“I’m the last one.” I shook my head back and forth. “That’s why we’re here in the first place.”
“You are—right now.” Devlin nodded. “But you could change that in nine months.”
“Wait, what?” My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “What are you saying?”
“Vale Investments is in rough shape, but it can float for a little while. It’ll be challenging times, but if you have a baby—well, that changes the game. The bloodline-trust doesn’t say anything about an age requirement. We all know that a baby can’t exactly lead the company, but that opens up a new loophole.” Devlin handed the bottle to me.
“An adviser?” My eyebrows raised quickly. “If I had a child, they could have an adviser!”
“Exactly.” Devlin nodded and smiled. “You can’t secure a new CEO because you have to take that role with the bloodline-trust. If you had a child, appointed them CEO, and then found an adviser…”
“All of these people.” I turned to my computer and clicked the list of people I had selected as possible successors. “They wouldn’t take on the role of an adviser if I’m CEO, but if it was someone that couldn’t be credited with making decisions…”
“You get it.” Devlin nodded again. “They’d get the glory and the fame, without holding the title.”
“You just solved my problem.” I guzzled the vodka. “Holy shit.”
“Well, not entirely.” Devlin chuckled. “You have to find someone to carry your baby first.”
“Fuck. I can’t ask Harmony to do that. She’s the only one I would ever want to have a baby with, but this is so new for all of us.” I stared at the bottle and passed it to Devlin.
“Angelina brought us all together for a purpose. I believe we see that now.” Devlin took a drink. “Plus, if we drink enough vodka, we’ll be drunk enough to ask her.”
The vodka in my system was giving me a bit of courage that I wouldn’t have had normally. Asking Harmony to carry my child was a huge request, but Devlin had found the solution. It was a complicated one, but it was something that none of the lawyers I had look over the trust ever suggested. I understood why. It was a crazy request. If it wasn’t the only option, I would have never considered it. The instant I came to terms with what Devlin suggested, I started to feel the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders. It wouldn’t be an easy road, but it just might be the one that saved my life. I just hoped Harmony would see the bigger picture. If we were going to make the arrangement work, it was necessary.
“A—what?” Harmony’s mouth dropped open as we laid the situation out in front of her.
“A baby.” Devlin slurred his words as he spoke. “That would solve all of our problems.”
“You had all day to come up with a solution and this is what you came up with?” Nate rolled his eyes.
“I can smell the sex in the air.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You two had a lot of fun while we were trying to figure all of this out.”
“Hey, the lady needed entertainment.” Nate smirked and winked at Harmony.
“There will be a lot of entertainment if we work on making a baby.” Devlin nodded and put his hand on Harmony’s stomach.
“This is really the only way?” She looked at the two of us.
“We wouldn’t be asking you if you if it wasn’t.” Devlin nodded. “I’ve been through everything. This bloodline-trust is secure. The only way we can break it is with a Vale heir.”
“Shit…” I blinked again. “That means we have to get married.”
“It’ll be required.” Connor nodded. “But it won’t change anything. This journey is one that started with Nate, carried through to Devlin, and ended up here. We’ll still have our relationship.”
“Okay…” Harmony nodded. “If that is what it takes, then I guess we’re going to plan a wedding—and make a baby.”
“You’re amazing!” I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her.
“Let’s see how amazing you think I am when I turn into bridezilla and have pregnancy hormones surging through me.” She smiled as I embraced her.
Harmony
21
Harmony
One month later