“Why the hell would I sign that?”
“Because the two of you will have more money than you’ll ever need, and you won’t need to get my buy-in on anything ever again.”
Elliott smirked at me. “I don’t need your money. And having this little bastard to lord over you will bring me years of enjoyment torturing the two of you.”
I spoke through gritted teeth. “Say one more derogatory comment about Gia or the baby, and you’ll be spending a month in the bed next to your father. I’m not screwing around, Elliott.”
Edward sighed. “Alright, alright. This is a business transaction. We don’t need to be barbaric about it.”
I kept my eyes glaring at Elliott but spoke to Edward. “Tell your son what it’s like to have a child you don’t want, Dad.”
Edward didn’t miss a beat, and didn’t even attempt to soften the edge of his words. “Impregnating your brother’s mother was the biggest regret of my life. To have a child you never wanted constantly looking to you for something you just don’t feel is a bothersome burden you don’t need.”
I felt the usual stab in the heart, but for once it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Gia and the baby.
Edward looked at me and then back to Elliott. “Sign the papers, Elliott. Don’t let a second generation taint our family name. We’ll never have to deal with the two of them again and our company will be fully back in the hands of its rightful owners.”
In order to truly move on, you have to stop looking back. I hadn’t even realized that was what I’d been doing until now. But it was. Elliott signed the papers and extended them in his hand to me. It felt like a weight I’d been carrying around had suddenly been lifted from my shoulders. Who knew giving away a small fortune, saying goodbye to your father and brother for the very last time, and taking on the responsibility of a baby on the way could be so cathartic.
I took one last look at Edward and Elliott, then nodded and took the signed papers. “Have a good life.”The weeks that followed Elliott’s signing his rights away were some of the most peaceful Gia and I had ever experienced together.
Let’s face it, we hadn’t had too many moments without drama in the entire course of our relationship. We’d earned this, and dammit, I was enjoying every second of it. Waking up to her every morning and sleeping next to her every night was bliss.
We’d spend our mornings out on the balcony overlooking the ocean and spend our evenings the exact same way. Every day I’d notice her belly growing more and count my blessings that the little baby inside was truly mine in every way that mattered. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been to buy Elliott off. I wondered if he’d come to regret his decision someday, but that was his problem, not mine.
Another positive of this new life? I didn’t miss the business side of things at all. I still had The Heights and a damn nice roof over my head for my family, and that was all I needed. No more showing up to bullshit board meetings in the City and no more having to fight with Edward and Elliott. I’d basically paid for my freedom back in more ways than one.
Gia and I were pretty well prepared for the baby’s arrival. The nursery was finished and stocked, and we’d taken Lamaze classes. We were as ready as we were going to be. Now with only a couple of weeks to go until her due date, I felt like there was really only one thing I wanted to accomplish before the birth—I wanted to put a ring on my woman’s finger. And there was no way I could do that without thinking up something fucking spectacular.
This idea came to me one night. Since Gia managed to turn her book in on time to her editor, the manuscript was out of her hands. Still, I wondered if I could somehow snag an advance copy before she even saw it in print. My plan was to surprise her with it and stick the ring inside the pages. She wouldn’t see it coming because she’d initially think the surprise was the book itself. Then, boom…the ring would be inside. I hadn’t worked out all the details yet, but I also planned to take her to her favorite restaurant close to home. I would’ve loved to take her away, but we couldn’t travel too far anymore.
Her agent had come through for me. She spoke to the publisher and had them send an early paperback of Gia’s novel. I felt almost guilty for seeing it before she did, but I knew she was going to freak when she realized why I had it. Apparently, it wasn’t the final version because the book was still in editing, but they were able to print me a copy of it anyway. I’d told the agent to ship it to The Heights so that Gia didn’t see it.