Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

W hen we made it to Knox's, I was already somewhat familiar with the place from the times I'd visited with Nate. I knew the staff, and it was nice to see them again, even if it was still strange to be here as a guest.

"Is Jude coming?" Nate asked, referring to Knox's son.

Knox shook his head. "Figured he didn't need to be part of this."

Part of what? I wanted to ask but didn't. I had a feeling I knew.

Knox's chef prepared some appetizers, while Knox poured us each a drink. "Jackson, do you know how to play poker?"

"Of course."

"Good." He clapped a hand on my shoulder, and the five of us sat at the table. It felt as if each of them was sizing me up, and I knew from working for Nate that they played together regularly.

"What's the buy-in?" I asked Knox.

"It doesn't work like that. We don't bet money."

That was a relief because when it came to money, these guys were way out of my league. Surprisingly, though, I didn't feel intimidated.

"At the beginning of each round," Jasper said. "We take turns naming the prize."

I nodded slowly, wondering exactly what that looked like. But I didn't have to wait long to find out. "I'll go first," Jasper said. "A weekend at Nate's cabin in Bear Creek."

"Ooh. Trying to impress someone with a romantic getaway?" Knox teased.

"If you're going to use my cabin as your sex shack…" Nate glared at Jasper.

"He named the prize," Graham said. "And it's something that's within your power to give."

"Fine," Nate sighed. "God, I hope you lose," he added to Jasper.

"So, if I win the round, I get a weekend there?" I asked, trying to understand if there were any more stipulations.

"You're in the game, aren't you?" Nate asked.

"I… Yeah. I guess I am." This was so strange. I felt as if I'd stepped into an alternate universe. Play proceeded, and Knox ended up winning the hand, much to Jasper's lament. I wasn't playing particularly aggressively. I was mostly using the opportunity to study my opponents and to get to know Sloan's family to find out how they felt about us.

"Nate?" Knox asked. "What do you want?"

He glanced around the circle, taking his time to evaluate each of us before landing on Graham. "Winner gets to borrow the Monet for a year."

Shit. Graham owned an original Monet?

I hoped he had adequate security and insurance for that. What would that even look like? My mind started to play out the various options as Graham and Nate argued over the duration of the loan.

"A month," Graham shot back, not even looking up.

"Six months," Nate said.

"Four."

"Six." Nate held firm.

Graham leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Five. But winner pays for transport and insurance."

"Of course," Nate said.

I watched the four of them, using the game to study them and their strategy. They each took a different approach, but they were all just as competitive, even if some were more obvious about their desire to win.

Nate won the round, and he seemed immensely pleased with himself. "Graham. You're up. Name your price."

Graham turned to me. "Winner gets to ask Jackson three questions of their choosing, and he has to answer."

My gut clenched with dread. Graham was out for blood. And no matter who won, I knew the questions would be probing. I'd been waiting for something like this, but still… Suddenly the game had lost a lot of its appeal.

"Jackson?" Nate asked.

I merely grunted to indicate my assent, while I tried to prepare myself for whatever they might ask.

Knox shuffled the cards, and everyone seemed a lot more focused and intent all of a sudden, despite their earlier casual demeanor. Or maybe it was just me, anxious about who would win and what they'd want to know. Still, I did my best to maintain a calm fa?ade.

Graham ultimately won the hand, and the others groaned as they pushed their cards away.

I knew I was fucked the moment my eyes met Graham's. "What makes you think you're worthy of our sister?"

Once upon a time, when I was younger, his words would've made me flinch. Even now, I still recoiled at them internally. But I wouldn't let Graham or anyone stand in the way of Sloan's and my happiness.

"Shit, Graham." Jasper shifted in his chair. "You couldn't use just a little finesse?"

Graham was silent, his eyes still focused on me like a large panther stalking its prey. They were similar to Sloan's, though a shade darker and much more intense. He watched me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

"I'm not," I said, clearing my throat. "Worthy of her."

Jasper leaned in, whispering sotto voce , "You weren't supposed to agree with him."

I glanced at each of them. "I fucked up with Sloan once before. I thought I wasn't enough, but I realized that was my own insecurity talking. Ultimately, Sloan's the only person who can decide what she needs."

"Damn," Nate said. "Good answer."

"Thanks," I said, a little relieved now that we'd gotten one question out of the way.

"When you say you fucked up with her once…" Jasper asked.

"They were…involved," Graham said, seeming to choose his words carefully, "when Sloan was in college."

"Wait…" Jasper turned to me. "Are you the guy who broke her heart? The reason she was so messed up for so long?"

