Lennon leaned forward. “About what?”
“I want to offer Georgia the Head of Neurology position I currently hold. I want you to replace me.”
Lennon’s stomach dropped, but Gia immediately placed her hand on his thigh, soothing him.
“What are the terms?” Gia asked. Randall grinned as if he saw something positive in her answer, but Lennon knew Georgia well enough to notice the slight shift in her posture. Her back was now perfectly straight. And she brushed her hair off her shoulders so it fell straight down her back like a waterfall, something she did when she was about to argue with him.
They listened as Randall reeled off a whole list of perks that beat her current position at Sick Kids. But the way Gia kept moving her jaw from side to side, ever so slightly, told Lennon everything he needed to know.
She wasn’t moving… He just didn’t know why not. Yet.
“That sounds impressive, doesn’t it, Babe?” He turned to look at her and grinned. When she looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, he could tell she was up to something.
“It does, doesn’t it?” she said. “Almost too impressive. What’s the catch?”
Randall shook his head. “Catch?”
Lennon raised an eyebrow. On a scale of one to what-the-fuck-was-Gia-doing, he had no clue what she was up to.
Gia sighed and reached for Lennon’s hand beneath the white tablecloth of the restaurant. “I already know you’ve been tasked with finding your own replacement. I happen to know that you contacted one of my former colleagues for the role before me. So, why me? I’m definitely not your first choice.”
Randall leaned forward. “Honestly, you are really a year or two away from this job.”
Lennon coughed. “No, she’s not.”
Randall glared in his direction. “Because the drummer knows brain surgery.”
Lennon laughed, clearly the opposite reaction to what Randall wanted. “I know fuck all about brain surgery. But I know how good Gia is at what she does.”
“Boys,” Gia said, as the neighboring table looked over.
“What’s the catch?” Lennon asked.
Randall sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I’ve been offered a bigger role in New York. I’m willing to recommend you take my place in Atlanta, if you sell me the apartment in New York for fifteen million.”
“It’s worth at least twenty, and not for sale,” Lennon said.
“Neither am I. He knows it’s worth twenty. The five million discount is payment for fast-forwarding my career a couple of years,” Gia said. “I’m not going to buy my way into your job, Randall. And please, don’t even pretend to me that you want to live in the apartment. You complained about how cold it got in winter and hated the greenhouse. I’m sure this is a scheme by Dad to get his hands on it. You buy it for fifteen from me, he buys it for twenty from you. That’s how you get the five million out.”
Lennon could see the moment Randall realized how badly he’d misplayed the situation. “Gia. I’m not trying to buy you. And, Dad…he—”
“Stop.” Gia stood and Lennon immediately stood with her. “I’d love to see my nephews. I want to be a part of their lives. But I don’t know how to do that if it means I have to be around you. Good luck with the move to New York.”
Lennon followed her but then turned to face Randall. “My sister died when I was young, and I would give my other arm for her to still be a part of my life. Your sister is the most incredible woman, surgeon, lover, and sister-in-law to my brothers, and yet all you want to do is take advantage of her, belittle her, and force her out of your life. You think you’ve won, you and Ezra and your dad. But you’ve lost. Because you don’t have her anymore. We do. My family does. We’re the fucking lucky ones because we get to spend time in her presence. So, merry fucking Christmas, Randall. The best Christmas gift I’ll ever get just turned her back on you and walked out the door.”
He patted Randall on his shoulder twice and then left to find Gia. She was seated on a low wall outside the restaurant, her gold skirt skimming her calves as she twirled her sunglasses in her fingers.
Lennon sat down next to her.
“Is he bleeding?” Gia asked, glancing over at him.
Lennon shook his head. “Remarkably, no. I think my days of laying out people who piss me off have passed. I’m going to be a motherfucking paragon of sage wisdom from now on.”
Gia laughed, just as he’d intended. “It’s nine o’clock. I’m hungry for breakfast. And I want to see our real family.”
Lennon pulled out his phone and called up Nik’s number. When he answered, Lennon could hear the squeals of excitement of the boys and it made him grin, made him think back to their Christmas morning breakfasts with Ellen and Maisie when they were kids.
“Lennon, Merry Christmas. What do you need?”
“Merry Christmas, Brother. Have you guys eaten breakfast yet?”
“No. Jenny was just about to get on ordering it.”
Lennon pressed a quick kiss to Gia’s cheek. “Can me and Gia come over and join you?”
“Of course. Elliott’s lot is coming, too. Pajamas only, though.”
Lennon grinned. “We’ll be there.” He hung up the phone. “Want to go get changed into pajamas?”
Gia stood. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
He slid his arms around her. “He might treat you as a disposable asset,” he whispered against her ear, “but to me, you are the fucking sun and the moon. You’re Dave Brubeck jazz on a Sunday afternoon, and bonsais in a greenhouse, and my literal left arm.”
Georgia relaxed against him. “Don’t be too nice to me, Lennon.”
“Want to skip breakfast and let me show you how nice I can be to you?”
Gia laughed softly. “As tempting as that sounds, I need noise and chaos and kids covered in chocolate… And then a wedding. Because all of those things are family.” Her stomach rumbled. “And food.”
Lennon signaled the valet to get them a cab. “Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
He took her hand and helped her into the cab before walking to the other side to seat himself. Gia leaned her head against him. “Am I really your sun and moon?”
“Yeah, Babe,” he said, placing a kiss on top of her head. “You’re my fucking everything.”
9
“More champagne?”
Lia held her glass towards Harper and let her fill it. Her condo was a hive of the girliest activities. The scent of nails getting done and the sound of the hairdryer and chit chat made her heart soar. Getting married at four in the afternoon on Christmas Day would be some people’s idea of a nightmare. When she and Reid had picked the date and time, they’d half expected people to bail.
But they hadn’t.
There hadn’t been a single decline on the wedding invite. And given the wedding meal was a full-blown Christmas dinner, meaning nobody had to worry about their turkey and trimmings, everybody won.
Drea was the first to slip into her dress, the warm ivory silk complementing her tan skin. Harper was still in the red silk robe Lia had provided for all the bridesmaids. Pixie was just finishing up getting her nails done, while Petal hurtled around the spacious penthouse on a bright red scooter that Jordan had gotten her for Christmas.