Page 36 of If You Could Only Believe
“I’m the HR Manager, Gabe,” I retorted. “I have some self-control, you know.” He cocked his head at me and raised a brow.
The fucker.
“So, is she going to marry you or not?” Mason asked, bringing us back to the topic at hand.
“Fuck yeah, she’s going to marry me,” I said. “She can’t take back her proposal. It’d be rude.”
“Okay, I can call the guy I used-”
Gabriel’s brows shot up at Aiden. “For Christ’s sake, Aid, this isn’t a drug deal,” he clarified.
I laughed as Aiden flipped him off. “I can have everything arranged by the end of the week. You guys can get married here on Friday.”
Mason shook his head. “We have got to be the worst,” he said, a deep, sad sigh to accompany. “Gabriel marries Justice in Vegas, Aiden married Denise in his office, and I married Shane at the goddamn county clerk’s office the second the papers were signed. And now Michael’s going to marry Sophia inhisoffice? There’s four of us and not one wedding to speak about.”
Aiden flapped his hand at Mason, dismissing his comments. “These women are smart, Mase,” he argued. “We did what we had to do. If we had given them time to really think about it, they probably would have said no. I’m not apologizing to Denise for our wedding. It was perfect.”
Mason laughed. “I’m not saying I regret it,” he clarified. “I’m just saying we’re pretty lucky they loved us more than they loved the fairy tale.”
Before anyone could comment, the door opened, and in walked my worst nightmare. My mother had come a long way in repairing her relationship with us, but our father was still a dick. Things had really gone south when his racism showed when he found out about Denise and Aiden. It was a miracle Mason hadn’t let Aiden kill him.
He walked into the room, pretending he still contributed to BI and had a say, but we all knew the truth. He knew it too.
He stopped right in front of me and glared down at me. I could see it in his eyes; he’s forgotten that I’m not the youngest son anymore. “You know, I stood aside as Mason married a goddamn foster kid with no social standing whatsoever. I stood aside as Aiden married a woman who…has a mixed heritage on top of having no money or social standing. And, then, a few weeks ago, I get wind that Gabriel has gone off and married that trailer park trash that he’s been fucking since he was 16 years old. Oh, yeah,” he snarled. “I knew all about that. And, now, I hear that you’re running after some accounting clerk who’s no better than a pig? You’re the last Buchanan to make a decent match for our family and this business, Michael. I am not going to let you marry some nobody!”
There was a long, deafening heartbeat of silence. The shock of his words was crippling. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that he’s truly lost his mind. To come in here and insult his sons’ wives as if there was no price to pay for that, I couldn’t wrap my mind around the nerve.
And then what he said about Sophia penetrated my mind and settled deep in the pit of my soul. I would have kicked his ass for daring to speak ill of Denise or Justice. I would have killed him for insulting Shane.But Sophia?
He wasn’t worthy enough to even speak her name.
I launched myself out of my seat and had him on the ground before my brothers could completely process what he had said about their wives.
I had never laid hands on my father before, and while the motherfucker could still throw a punch, I was raining down years of resentment, anger, hurt and hate that has permeated in my blood since the first time my father ever put hands on me.
There was blood everywhere, but I couldn’t see it. There were shouts all throughout the room, but I couldn’t hear them. I was blind and deaf to everything around me, except this motherfucker underneath me. “If you ever say another word about Sophia, ever again, I will fucking kill you!” Hell, I probably was already killing him, but I didn’t care, and I didn’t stop.
I realized with a clarity that was clear as crystal that I really wanted this sonofabitch dead.
My fists started coming down harder and I was hell bent on killing him and just being done with it, but, apparently, my brothers were smarter than my temper. Instead of trying to get me to stop, they pull together to drag his limp body away from me.
The second Aiden and Gabriel were able to drag him aside, and Mason was standing in front of me, I was able to stop. My hands were a ripped mess. My clothes were blood splattered. My breathing was labored, and I knew my eyes looked crazy.
But I stood there.
I stood there with my fists at my side staring at my brother while Aiden and Gabriel checked to see if our father was still breathing.
Mason didn’t reach for me. He didn’t yell at me or scold me. He didn’t check on our father. He didn’t do anything, except look at me.
Sanity started to return, and I glanced over at where Aiden and Gabriel were still tending to our father. Well, I suppose they weren’t really tending to him, so much as making sure he wasn’t dead.
Mason finally spoke and his words almost brought me to my knees because I knew he meant every single word. “Do you want me to kill him, Michael?”
My green eyes flew to his grey ones. Grey ones the exact replica of our fathers. I couldn’t believe how much he resembled our father, but how completely opposite the two men were. I mean, they were both psychopaths, but Mason was still human.
I honestly didn’t know how to answer him. I wanted to say yes, so badly, but I would never do that to my brothers. If Harold died, it would be solely on me.
I shook my head. “No,” I finally answered. “If…I decide he needs killing, I’ll do it.”
