Then he’d walked back into the bedroom and found Leanna still in the bed and reading on her phone.
And here they were.
“What about you?” he asked. “Have you talked to your girls?”
“You mean Josie and Skye?”
He nodded.
“I did. Skye went home because she was tired–she said this pregnancy has made her very sleepy–and Josie decided to go to the gym. So no one knew we were there.”
“Well, your assistant and everyone in the kitchen knew.”
“Technically, yes. But they didn’t know what we did in there,” she said, placing a soft kiss on his chest. “I think we both should be very proud of ourselves for being so stealthy.”
“Thank God we only had to be like that the one time. Personally, I enjoy how vocal you are.”
“Hey!” Pinching his side, she laughed. “A gentleman would not draw attention to that.”
“I never claimed to be one.” Pulling her closer, he noticed how they both fell quiet. It had been a rather long and emotional day and it was getting late.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked quietly.
“Of course.”
“Is there going to be a problem for you because of what happened today?”
It would be easy to make light of it, but he knew she’d see right through it. “A little.”
“I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t shown up like that…”
“Hey,” he said softly, rolling them slightly so he could see her face. “You did nothing wrong, okay? I made the decision to leave. I made the decision to skip the meeting.”
“Yes, but you wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t shown up and dropped all kinds of bombshells like that.” She groaned, trying to hide her face against his shoulder. “Now you’re going to get a bunch of grief and it’s all my fault.”
Tucking his finger under her chin, he forced her to look at him. “I think you know by now that I get grief on an everyday basis. This is the first time, however, that I’m not arguing it with anyone. I left, I sent a suitable replacement, and there were no issues except my father’s annoyance and he’ll just have to get over it.”
“Brody…”
“I appreciate your concern, but everything’s going to be fine. He threatened me with sending Eric Hammel to Paris to finish up negotiations…”
“So I cost you a trip to Paris?” she whined, pulling away. “It would kill me if someone took a Paris trip away from me.”
Yes, he knew her dream was to go there and eat her way around the city, but…
“Trust me, it’s not a big deal. This was a very standard negotiation and if I went, it would have been very brief and no time for fun or sightseeing. I’m not missing out.”
“But it’s Paris…”
He shrugged. “I’ve been there before and perhaps someday I’ll go again, but for now, I’m not interested in going.”
“Oh.”
“Leanna, you are more important to me than any trip, any contract, any meeting. I’ll deal with the consequences because you’re worth it.”
And he meant it.
He just didn’t expect the horrified look on her face as a response.
Gently, she pushed at him until she could sit up. The sheet was clutched to her chest as she faced him. “I appreciate you saying that, I really do, but that is only going to lead to more problems. Don’t you see that?”
“Um, no.”
With a small eye roll, she started again. “Brody, you mean everything to me, but I would never skip out on an event or meeting with a client. That’s just not smart. And we’re both mature enough to know that there are going to be times when we can’t see each other when we want. Sometimes you’ll have to work late, sometimes it will be me. That’s just part of life. There has to be a balance. You need to find a balance.”
For a moment he could only stare at her, but then he realized she was right.
“I have a feeling you jump in with both feet when you make up your mind about something,” she went on. “You say you want to change and so you’re changing, but you can’t go from one extreme to the other. Promise me you’re going to think things through before you make any major decisions.”
Taking her hand, he kissed it. “I promise.”
That seemed to please her because she visibly relaxed. “Okay then.” She lay back down and smiled up at him before yawning. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’m tired too.” Reaching over, he turned off the lamp on his bedside table before taking Leanna back in his arms. “Goodnight, love.”
“Mmm…goodnight.”
Much to his surprise the next day, there was no angry mob waiting for him when he got to the office. Everything was business as usual and it wasn’t until it was almost time for lunch when his father came to see him.
“Can I buy you lunch?” he asked with a smile, and Brody felt a little apprehensive.
“That would be nice, Dad. Thanks.” He stood and grabbed his phone before walking around his desk.
They rode the elevator down to the lobby and walked out to the garage while talking about very neutral topics–his father’s trip to Japan, adjusting to the time difference, his mother’s sudden desire to get a dog–nothing to wave a red flag about.
Brody offered to drive and they opted to go to the local country club where they always had a table waiting for them. He was letting his guard down and certain that perhaps after putting his foot down over the phone, his father had time to calm down and they were going to be okay.
That idea was quickly shot to hell as soon as they placed their orders.
“I’m going to give Eric Hammel the promotion,” his father said mildly.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I thought about what you said last night, and Eric is extremely competent. I hadn’t been paying much attention to him because I was grooming you, but once I looked over his credentials and reviewed the work he’s been doing for us, I believe he’s the right man for the job.”
“You’re joking, right? This is just your way of putting me in my place because of what happened yesterday.”
And for the life of him, Brody wasn’t sure why he was even taking the bait. Didn’t he just yesterday decide that he didn’t want the damn promotion? He should be thanking his father right now, but instead, he was offended.
“It occurred to me after we got off the phone that maybe I’ve been carrying you. You work hard and you put in the hours, but I’m also having to make apologies for you when you offend people. That’s not what we want at the executive level. Eric’s much more mild-mannered. A people person. Plus, he’s married and has a family so he has something he’s working for. He understands responsibility.”
“And I don’t?” he asked incredulously. “Seriously?”
“You’re a single man with no one to worry about but yourself. Sure you’d be able to pick up and go on a moment’s notice and stay away as long as needed without any distraction, but how often have we needed that sort of thing?” His father shook his head. “I think you’re doing a fine job where you are and maybe down the road we can revisit this.” He paused and took a sip of his water. “Plus, Eric’s never missed a meeting.”