Page 108 of If You Give a CEO a Chance

“That’s not true.”

“You usually look straight through me, glued to your phone or computer, busy handling another acquisition or poring over contracts.”

“That’s my job,” I deadpan.

“Yes, but it’s essential to maintain a healthy balance between personal and business. I know from experience. You’ve heard your mother’s side of how we met, but I think it’s time I told you my version.” He leans back in his chair, wrapping his fingers around his glass.

“When I met her, it was love at first sight. God, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I lived in Maine and was learning the ropes at Stafford Holdings. Like you, I wasn’t sure it was what I wanted, but I felt obligated to my father and grandfather. One summer, I went to California to meet with an associate at a law firm we did business with regarding our properties on the West Coast. Your mother worked as a part-time assistant at the firm, and when I asked her to have dinner, she said yes. She was unapologetically bold, and when she walked into the restaurant wearing a robin blue slip dress with a pair of combat boots, I was officially a goner.” He glances at the floor, removing his glasses to rub his eyes, a deep crease forming on his forehead.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not proud of what I did next,” he admits, taking a deep breath before continuing. “We had an incredible time, and I was smitten. From then on, I flew out to the law firm in California every three months. I took your mother out during every visit, but I never contacted her when I was back in Maine.”

“Why not?”

While I’ve heard the story from my mom, I’m glad I can hear it from his perspective to better understand why he hesitated to take things further. My dad is like me. We have a reason for everything we do.

He slides his glasses back on and meets my gaze. “Stafford Holdings came first, and getting seriously involved with a woman would only be a distraction. My father made it clear that I would be his successor, and I couldn’t see how a family wouldfit with the demands piling on my shoulders. This went on for a couple of years, and a month before your mother graduated college, I was back in town for a business trip. I even brought her flowers, but she declined my invitation to dinner. She told me she was going on a date with someone else that night and refused to let me string her along any longer.”

I let out a low whistle. “Damn, Dad. You messed up big-time.”

He chuckles. “I did, and I nearly let your mother slip away. But as I sat alone in my hotel room that night, I realized no amount of money or prestige could make up for losing her. In that instant, I knew I had to get her back, because without her, nothing else mattered. I went to the restaurant she said they were going to, ready to fight for her, and found her sitting alone in a corner booth, drinking a glass of wine. When she saw me coming, she smirked and said, ‘It’s about time you showed up.’”

Given her talent for matchmaking, it’s fitting that she played a key role in her own love story—carefully laying the groundwork for her happily ever after.

I let out a low whistle. “Mom never leaves anything to chance, does she?”

Dad shakes his head. “No, and I love her all the more for it.”

I understand why he made the choices he did. He was devoted to my mom but felt bound by duty to his family’s business, struggling to find a way to have both. In the end, love won out, but not without sacrifice and confronting his own fears.

Dad is watching me with a downcast gaze. “I’ve failed you, son.”

I frown, leaning forward in my seat. “Why do you say that?”

Despite his heavy workload at Stafford Holdings, he always made time for his family. Even though the headquarters was an hour from Aspen Grove, he took a helicopter home every night, unlike other executives who would only go home on the weekends or raise their families in the city.

He fidgets with one of the pens on my desk. “I did to you what I despised my father for. Instead of offering you a choice, I set the expectation that you would run the business someday. Even when I saw the signs that it might not be what you wanted, I brushed them off, failing to see that I was taking away the very thing your mother and I wanted most for you—to be happy.”

“Dad, you didn’t make me do anything. If I had told you I didn’t want to work at Stafford Holdings, you would have respected my decision.” My words are measured and resolute. “It was my choice to follow in your footsteps, and any resentment I experienced was my own doing. I’m honored to have had the chance to carry on your legacy. Not only has it shaped the man I am today, but it’s also given Dylan and Cash the freedom to shape their careers in the company without sacrificing time with their families.”

When Presley and Jack started dating, I was protective of her but also relieved she found someone who treated her right. With Dylan and Marlow, I was grateful that he found a splash of color in a world of black and white and that Lola gained a maternal figure who loved her unconditionally. I even played a part in getting Cash and Everly together. But once it occurred to me that I was the only one still single, it was hard not to feel left behind, even if it was my own doing.

“That’s my point, son,” Dad says. “You’ve always been so concerned about how things will affect your family but never yourself.” He spins the pen in between his fingers absentmindedly. “Like I told Fallon at the skating rink, I’m not one to get involved in my children’s personal lives, but this is the one instance where I couldn’t stay silent.”

That’s unexpected. Fallon never mentioned speaking with him. He tends to keep to himself at parties and events, so I’m glad he felt at ease with her. Still, I can’t help but wonder what they talked about.

“You deserve a life filled with joy, and if Fallon is part of that, all the better,” my dad offers with a smile. “Life is too short to let your career or fears of the unknown make you miss out on what could be the chance of a lifetime.”

I sit up straight, dragging my fingers through my hair. “I misjudged Fallon in the beginning, and I’ve hurt her in ways I’m not proud of. I’m afraid she doesn’t think I’m committed or in this for the long haul.”

The more I think about it, I realize I have toshowher that I’m here to stay. I’ve got an idea in mind of how to do just that, and I only hope that it’ll be enough to make her see that if she gives me a chance, I’ll give her the world. She’s become my one and only, and I’m determined to show her every day.

My dad sets the pen down and leans forward, making sure I’m looking at him. “It’s simple, son. Tell her how you feel. You might be surprised by the outcome.”

I glance out at the floor-to-ceiling windows.

That’s easier said than done. Once I lay it all out, there’s a real chance Fallon might turn me down, and I’m not prepared for that.

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