How to Resist Prince Charming(72)

“That your father was going to return? Did you realize your presidency over this company was only temporary?”

“No,” Braxton answered. He shrugged. “I mean, as far as we were concerned, Savannah was never going to recover. I came here on the contingency I might stay forever.”

“But you knew if your sister did get better, Spencer would come back?”

Braxton gave a slight nod. “Yeah, I knew,” he admitted. “That’s why he wanted it to be me who took over. Before I started at Farris, we made a deal. I would run the company as I saw fit, like it was going to be mine permanently. But if he ever had the opportunity to return, he would.”

He jammed his hands into his pockets and stared down at his feet. “He had to leave. My mom couldn’t stay with Savannah by herself anymore. Dad wanted to be with them, but he couldn’t give up all hope of losing Farris Industries either. He wanted to come back if he ever could.”

Braxton shrugged. “It wouldn’t have been so easy for him, at his age, to return to the work force and try to start fresh somewhere else. He needed this position held for him.” Looking almost bashful, he added, “Since I’m young...well, it’ll be easy for me to find work somewhere else. And it’s not like Dad wouldn’t let me stay here if I needed a job.”

Tom studied the man who had secretly dated his daughter for months. A strange tightness bound his chest.

It was pride.

“Plus you knew you had a secure position waiting for you at ProTech,” he said.

When Braxton froze, Tom sighed. “I didn’t realize you’d worked there before you came here. But Pat just explained how you’d helped your friend start that company.”

Silence was the only answer Braxton gave.

“You got Lenna her job,” Tom murmured as it really struck him. “Her dream job.”

Braxton met his gaze dead on. “No.” He shook his head. “I only mentioned her name for an interview. She got her own job.”

Tom swallowed. “Are you going to have her fired so you can go back there? You could, couldn’t you?”

Braxton eyes frosted. “Jesus, Tom, you really think I’m that *, don’t you? No, I’m not going to have your daughter fired. I can find somewhere else to work.”

Tom swallowed. He sent Braxton a nod full of approval and apology. “I’m sorry, I just...I can’t...You...”

“God, will you just spit it out so you can leave?”

“It was all just...” Tom coughed. He couldn’t look the kid in the eye. “Everything you did was so altruistic and...and generous. The fact that you would sacrifice so much for your family...and then for my daughter—”

Braxton lifted a hand. “You know, I don’t want you to suddenly start liking me.” He blinked rapidly as if he had something in his eye. “For you to approve of me now would be the ultimate insult.”

“Braxton,” Tom said, apology thick in his voice.

But Braxton bulldozed over him before Tom could continue. “I’m sure Dad will want to see the progress you’ve made on the Trevis account. You might want to get a report together for him to read once he gets here on Monday.”

With that, he brushed past Tom but stopped in the doorway. When he spun back around, Tom knew he was going to let it all out now.

“When I was younger, I came here one day with Dad, but he was too busy to let me play in his office. You let me come into yours, though, while you talked on the phone. I sat on your desk, which my dad never let me do, and I swung my legs back and forth as I ate from a mini bag of potato chips you’d found for me in your desk.”

Braxton shook his head slowly. “I remember thinking I wanted to be cool, just like you.” Lifting his face, he met Tom’s gaze. “I don’t want to be like you anymore.”

Tom fell into the visitor’s chair, defeated. “I don’t blame you any,” he rumbled out humbly.

“Jesus, Tom.” Braxton’s voice cracked. “What did I do to make you hate me so much? I was just trying to be a good son.”

“I know.” Hell, now Tom’s voice was breaking up too. “I know that now. But I didn’t—”

“And you didn’t think to give me the benefit of the doubt?” Braxton demanded.

“I’m sorry.”

“And Lenna?” the kid pressed, his devastated pleading blue eyes demanding answers. “I know we shouldn’t have kept it a secret. That was probably the biggest mistake I ever made, but damn it. That didn’t make it any less real. It didn’t mean that I didn’t care—”

He turned so Tom couldn’t see his face. “Why did you take her away from me?”

Tom didn’t think his answer through. He just said, “Because she’s mine.”

Braxton spun back, his gaze flashing with fury. “No. She belongs to no one, and she didn’t deserve what you did to her.” He balled his hand into a fist. But instead of saying anything or acting, he rushed from the room.

Tom blew out a guilty breath.

How ironically everything had ended. He finally approved of Braxton Farris...after he’d already destroyed the man’s life and ripped him away from the girl he loved.





CHAPTER 26