Page 76 of My Lord
“I thought you hated each other?”
“We do, and it’s a shame he wasn’t there. You would have gotten to see the veryunwelcomewelcome.” He laughed and we headed back to his house.
That evening we sat with two lawyers and went through what was needed for Mackenzie to offload the two businesses. Paperwork was drawn up and it was left to them to finalise. Mackenzie received a call from his ex-father-in-law and without it being on speaker, I could hear the shouting and swearing. It appeared that he couldn’t afford to buy Mackenzie’s shares and he didn’t want anyone else in the business.
“I imagine that you’re feeling very much like my father did when you took that factory from him. I don’t care if you can afford to buy my shares or not. They’re for sale, and whoever buys them, you’ll have to workfor.”
He disconnected the call. He had mentioned to his lawyers a couple of businessmen he wanted them to approach, with a view to selling to them. He ran through the details with me. It seemed a very poor decision, and would not net Mackenzie anywhere near the worth of his shares, but there was no convincing him. This was a pure revenge deal and it worried me a little.
“Why, Mackenzie?” I asked when we were alone.
“He nearly killed my father and he didn’t care, Alex. He made my life hell for years, making me beholden to him. He’s as illegal as it comes where business is concerned, so don’t feel sorry for him.”
“I don’t. I worry about you. Getting rid of these shares means letting go of that vendetta once and for all,” I said.
He smiled. “I know. I’m finally ready to. On that business, anyway.” He smirked leaving me with the impression the ex-father-in-law had other businesses that Mackenzie ‘owned.’
I wasn’t aware of all the details surrounding his relationship with his ex-wife and her family, only what Gabriella had said, and the small things he had shared, but it did seem to be a vendetta that had been going on for years.
It was nice to spend a couple of days with Mackenzie on our own and although stillat workwe had plenty of time to chat. We drove to various places so he could show me where he went to school, where he lived in the past. We visited his father and it was very clear there was a fractious relationship there that both seemed desperate to repair but didn’t know how. Finally, we had a fleeting visit with Mrs. Collingsworth.
Gabriella was stunning, and it was so easy to see where she got those genes.
“Let me introduce Alex. He and Gabriella are an item, as such,” Mackenzie said as we were greeted at the front door. I wasn’t sureIwould have liked to hear it in that way and by the raised eyebrows, neither had Mrs. Collingsworth.
“Well, if you are an itemas such, you ought to come on in and explain yourself,” she said. I caught the twinkle in her eye and the slight wink to Mackenzie.
I’d never met a more wonderful woman, other than her daughter, of course. She was gracious, regal, welcoming, and so veryproper. She loved that I was a Lord and peppered me with questions about who I knew and whether I was related to royalty or not. We drank iced tea, something that wasn’t quite to my taste, and we ate dainty sandwiches. Save for the cold drink, it could have been a traditional British afternoon tea.
When it was time to leave, she insisted on speaking with Gabriella on the telephone. I had offered to FaceTime, but she wasn’t having any of that. She assured Gabriella that she hadn’t frightened me off, she didn’t believe, and that I was a charming English gentleman, the likes of which she wished her daughter had met a long time ago. Gabriella’s sighs were loud, and I laughed.
“Now, Alex. I don’t likeas suchor evensort ofrelationships,” she said.
I took her hand and raised it to my lips. I bowed and kissed her hand, clicking my feet together. “I can assure you, Mrs. Collingsworth. I am very much in a relationship with your daughter.”
She blushed, waved her hand in front of her face and swooned. Her housekeeper rolled her eyes and Mackenzie laughed. We left the house.
“Does that work all the time?” he asked.
“Yep.”
The drive back to the house to collect our things before leaving for the airport filled me with sadness. “I don’t know how you can leave this place, honestly, I don’t,” I said, looking out at the ocean as we drove past.
“It’s not easy but, for the minute, London is where I want to be.”
“Because of…?”
He shook his head and sighed. “I love my home, well, technically still my father’s house, but I still get that pang of hurt that I was forced to leave it. I hate LA and my apartment is up for sale now. If I was to come back it would be to the beach house but only once I’ve got someone to share it with.”
“Maybe we need to trade places for a little while. You do London and I do here,” I said, waving my arm at the ocean and laughing.
“That might not be a bad idea one day,” he replied.
Chapter Fifteen
I slept for a straight nineteen hours, so Gabriella told me. I woke stiff and uncomfortable, hot, and with a fuzzy head. Gabriella was bustling in the kitchen and I smelled coffee. I rose from the bed and walked, naked, to wrap my arms around her from behind.
“Back in the land of the living, are you?” she asked, laughing.
