Page 118 of All Bets Are Off

I was confused, but I didn’t say anything.

“What’s happening?” Rex asked.

“My father is out. It seems he knocked up one of his many conquests, and he’s been stealing money to pay her so she’ll remain quiet. It’s a whole big thing, and I still don’t have all the details.” Zach dragged a hand through his hair. “It seems my mother owns the majority of Stone Group stock, though. We’ve given my father an ultimatum. He has to resign today and use his own stock to repay the money he’s stolen.”

I was dumbfounded. “Is he going to do that?”

“It’s either that or we call the police. It’s happening today … and wewillfollow through.” His eyes were clear when they locked with mine. “Rex, I need you to go to my father’s office and stand firm with my mother and sisters. I’ll be there as soon as I can. The lawyers are drawing up the paperwork, and I want to be there when he signs it.”

“You’re going to need a notary,” Rex noted.

“Three,” Zach corrected. “I don’t want my father coming back complaining it wasn’t legal in three months.”

“I’ll handle it,” Rex promised. He stopped at the door and looked back at me. “Are you guys going to be okay?”

“We’re going to be fine,” Zach promised. “Livvie will be with me when I come back to the office.”

Well, that was presumptuous of him. I remained silent, though.

“Got it.” Rex winked at me before disappearing.

As soon as the door was shut, Zach moved in front of me and planted his hands on his waist. “You were just going to leave?”

I shrank in the face of his unhappiness. “It seemed the most prudent thing to do. You are getting another wife after all.”

“Why would you possibly believe that?” He looked frustrated more than worried. “I mean … have the past two months not shown you who I want to be with?”

I searched for a response. It wasn’t easy. “It was just supposed to be sex.” Even saying it felt weird. Sure, that had been the agreement, but we’d gone so far beyond that.

“Livvie, even when we said it was just sex, I knew it was more.” He opened his mouth, then shut it. He seemed determined as he dropped to his knees in front of me and gathered my hands. “I should’ve told you sooner.”

“Told me what?”

“I love you.”

My heart seized, and the tears were back, unbidden.

“Don’t. Please, don’t.” He used his thumbs to catch my tears. “We were playing a game, and I kept telling myself just to say it. In my head, I called it the Husband-and-Wife game. I wanted you to be the one to break first.”

“I wanted you to break first,” I protested.

“I know.” He laughed. “I thought we had time. I was afraid if I told you how I felt that you would balk and run away. I knew you felt the same way—I saw it every time you looked at me—but I couldn’t let myself believe.”

“Why?”

“Because … you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. Like … everything. You smooth over edges I didn’t even know were rough. When you smile, you light up my entire world. You make me want to be a better man.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. He was saying everything I’d wanted him to say and more. “You were already a good man.”

“I want to believe I was getting there, that I didn’t need you to do it. The truth is, though, before you came into my life I was searching. I didn’t know what I was searching for, but it became clear just as soon as you entered my life. You were the piece I was missing.”

“But … your father said?—”

“I don’t give a shit what my father said.” Zach turned fierce. “I care about this.” He gripped my hands again. “I care about us. There’s a lot that’s going to be happening with the Stone Group for the next few months. There’s going to be some upheaval. I’m going to have to be involved.”

“Are you taking over?”

He hesitated. “We’re coming up with a plan for that. My mother and sisters are going to be attacking the problem as a group, with me of course. We’re all going to be working together.”

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