a drink of wine. “Susan will be off, of course, but I’ve already arranged for breakfast to be catered. I made sure to include all of your favorites.”
“Wow, Dad, that sounds like so much fun,” Leo said dryly. “We can get together and pretend to be the happy, functional family we’ve never been.”
I considered waving goodbye to civility as it floated away like the ghost of never-going-to-last. At least we’d all cleared our plates before the arguing began. That was an improvement.
Vincent scowled at his eldest son. “We’re plenty functional.”
“Oh, yeah? Based on what? Your three ex-wives, one dead ex-fiancée, and an eight-year murder coverup?” He sent me an apologetic look, probably for bring up my mother, before turning back to his father. “I don’t remember a single one of those scenarios on any episodes of The Waltons.”
“Like you’ve ever seen The Waltons,” Tristin said under his breath loud enough for everyone to hear.
Vincent ignored him, keeping his steely gaze narrowed on Leo. “I’ve always known you were ungrateful, arrogant, and overindulged, but that doesn’t mean I have to put up with it. You will show me respect—”
“Or what?” he shot back. “You’ll threaten to take my trust fund away? Oh, wait. You’ve already done that.”
Well, shit. This conversation was going downhill, and fast.
Before I could think of something to distract the two men, Hayle spoke up. “Don’t we have more important things to talk about, brother?” he asked pointedly.
Leo gave him a blank look, which was unusual for him. “Like what?”
“Like the fact that you, Tristin, and I are all dating Thea. That seems more important.”
I stiffened, becoming one with the straight-backed chair. Had Hayle just said that I was dating him? What the fuck?
I opened my mouth to say something to that effect, but Tristin’s hand landed on my upper thigh, stopping me. He gave a subtle shake of his head, and I clamped my mouth shut. He was right. Whatever Hayle was up to, now was not the time to call him out. Not in front of Vincent.
Seconds passed, and the Sharpe patriarch didn’t speak. But he did glance between his sons before settling his gaze on me. “Is that true?”
Unsure what else to do, I nodded. Two-thirds of it was true, so I figured that was close enough.
“Well.” He lifted his wine to his mouth and drained the glass. “I can’t say that I didn’t see this coming. Which is why I can say I’ve honestly given my reaction a lot of thought.”
“And you’re pleased to say that you’re happy for us?” Tristin offered, finally speaking up.
“I wouldn’t go that far. What I am prepared to do is offer you a deal.”
Leo groaned. “Seriously, Dad? Another deal, when you’ve already made one with Hayle? Don’t you think you should find something better to do with your time than blackmailing your children?”
“This isn’t blackmail. It’s a request for caution, which is fully within my rights as your father.”
“What’s the deal?” Tristin asked calmly, sounding like he was in the middle of a business meeting, which was close enough to the truth. Sometimes dealing with Vincent meant speaking his language.
“You four agree to keep this…relationship…a secret for the next three months. At that time, if you’re still insistent that this is what you all want, I will give you my blessing. And I’ll hand all of your trust funds over to you. That includes you, Thea.”
If my mouth hadn’t already been as dry as a desert, I would have choked on my own spit. “Excuse me?”
“I started a fund for you as soon as your mother and I became serious, and I never stopped the monthly contributions.”
I stared at this handsome man who I’d once believed would be a much-beloved stepfather like he’d grown a big, bushy mustache and donned a furry green hat. “Why?”
“Because you should have become my daughter, and I wanted to take care of you. That’s what I still want. This deal is for your protection as much as to protect my sons. You have your reputation to think of, and that may not seem important to you now, but it means more than any of you realize.”
Vincent stood. “I’m sure you four want to discuss my offer, so I’ll let you get on with that.”
“What happens if we don’t agree to keep our relationship a secret?” Hayle asked once Vincent’s back was to us. “Other than not getting access to our trust funds?”
He paused, and without turning around, said, “Nothing.”