Chapter Twenty-Seven

RYAN WAITEDanxiously for Dylan to arrive. As soon as the black SUV pulled into the loading zone of the parking garage, he yanked open the back door and pulled Dylan out and into his arms. Dylan shuddered, burying his face in Ryan’s neck.

“I missed you,” Dylan said, pressing a soft kiss along Ryan’s jawline before his lips grazed his mouth.

Ryan groaned, kissing him deeply. Tonight he’d have Dylan back in his arms. He pulled away and cupped Dylan’s cheek. “Are you ready?”

Dylan nodded. Ryan took him up in the freight elevator, and Lisa was waiting for them when the doors opened.

“Coast clear?” Ryan asked.

Lisa nodded and rushed them into Ryan’s office.

“It’s nice to meet you, Dylan. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances,” she said, closing the blinds to Ryan’s office once they were inside. It was early, and the office was empty, but people would start showing up any minute now.

“Is everything set up in the conference room?” Ryan asked.

“Coffee, tea, and mimosas. I also have pastries. I’ll say you wanted to do a little something special since the McKenzies are here. I’ll let them know you’re wrapping up a call and you’ll be in momentarily. As soon as everyone is here, I’ll text you to come in.”

“What if someone comes looking for you in here?” Dylan asked.

Ryan dipped his head toward the door against one wall. “I have a private bathroom. You can duck in there.”

Dylan nodded, glancing around nervously. Ryan took Dylan’s hand and led him over to a small loveseat by the large glass window that took up an entire wall in his office.

“Can I get you anything?” Lisa asked.

“No.” Dylan shook his head. “Thank you. I think if I try to put anything into my stomach, it won’t stay down.”

Ryan clasped Dylan’s hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

Lisa checked her watch. “I should get out there. Hang tight. I’ll text you when it’s time.”

“Thanks, Lisa.”

“This is going to be fun.” She bounced on her toes with a gleam in her eye.

Dylan leaned over and whispered to Ryan, “I like her.”

“She’s getting a huge bonus and a promotion when this is over.”

Dylan nodded. “I approve.” He got up and paced, rubbing his hands together. Suddenly he stopped. “Is this okay?” he asked, gesturing to the dark gray trousers and powder-blue shirt he wore. He tugged at his collar. “I don’t have a tie.”

“Sweetheart, look at me. I’m not wearing a tie either.” Ryan stopped Dylan’s pacing, cupping the back of his neck.

Dylan reached up and fingered the collar of Ryan’s pale gray dress shirt. “You look nice,” he said in a shaky voice.

Ryan kissed his forehead. “So do you. Now come and sit down with me.”

“This will work,” Dylan said quietly, not asking but trying to reassure himself.

“You’ll be back home with us today.”

Dylan nodded, chewing on his lip. But Ryan could see the unease in his eyes. Dylan may have been nervous, but Ryan felt a strange sense of calm. He wouldn’t regret what he was about to do.

“Sweetheart, there are things about your dad in the report from the PI that might upset you. Do you want me to tell you now?”

“Does it matter? Is it going to lower my opinion any more than it already is?”

“No.” Ryan shook his head. “It won’t.”

“Then it doesn’t matter, and I don’t care.”

Ryan tried to keep them distracted, making plans for their camping trip, telling Dylan about different spots around the state. There were so many places he wanted to explore with Dylan and Leo. Not quite a year ago he was scared to death he might lose his son, and now he was planning a future with adventures together as a family with Dylan.

Dylan stiffened at his side when Ryan’s phone buzzed.

Ryan stood up and held his hand out for Dylan. “Are you ready?”

Dylan got up and put his hand in Ryan’s, pressing a quick, firm kiss against his lips. “Let’s go.”

No matter how things turned out, they would walk hand in hand toward their future.

The conversation and laughter around the conference table came to an abrupt end when Ryan walked into the conference room with Dylan at his side.

He watched his sister’s face morph from shock to suspicion and then anger.

“What is he doing here?” Dylan’s mother asked, her mouth turned down into an angry scowl.

