Uncut (Unexpected Book 4) (65 page)

I
t’s called masochism, the pleasure of reading about the people who once meant so much, even when it hurts. I look at the Instagram picture of Matthew Decker and Aggie Levitz one more time. So far I haven’t seen any source refer to her as Thea Dennis, or as rumor has it, Thea Bradley. They’re getting engaged, soon they’ll marry, and . . . I’m okay with that, because I chose my own path.

#nestisready soon moving in with the love of my life #s2bfiancee #SKIA #MJDecker off the market
.

“Is everything all right, Son?” I look up from my computer and find my father entering the office.

“Yeah, found an engagement announcement that . . . I wasn’t expecting this soon.” I swallow my heart.

“That man you were dating?” My eyes widen, because even though our relationship isn’t as brittle as it used to be, we’ve never discussed my personal life. I nod. “You know, the heart attack wasn’t because of what your sister sent me. I had too much pressure building up inside me and nothing was working the way I wanted.”

“I hope you’re happy with the direction Cooperson Corporation is taking,” I say, changing the subject.

“Yes, I always knew you’d do the right thing with the company. About your other choices . . .” His gaze drops, then lifts again. He releases a deep breath and says, “It’s hard for me to understand that you’re not who I wanted you to be. But in some ways, I think you’re better. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to understand your personal preferences, but I promise I’m going to try to accept whoever you choose to spend your life with.”

I hand him over the phone with the picture of Thea and Matt. “They’re great. Appearances are deceiving, Father. They’re smart, sweet, and loving.”

“You were with both?” I nod. He shakes his head. “That’s not . . . easy to grasp,” he says, instead of condemning my choice. “I hope you find someone someday, Son.”

Father has changed in the past months. From angry to depressed, and now he’s different. I don’t know if it’s our daily contact, or the near-death experience. Whatever happened has transformed him and I think I like the new version of Charles Cooperson. Change is good; maybe someday my love life will change and I’ll find happiness.

“What's going to happen to us, Tristan?” Fey’s whiney voice drills through my ears. I look down at her ankle and smirk.

The poor useless child. She hasn't realized she's a grown woman who should be responsible for herself. Except, for the next twenty-four months she’s under house arrest and my parents’ responsibility. According to Mason, Thea decided that maybe living under the same roof with her parents would teach her something—or at least torture her.

I press a few keys, turn my screen toward her, and point at the results. “According to the HR database, you're not an employee. The move shouldn't affect you.”

“I should take over the company, Father, not him.” My sister stomps her foot as she glares at her father.

My sister has no fucking idea what she's talking about. I'm saving the company and jobs by taking charge of it. A few hundred agreed to move with their families to Kirkland, Washington. I'm leaving a few departments functioning in Connecticut. Father and I agreed that to save it, we had to transform it completely. Bring it into this century and sell some assets. Part of the changes included the relocation and leadership with a different philosophy. Our company will lead with diversity. Embracing, supporting, and appreciating our employees no matter their race, religion, or gender. And we’ll make sure that the corporation puts emphasis on supporting our LGBT employees. We’ll donate funds to different non-profit communities that help members of the LGBT community.

“Shut up, Fey,” Father says, slamming his palm against the desk. “I'm tired of you and your selfishness. If you're worried about money, you have a trust fund. That should cover you for the rest of your life. As for the company, it's now Tristan’s.”

“I think this is all I needed from you, Father.” I start shutting everything down, placing the documents he signed to switch the bank accounts under my name back into my portfolio. “After I pack, I’m heading to the offices to make sure everything is ready to shut down here by the end of the month.”

“The wire transfer?”

“I made sure the funds posted on your account, Father.” I take out a copy of the transfer and a screenshot of his bank account with the new balance. Lately I’ve felt as if I’m his financial advisor of some sorts. Closing investment accounts, selling shit. “After the office I’m heading to the airport. My flight leaves at six.”

“We’ll be in touch, Tristan. Call before you leave and have a nice trip.” Father bows lightly.

I nod, getting closer to him and giving him a quick hug. “As soon as I find a place in Seattle, I’ll let you know. Maybe you can come visit the new offices once we’re all settled. See you around.”

Walking through the cold hallways of my childhood house I wonder why they never placed pictures of our childhood. Mother only hung art or big family portraits taken by whoever was the
it
photographer at the time. The five of us wearing expensive clothing and looking pristine. The Deckers have thousands of pictures of their children when they’re babies all the way to now. They’re messy, fun, candid pictures of the entire family.

As I enter my old room, I promise myself this will be the last time I travel east. The corner of my lip tugs as my phone rings and I see his picture. Matt’s. But it drops immediately because it’s a picture of him hugging Thea. Those were the days, the best days.

“Decker?” I respond, wondering why he’d call. The last time we saw each other felt as if everything between us was over. Now . . . I scratch my head and ask, “How can I help you?”

“The Silver Moon.” I frown, walking toward my laptop bag to pack it. What does he want with it? “You haven’t done much with the place. I want to finish building it and open it for business—soon.”

