Page 86 of Wild King

Salem throws her arms around me in congratulations as I sit there stunned at this third announcement. Me? The head of King Industries. Well, interim head but the head all the same.

That my brother trusts me after what happened means more than he will ever know. When that Gina business first hit the news and my brothers all thought I was some fuck up who couldn’t handle his life, all I could think was how much I was disappointing everyone. Now he’s saying he wants me to take over for him.

I nod, still in shock at his offer. “Of course, I will. Thank you for trusting me.”

“You’re the only person in the company I trust more than myself. I know you’ll handle things while I’m gone, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that,” Matthias says.

Ava waves us all toward the doorway and announces, “Okay, that’s all the news. Now it’s time to eat!”

Marius and Ronan congratulate me, and all I can do is smile. It’s been a hell of a year, but finding out I’ll begin the new year as the head of King Industries is more than I ever dreamed of.

I turn to look at Salem and see tears in her eyes. “I’m so proud of you, Kellen.”

Taking her in my arms, I kiss her and whisper against her lips, “You get a good part of the credit for this. If you hadn’thelped me, I don’t think Matthias would have ever thought of putting me in charge.”

“I just clean up messes. You did all the important work. I’m so happy for you. I know you’re going to do an incredible job.”

I kiss her again and then realize the biggest change that’s going to come from this. “I guess I’m going to have to work out of the office now.”

She smiles and points at my tie. “Oh, it’s even worse than that. You’re going to have to be a guy who wears suits to work every day.”

There’s a sobering thought. I started the year screwing up royally and end it by becoming the big boss wearing a suit.

What a year, and there’s still a month left to this one.

As Salem and I walk toward where the rest of the group has gone to eat in the kitchen, I wonder if I should really shoot for the moon this year. I am crazy in love with her. Maybe we should make an announcement tonight.

Maybe next year.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Kellen

“Are your eyes closed? No peeking,”I say in Salem’s ear.

She nods and turns to face me to show she’s squeezing her eyes shut. “They’re closed. Come on! Let me see.”

“Okay. One, two, three, open your eyes!”

I watch as Salem finally gets her first look at the house Theo left me. It’s the first time since he died that I think I can handle visiting this place, and I couldn’t do it if Salem wasn’t with me. As she ooohs and ahhhs at how great it is, I look around and remember the last time I was here with him.

It was a just a month before he died in that crash. We sat in the living room drinking twelve year old scotch and smoking some cigars one of his crew got him. The two of us laughed our asses off as we talked about all those good times we had growing up.

We thought we had the rest of our lives to enjoy moments like that. He was excited about the upcoming race that wouldend up taking his life, and I was just happy to be hanging out with my favorite brother.

Salem nudges my arm to get my attention. With a smile, she asks in a soft voice, “Hey, you okay? I know this must be hard for you. We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“I do. I want to stay. Theo loved this place. It was our parents’ house, but after my mother died, my father rarely came back here. I didn’t see it for a long time, until Theo got it in my father’s will. It wasn’t his style at all, but I think it reminded him of when we were young.”

“It reminds me of Matthias and Ava’s house, to be honest.”

I smile, knowing exactly what she means. “My mother decorated that house and this one, so it’s not surprising.”

Salem walks through the foyer into the living room and looks back at me. “I love the white crown molding and the white wainscotting against the royal blue walls. It’s very classic in style.”

Looking around now, I notice so many things that say my mother cared about this house. “She loved a clean look, but midcentury and minimalist weren’t her thing. Classic is the perfect way to describe her choices. Classic and clean.”

I follow Salem as she walks across the foyer into the formal dining room with the same white crown molding and wainscotting but against deep red walls. “I’m surprised your brother kept a room like this with a dining table big enough for your entire family.”