Page 111 of The Grand Duel
“Not too old, remember, Charles.”
He flashes a forced smile, his mind not fully with me. “Not too old,” he confirms.
I can’t help but wish I’d never asked for the trauma dump. But the fact this man, who seems to barely give an inch at the best of times, chose to tell me—although it’s left me with a million questions—I’ll take it.
“The kids would love it. The boat,” he says.
I nod, thinking about the pictures in his office. “How old are they?”
“Ellis—that’s Mason’s son, he’s three. And Waverley—we call her Ave, is nearly two.”
“Is Waverley Elliot Montgomery’s?”
“No.Aveis Scarlet and Lance’s child.”
“Scar. I’ve heard you mention her before. And the Lance situation,” I say, remembering Edna’s efforts to get him away on this trip.
Things start to click in my mind as he nods once.
“Yeah, the Lance situation.”
The one in prison.
“Your friends’ children mean a lot to you,” I say, sensing it.
“They’re at the top of the list of reasons I get out of bed in the morning.”
I smile. “That’s…pretty special.”
“They are.”
“But you wouldn’t want children of your own?”
He thinks on it for a moment before eventually saying, “When I was younger, I’d have told you I wanted many. When it’s what’s done, it’s what you do.”
“Like a rite of passage. Job, marriage, kids.”
“Exactly,” he agrees. “Only the job…it hardened me, showed me the worst of the world and then kept me from it. Children would make me as a man, I know that, but the want for them seems almost selfish, and I’m not sure that’s a reason to bring a life into the world.”
I stand paralysed, my heart pounding. My lips move before I can even process the thought that threatens. “I wish my parents had that mindset when considering bringing me into the world.”
His frown reminds me of where I am. Of what I’ve just said.
“Sorry.” I turn towards the bar and close my eyes, willing myself to shove the emotions all the way back down.
“Lissie,” he says, his hand smoothing across my back.
I swallow and tip my head up, his body close, bringing me a comfort I want to grasp tightly in my hands. “I know that was a stupid thing to say.”
His blue eyes pierce through me. “Did you mean it?”
I roll my bottom lip under my top, trying to ready the lie, but the way he’s looking at me…I drop my eyes and turn towards the bar, catching the attention of the staff member. “Could I get two more tequilas, please?”
When I turn and hand Charles one, his eyes still burn into me. “It’s okay, Charles, I made it out of the womb and have been thriving ever since.” A lie. I clink the shot glass to his and down it. “I think we’re toeing the line of needing therapy instead of that five we were going for.” I nod towards the shot in his hand, and he downs it.
I slip my arm through his and play the dutiful assistant. “Let’s go get you that boat.”
I lead the way to our seats and find our name placements.