"I believe I'm the one who's supposed to be asking the questions here," Graham said in a lofty tone. For a minute, I thought I could get by without answering Jasper's question, but then Graham added, "But yes, Jackson is that guy."

Four faces full of menace were now focused on me. Shit.

"What are your intentions toward Sloan?" Graham asked.

"She is my everything, and I intend to show her that every day for the rest of my life."

"Marriage?" Knox asked.

"If that's what she wants," I said, instead of pointing out the fact that I'd already answered Graham's question and completed all that was technically required of me by the rules.

Graham nodded but said nothing more.

Knox's expression softened, but Jasper said, "Wait. What? Am I the only one who's not okay with this? He screwed up. He broke her heart. Are we seriously going to let this go so easily?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Nate muttered. "Jackson's a good guy," he said, as if I weren't sitting right there. Listening. "And Sloan seems happy."

"How can you know? You've seen them together for like two seconds," Jasper said.

"I spoke with her at length about it, and I checked in during her trip. So, yes, I believe I can confidently say that she's happy with him."

Jasper gawked at him. "You did? Why didn't you say anything?"

Nate lifted a shoulder. "It wasn't my story to tell."

"We all make mistakes," Knox said, glossing over it. "And it seems like Jackson has learned from his. If Sloan is willing to trust him again, we should give him a fair chance."

Jasper leaned back in his chair, still unconvinced.

Graham opened his mouth, and I braced myself. "Sloan is worth significantly more than you are—financially speaking," he added, when Nate shot him a dirty look. "Are you willing to sign a prenup?"

"If that's what Sloan wants, of course."

Nate and Knox seemed satisfied.

"If you're asking if I'm interested in her money, the answer is no. I fell in love with Sloan without knowing who her family was or what she was set to inherit."

Graham leaned forward. "Even so, she's a powerful, independent, wealthy woman. Some men find that intimidating."

"I'm not one of them. If anything, I only admire her more for the woman she's become." I decided it was time to metaphorically lay all my cards on the table. I took a deep breath. "I understand that you all want the best for Sloan. As an older brother myself, I get it. I'm sure there are many things I could say to try to reassure you about me, but I've always believed that actions speak louder than words. All I ask is for you to give me a chance."

"Damn," Jasper said. "He really is perfect for her."

Nate and Knox nodded. Graham peered at me over his cards, and I detected a hint of praise in his eyes.

"Sloan doesn't need your permission," I said. "But I hope to have your blessing to marry her when the time comes."

Knox seemed to consider it, but it was Nate who spoke. "Yes. Absolutely."

I turned to him, touched by his enthusiastic vote of confidence. "Thank you."

Before anyone else could chime in, Graham's phone buzzed, and he scowled at it, muttering, "Fucking Lily."

Fucking Lily? Who's Lily?

"Hey." Jasper reached for Graham's phone. "No devices at the poker table."

Graham muttered a curse and shoved his phone into his pocket before looking at the cards in his hand.

"It's my turn to decide the prize," Knox said, turning to Nate. "Winner gets to borrow a piece from the vault."

The vault was a highly secured, hidden room in Nate's home where his mother's jewelry collection was stored and displayed. I'd been in there once. Dark walls and dramatic lighting made the gems sparkle. Tiaras. Necklaces. Rare gemstones. It was incredible.

"For how long?" Nate asked, turning more serious.

"One event."

With the terms settled, everyone returned their attention to the game. I leaned toward Knox and asked, "Who's Lily?"

Wife? Girlfriend? Sloan had never mentioned that Graham was dating anyone.

"Oh lord." Jasper rolled his eyes. "Please don't ask."

"The bane of my existence," Graham said, practically growling. Jasper pushed Graham's drink closer to his hand.

Okay. Interesting.

I made a mental note to ask Sloan about it later. Perhaps do some digging of my own.

"Actually," Nate said. "Since Jackson's now chief of security for the Huxley Grand, he should probably know about Lily."

"Why? Is she a stalker or something?" I watched the four of them for any tells. I knew Nate well enough to know his, but the others were a mystery to me.

Graham smoothed a hand down his tie. "She's annoying."

Knox leaned closer, keeping his voice low and his cards angled down. "She's a luxury travel blogger, and she posted a few less-than-positive reviews of some of the Huxley hotels."

"That's it?"

I'd expected something more nefarious. More threatening. A bad review wasn't great, but it also wasn't the end of the world. Nor was it a safety concern—at least, I didn't think so from what I'd been told so far. It sounded like more of a personal offense, and I was surprised to see Graham worked up so much over anything, let alone the opinion of one person.

"That's. It ?" Graham sneered.