Ryan nodded to Lisa, who started handing out the stack of folders she’d been holding.

“Thank you all for coming,” he began, looking around the room at the confused, angry faces. Except for one. Derrick Holloway sat across from him at the head of the table, with Ryan’s sister at his right. He was so arrogant he didn’t read the room, not picking up on the change in the atmosphere. Derrick’s appearance matched his scumbag personality—slicked back hair, an expensive suit, and matching gold cufflinks and watch. He had a thin narrow face with a fake tan and sharp dark brown eyes. Derrick looked at Ryan with a smug smile.

“Let’s get this vote over with,” a gray-haired, stodgy older man his parents insisted should be on the board said, looking at his watch. “I have a golf date in an hour.”

“Ryan, what is going on?” his sister asked with a nervous glance at Derrick.

“We will not be voting Derrick Holloway onto the board today,” Ryan announced, watching Derrick’s confident smile fall. There were gasps and murmurs around the table.

His sister’s face paled. “What are you talking about?”

“If you look in your folders, you’ll understand,” Ryan continued, ignoring his sister.

He turned to his parents. “I have removed your names from all of my personal bank accounts and have cancelled the credit cards and lines of credit that I have covered for the three of you. I have also had my will revised, excluding all three of you from making any claim to my estate or Leo’s trust fund.”

His father jumped out of his chair. “You can’t do this.”

“I can and I have. Look in your folder,” Ryan said once more, his voice deadly calm. “I’ve sold Dylan McKenzie the majority of my stock.” Following a pointed look at his sister and the McKenzies, Ryan turned to the red-faced man. “You didn’t pay attention to the bylaws of the company, did you? I have the authority to appoint anyone I want to the board. This is a privately held company, and I may sell or gift shares to anyone I wish. Dylan McKenzie is now the principal owner of Blackstone Financial.”

Dylan grabbed Ryan’s hand. “And I’ve appointed Ryan Blackstone as President and CEO.” He swallowed and looked up at Ryan, his gaze full of love and trust. He kept his eyes on Ryan as he spoke. “It doesn’t really matter anyway since we’ll be getting married and this is a community property state. What’s mine is his.”

Ryan took Dylan’s other hand. Holding both of them he leaned close. “And what’s his is mine.”

There was no other vow and no officiant needed to validate their commitment. Their bond was unbreakable.

Chaos broke out in the room as people found evidence of corruption and illegal activities in their folders, perpetrated by Stephanie, the McKenzies, and Derrick Holloway. Ryan forcefully brought his hand down on the table. He stared Dylan’s parents and his sister down. “Let me make this clear. You will never get your hands on Leo. I’ve provided all of you with the same evidence I gave to the prosecutor’s office. The evidence of your bribery of my employees and Dylan, as well as the judge in Kentucky.” He looked at Derrick and his sister. “I made a separate report for corporate espionage for the two of you. Selling my tech when I specifically said no wasn’t a very smart move, Stephanie. Corporate espionage is a crime.” Ryan glanced around the table. “Effective immediately, I’m removing all of you from the board.”

Stephanie stared at him, her face pale. “I’m your sister. How could you do this to me?”

“I can ask you the same question. How could you do this to me? How could you threaten to take my son away from me?”

“Because of him.” She pointed a shaking finger at Dylan. “I’ve spent my entire life keeping you on the right path. We all knew what you were. I made sure to stop you from ruining your life, and then he comes along and seduces you.”

Dylan tightened his hold on Ryan’s hand but stayed silent.

“Dylan didn’t seduce me. I chose him.”

“You’re disgracing our daughter’s memory.” Arlene pursed her lips, glaring at Dylan.

“You’re a disgrace,” Ryan started, and then stopped when Dylan squeezed his hand with a slight shake of his head.

“Don’t,” Dylan whispered. “There’s nothing you can say that will change their minds.”

“We’re your family,” Ryan’s mother said, her lips quivering.

“No, not anymore. Leo and Dylan are my family.”

