I wet my lips. “That would be correct.”
We’re sitting on my front porch, beers in hand, as I break the news to my brothers that I not only fucked up, but I ROYALLY fucked up. I didn’t tell them yesterday after I saw Dave on the street, because honestly, I needed a second to process what the hell I’d gotten myself into. Now that I’ve had more than twenty-four hours to think about it, I realize that, yes, I’m going to need some assistance from my brothers to get me out of this one.
Breaker rests his beer on the armrest of his chair and asks, “What the hell were you thinking?”
I shrug. “I saw an opportunity, and without thinking, I took it.”
“Claiming your non-existent fiancée is pregnant with your child isn’t an opportunity, that’s a big fucking mistake. Dude, you have to have dinner with them in three days.”
I grip my hair and pull on it. “I know. Fuck, what am I going to do?”
“Uh, tell him the truth, that you’re a liar,” JP says.
“Because that’s going to secure the deal.” I roll my eyes. “I can’t do that. If I tell him I lied, our reputation is going to be tarnished. No one will want to work with us.”
“You couldn’t have thought about that before you went and made up a fake baby and fiancée?” Breaker asks. “Shit, man.”
Yeah, I fucking know.
I couldn’t sleep last night, because all I kept thinking about was how the hell I was going to get myself out of this situation. Honestly, I have no idea what came over me.
The property, yes, could be a huge profit for us, especially with what I’ve lined up idea-wise, but it’s not as if this deal will make or break the company. I think there’s just a part of me that needs to get what I can’t have. And that, right now, is those properties. I have my eyes set on them, and apparently, I’ll do just about anything to secure them.
Even if it means putting our business on the line.
And that made me feel sick to my stomach at three o’clock this morning. My brothers and I have built Cane Enterprises into the conglomerate it is today with a lot of hard work, a lot of right moves, and a lot of reinvesting.
That one little mistake yesterday—it could cost us all that hard work, especially if word gets around.
“Do you have any friends that are single women?” Breaker asks.
“I barely have time to hang out with you two; do you really think I have time to nurture a friendship with a woman?”
“Hey.” Breaker holds up his hands. “Don’t get snarky with me. You’re the one who came up with this great fucking idea.”
Sighing, I stand from my chair and set down my beer.
“What are you doing?” JP asks.
“Going for a walk. I need to clear my head.”
“Fine,” Breaker says, standing as well. “I’m going to order food while you do that. And you know what? I’m getting fucking ice cream too, because this is one of those ice cream moments.”
“Cookies and cream, dude. I’ve been craving it,” JP says as they both go into the house.
I jog down the few steps from my porch to my sidewalk and head out toward the street. I use the door in the guard gate, rather than having to open the entire gate, and then turn right.
It’s just past six. I came home early, because I couldn’t stand sitting at the office any longer than I had to today, and it’s because on my computer screen, in big bold letters, was an e-vite to Dave Toney’s house for dinner with the missus. Yup . . . the missus.
It was a bleeding reminder of how I lost my damn mind yesterday. At the age of thirty-five, you’d think I’d have the ability to stay more . . . calm, but that wasn’t the case. The pressure got to me.
Maybe it’s because I feel the need to be the best. Turning thirty-five has made me realize that I’m still young and have so much potential, and if I continue to make the deals I’m making, we could easily become the youngest billionaires in the business.
Money shouldn’t be a motivator, but hell, the prestige of it is.
I grip the back of my neck in frustration. Dad is probably looking down at me, laughing his ass off, thinking I got myself into one hell of a situation this time. Growing up, even though I was the oldest, I was also the troublemaker, the one who pushed the limits. Not the typical firstborn personality, but I’d push and push and push until I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and Dad would just sit back and laugh while I attempted to become unstuck. I always succeeded, but this time around, I’m not so sure I’ll be able to.
I’ve performed my fair share of miracles, but finding a woman to fall in love with me, accept my proposal, and get pregnant in three days seems like a bit of a stretch.
If only a girl could just fall right in my lap, willing and ready to go through this ruse with me. Someone, anyone . . .
I turn the corner and almost run straight into a confused ball of brunette.
“Oh, sorry,” I apologize as I grip both of her arms to keep her from toppling over into the grass.
“Hey, watch where you’re going,” she snaps at me while pulling away.
“Jesus,” I say, holding my hands up. “It was an accident.”
She steadies herself and then adjusts her long, brown ponytail. I quickly take her in. She’s a small thing, petite, head barely reaches my chin. Her skin has that California glow to it that tells me she has time to hit up the beach or pool, and the definition in her arms makes me believe she has time to go to the gym as well. Probably some housewife out for a walk, trying to get her steps in before the husband comes home from a late night at the office.
When she turns to face me, though, hell . . . I’m struck in the goddamn chest as her light green eyes meet mine. A seafoam color, so light that it’s almost startling against her natural, thick black lashes.
Damn.
Her eyes quickly roam my body and then meet mine again, but this time, she’s not hostile, more . . . frustrated.
“Sorry, I’m just . . . ugh, I’m lost. And I shouldn’t be telling a complete stranger I’m lost because that’s an invitation to take advantage of me. But my phone died, and I can’t remember which way to go.”
“Oh, so you don’t live around here?”
She scoffs. “I’m wearing four-year-old leggings from Target. Trust me, I don’t live around here.” And then, as if she remembers something, she says, “Uh, I mean, I’m from here. I, uh . . . I’m posh and all those things.” With a deep exhale, her shoulders slump and she rests her hands on her hips. “Who am I kidding? This was a stupid-ass idea, and now I’m lost and hungry and my mom is going to call the cops if I don’t come home soon.”
Oh shit, how old is this girl? I assumed old enough to look at, but if her mom is worried . . .
“Being that it’s a school night, I can see why she’d be worried,” I say. “You can use my phone if you want.”
She stands taller. “School night? How old do you think I am?”
I grip the back of my neck. “I don’t know. You said your mom would be worried.”
“Because she’s an overprotective mother and I’m a twenty-eight-year-old loser who gets lost in a rich neighborhood while trying to find a rich husband.”
“What?” I laugh.
“Uh-huh.” She folds her arms over her chest, which props up her breasts in that already spectacular sports bra. “Tried to look for a rich husband today. Not a gold digger, though, if that’s what you’re thinking. Just seeking revenge for a high school reunion. You know the deal.”
“I’m unfamiliar with needing to find a rich husband.”
“So, you’re not gay?”
My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. This girl holds nothing back. “Do I seem gay?”
“I mean, if you want to lay down stereotypes, then, no, you look more like an alpha asshole you might find in the boardroom. It’s the haircut and watch.”
I glance down at my watch and then back at her. The watch is really expensive. “I get the alpha in the boardroom, but why the asshole?”
She scans me, her nose scrunches, and she says, “Your cologne. Smells too good. Nice guys never smell that good.”