A Moment Like You (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,17

and give him a confused look because why is she lecturing me?

“That goes to all of you, Aldridge men,” she continues. “I don’t care about your daddy issues. You’re not a bunch of children. You are grown-ass men.”

“Leyla,” Pierce says her name softly but with a hint of warning.

“No, I’m putting my foot down. I didn’t sign up for this. If you want me to stay, know that I want to live in a place where people respect each other.”

“Or what, you leave?” I dare her.

“Yes,” she answers so sure of herself. “I don’t win anything if I stay or leave. As a matter of fact, I can pack my stuff right now and leave.”

“She has a point,” Blaire says. “It really doesn’t affect me personally because I grew up with brothers—they were either fighting or playing loudly. However, that’s not the atmosphere I want for Arden or for my baby.”

Searching around the kitchen she grins when she spots a pitcher. She walks to it, grabs it, and sets it on the middle counter. “Here. Cussing, yelling, or fighting will be grounds to set five dollars in the jar.”

“Fuck no!” Hayes, Pierce, and I protest.

I’m sure our three other brothers will agree with us.

“It’s that or I leave,” Leyla threatens. Fuck, these women are driving me insane.

“I’ll take it into consideration,” I say.

Leyla grins and walks away.

“She leaves and we’re fucked,” Pierce reminds me, then he marches out of the kitchen. “I’m going out for a run.”

“You know what those two need?” Hayes asks.

“To fuck?” I answer.

Blaire who is the sensible one of the three says, “They’re not up for discussion. Now tell me, why can’t you just leave Sophia alone?”

“I’m letting her be. I just need her to be here with me.”

She narrows her eyes, tilts her head and asks, “Why?”

“Because my silver spoon ways require me to have my right hand close by and not thousands of miles away,” I explain. “Maybe she needs to be here because she can’t possibly believe that the factory can be saved while she’s barking orders from Manhattan. I don’t know, Blaire, apparently, I’m being unrealistic. Not everyone can solve world hunger with ten dollars, an army of doctors, and hope. Like you do.”

Instead of waiting for a comeback, I leave. Everything I said is accurate, but there’s a lot more to why I need Sophia beside me. What I told her last Saturday is true. I want her, and I’m going to have her.

Six

Sophia

“You fucking bitch,” Morrell comes out of his office at the same time security approaches him. “You’ll pay for this.”

“Don’t speak to her,” Frank, who is the head of security, orders Morrell. Then, he looks at me and says, “The car service is downstairs waiting for you.”

“I can walk,” I say, gathering my things because I can see that Henry’s instructions to call security wasn’t enough. He had to do it too.

He’s impossible. I should tell him that I don’t need a babysitter to get me to Baker’s Creek. I understand that he pretty much owns me and until I can find a way to pay for my mother’s debts, her treatments, and support myself without needing this stupid job, I have to do what he says.

“Please, just this one time, do what he asked,” Frank begs. “I don’t want to have one of my guys fired because you two are having…issues.”

I could remind him that even when Henry fires them, I never let that happen. However, I don’t have time for the nonsense. There’s a lot I have to plan, and fighting over something as stupid as a car service seems childish compared to the war I’m bringing to Baker’s Creek. Henry might think what he’s doing is just fine. Well, he’s going to learn not to mess with Sophia Aragon. I plan on making sure he regrets having me close to him. I finish clearing my desk and as I leave Tabby asks, “What is going to happen to us?”

I shrug. “You might be reporting to the new interim CEO or… Who knows what Mr. Aldridge is going to do during his absence.”

When I get to the car, I call Blaire and tell her everything that’s happened. She listens until I’m done and then says, “Wait until I finish with him. No one will recognize him.”

I laugh as we hang up because if I cry, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I never let myself cry. There’s never time, and Mom always taught me to solve