The phone on my desk rang. The line for reception flashed and I pressed speakerphone.
"Why are you still here, Laura?" It was after ten-thirty. She should be at home with her kids.
"I was just about to leave, Mr. Rush." She assured quickly. "But Mrs. Rush is here. She will be in your office in a moment."
I sighed and glared at the door. "Did she say why she was here?"
"No, Sir. But, she looked almost nervous."
I scoffed. "Thank you, Laura. Go home."
"Goodnight, Sir."
The line went dead as the door to my office opened and my mother stepped through. Her face was pale, but her eyes were bright. I shifted in my seat as she strode confidently into the space, letting the smoked glass doors fall closed behind her.
"Hello, Mom."
"What are you still doing here, Jace?" Karen demanded. The underlay of her tone told me I was being scolded...but what the hell for?
"I'm working." I gestured to the papers on my desk.
She frowned. "Jaylah tells me you have a woman in your life. When were you going to tell me this and when will I meet her?"
My mouth dropped. The little scoundrel told Mom about Olivia even after I made her promise she wouldn't say anything. "Her name is Olivia, Mother."
"Oh, don't you dare Mother me, Jace." She pointed her finger at me. "You should have told me yourself and you should be with her rather than in this office hiding out like a frightened pup."
My brows rose. "A frightened pup?"
Her sharp eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I mean, Jace."
I bristled. "I don't think I do, Mother. I'm trying to run my father's company."
She paled. "You didn't have to take over the company, Jace." She whispered. "You could have sold it and lived your life. When he died, you were free."
I stood, running a hand through my hair. "I was never free, Mom."
"I'm so sorry, Jace." Her voice shook and I felt like an ass. She didn't know why I took over the company. She had no idea the choices I was forced to make. "If I could go back and make different choices...I would. You know that, don't you?"
My skin tightened as I stared into her soft blue eyes. She was the polar opposite of my father. Where she taught with love, my father taught with his fist. He had been a harsh man ruled by his desire to succeed. He wanted a son he could mold into a better version of himself, a version more successful, and he succeeded. I had always known my fate. He had drilled it into me ever since I could remember. I knew who I was supposed to become. I knew who he expected me to become. And, it was this. In a moment of rebellion, I decided this was not the life for me. I decided I wanted to move away and study architecture. I wanted a family.
In a heated moment of bravery, I told my father I would never run his company. I told him I was leaving New York, and I would never look back.
The bastard that he was killed himself. Not two days later. He had refined his will to state if I chose not to run the company, it would be sent to auction and the proceeds would be given to charity. The will stated my mother and my sister would be left with nothing, robbed of the only life they had ever known. I had been forced to take over the company to ensure the carpet of their lives was not ripped out from under their feet, leaving nothing but concrete on the bare pads.
"I know you would make different choices, Mom." I sighed heavily. I would never tell her of my reasons for remaining in control of the company. She didn't need to know the brutal father I had been born from ruled my life and happiness from the grave.
Karen sighed heavily and her frail looking hands shook. "Jace, don't become your father." My blood turned cold. "Don't throw away the love you have for this girl for this company." Her eyes were serious orbs in her face. "It will not keep you warm at night and it will not chase away your fears. She will."
"I don't love Olivia, Mom."
She smiled gently. "But, you do, Jace. You just don't know it yet. Go home to her for tonight and bring her home to meet your Mother tomorrow evening." She closed the distance between us and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I tried not to flinch away from her affection, and to my relief, she pulled away quickly. "Goodnight, Jace. Think about what I said."
I watched with my feet rooted to the floor as she moved across the room to the door. She paused when she reached the door and turned back to look into my eyes. Hers were sad and I wished I could be the son she wanted me to be. I had fought hard to be the son she desired. The one who lived for himself and for his dreams, but my father had robbed me of my life when he'd robbed himself his own.
***
I paced the floor with a glass of white wine in my hand. Jeez, where was Jace? It was already half past eleven and I hadn't heard a word from him all day long. What the hell was he doing and why wouldn't he have texted me back?