"Oh boy." Jasper sat back in his chair, shaking his head. "You've done it now."

Knox rolled his eyes, and Nate merely crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. Graham launched into a diatribe of Lily, the threat she posed to the brand, how inaccurate her review was, and so much more.

"That's not even the worst part." He practically growled the words. "She used to be my assistant."

Everyone's attention snapped to Graham, our questions overlapping.

"What?"

"Which one?"

"What about her NDA?"

Graham held up his hand, and everyone fell silent. "Lily was my assistant a few years ago. Her name is Liliana Fontaine. As to her NDA, it doesn't apply because her blog doesn't expose confidential or proprietary information."

"Liliana?" Jasper scrunched up his face. "Aw, man. I liked her."

"She was a pain in the ass," Graham grumbled. "Always butting her nose in where it didn't belong."

"Exactly." Jasper smirked. "She was good for you."

"Why did she leave Huxley Grand?" Knox asked.

"She gave some bullshit generic excuse about ‘wanting to pursue other opportunities,'" Graham said.

"She certainly pursued other opportunities." Nate shook his head.

"Did you piss her off?" Knox asked. "Is that why she's decided to write a bad review?"

"Probably," Jasper muttered.

"I gave her a generous bonus while she was working for me." Graham clenched and unclenched his fist.

"Money doesn't solve everything," Knox said.

"Agreed," I said, though it certainly caused its fair share of problems.

"Do you have a plan?" Jasper asked.

Graham's posture was even more rigid than usual. "Not yet."

"Sloan mentioned a grand opening of a new location. Ixtapa, right?" I asked, an idea taking shape in my mind.

Jasper nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"You could invite a bunch of travel bloggers, including Lily. Do a soft opening to show her what the Huxley Grand brand stands for," I said to Graham.

"That's a great idea," Jasper said. "You could confront her." He frowned, and I regretted opening my mouth. "Though, I might be more successful in obtaining information, considering—" he waved his hand through the air "—your history."

Graham narrowed his eyes at Jasper. "You are not seducing her for information. That will only make the situation worse."

"I meant that you could give her the VIC experience," I said, trying to get us back on track before this conversation completely derailed. "Fly her out in first class. Give her the best room. The most exclusive spa package. The works." I tried to think of everything that a very important client would expect.

Graham glowered. "I'm not going to reward her for her betrayal."

"No. I like this idea," Jasper said. "We already do this for high-spenders, the very important clients, as Jackson said. Why not extend it to someone with a lot of influence?"

"It's a good move," Knox said, and it was time to show our cards.

Nate folded. I had a strong hand, but Knox won the round. It didn't surprise me. He was a strategist. Patient. He feigned disinterest in the game, but it was all an act.

"Jackson," Nate said. "You're up."

"I get to name the prize?" I asked, unable to keep the incredulous tone from my voice.

Nate leaned back and spread his arms wide. "Anything you want."

I considered everything I knew about Sloan's family. Their fortune. Their fame. They owned luxury hotels, homes, cars, rare art, and gems, but I found myself asking for none of those things.

"Your company," I said.

Graham scoffed. "We're not handing over the Huxley brand or the Leatherbacks." He gestured to Knox, who owned LA's pro soccer team. "Or Rainshadow Productions." Nate's film studio.

"No." I ignored my cards, keeping them facedown on the table. "Winner gets to host an event where everyone has to attend."

" That's what you want?" Jasper asked, his tone incredulous. "I mean, of course, we're going to attend. We're a family. But why even ask for something that's a given, when you could have season tickets in a box at the Leatherbacks games, a night in our most decadent suite in the most expensive location of the Huxley Grand resorts. Or…"

"I think we get the point," Knox said with a bemused grin.

"Good," I said. "And I'm glad it's a given that you'd support your family. That's always been important to me."

Nate nodded, impressed. "Welcome to the family, Jackson."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Jasper said. "They're not married."

"Yet," I added. "We aren't married yet. Now, deal. Because I'm going to win, and then you're all going to have to attend Sloan's and my wedding when the time comes." Assuming she said yes, but I had a feeling she would.

Jasper choked on his drink. Nate grinned from behind his glass, but it was Graham who responded, shocking us all. "Regardless of whether you win this hand, we're going to hold you to that."

"I would expect nothing less," I said as Knox dealt us in.

As I glanced around the table at these four men, I smiled to myself. My day had certainly turned out differently than I'd planned. And while I was eager to return to Sloan and finally finish what we'd started, I was happy with how things had gone. Despite her brothers' ribbing, I knew I had their support, and that was worth more than anything else I could've won.