But here’s the thing about me. When I’m told I can’t do something, that’s when I dig in. So I stare down my brother, determined to make this right. “It’s done.”

Cash swipes a stack of papers off his desk and growls. “Stop acting like you can decide this.”

I’ve had enough of his anger for today. “I’m not an idiot, Cash. I can see it written all over your face. You told Grace about Chase, didn’t you? You’re the loose lip. So don’t fucking tell me what I can and can’t do.” I plant both feet on the floor and drag myself to the edge of my chair. “I told you to stay away from her, and you didn’t listen. Now we have to clean up this mess. I won’t let this information come to light. It will destroy Chase if this is made public. Let alone Carter’s unidentified child. Jesus Christ, we’re a fucking disaster of a family; it’s pathetic. What will Pa say? I’m doing what has to be done,” I grit out, pointing a finger at him, “and you’ll let me, because it’s your fucking fault we’re in this mess.”

Cash’s silence confirms my theory. The devastated look on his face brings my anger down a few notches, but before I can apologize for jumping down his throat, he stalks out of the office, and I’m left staring at my hands, wondering what the hell I’ve done.