Page 214 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
Samuel snorted, getting the point. “My wife could set me on fire and dance around my burning carcass, and I would still find a way to crawl back to her.”
“Exactly my point.”
The sun peeked over the houses, and without a cloud in the sky, the day was readying to begin with an unobstructed burst of light. They promised Simone they would come over and decorate for Christmas this afternoon. Selah had already slipped off back to Atlanta to avoid the task, but the rest of them remained, including Ben, and everyone was expected to participate.
“I’m glad we didn’t pull Rowan in any deeper,” Liam said, bending forward to stretch his back. “We’ll owe Killian for years after this.”
“Years?” Samuel shook his head. “This is a life debt. Killian will hold us by the balls until we’re dead, since he knows what we were really planning. Had Sinclair not come along, you and I both know we would have followed through on the favor, and McIntyres take this shit seriously.”
Unfortunately, Samuel was speaking the truth, but Liam would never give up a chance to argue with him. “Rowan knows.”
“Rowan knows enough, but not everything,” Samuel countered as expected. “And we stick to Killian’s request. Rowan is to keep his nose clean. It’s to his benefit and ours. If we ever did have to run, we would need someone to stay behind.”
Someone to stay behind and care for everyone. Simone. Annabeth. Abe. Ben would need support the most if he never saw two out of his three kids again, let alone his grandkids and Evie.
“Well, let’s not make planning a murder common practice, and we should be fine.”
“Christ, what have we become? We only wanted to protect them, but everything spiraled into this.” Samuel mimicked his position, bending forward and gripping the board. “I don’t recognize myself anymore.”
“We’re not good men. We know this. We’ve accepted this. We would do awful things for them—horrible things to protect our girls and Albie. But what you’re feeling now? It’s the future pressing in. A soul for an empire, Samuel.”
It was all Liam could say, recognizing the twisted darkness growing in them both. It wanted the pain and suffering. It wanted their enemies and those who would dare threaten them to die horrible deaths.
“I remember the past, Cohen. I remember everything, and the pain never goes away.” Samuel turned his haunted gaze to meet his, and Liam wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen Samuel showing such vulnerability. “I won’t allow my family to suffer ever again, and Evie… I still don’t regret making that call to Killian. Maybe I never will. But you’re right. I have to think about the fact that one day, it’s all going to fall on my shoulders.”
“Which is not something you want.”
This wasn’t a new discussion. Samuel didn’t hate the idea of becoming the head of Fairweather Holdings, but he wasn’t thrilled with it, either. He wanted to be there for his wife and kids, unwilling to miss life's big and little moments.
“My dad, whether he knows it or not, is a great man.” Samuel nodded at Ben’s house, sitting at the farthest end of the beach—a sprawling castle built for Laura Jean. “But when he lost Laura Jean, he threw himself into making Fairweather this massive thing, and I honestly don’t think I can fill his shoes. I’m selfish. I want time with my wife. I want to see my kids grow up. The Fairweather Holdings empire might as well be a pile of dirt if I miss out on their lives.”
Liam straightened into a sitting position. “But you’re scared that if you step too far back, you’ll let everyone down.”
“There will be so many people relying on me, and I’m going to be tackling it alone.”
Giving Jamison a thumbs up when she pointed at her coffee mug to ask if he was ready for a caffeine fix, Liam could only tell Samuel the one thing he knew for certain. “You’re not alone. I’m here. I’ll always be here. I don’t know shit about corporations, but I’ll handle my end of things, so you don’t have to concern yourself with their safety. I’ll protect them while you do the rest.”
“I know you will, fucker.”
“And we have Rowan.”
That made Samuel grin. “Yeah, we do. Annabeth’s not letting him go.”
“Yep. McIntyre or not, he’s stuck with us.”
They went silent, but knew they couldn’t linger. The minutes were ticking. Paddling to shore, they carried their boards to where they had left a few belongings on the sand and sat in the two low beach chairs they had set up before going out.
Eyes on the horizon, Samuel released a nervous exhale. “How much longer?”
“Soon.”
And as they admired the sunrise, with their families waiting for them in the distance, the call that would change everything finally came. It was from his father, and Liam mentally prepared himself to give the performance of a lifetime.
“Hey, you’re up early.”
“Tobias Miller is dead,” his father said by way of greeting. “Heart attack.”
Liam waited for the appropriate number of shocked seconds to pass. “Heart attack? I’m with Samuel. Hold on, let me put you on speaker.” Hitting the button, he repeated the news so Samuel could act out his part along with him. “Tell us what you know.”
