There was too much at stake.
I hadn’t come this far to fall back into the pits of hell again, and Lailah deserved more than a barely there corporate hotshot who took her for granted.
And that was why I needed some goddamn help.
I began taking another deep breath through my nose.
Stephanie’s voice rang through on the speakerphone, “Mr. Cavanaugh, I have him on line one, sir.”
Walking toward my desk, I pushed the button to respond, “Thank you. I’ll take it from here.”
I heard her release the call, and I was introduced to silence.
Taking a seat, I waited until he had the balls to say something.
Finally, a long-drawn-out sigh could be heard on the other end. “Are you giving me the silent treatment, little brother? I thought we’d grown out of that.”
“I thought we’d grown out of a lot of things, Roman,” I responded.
“Oh, come on. It’s the fucking weekend. Don’t you have better things to do than call me up at the ass-crack of dawn to rip me a new one?”
The laughter in his voice sent me to an entirely new level of pissed off.
“First of all, it’s nearly past noon, jackass. Secondly, this isn’t just any weekend. We happen to have one of the most important meetings of our lives today. Foreign investors have flown in from Japan. Does any of this ring a bell?”
“Right,” he said lazily. “I thought you and the board had a handle on that?”
Female laughter sounded in the background.
“You are on the board.”
“Good point. And what time is this meeting?”
I looked at the platinum watch adorning my wrist. “In less than two hours.”
“Well then, I guess I’d better get in the shower. You owe me, Jude.”
I heard a high-pitched yelp before the line went dead.
I shook my head in disgust, wondering how my brother had managed to sink further into the cesspool of his own lack of mortality since I’d returned home.
When he’d brought Lailah to me, seeming genuinely concerned for my well-being, I’d thought that maybe he was on a path of redemption. But as soon as I had started to get my own life back on track, his had begun to spiral.
I’d tried to speak to him about it, get through that snarky tough exterior to figure out the reason for his sudden turn, but he wouldn’t let me in. He wouldn’t let anyone in. I was honestly starting to wonder if there even was a reason or if that brief glimpse of the man I had seen, who could be so much more, had been nothing more than an elaborate act.
After all, he’d gotten what he’d wanted. I’d taken my place in the company and pulled it back from the brink of collapse, and now, he was free.
He was free to be the nonexistent asshole I remembered.
My phone rang, and as I looked down at the number showing up on the caller ID, I instantly felt the anger Roman had caused dissipate.
“Hey, Angel,” I said with a smile as I cradled the phone in my hand.
“Hi,” she answered cheerfully. “Just thought I’d check in and see how your day was going. I know you have that big meeting this afternoon.”
Shaking my head, I let out a puff of air as my fingers came to the bridge of my nose.
“Did I get it wrong?” she asked, suddenly alarmed.
“No, no. You always remember everything perfectly.”
Unlike others, I thought to myself.
“Oh, okay good. So, are you ready?” she asked, excitement ringing through the tone of her voice.
“Yes, actually. I spent the morning going over everything, and in a minute, I’ll be heading over to the boardroom to do some last-minute strategizing with . . . mostly everyone, but I think we’ve got it.”
“Roman isn’t there, is he?” she asked, the exuberance now gone.
“No,” I simply answered.
“That . . . well, he’s just not a nice man.”
My mouth twitched as I tried not to laugh, instantly warmed by her. She was so meek, yet when needed, she could be as fierce as a lion.
Even now, my lioness still couldn’t bring herself to say a bad word about anyone.
“Yes, he is, but he’s my brother, and unfortunately, that means I have to put up with him.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to kick him the next time I see him.”
A chuckle escaped my lips as I imagined her scrawny frame kicking my imposing large brother.
“You do that.”
“Go knock it out of the park, Jude,” she said warmly.
“I will. See you tonight?”
“Okay. I’ll save you some dessert.”
“No, you won’t.” I laughed.
“I’ll try.”
“Deal.”
“I love you,” she said.
“And I love you,” I replied before hanging up.
My eyes fell to the picture I kept on my desk. It had been taken at the wedding of Lailah’s mother a couple years back, just before I’d surprised her with our trip to Ireland. The water was behind the two of us, and there was nothing but future and possibility in our eyes.
It was how I wanted us to look forever.