was very ambiguous,” I claim as I take a seat on the table. “Is she going to be okay?”
He nods. “Trust me.” He grimaces and says, “Too soon to ask you to do that, isn’t it?”
I sigh and answer, “I think I can trust this Pierce to do the right thing.”
“You do?”
“Yeah,” I answer, focusing on my breakfast and pushing myself forward. Nothing good comes out of living in the past or trying to change it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Pierce
Things unravel rapidly at Bryant, LLP. Mom loses another client. The IT company that wanted to hire them walks away. Edward fucks up, and Nyx gets fired.
“I should sue you,” Mom says over the phone.
“Instead of ‘I’m grounding you,’ now it’s ‘I’ll sue you,’” I chuckle. “That’s endearing. On what grounds, Mother?”
“You hired her,” she claims. “It’s your fault she lost an important case. The least you could do is help me undo the mess she made.”
If there’s something that impresses me about my mother it’s how she handles herself when she wants something, like my help. Old me would be feeling like shit and responsible for what went down in her company.
I know better, though.
“This was Edward’s case,” I remind her. “You haven’t told me how he lost his license. I hope they reinstate it soon. What would happen if people find out that one of your lawyers—and a partner for that matter—is practicing without a license?”
“He is not,” she scolds me. “Edward is working on a consulting basis until his license gets reinstated.”
“Fix that quickly because, at this pace, you’ll be running out of lawyers, Mom,” I answer. “If you don’t mind, I have work to do.”
I text Beacon after hanging up.
Pierce: Mom fired Nyx. We don’t have anyone inside Bryant, LLP to help us.
Beacon: It’s okay. They can get it done without her.
Pierce: When are they going to start this?
Beacon: They are on it. You have to be patient. This is a process that might take months.
Pierce: I trust you.
Beacon: Wow, it’s like we’re bonding. You’re scaring me, dude.
Pierce: That’s what brothers are for, isn’t it? To help each other.
Beacon: What do you need?
Pierce: I need to stay in your studio for a few days.
Beacon: No.
Pierce: Please, it’s important.
Beacon: No, you are supposed to sleep in the house every night. Remember?
Pierce: I’ll explain to you later tonight, okay?
Beacon: Nothing you say will convince me.
I don’t bother answering the texts because what’s the point of falling into a loop. Later, I’ll ask Hayes to help me change his mind. For now, I need to figure out a way to sue my mom for the wrongful termination of Nyx. I’m stepping into the game too early, but maybe if I inject a little fear, Mom might change her mind on how to continue treating me.
The rest of the week can’t get any weirder.
Nyx gets fired. She finds out she is pregnant.
She lost her mind while she was traveling with Edward and slept with him. I’m not judging her. We’ve all done stupid things in our lives. Before Leyla, I barely knew the women I bedded.
She decides to keep it. Good, because if she wasn’t going to, I was about to ask if we could adopt the baby. Leyla would’ve received him or her with open arms. I prepare the documents to have Edward rescind his parental rights, with the condition that I can be Uncle Pierce to the kid. Knowing my cousin, he’ll probably sign immediately. Then again, he might not do it just to fuck with her. I’m ready to fight him either way.
In the meantime, I’m explaining to my brothers and Blaire why it’d be a good idea to have Nyx in New York for the next few months. Henry already knew about it, but since the hire is through Aldridge Enterprises, we have to have an official vote.
I invite Nyx to visit us in Baker’s Creek. When she enters my office, I say, “Let’s open a law firm. We can be partners.”
She arches an eyebrow and smiles. “Well, hello to you too.”
She’s a beautiful woman, but today she looks tired. We’ve always been honest with each other, so I tell her what I would say if she were my younger sister, “You look like crap, sweetheart. I heard that pregnancy gets better with time.”
“Charming as usual. No wonder your wife is divorcing you,” she taunts me, taking a seat and placing her purse next to her. “Tell me all about this firm you want to open.”
I stand up and close