Page 47 of Holding On

“You can get in on it anytime you want,” I tell my brother. I’ve made no secret that I want Ryan to come over and run financials for Lux. When my CFO was retiring last year, I thought I could woo him, but he keeps dodging my best efforts.

My brothers can all be little shits sometimes.

“Anyway...” Finn loudly clears his throat. “How’s the new house going, Walker? You guys settling in?” Finn finished the new-build for Walker and Vivian about a quarter mile south from Dad’s house and now there is a paved path from their house to Dad’s that then extends the mile or so to Ryan’s house. For Christmas last month, Walker’s brothers gave Eloise a miniature pink four-wheeler, but I bet he drove one of the full-sized golf carts tonight.

“It’s great. In fact, Vivian gave me a pretty amazing gift the other day.” Walker pauses to collect himself, which is very unlike him.

“This really better not be beyond the boundaries of what we want to hear about our sisters, man.” Finn cringes as Walker laughs at him.

“No, I don’t think so. Uh … sorry, I haven’t really told anyone yet because I was gone with that case this week. Viv talked to Eloise and then talked to a lawyer so she could give me the paperwork if I wanted to officially adopt Eloise.” Walker’s eyes dampen, but he holds the tears back. The way this man has stepped up for my sister and niece is so far beyond anything I would’ve ever expected. He is steady, true, loyal, and I couldn’t ask for a better man for my sister to marry.

“Way to bury the lead, man!” Ryan stands from the table and pulls Walker up into a hug.

“Congratulations, man. I obviously was aware of it because we helped Viv with the papers, but I promise, Savannah didn’t know until Vivian told her.” Theo reaches across the table to shake Walker’s hand in congratulations.

“That’s really great, Walker. I bet Eloise is over the moon,” Liam adds and Walker nods.

“It’s really amazing. I’m not going to push her to call me anything else than Walker or anything, it’s just amazing that we’re going to all be Bennetts, especially once the boys arrive next month.”

“We’re all thrilled for you, man,” Finn adds as he pulls Walker into a quick dude hug.

Vivian had to go through hell after her husband Trent was murdered, but if anyone deserves a great happily ever after, it’s Vivi, Eloise, and Walker.

“The honor is really all mine, I just … I’m so damn lucky that I get to love them,” Walker adds as he tries to shake off the emotion of his announcement.

“Do not be surprised if Savannah plans some kind of big party when that all goes through because you should all expect nothing less from my gorgeous wife.” Theo beams.

These two are total simps for their wives, and as a guy that never really thought too much about marriage, children, and all of that—it suddenly sounds very appealing, just so long as it involves a redheaded beauty knockout with ice-blue eyes.

As much as I like hearing the name Tinsley Sinclair, I think Tinsley Callahan has a much nicer ring to it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“That was the best! Eeek! Can we just do a tour together? Seriously, I just love performing with you, girl!” Fiona throws an arm around me as we walk off stage after absolutely killing it. The performance went great, and I would love to do more professionally with my best friend.

“I think that would be so great, but I might take a little pause on tours. You know, now that I can. But I love sharing a stage with you, Fi!” I kiss her on the cheek and bask in the glow of a great performance.

“Right, of course! Anytime—you name the place, and I’m there.” She grins as we pause to pose for some photos for the press backstage. Fiona steers us away from a small crowd gathered around Kane Daughtry, and I’m grateful she spotted him first. He calls out to us to come take a photo, but I have no interest in whatever he’s trying to sell tonight, and there is no question where Fiona and my loyalties lie. I know some people in the industry think it’s fine to try and work with Kane, but I would never trust the guy—plus he is a complete creep.

When Jack and Wells hired him as a Senior Vice President at Lux, Kane was supposed to be the whiz kid of all things cloud based in the tech world, but I think he is more of a whiz at pulling the wool over people’s eyes. After Lux’s competitor released a cloud-based AI service named Meteor weeks before Lux filed their patent for their own nearly identical program, it wasn’t a surprise at all when Kane was fired soon after.

So no, I will not be taking any press photos with that bottom-dweller—and I already have to deal with my own personal creep tonight anyway.

I’ve been dreading this event but also counting down the days until it was over. Arriving with Roman Cash, and allowing him to touch me, was awful. He had to make passive aggressive comments that just solidified that the guy is a total puke. At one point, his hand was sliding down too low on my lower back, and I reminded him that I may not have my pointy cowboy boots on, but I’d be glad to test how hard I can kick in my four-inch stiletto’s.

His hand didn’t waver after that.

I wish Jack or Wells could be here to run interference with him, but Thor has been in my line of sight most of the night. Contractually, Roman and I just have to depart from the event together, walk into a single after-party, be photographed together, and then I am free as a bird. I already have my caption ready to go on a post for tomorrow morning announcing our pseudo-mutual break-up. Roman suggested we renegotiate, but there is absolutely nothing he could bring to the table that would make me want to extend the contract that we had to fight to shorten in the first place. Fiona and I both change quickly into our gowns and make our way back to our table. The emerald green dress I picked for tonight makes me feel like a princess—and I love that I got to choose it without being told what I was wearing without any input.

I don’t know how Max or whoever managed it, but Fiona and I are at the same small cocktail table with Roman. To his left is some up-and-coming country artist, but I already forgot his name after he licked his lips while wiggling his eyebrows as he stared at my cleavage and my sweetheart neckline when we were introduced.

I bet he and Roman become best friends. Good for them, it seems like a fantastic fit.

As we walk up to our tables, I see Roman touching his nose in a way that makes me pause. He’s supposed to be sober, from both drugs and alcohol. I don’t think he had anything to drink tonight, but the way he touches his nose before he notices us approaching makes me wonder. Tonight, Roman has been a little … twitchy for a lack of better word.

Roman stands and leans over to hug me and kiss my cheek, because of course a camera is right there as we arrive. I take my seat next to Roman with my fake smile and pat his chest, while trying to look at his eyes. I don’t have a lot of experience with drugs outside of what someone looks like abusing alcohol.

Do drugs make someone’s pupils larger or smaller? I can’t remember.