road under a canopy of stars with the dark silhouettes of mountains in the distance. This once foreign land had become home. There was no way I was returning to the city.
Later that night, we made love without words. Our hearts said all we couldn’t. Easton gave himself to me wholly and completely, and in the wee hours of the morning, I gave myself to him. There was nothing in the world that quite compared to sleeping in Easton’s arms.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lachlan
I wiped my sweaty palms across my jeans and blew out a breath while I waited in Christian’s office for my father to decide he was ready to see me. I’d been in Edmonton for two weeks taking care of things, and up until this point, my old man had refused to talk to me.
Today, he’d managed to fit me in, which was a relief since I’d promised to try and be back on the farm for Percy’s first day of school, which was the following day. At this rate, I wouldn’t be there to put him on the bus, but I’d hopefully be there when he got home.
“I don’t know why you’re nervous. You should be relieved.” Christian reclined in his office chair and put his feet on his desk.
“It’s a big step. Plus, Easton should have received the letter by now, and I haven’t heard from him.”
“You didn’t tell him anything?”
“Nope. I wanted to surprise him.”
“And you’re sure he’s getting this letter?”
“Yup. They contacted me.”
“Have you figured out where you’re going to stay?”
I shook my head, checking the time again. “I’ll probably take a room at the lodge for the time being.”
“You know he’ll want you to stay with him at his house.”
“Maybe. I don’t want to assume. He might be mad at me for a while.”
“He’s not going to be mad. He’s going to be elated.”
I sighed and undid the top buttons on my shirt. They were strangling me. “Then you don’t know East. He has pride. I went over his head, and it might piss him off.”
“Your man will be fine. The quicker you get back to him, the better.”
The phone on Christian’s desk rang. I jumped, and an instant sweat wet my temples. This was it.
“Relax,” Christian said as he reached for his phone. “Yeah?” A pause. “I’ll send him in.”
He hung up and grinned. “Showtime.”
I stood and brushed a hand down my shirt. I hadn’t dressed up for the office. I’d gone with Christian’s whole casual-business thing, but even that style had faded after a few weeks in Jasper.
“I’ll probably be escorted out of the building when this is done, so I’ll see you later tonight. We need to have a drink together at the Escalades and celebrate your future promotion.”
“It won’t happen.”
“It will, and you deserve it. When he gets over himself, he’ll make you second in command. You now own half the shares in the company. What can he say?”
Christian didn’t believe it and shook his head. “I’ll call you when I get home. Good luck.”
I stood outside my father’s office for a full minute before I found the courage to knock. He barked for me to enter, but refused to acknowledge me when I sat in the chair across from his desk.
Today, I had the patience of a saint and decided he could throw his little hissy-fit as long as he liked because this was it. I was done here.
When he’d scribbled on a few documents, shuffled a few papers, and scrolled through whatever was pulled up on his computer, he finally huffed and turned his laser eyes on me. “Are you about done licking your wounds? Are you ready to come back to work like a fucking adult? I’m about sick and tired of your juvenile attitude. I never thought I’d see the day where your brother outshone you.”
“Then it’s about time you opened your eyes. Christian has outshone me since the day you hired him when he graduated.”
“Watch your mouth.”
“No.” As hard as it was, I held my father’s stare. He wouldn’t push me around anymore. “I’m not here to return to work.”
“Think again. I’m declining any more time off. This has gone on for long enough.”
“You’re right. It has. And you can’t decline anything because you aren’t my boss anymore. I’m selling my shares and leaving. I don’t want to be part of Montgomery Developing anymore.”
Struck dumb, Dad stilled, scanning me, probably looking for a catch. “What kind of nonsense is this?”