Dylan’s mom looked away, her face a mask of disgust. Ryan turned back to them.

“Arlene, Clay, if you ever try a stunt like this again, I will destroy you. I will end Clay’s coaching career the same way you ended Kevin Cooper’s teaching career.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Clay blustered.

“Look in your file.” Ryan pointed to the folder sitting in front of him, still unopened. Clay opened the folder, and then his eyes flew to Ryan, his face gray. Arlene gasped, her hand going to her heart.

“I don’t think folks in town want a man around their kids who got one of the high school cheerleaders pregnant and made her get an abortion, do you?” Ryan said.

Dylan swayed slightly, sucking in his breath.

His mother got up and came toward him, her hands clasped in front of her. “Ryan, you don’t know what you’re doing. This boy has blinded you. We’re your family. We only want what’s best for you.”

He backed away when she reached for him. “No. Family doesn’t take out a life insurance policy on an innocent child with cancer. Family doesn’t lie.”

His mother clamped her mouth shut, bright spots appearing on her cheeks.

“We can work this out, Ryan,” Stephanie said, getting up from her seat to walk toward him.

Ryan pulled Dylan closer to his side, moving slightly in front of him in a protective stance. Stephanie stopped, her gaze dropping to where Ryan had his arm wrapped around Dylan’s waist.

“Would you really choose him over me?” she asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

“Yes,” Ryan said without hesitation. Stephanie shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. “There’s nothing to work out. You lied and manipulated, and you hurt the two people I love most in this world.” He turned to the table. “Security is waiting to escort you from the building.”

Lisa opened the door and waved the security team in. Everyone seated at the table looked from the security team to Ryan in shock.

“Get. Out,” he said with deadly calm.

With their fingers intertwined, Ryan and Dylan left behind their former families and the past, ready for a new future.

There was a huddle of employees waiting by his office. “I expect you have all heard what happened. There are going to be quite a few changes. To start with, Lisa Blanchard is being promoted to vice president of operations. Some of you—” Ryan glanced around the room, noting the employees who were avoiding his gaze. “—will be let go. I have zero tolerance for unethical behavior.”

Dylan jumped as security started pulling his protesting parents out of the boardroom.

Ryan turned to Lisa. “Can you take care of the rest?”

Lisa nodded, and Ryan took Dylan back to his office and pulled him into a hug.

“Are you all right?”

Dylan took a deep breath and nodded. He looked up at Ryan. “They won’t try to fight you, will they?”

Ryan shook his head. “My parents’ worst nightmare is losing their social status. This won’t ruin my parents financially. They had enough money before I founded Blackstone Financial. But they’ll be social outcasts once people learn they had a life insurance policy on Leo and assisted Stephanie in selling my tech without my consent. I gave an interview to the Seattle Business Journal this morning. I gave them copies of the files I gave my parents and Stephanie. If your parents try anything, I’ll send the report I have on your father to their local paper.”

Dylan closed his eyes and nodded. “I’m going to hope we never have to do that, but it’s a relief to know we have something to fight them with.”

“I like hearing you say ‘we,’” Ryan said, leaning close to nuzzle Dylan’s neck. “We’re going to be all right.”

Lisa interrupted their kiss, poking her head in the door. “Sorry to interrupt. I wanted you to know security has escorted everyone from the building. Your sister tried to go back to her office and was pretty upset when she learned we had changed the locks. I made sure security took everyone’s key cards and had their credentials removed from the system.”

“Thank you, Lisa. You can start house shopping, because I’m giving you a bonus and adding stock options to your employment package. I couldn’t have done this without your support.”

“Thanks,” she said with a wide smile.

Dylan gasped, putting his hand over his mouth. “Leo. They’ll go back to your house and try to take Leo,” he said in a panicked voice.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay.” Ryan rubbed Dylan’s arms. “There’s security at the house, and I had Mrs. Lieu pack Arlene and Clay’s bags.”

Lisa mentioned that security had given them their bags when they were escorted out of the building.

Ryan wrapped his arm around Dylan’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”