“It’s the best solution,” Sawyer argued. “Finn doesn’t want to do it, but I will, and the problem will be solved. Genetically, legally, it will be my child as much as Finn’s. She will look just like me. No one ever needs to know the truth.”
His father considered his words for a moment and shook his head. “That’s very pragmatic of you. I can always count on you to do what needs to be done, although I’m sure in this case there’s more to your motivations than I really want to know. But I can’t let you do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because this isn’t about you. If you want to help, then I need you to back off and let Finn step up. Let things play out between the two of them. If he proposes and Kat turns him down to choose you instead, let that be her choice. If she has any damn sense, she would laugh in his face, but Finn has to make the effort or he never will.”
Sawyer sighed. His father was right. This was Kat’s decision. They could sit in this office and make all the plans in the world, but in the end, only what she wanted mattered. And as far as Sawyer knew, she wanted Finn. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes. That protest over the holiday. It was all over the news this weekend. That’s blowback from your real estate deal, isn’t it?”
Sawyer had hoped maybe word hadn’t gotten to his father about that yet, but clearly he wasn’t that lucky. “Yes.”
“It’s one thing to try to make money on a property deal, but I’ll not have you dragging the family or the company through the mud to do it. Find out a way to make those people happy. Sometimes compromise is key, in business and in romance.”
Oddly, this was a little bit of both for Sawyer. But his father was right. There had to be a middle ground that would keep protests off the front pages. The new building could be amazing, but it wouldn’t matter if no one was willing to cross a picket line to see it. “Yes, sir.”
“One last thing and you can go. Take your brother to the jewelry store. Make sure he picks something nice. Nothing gaudy or cheap. I don’t want her turning him down just because he got her the Tuesday cubic zirconia special from Big Eddie on King Street.”
Sawyer stood up and nodded. Helping his brother pick out an engagement ring for Kat was one of the last things he wanted to do, but he would to make sure she got something she would love. She deserved that much.
After stepping out into the hall, he headed back toward his office. There, he found Finn sitting on the edge of their assistant’s desk, flirting mercilessly as though that wasn’t a lawsuit waiting to happen.
“Come on, Finn, we need to go engagement ring shopping so you can propose tomorrow night.”
Their assistant, Melody May, sat up at attention and pulled back from Finn. The smile faded from her face and she snatched the travel receipts from his hand without another word.
Finn matched her frown and followed Sawyer into his office. “You really think I should do this? Are you as crazy as Dad?”
“Shut the door,” Sawyer said as he leaned against his desk. “And sit down.”
“I just got one ass chewing. You don’t get to boss me around, too.”
“I’m older by two minutes. Now shut the damn door,” he barked, pointing to the entrance, “and listen to me.”
Finn reluctantly complied and flopped down into the guest chair. “What?”
“A lot has happened while you’ve been gone. We’ve all gotten to know Kat very well. Better than you know her. And like Dad said, we like her. The only thing wrong with her is that for some crazy reason, she seems to think that marrying you is the right thing to do. Personally, I think she could do better, but she hasn’t asked my opinion.”
“What’s your point?” Finn said, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest.
Sawyer leaned in to his brother with his stoniest gaze. “My point is that Katherine McIntyre is the single greatest woman to ever walk into your life. She is smart, funny, talented, beautiful...and she’s having your child. You don’t deserve her in your bed and you don’t deserve her as your wife. Not even close. But right now she’s there for the taking. And if you let her walk out of your life, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.”
* * *
“Good evening, Miss McIntyre,” Lena said, as she opened the door to the Steele mansion. “Please come in. The family is in the library.”
Kat stepped in cautiously and waited for Lena to close the door behind her before she started making her way toward the voices in the east wing of the house.
“Kat!” A woman’s voice boomed across the entryway.
She turned to see Morgan rushing over to her from the stairs. “Hey.”
Without a word, she grabbed Kat’s hand and dragged her away from the library toward the powder room. She tugged her inside and shut the door.
“What is going on?” Kat asked, awkwardly pressed against the pedestal sink.
“Finn is proposing to you at dinner tonight,” Morgan blurted in excitement.