Page 95 of Rebel Heart
The woman seated behind the round desk, just inside the building I learned was where the business offices at Westwood’s were, asked, “Do you have an appointment?”
I shook my head. “I do not.”
“I believe he’s currently in a meeting,” she said. “I can let him know you stopped by, but you’d be better off scheduling an appointment.”
Inclining my head, I said, “I understand. But I would really appreciate it if you’d see if he has a moment to spare. Can you please let him know that his brother-in-law, Beau, is here?”
Her brows pulled together as she murmured, “Brother-in-law?” It took her a moment to figure it out. “Oh. Oh… Jules got married?”
All I could do was send a dashing smile to the woman behind the desk.
“Right. Give me one moment.”
She picked up the phone, waited a moment, and said, “Hello, Wyatt. It’s Denise. I’ve got your brother-in-law, Beau, here looking for you. Would you have a minute to speak with him?”
Denise listened as Wyatt responded, nodding as she did.
“Okay. Great. I’ll send him up.”
Wow. I hadn’t expected it would be this easy.
Denise set the phone back in its cradle. “Wyatt was just about to start a meeting, but he said you could meet him in the conference room.” She went on to give me instructions to get there, and the next thing I knew, I’d stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to where she said I’d find him.
It appeared this was a day for surprises, because when I made it to the conference room and knocked on the door, I found four familiar faces waiting there.
“You know, I didn’t expect to see all of you here, but I think it’s better this way,” I said as I took a step into the room where Wyatt, Cooper, Tate, and Liam were sitting around the table. Unsurprisingly, none of them appeared to be happy to see me, nor did they say a word. I huffed. “Such a warm welcome for your brother-in-law.”
That had them reacting. I could’ve sworn someone snarled, but it was Wyatt who cut to the chase. “Denise mentioned you wanted to speak to me. I have to admit Iwas tempted to tell her that you could go to hell. It’s only out of morbid curiosity that I had her send you up.”
“Perfect. Well, I won’t take up much of your precious time,” I began. “I’m here to ask you for a favor.”
Cooper let out a laugh. “You must be crazy. You think we have any reason to do anything for you after what you’ve done?”
“No, I don’t.”
“So, why are you here?” Tate pressed.
“I don’t expect you to do anything for me. I don’twantyou to do a single thing for me. The favor is for Jules.”
Any trace of smugness was wiped off their faces. “What does our sister need?”
“Her family.” I let those two words sink in, noting the pained expressions that washed over their faces. “She doesn’t know I’m here, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.”
“Lying to your wife? That’s great for a marriage.”
“Cut the bullshit, Wyatt,” I clipped. “Look, I know you think you’re better than me. Hell, I thought the very same thing when I learned Jules was who she was. I don’t deserve her. Not at all. But she chose me, she’s mine, and I’m not giving her up. So, I get that you don’t like me. I even understand why you feel the way you do. But if Jules matters at all to any one of you, you’ll figure out a way to get over your hatred of me.”
I paused for a moment, giving them a chance to digest those words.
“She’s falling apart.” Everyone tensed at that. EvenLiam, who had yet to utter a single word to me. “She’s doing her best to hide it, to pretend she’s okay most of the time, but it’s eating her alive. Quite frankly, with the way you’ve all been treating her, with the way you’ve cut her out for choosing her own path that you don’t approve of, I’m not sure what she’s hoping to hold on to. But I know that you all mean a tremendous deal to her.”
Long moments of silence passed before Liam finally spoke, uttering the only words that gave me a sense of hope. “What are you looking for, Beau?”
“Fix it,” I begged. “For her. Not for me. I don’t need you to like me. We don’t have to hang out and talk and get along. I can stomach being around all of you, knowing you hate me, for her sake. Because it means something to her to have her family in her life. And whether you like it or not, I am also her family now. So, I’m asking you to figure out a way to make this right for her. I’ll go along with whatever it is if it’s going to make her happy again. We don’t have to speak to one another beyond a hello and a goodbye. I’m not asking you to have a relationship with me. I just want you to give her back the ones she had with each of you.”
They studied me for a long time before Wyatt spoke, his voice strained. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Thank you.” I turned to leave and stopped myself. “Actually, there’s one thing you could do for me.”
