“As for you,” I said, not giving my father one moment to talk. “Go ahead and take me out of the will. Your money is of no interest to me. What I want is a family, love, and most importantly, Ronni. I don’t need people in my life who don’t appreciate me, even if it is the remnants of a dysfunctional family.”
I stood there for a moment, tired of talking and ready to get away from the whole situation. I opened the office door and pushed Nick out of the way, knocking him into the picture on the wall. I walked straight out of the house, not wanting my mother’s memory to draw me back in. I didn’t need a house or a family to remember the kind of woman she was. That was already inside of me. And in fact, I had chosen a woman that exemplified the qualities my mother looked for in a person. The qualities she tried so hard to instill in me and my brother. It seemed only one of her children actually took that to heart, and it wasn’t any of the ones related to her by blood or marriage. I nodded at the servants as I jogged down the steps and jumped into my car, pulling quickly down the drive and out onto the streets. As I watched the gates slowly close behind me, I couldn’t help but accept the feeling of closure, knowing I probably wouldn’t ever drive back through them again.
As I drove through the city, my thoughts rested on Ronni and how worried she probably was, waiting for me in her little beach house on the edge of the city. She was more than supportive. She wanted what was best for me, no matter what cost it had on her. She would have broken our relationship up if she thought that it would be a better choice for me, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. Like it or not, I was madly in love with the woman, and I couldn’t go another day trying to deny it. I had now centered my entire world around her, and the feeling outweighed any sadness I felt for leaving my family behind.
I wanted people in my life that loved me, supported me, and understood the sacrifices that I went through to make their lives better. My family never did that, but Ronni did. She was even thankful when I would make her breakfast, or take her somewhere nice. She was thankful when I held her hand or kissed her face. It was her turn in life to follow her dreams, and she deserved to do it without care or worry of the outside world. I was a man of means, but what I never realized was all those sacrifices, investments, and lonely nights were not there to make my family richer or bring fame to myself and our name. It was all leading up to a life with Ronni.
As I turned onto Ronni’s street, I smiled, feeling more comfortable here than I ever had anywhere else in my life, including my childhood home. I had found exactly where I needed to be, and I was not going to do anything to put that in jeopardy. If it meant I went out with Ronni and formed a new life, then so be it. And in all reality, that seemed like a more perfect plan than any other I had ever come up with.
Chapter Eighteen
Ronni
I was more than nervous, standing in the house pacing the floor, knowing exactly where Nathan had gone. I didn’t know what decision he was going to make, but I had to trust that he would make the right one, no matter what the outcome was. Our relationship had flown in out of nowhere and taken me completely by surprise, which started as a really good thing, but had spiraled out of control for a while. In the end, I couldn’t imagine my life without Nathan in it, and sitting here, not knowing what was going on was driving me absolutely insane. I continued pacing, going over every possible scenario in my head and driving myself crazy as usual. When I saw his car driving toward the house, I didn’t wait. I threw open the door and ran down the walk, greeting him at the sidewalk.
From his expression, I could tell whatever conversation he just had, it was a hard one. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, doing the only thing I knew to do, comfort him. Though I could tell he had just been through something extremely stressful, he didn’t seem to be all that upset. What did that mean? Had he gotten his job back? Had he made up with his family, and if so, where does that leave us? I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to overload him as soon as he got back.
“I left the company and the family,” he said expressionlessly. “I have put so much time and effort into them and their business that I never stopped to think about the years I was missing out on life. I had watched my mother pass away, your parents pass away, yet I still didn’t understand that there was more to life than just work. That is, until you came into my life. You showed me what it meant to live. You showed me that there was so much more out there that I was absolutely blind to. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, even before I realized you were doing it.”
“Don’t forget,” I said, laughing as he hugged me. “I’m a workaholic, too. Though I’m thinking it might be a good policy to have since we are now both unemployed.”
Nathan laughed for the first time since we were on the beach, and his comfort made me feel safe and secure. I knew I didn’t have to worry about anything with him by my side, whether he worked at the company or not. I loved the fact that his father’s money had no effect on him, and that he saw that there was more to living than waiting to die. Nick wasn’t so lucky to understand that, and I didn’t know if he ever would. As for now, it seemed it was just the two of us, and we had to start thinking about our future.
“You aren’t seeing the bigger picture,” Nathan said, calming his laugh. “We are both free to pursue our passions without rules and regulations. Without family and bosses looming over our heads. We can do whatever we want, and we can do it together.”
I liked the sound of that. I liked the idea of facing this uncertain and wavering world with Nathan by my side. I had done it alone for so long that the release of loneliness and worry was almost more than I could bear. I reached up and kissed his lips, tears burning at my eyes. I was excited for the future, even if I didn’t know what it would bring.
“To start, I want to invest heavily in Maria’s bikini line,” he said, surprising me. “She does amazing work. With her creating and you managing, there is no way this company could fail. The only thing I ask is for a seat on the board.”
“Really?” I was more than ecstatic to have someone like Nathan on our team. “I mean, I have to ask Maria how she feels about it, but that is so amazing.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” He laughed as he watched me turn and run down the walk to the house. I burst through the door calling out Maria’s name. She stuck her head out of her bedroom door, looking around for a fire or emergency of some sort.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, laughing. “Come out here. I want to talk to you about something.”
We sat down in the living room as Maria entered cautiously, smiling nervously at the looks on our faces. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down next to me on the couch. She took in a deep breath, readying herself for anything and clapped her hands together.
“Okay, kids, what’s this all about?”
“Nathan quit his job,” I said. smiling.
“Okay,” she said, looking over at him. “And this is a good thing?”
“Yes,” I said excitedly. “He has his sights set on something better.”
“I’ll bite,” she said, setting her water down on the coffee table.
“He wants to heavily invest in our company in exchange for a seat on the board,” I blurted out.
“Wow,” she said, her eyes getting big. “I mean, really? Y
ou are so fantastic with money. Yes, I mean. I would love to have you on our team. I’m assuming Ronni’s down with it.”
“Of course,” I laughed.
“Well, shit,” she said with a huge smile. “Let’s do this!”