His Marriage Demand. Yahrah St. John
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and spa for massages and facials. Since marrying Henry Stewart and becoming pregnant with Fallon, Nora hadn’t worked. Why should she when she was lady of the manor?
“I’m not being dramatic,” Fallon responded. “We’re bleeding money and it has to stop.”
“And whose fault is that?” Henry inquired. “You’ve been CEO for two years now.”
When she’d turned thirty Fallon thought she’d finally achieved the height of her career only to find out it had been built on quicksand. Stewart Technologies was leveraged to the hilt all because of her father’s poor judgment and her mother’s notorious spending habits. Every few years she was constantly redecorating Stewart manor to keep up with the latest fads and, as for fashion, there wasn’t a bag, shoe or piece of clothing in her mother’s closet that didn’t have a designer label.
“Not mine,” Fallon said hotly. “Stewart Technologies was in trouble well before I became CEO.”
“You’re the leader now and it’s up to you to fix things. It’s what you said you wanted, Fallon,” her father replied. “It’s time you show what you’re made of instead of running to me.”
Fallon bristled at that. She’d come to level with her parents, but clearly they were beyond reason. They wanted to stick their heads in the sand and refuse to accept the inevitable: that they were running out of funds and wouldn’t be able to live in the style to which they were accustomed. “I have shown my commitment to the company over the last decade. But since it’s clear I don’t have your support, I’ll take my leave.” She rose from her seat and made for the door.
“Sit down, Fallon.” Her father trained his hazel-gray eyes on her, causing Fallon to pause and retrace her steps.
“If you’re going to talk business—” Nora used her napkin to lightly tap the sides of her mouth “—I’m going to make myself scarce because it’s such a bore.”
Fallon sucked in a deep breath and reminded herself to count to ten, which was more than enough time for her mother to depart. She loved Nora, but she found her exhausting.
“Yes, Father?” Fallon turned and, for the first time, truly looked at her father. She saw more salt and pepper in his normally black hair and a few more lines were etched across his features, showing life wasn’t as easy as her mother portrayed.
“I’m sorry if I was harsh before,” Henry said. “I know you’ve been doing your best.”
“Which isn’t good enough,” Fallon stated. “Don’t you get it? We could lose everything.”
“Surely it’s not as dire as you predict?” Henry countered.
“It is. I’ve exhausted all options,” Fallon said. “I even asked Ayden for the money.”
Her father’s eyes widened. “Why on earth would you do such a thing? He isn’t a member of this family. How much did you tell him of our circumstances? What did he say?”
Fallon waited for her father to finish peppering her with questions before answering. Did he wonder if Ayden had told her about his infidelity with her mother? “I was desperate. But I didn’t get to explain because he told me he isn’t interested in bailing out our company because he’s not a part of this family.” She didn’t share that Ayden had had a change of heart and had come to her days ago.
Henry sighed. “It’s just as well. We don’t need him. You can figure this out, Fallon. There’s a reason I let you become CEO.”
“Let me?” Fallon repeated. “I worked hard to get where I am. I don’t recall Dane or even Ayden getting in line to step in your shoes.”
“Listen here, young lady—” he began.
“Don’t bother chastising me, Father,” Fallon interrupted. “I’m the only child you have who cares one iota about Stewart Technologies, so I suggest you stop fighting me and get Mother to understand we are just a few steps away from going broke.”
Fallon shot to her feet and, without another word, left the room, her stunned father sitting with his mouth open at her insolence. She walked quickly to the door and headed for her cottage. Her haven. Her safe place.
The cool night air hit her immediately when she exited. The leaves that had begun falling a few weeks ago crunched under her heels, signaling fall was in full swing. Once inside the cottage, Fallon turned on the lights and sagged against the door. Why was it she felt safe here? The one place that had once caused such misery to others.
Her mother had long since renovated the cottage after the Campbells left. It now had an open concept with a stainless-steel kitchen, sitting area, master suite with en suite bath as well as guest bedroom and powder room. It was all Fallon needed while allowing her to be close to her horse, Lady.
Kicking off her boots, Fallon plopped onto her plush leather sofa, leaned back and thought about the weekend. Once again, she’d scoured the books looking for ways to make cuts and keep the company afloat, but it was pointless. They were going under. And tonight was a complete bust. Her parents refused to accept their new reality: they were broke. The only bright spot had been on Friday evening when Ayden had shown up at her office. He’d looked drawn and tired, and there were lines under his eyes, but he’d wanted to talk. She’d been hard on him because he’d treated her like the enemy for years. She and Dane had been the chosen ones, the children Henry Stewart claimed while leaving Ayden to languish in poverty with his mother.
Fallon understood she’d had the life denied him: the houses, cars, travel, fancy clothes and schools. He’d listened when she’d explained it hadn’t been easy for her, either, with a disinterested, self-absorbed mother and a demanding father who’d pushed her to excel. She was angry that Ayden blamed her when she’d only been a child. However, Ayden had told her he was sorry for ignoring her calls and for turning down her requests for a loan. He wanted to start over, to try to be a family, a brother to her and Dane.
Fallon had been overjoyed. Then Ayden had held her hand and shockingly offered to give her—not the company—a personal loan. Fallon knew the sacrifice it had taken for him to make the offer. But, after everything he’d been through, her pride wouldn’t allow her to accept his money, knowing how their father treated him. He hadn’t supported Ayden as a child. Not to mention she’d had more advantages than Ayden had ever had. She couldn’t take his hard-earned money, money he might need one day for his future. He’d nodded and let her keep her pride. And they’d agreed to take baby steps and work on their sibling relationship. Fallon couldn’t wait to tell Dane. She hoped he would be as happy as she was to forge a bond with their big brother.
* * *
“Welcome back to Austin, old friend,” Theo Robinson said to Gage Campbell when they met up for lunch at the country club. They were sitting outside on the terrace by the fire pit, drinking brandy and reminiscing about the good old days.
“It’s good to be back,” Gage said. And it was. It had been well over a decade since he’d lived in Texas. After finishing college at the University of Texas at Austin, he’d gone on to New York and then overseas to make his fortune. Now that he was a successful man in his own right, he’d come back to his hometown to settle down and take care of his mother. Though he doubted Grace Campbell felt she needed taking care of. Although she’d retired a few years ago, his mother was active and traveled the world with her circle of friends. She deserved it after all the hard work she’d endured to ensure he’d had a future.
“What’re your plans now that you’re here?” Theo inquired.
Gage sat back in his seat and regarded his friend. “Settle in, find a nice home and a good woman and have some babies.”
“Oh, really?” Theo raised an eyebrow. “Since when? I thought you were a die-hard bachelor.”
“I was. Hell, I still am,” Gage replied. “I’m still indulging until I find Mrs. Campbell.”
“Look out,