Total pages in book: 225
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
“Derek, stop,” I say through gritted teeth.
Mom and Dad are both rigid, staring at Derek with wide eyes.
“I don’t think you guys need all the gory details. Derek convinced me to make it official with him, but we weren’t planning on going public with it for a while. I’m afraid that gossip column changed everything. I didn’t mean to do anything behind your backs. We kind of… it was a bit of a whim.”
“A whim?” Mom checks. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
Dad frowns. “Well, it would have been wonderful to have a big party and celebrate, walk you down the aisle, sweetheart. But-”
“You can still have all that,” Derek cuts in. “That was always our plan. I didn’t want to wait. Chloe didn’t want to do it without our families present, but I did a grand gesture and swept her off her feet.” He smiles. “We got to put rings on today, but we’re planning for a destination wedding in a couple of months. My family has a great place in the Swiss Alps. We’ve got a dozen bedrooms there so plenty of room to make it a big party.”
“Your family?” Dad asks. “What business are you all in?”
“My grandfather had a shipping company. My father got into real estate investment when he got out of university so worked for my grandfather along with developing his own business, getting into an array of investments. The shipping company was sold a couple of years back after my grandfather passed away, but my father –”
“Michael Steele,” Mom says to Dad.
“The one and only,” Derek confirms.
Dad’s eyes widen. And I’m not sure if it’s because of how wealthy Derek’s family is or if this is down to how murky their reputation is. I’d never heard of them before, but clearly my dad has.
I hear a phone alert. Mom takes her phone out of her sweater pocket and looks at the screen. She frowns.
“And you work for your father?” Dad asks, then he looks at my mom’s phone and does a double-take.
“Yes and no, not entirely. I do have interests in the business, sit on his board of directors and help out where I’m needed, but I own several nightclubs. I invested a chunk of my trust fund, and it went well. That’s something my father preached to all seven of us, not to squander our trust fund money on frivolity. He worked hard for it so he wanted to see us use it to build our own wealth, build something we could be proud of. Like he did. He’s one of five children and only one of two of his siblings who built new wealth instead of simply joining the family business. We’ve all got stakes in the family legacy but most of us have our own businesses as well.”
“Seven children; that’s a very large family,” Mom says as three beeps chime from the kitchen. She puts her phone away.
“I’ll go grab that pot of coffee,” Dad says, hurrying back into the kitchen with a look of stress on his face.
“Six remaining. My brother was shot a few months ago.”
“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry,” she says.
There’s an awkward moment as Derek doesn’t respond to that.
“And how did you two meet?” Mom changes the subject. “Oh, maybe I should wait for your dad.”
“I didn’t miss anything and I’m here, I’m here,” he calls, coming back with the coffee pot, which he leans over with to pour into the two mugs on the tray.
I reach for the bottle of water and uncap it as my mom gets her cup of tea.
“We met at one of my clubs through Chloe’s friend Alannah in a roundabout way,” Derek says. “And then I admit I bought a little company in order to get closer to Chloe. What can I say? I was smitten. She was managing their marketing campaigns, so I bought it and got to get to know her better.”
My face is flaming. I’m trying (and failing) to keep my cool.
Derek keeps talking as my heartrate gallops at a too-fast speed. “And I knew she was unhappy just by looking at her, let alone listening to her. Circumstances have taken a toll on her and… I’m sure as her parents you know… she’s a capable, caring person but she has so much empathy for others that sometimes it stops her from seeking out things that make her happy. She’s so busy worrying about everyone else.”
My parents both nod but with blank faces. Faces I’m accustomed to because no, they don’t really know this about me.
“Put a sock in it,” I mutter, shooting him a warning look, then add, “honey…”
He throws his head back and laughs, then wraps his arm round me and kisses my cheek with affection, saying, “She cracks me up.”
My parents both smile.
“So, now it’s my job to make sure Chloe’s happy,” Derek declares, leaning forward to add sugar to his coffee. “And that’s what I’m going to do. I want you both to rest assured that your beautiful, vibrant, loving daughter is in good hands. She’s so good at everything she does, I just know she’s also going to be an incredible wife. And mother, when that time comes. Which I’m trying to talk her into happening as soon as possible. I was very ready to be her husband and I’m thinking I’m also ready to be a father.”