I run my hands through my hair and wait for him to say more, or for what he just said to settle in. Is he asking if we’re back in business, or . . . ? No, I won’t assume. “Ah, you want an update,” I say, convincing myself that this is why he called. My business partner wants to know the status of our venture. “As you know, I had a family emergency, but I have all in place to continue—”

“No, I want to buy it from you.” His husky voice on the other side of the line feels like an arrow going through my heart.

“Wait.” I barely recognize the sound of my desperate voice. “You can’t . . . We’re partners. Everything is in place. Don’t you get it?” No, of course he doesn’t because to him I’m just a fucking asshole who couldn’t take the heat. Without adding more to our conversation, I continue, “I’m closer now and I can work on it. If it’s because you don’t want anything to do with me, then sell me your part.”

“Does it matter what I want with you, Tristan?” His gruff voice deafens me. I walk around my room, wondering how to stop this shit. “The Silver Moon matters to my family. It was my idea to acquire it. I deserve to have it, not you.”

Wow. Suddenly I feel like instead of bickering over the custody of a dog or a pet fish, the fallout of our relationship includes arguing over who gets the Silver Moon. How very us. “That’s the only thing I have left, Matthew.” My voice trembles. He can’t be doing this to me. My mind searches for something, a way to find strength, to stop him. Because in truth, I’d give him whatever he wants. I’ll even give up my life for him—or give up the woman I love. But this, giving him that piece of us is like giving them up for good. “The fucking Silver Moon.”

He laughs on the other side of the line, not his easy-to-love laugh either. An angry chuckle that delivers a few punches to my gut. “Fuck, Coop,” he growls. “You’re the same selfish prick. To think that Thea—”

“How is Thea?” I couldn’t help it. At the mere mention of her name, I have to ask about her. To know how she’s doing. If she’s happy. If they’re happy. He doesn’t answer. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, by the way. When are you tying the knot?”

“Gotta go, Cooperson,” he mutters.

The phone goes silent, but I don’t move my arm for several seconds waiting for . . . I don’t know what, but I wait.

“Thea is the name of your hippie friend, right?” Mom’s voice unfreezes my entire body. I hadn’t realized she was in my room.

I nod, and start packing my shit. “She’s a counselor, has a Ph.D., and she’s the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet.”

Mom entwines her fingers and places the tips on top of her chin. “How do I explain that I only want the best for you?”

“She’s the best for me.” I level my gaze with hers. “I had the best relationship. I lost it because it was for the best.” I defend my former relationship to her for the first time. “Not many people are lucky enough to find the person who they belong to. We—Thea, Matt, and I—belong to each other. I
love
Thea
and
Matt.” The time hasn’t erased my love for either one. I doubt that I’ll ever feel that way again.

Mother gasps, covering her mouth. “Tristan.”

“I’m deeply in love with Thea, but I also love a man, Mother. That doesn’t make me a bad person. It makes me Tristan Benoit Cooperson. That’s who I am. No labels,” I clarify.

I go back to packing. The thick air of this house is choking me.

“That’s not normal, Tristan.”

“I don’t know if it’s normal or not, but it would be great if for once you tried to understand. Circumstances, your nasty daughter, and life took them away from me, but if one day I find someone it’ll be great if you supported me no matter what. Be a mother for once.” I close my luggage placing it on the floor. “Not the judgmental woman you’ve become. It’s sad that my ex-boyfriend’s family accepted me, and made me feel a part of them.”

I look around the room making sure nothing stays behind, then give one last glance to my mother. “Father changed. I hope you do the same someday.”

“Goodbye, Tristan,” she says without any other comment or a gesture of love.

I’m tempted to give her a hug but talk myself out of it. There’s no point to pine for what’s never meant to be. “Goodbye, Mother.”

After going through airport security, I head to the Frequent Flyer Lounge to wait for my plane and to call Pria.

“Tristan?” she answers.

I close my eyes, concentrating on my goals, disregarding what Matt wants from me. To sell him my part of the Silver Moon. Fuck, I’m a grown man and the rage of not being able to fix this fast is filling my entire body with sadness and misery.

“Hey, I am at the airport,” I inform her, taking a seat. “All is set and en route. The moving trucks left early today. Wanted to see if you have a minute to talk next steps?”

Noises of doors closing fill the long pause. “You’re giving an exclusive interview to the Seattle Daily. The day after, we hold a press conference in your new offices where you deliver the speech I helped you write. The concept was great, but I added a few punches to make sure we let everyone know what Cooperson Corporation is all about.”

We’re about bringing more jobs to the city, equality, support, and family. The company could’ve stayed in Hartford, but I chose to move it to where I belong. Taking the right direction to find my way home to them. While in Hartford, I’ve been visiting a therapist twice a week and it’s been great. I never would’ve given therapy another chance had it not been for Thea. He’s helped guide me to a place where I accept myself. Coming to terms with who I am, what I like, who I love, and realizing I’m responsible for my future. For now I’m committed to proving I’m a different man, that I’ve finished my first journey, and am opening myself up to my next one. If I’m lucky, that journey will be with them.