Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,13

than I do,” Reggie said, unbuckling his seat belt.

Just then, the cockpit door slid open and Jacob stepped through, then closed it behind him. “I just wanted to make sure you’re still following that ridiculous plan of yours,” he said. “I still think it’s only going to make things worse.”

Reggie sighed. “I haven’t changed my mind,” he said. “I still think it’s best if I stay in the background for now. I need to see my father. I need to see if he’s really going to go through with it and try to talk him out of it before we tell her.”

“You’re wasting your time; he’s not going to change his mind,” Jacob said. “And Janice is going to be even madder when she finds out you were here all the time.”

Reggie looked out the window and watched as Janice walked down the steps and over to the black limo that was waiting by the landing strip. “It looks like your ride is here,” he finally said. “I’ll see you at the party tomorrow night.”

Jacob sighed but left without saying anything else, his disapproval heavy in the air, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t picture how a conversation with Janice would go right now. He watched them get into the limo and pull away before he left the plane and got into the SUV that was waiting for him, then sat staring at the forest around him, trying to get up the courage to start the car.

He’d always dreaded seeing his father, but since he’d left home, his visits had been even more strained, and this one would be even worse. Standing up to his father had never been easy, and this would be the biggest battle they’d ever had, but he wasn’t going to be forced into doing anything he didn’t want to, including marrying Janice. Trying to ignore the thrill that washed over him at the thought, he started the car and headed down the familiar road.

The house looked the same as he came down the drive, the perfectly manicured lawn, the topiary garden with its gothic statues and fountains, all completely out of place in the deep forest. Shaking his head, he drove around to the back of the house and parked the car, then got out and looked around him at the excess that was his childhood home.

When he turned around and faced the house again, servants were pouring out of the back door and toward the car. Trevor, their long-time butler, followed behind them. “Mr. Reggie, you should have come to the front door,” he said, slightly out of breath when he got to him.

“I’ve never used the front door, Trevor, and you know it,” Reggie said, popping open the back of the SUV. “And I only have one bag. I think I can manage on my own.”

Trevor studied him for a few long seconds, then smiled. “It’s good to see that you haven’t changed, but your father will be disappointed that you didn’t use the front door. He’s been waiting in the front parlor since he heard that your plane landed. He’s going to be very unhappy, go on and on about appearances.”

Reggie slapped the older man on the back. “I’m sorry, Trevor. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble. By all means, let’s go use the front door.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Trevor said, his entire demeanor changing. “Your father has come to greet you himself.”

His stomach dropped when he turned and saw his father standing just outside the servant’s entrance at the back of the house, a look of displeasure on his face. “Don’t worry, Trevor, he won’t blame you,” Reggie said, then started for his father.

“You really have to stop acting like one of the servants,” his father barked at him. “Use the front door next time.”

He opened his mouth to greet his father, but he turned and went back inside the house before he could get a word out. Feeling like a child again, he followed his father inside and through the house to his study, a dark-paneled room filled with books and ledgers. The chair across from his father’s desk creaked as he sat down, sending him back in time and reminding him why he didn’t want to be there.

His father leaned back in his chair and studied him for a minute. “I never thought we’d be in this position,” he finally said. “But I think there’s enough here for me to work