21. Grayson

CHAPTER 21

GRAYSON

D ad knocks at my door, standing with one hand in the pocket of his tux. "We have to be at the hotel in twenty minutes. Why are you still working?"

I shuffle through the papers on my desk, still struggling with the layout for the new Sunday edition. "I have a lot to do still, and it seems like there isn't any time to do it these days."

"You would've had more help with that if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to fire Jade," he says, though there's no anger in his voice.

Dad steps into the office, walks to one of the chairs on the other side of my desk and pulls it out. He unbuttons his tuxedo jacket before sitting down, one leg crossing over the other.

The tension that fills the room is stifling. It feels like the middle of a humid summer day when the air is so heavy and thick that you can feel it pressing down around you, making it hard to breathe.

He clears his throat. "I liked her, you know. She brought out the best and worst parts of you. Your mother was the same. I loved Annie more than anything, but if she wasn't getting under my skin in some way or another, it wasn't a normal day."

I put down the papers, turning my full attention to him. I can't remember the last time he talked about Mom.

Dad gets a distant look in his eyes. "I used to think that someone had to be playing some sort of joke to put the two of us together. It didn't make sense. She was always too good for me, too, and I knew it. I did everything I could to sabotage that relationship."

My mouth goes dry, throat thickening. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because any idiot with eyes could see the way you followed Jade around like a puppy. The pair of you might have argued a lot, but you always worked it out in the end. You seemed the happiest I've seen you in years."

I press my lips together, afraid that if I speak up now, whatever connection happening between us is going to come to an end.

The corner of his mouth twitches. "I know I haven't been the best father to you, Grayson. I've been a pretty bad one, if we're being honest, but seeing you happy lately, it felt like maybe it was time to take a step back and finally hand the business over to you."

"You weren't going to give it to me if I wasn't happy?"

All these years, I never understood why he was holding out on me. I used to assume that it was my age and inexperience, but I got older, and I gained experience. I was promoted through the company up until two years ago when it stopped.

Dad nods, glancing at the papers in front of me. "You spent a long time throwing yourself into what you thought I wanted you to be. Which is on me. I should have told you that I liked you the way you were, but instead, I pushed you harder. I didn't tell you I love you enough."

The words are a heavy weight lifting from my shoulders.

I didn't know that he had been this observant all these years.

For a long time, I thought that he had quietly removed himself. He buried himself in work after Mom passed, and I thought that was just the way life was going to be.

It didn't occur to me that he might have been struggling and doing everything he could to cope.

Dad sighs and lowers his leg, pushing to his feet. "A man who isn't happy will only run his business into the ground."

"I'm not happy now." I swallow hard, torn between telling him everything and nothing.

This is him trying, though. Maybe it's time that I start to try too.

I try to clear the lump from my throat. "I don't know how to make things right with her. I was an ass and put all my issues on her. I accused her of trying to get the CEO position, even though she told me time and time again that she didn't want it."

"She never would've gotten it anyway." Dad's eyebrows pull together as he buttons his coat back up and tucks his hands into his pockets. "If there's anyone who's going to take over my company, it's going to be my son. Jade is brilliant, but she doesn't have the attachment to this place that you do."

"I wish I had known that before I went and blew everything up with her."

Dad nods sadly. "I think that if she means anything to you, you should start with an apology. Heaven knows your mother should have left me a thousand times for the way that I screwed up with her."

"The last thing I want is to screw up with her and then to have to keep fighting and trying to figure out how we're going to work things out. I want to apologize to her, and then I don't want to hurt her again."

"You're going to hurt each other from time to time," Dad says. "It's the nature of the beast."

"Then where do you go from there?"

"You learn how to hurt each other less. You spend more time forgiving each other and learning how to communicate. The hurts get less. Rarer, but it takes time, and, in the beginning, you're going to hurt each other a lot."

With a sigh, I stand up and take a final look at the papers in front of me. Work can wait for another day. "There's no way to guarantee I won't hurt her again?"

"No. But you learn from it. You do better. You work harder to be the people the other deserves." Dad glances at the clock on one of my bookshelves. "Come on, we're already going to be late as it is, and I have to name you as my successor tonight."

"Really?" I grab my coat from the rack by the door, pulling it on and following him out of the office.

"Yes. You're ready." Dad grins at me over his shoulder. "Just keep it to yourself for now, okay?"

I nod, and together we get into the elevator.

For the first time in years, I feel like I might actually be making a connection with him.

The hotel is decorated with shining lights and dark linens, large pictures of newspapers all over the room, and old stories on the walls.

The guests are dressed to the nines, dancing to the band that's playing in the corner or picking at the appetizers.

I take a seat at the table in the back, reaching for a flute of champagne from a passing waiter.

I scan the room, but there's no sign of Jade. My heart sinks in my chest. I thought she would be here, but it seems like she's determined to avoid me no matter the cost.

I sip the champagne for a few more minutes as one song bleeds into the next.

If she doesn't show up in the next five minutes, I'm leaving here and going to find her, announcement be damned.

She means more to me than this job, and I should have made that clear to her. I should have been telling her a thousand different times over the last three months.

And now, here I am at the launch party of a project she ran, wishing that I was with her instead.

Just as I'm standing and about to head to the door, the music cuts out.

The microphone crackles through the speakers as people applaud for the band.

Dad grins behind the microphone. "Welcome, everyone, and thank you for being here tonight. I would like to thank you all for the work you have put in over the last three months, and for the faith that you've had in the company. I know that it has been a trying time for everyone, but I appreciate you all holding on."

People give a polite clap, whispering to each other as I make my way along the wall and to the door.

"This rebrand wouldn't have been possible without the tireless efforts of Jade and Grayson. Over the last twelve weeks, they have put in countless hours to make sure that LRH Global comes back better than ever before. I would like to take this opportunity to offer both of them a round of applause."

A spotlight beams on me just as my hand closes over the door to haul it open. I turn and force a smile on my face, hoping the light will swing away so the people at the party won't see me fleeing.

The light stays focused on me as the noise dies down.

Dad clears his throat. "And with this transition, the time has come for me to announce that I will be stepping down as CEO. I'm not getting any younger, and what this company needs now is a fresh perspective. I have put much thought into my replacement, and I'm pleased to announce that Grayson will be taking over the position."

Thunderous applause explodes through the room, and Dad motions me to the stage.

"Grayson, come up here. Say a few words to everyone."

I'm going to go up there, thank everyone for being here, and then I'm going to get the hell out of here.

It's the plan that plays on repeat through my head as I walk to the front of the room and climb the steps to the stage.

I shake Dad's hand as I approach him at the microphone, trying to figure out exactly what to say.

There are so many things I want to say, but all I can think about is what's going to happen when I finally get out of here and apologize to Jade.

I stand in front of the microphone, about to open my mouth, when I see her walk through the door.