“I’m not your son, remember? That’s what you said when you threw me out.”
“We both did things we regret,” he returned, and I recognized it for the bait that it was.
“That’s where you’re wrong. At least it got one of us far away from you.”
“Your mother wants you home.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “So? Ornaments are meant to be seen, not heard. She served her purpose twenty-eight years ago.”
“Do not talk about your mother that way.”
Pulling my lips back, I bared my teeth as if he could see me. “Why not? You do.”
“You’re a grown man. I’m not going to coddle you. It’s no secret your mother and I aren’t happy, haven’t been for years, but that’s none of your concern.”
“Is this why you called me? To whine about your marriage? You can afford a licensed therapist, Father. You don’t need me.”
I was ready to hang up when his next words stopped me. “If you come back home, I’ll retire early, and the empire I built will be yours. You have my word.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ve underestimated your stubbornness. I don’t approve of your method, but the fact still is that you thrived. As a self-made man, I respect that. As my sole heir, your place is here. Come home, take my place as head of the company, and you’ll have full control.”
Orson James hadn’t inherited his fortune as I would have if he hadn’t tossed me away. He’d amassed it from nothing using his uncanny ability to exploit the desires of anyone in his way.
My father had just offered mine on a silver platter.
Without me, he had no one to ensure the fruits of his labor wouldn’t dissolve like a biodegradable waste after he was gone. In retrospect, I should have seen this coming, but unlike him, I’d overestimated his stubbornness.
“And you think that’s good enough? You think I want to come back?”
“I know you, son. You think that I don’t, and I understand why, but I’m your father. If you were truly happy, you wouldn’t have answered the phone. You wouldn’t still be talking to me. Come home, and my kingdom is yours. I’ll even let you marry whom and when you wish.”
Even though my mind was still racing, I answered my father.
“Anything else?” I didn’t want him to know that I was considering it, and he wouldn’t care that I hated myself for being tempted. I should have been elated. I should have been jumping at his offer. The problem wasn’t just that I didn’t trust him. It was also because it meant letting go of my friends who I hated. Figures.
“Yes. You have three months to decide.”
“Three months? Seriously? Cut the crap, pops. You know I’m on tour. I literally just left California two hours ago.”
“If the decision to abandon your friends is hard for you, ask yourself if you’re truly irreplaceable to them. You’re my son. I think the answer is quite clear whether or not you are to me.”
It took me several stunned seconds to realize he’d hung up. Still shocked, I pulled the phone away from my face and stared at the screen. The background happened to be an old shot of Houston, Jericho, and me laughing at some shit I can’t remember because it’s been so long since we shared moments like these. Several minutes passed, and I was still trying to decide if I’d dreamt the whole thing.
The faint sound of something hitting the floor, followed by a gasp that was too delicate, caught my attention. I ripped back the privacy curtain that shielded me in my bunk and found Braxton standing there, her already round eyes bugging out of her head. I wasted no time climbing out of my bunk, and then I made a dick move by towering over her in the cramped space.
“What’s your problem, Fawn?”
“I—what?”
“Why are you standing here like I’m about to ax you?”
I watched as her attitude returned, and she tried and failed to look like she wasn’t intimidated by my closeness. I would have laughed if the conversation with my father wasn’t playing in my head on repeat.
“Maybe because you’re looking at me like you are?”
“How much did you hear?” I demanded, cutting to the chase.
Of course, she chose to play stupid.
“What?”
“You were eavesdropping on a private conversation.” Pushing forward until she was trapped, I rested my forearms on the top bunk she’d claimed. I didn’t want to think about the fact that it was directly across from mine. “Someone should teach you some manners.”
She snorted, looking genuinely amused. “And you’re the man for the job? That’s like the pot teaching the kettle how not to be black.” She rolled those innocent looking eyes that hid the wickedness beneath.
“You know what else is rude?” I chose to ignore everything she’d just said.