“But?” I could hear the hesitation in her tone.
“It’s a lot to ask for you to become my partner and invest in a place that really needs a lot of work. But if I don’t do it, I might have to close it down eventually.”
I tightened my hands on the steering wheel. “If you’d take it, I’d happily gift you the money, Skye. But if being your partner is the only thing you’ll accept, then I’ll do it.”
I already knew she was way too proud and ambitious to take something for nothing. Hell, she could have collected a boatload of child support, something she was entitled to get, and she hadn’t even done that.
So I’d compromise. This time. I didn’t much care what it took to get her to eat more and work less.
No woman should look as weary as she did most of the time.
“Thank you for believing in me,” she said softly.
“I know you can do it,” I said sincerely. “I agree completely with your assessment. And I don’t want you or Citrus Beach to lose the café. But it needs a whole new brand to stay relevant.”
Even though it was annoying that I couldn’t get her to let go and trust me, I totally understood why she wanted her independence. She’d never had any kind of security in her life.
I wanted to give her the café that would keep her feeling independent. I never wanted her to feel trapped again.
“Then I accept,” she said firmly. “I’ll let the crew know.”
I smiled even though she couldn’t see me in the dark cab.
That was one victory won, but it hadn’t come easy.
However, she trusted me a little, and for right now, that had to be enough.
CHAPTER 10
AIDEN
I jerked on my tie the next morning as I made my way downtown. I hated feeling like I was being strangled by a tight noose around my neck, and I was itching from the heavily starched shirt I was wearing.
I wasn’t a custom-suit type of guy like Seth and Eli Stone.
But we met with potential partners and clients in our offices, so we had to look like professionals.
To be honest, I wasn’t really ready to see Seth’s face right now. But it was Monday morning, and I’d promised I’d be at the office.
Business was booming, and I had an obligation to the company.
I need to let Seth know I’ve made some decisions.
Sometimes, I really wished I enjoyed the thrill of the acquisitions and the projects that were under development.
At first, the whole idea of working in partnership with Seth had been appealing. But I’d pretty much discovered that real estate did nothing for me.
I’d rather be fishing.
I’d rather be in a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt.
I’d rather be making a bigger difference in the world now that I had more money than I could spend in a lifetime.
It wasn’t like I didn’t appreciate the fact that my siblings and I were now filthy rich. But the transition had been . . . difficult.
When a poor guy suddenly realizes that he could never work another day in his life but he’d still keep getting richer from his investments, it’s daunting.
I liked to work.
I was used to busting my ass for small pay and long hours.
But the only thing I was good at was fishing.
So Seth’s idea to work together had sounded good at the time.
Too bad that I just didn’t feel like I fit into the whole real-estate environment.
I needed to be outdoors to feel normal, and the ocean was in my blood.
Once I’d parked my truck at the Sinclair Building, I got out and pulled on my suit jacket.
Strangely, I actually smiled as I locked up my vehicle, because I still remembered Skye telling me how handsome I’d looked this morning before I’d left the house.
Hell, I knew I reacted to her praise like an infatuated high-school kid, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
We’d both taken Maya to the bus stop, and I’d enjoyed a great breakfast because Skye had done the cooking.
I didn’t miss my usual solitude in the morning, that was for sure. I liked having them both around.
I entered the lobby and raised a hand to the security guy at the front desk as I pushed the button on the elevator for the top floor.
At the moment, Sinclair Properties was only occupying the entire upper floor. But I knew that Seth had ambitions that would fill the whole building with company employees very shortly.
Once I hit the offices, I passed by mine and made my way to Seth’s next door.
He was standing behind his desk, and I didn’t hesitate as I walked up to him. Once he turned his head and looked at me, I hauled my arm back and slugged him in the face so hard that he landed flat on his ass.
“What the fuck, Aiden?” he whined from his seated position on the carpet. “I think you broke my damn nose.”
I flopped down in a chair in front of his desk. “She was pregnant, you asshole,” I informed him angrily. “She left a letter to tell me that she was having my baby.”
I watched as Seth got into his chair and reached for some tissues. The blood hadn’t landed on his pristine suit yet, but it would if he didn’t stop the bleeding from his swollen nose.
“How in the fuck would I know that?” he questioned grumpily. “That thought never even occurred to me back then. You were always careful. You weren’t the kind of guy to get a female knocked up.”
“It didn’t matter. You should have never screwed with my mail. It changed a lot of lives, and not for the better. Skye was miserable, and my daughter was not in a great environment.”
I hated to admit it, but I kind of enjoyed watching his nose bleed and swell up. The bastard deserved it.
Seth held the tissues in place, only removing them once the bleeding had been stanched.
“So I’m the enemy now?” he asked while he stared at me unhappily.
“You’re my brother,” I corrected. “I just don’t like you much at the moment.”
“I didn’t know, Aiden. I swear. I would have told you if I’d read it.”
“My life would be entirely different if you had let me know,” I drawled. “And so would Maya’s and Skye’s. Maybe they would have had less material things, but I believe that neither one of them cared about that. They just wanted to be safe and loved.”
“Maya and Skye?” he asked. “Skye’s daughter is your child?”
I nodded and then proceeded to tell him the whole story.
When I’d caught him up, I added, “By the way, I quit. I’m done with Sinclair Properties. This is your dream, not mine.”
Seth shook his head. “You don’t mean that. This company is already worth eight figures, and it won’t take long before it’s even more.”
I shot him a warning look. “Believe it. I plan on turning over full ownership to you.”
He gave me a look of disgust. “You’re just pissed right now—”
“That’s not why I’m doing it,” I interrupted.
“Then why in the hell would you give up a company that’s kicking ass right now?”
I shrugged. “It’s not my thing. I don’t get a hard-on from dealing in properties or land. And high-rises do very little for me.”