He shrugs. “It’s stupid, but I always said I wanted to make ten million dollars, on my own, before I got married. I wanted to give Fiona the absolute best start to life she could imagine. So I’ve been taking my time. I’m not even thirty; it’s not like I’ve kept her waiting forever.”
I stare at him, incredulous. I always assumed he hadn’t married her because he was an asshole.
“So what made you change your mind?” I ask. “Why now, when things are financially more rocky and insecure than they’ve ever been?”
“Because of something you said the first night you were here, when Mum asked why you proposed so soon. You said, I know it’s fast, but I couldn’t wait another moment. It made me realize I was being an ass.”
“And also caused you to go look up dirt on Claire,” I say dryly. “Which really was an asshole move, Geoffrey.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was smart. I was looking out for Mum and Dad. All I ever do is look after Mum and Dad, while you’re off fucking waitresses.”
“Don’t talk about Claire like that,” I tell him, up in his face in a second.
“I’m not talking about Claire. I’m talking about your last decade. But you know what? I’m glad you came this week, because it gave me the balls to propose to Fiona, finally. Am I terrified? Hell, yeah. Is it how I imagined? No. I may never have ten million dollars in a bank account, but I do have Fiona. And I don’t want to lose her because I’m obsessed with a plan.”
The space between us goes quiet.
“Sorry for not being around for so long,” I manage to get out, feeling choked up, which I know is completely bollocks. Bad boy aren’t supposed to fucking cry, but here I am on the brink of tears.
“I’m used to it. I do the heavy lifting; you show up and make Mum and Dad happy. We all have our roles.”
“They can change, you know.”
“Easy for you to say,” he says.
“Is it?” I shake my head. “Because, fuck, Geoffrey, all I’m trying to do is come us with an actual way to change and it feels bloody impossible. I need to fucking grow up or I’ll lose Claire.”
“So you think you have her now?” he asks. “Because I know this is all some scheme you’ve hatched, that you aren’t really engaged.”
“I do love her. It started as a stupid plan to get the company.” When Geoffrey starts to cut me off, I lift my hand to stop him. “I know, okay? I can’t run a fucking company. But it doesn’t matter when this became real. Claire needs a man who can fucking provide for her. What can I do?”
“I don’t know what you can do. I’m trying to figure out my next move myself. And, don’t worry, I won’t tell Mum and Dad. The last thing they need is their hearts broken over you, too.”
“I can’t believe Dad’s company is going under.”
“I know,” Geoffrey says. “It kills me. I thought I was saving the company, but instead my plan killed it. I feel like a fucking idiot. Of course Dad is never going to come right out and say that to me. But shit, Landon—you say you feel like a fuck up? Look at me. I’m the one who ran this business into the bloody ground. The luxury branches are doing the best—which has nothing to do with me—but it isn’t enough.”
“How long do you think you can keep the business afloat?”
“Six month, tops. Dad’s just given up, which blows, because I really think we could salvage it. But he refuses to look in a new direction.”
I smirk. “Yeah, well, have you told him how you feel? How you feel like you screwed up? Because right now all it sounds like is you two arguing, and it will cost you both the company.”
“I know I need to talk with him ... but he gets so insistent about integrity and morals, and it gets to be a bloody headache.”
I nod, knowing that Geoffrey has been dealing with Mum and Dad for years, and it isn’t fair. That isn’t how family works.
“I’m sorry for being an ass for so long,” I tell him.
“I know you are, dipshit.”
We don’t hug it out; instead, we cough stoically and look back up the driveway.
“We should go back to the house,” I say.
“Hey, speaking of houses. Maybe you can have Mum and Dad’s place above the King’s Diamond.”
“What do you mean?” I frown, not understanding.
“Mum and Dad’s place over their Vegas branch? You know about that right?”
“I have no fucking clue what you mean.”
“They bought it for you, but you never wanted to work for Dad. Apparently that was part of the reason they built it, as a surprise in case you ever went to work for Dad.”