Page 11 of Hartley

JJ’s eyes bugged. “He did what?”

“Not for himself, but for those who work for him. There’s a reason people gravitate toward the life Jordan and the rest of them lead. They have their own demons to exorcise and pasts they’d rather forget.”

5

JORDAN

I was angry, but I was trying not to be. I couldn’t fault Hartley. He was only attempting to help me. But it also felt like I was being treated differently. Like I couldn’t handle my own shit. To be fair, I wasn’t the best at this kind of thing, and Hartley knew that.

“Fuck,” I growled as I paced my office.

Vail was still in bed sleeping. Ava had a rough night and was up in tears. Vail was the only one who could get close to her. This morning, I was ready to call the school and say she wasn’t going. However, she insisted she wanted to. Her friends were a support system for her.

Hartley had gone to his studio. He knew I wasn’t thrilled with him, but he took it in stride by kissing and hugging me more than normal. Who the fuck was I kidding? I couldn’t be mad at him for long. I loved him too damn much.

Then there was the matter of the trip we were supposed to leave for today. We put it off for two weeks so we could get Ava a bit more settled. I’d rescheduled with my pilot, as well as the accommodations I booked down there. By whatHartley had described, staying in his grandfather’s home wasn’t smart. If it was as run-down as he said, I didn’t need the roof collapsing on us while we slept. Although it held up for this long.

I turned on my heel and strode from my office, down the hall, and into the kitchen to refill my mug with coffee. My son was late. I hated tardiness. If anyone could do it, I could. But I didn’t tolerate it from others, especially my son. He knew better and was probably doing it to piss me off. So much for him visiting to show me he was supportive. There was also the matter of him trying to tell me I shouldn’t feel guilty, as Hartley and Vail also said. Until they’d lived in my mind, I would feel all the guilt I wanted.

“Sir?” Raiden called.

“Yes?”

“JJ’s on his way up.”

I nodded and reached for the cabinet where the liquor was to pour some into my coffee. I might have been soft with Hartley and Vail. Opening my arms for my son to comfort me wasn’t going to fucking happen. Liquor was required to get through this shit.

The elevator arrived and Tahoe suddenly startled, awakening from the deep sleep he was in. He usually woke when a visitor was announced, but he must have been tired from being up during the night with Ava and Vail. While I didn’t like animals on my bed, if Ava wanted Tahoe on hers, I was fine with it. Hell, I’d buy her a puppy if it made her feel better.

Tahoe planted his ass with his eyes on the elevator. His tail whooshed slowly from side to side, sweeping the marble floor. The moment JJ was fully revealed, Tahoe’s tail kicked up to warp speed. I was surprised he didn’t take off.

My son’s grin as he greeted the dog by crouching downmade me want to buy him a puppy too. Fuck’s sake. I might as well find a breeder and buy a damn litter of them.

When my son looked my way, his eyebrows bunched as he stood. “What’s with you? Did you suck on a lemon? You look miserable.”

“Did you ever want a pet growing up?”

“Like a dog?”

“Anything.”

“There was that one time I had a goldfish, and it died a week later.”

I cocked my head. “Who bought you a fish?”

“Uncle Perry.” Huh, I didn’t remember that.

“You never wanted more?”

“I couldn’t keep a fucking fish alive. Why would I want to do the same to something bigger? Plus, we didn’t exactly live the lives of people who had pets. There was always too much going on. Not enough time.” What he wasn’t saying was that I didn’t have time for him, which was true. I worked day and night, sacrificing relationships in favor of growing my business.

“I’m—”

“Don’t. I didn’t come here for apologies, nor do I need them.” He stepped toward me, stopping a couple of feet away. “When are you going to let go of what happened? I’m a grown man, no longer the child who needs that from you.”

“You still need me though,” I whispered, hating the way emotion bled into my tone.

“Not in the way you think. I don’t need you to offer comfort or tell me you’ll buy me whatever I need. I have Greer and Dex for that. What I’d like is for you to be yourself. Not the person you show the world. Not the shrewd business owner or the boss who knows the ins and outs of every illegalside of the city. I want you to be open with me like you are with Vail and Hartley. Not in the same way, obviously, but you’re different with them. When you don’t think anyone is looking, you let your guard down. The moment you think someone is paying attention, walls go up left and right. What I want is for you to let your guard down in front of me and my partners. If there’s anyone you can trust outside of the men you love, it’s me and the ones I’m with. We won’t hurt you.”

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