Page 59 of Before You
What is going on?
Grayson scoffs, shutting his door. “Hayes, I’m volunteering. Tessa will understand, and I’m sure the girls are ready for us to give them a break. If you need it done tonight, I’ll get it done.” If my dad will listen to anyone, it’s Grayson.
“I can’t wait to fucking retire, but I hate this is Marley’s future. There’s no question she’ll thrive, but the fucking people. They make the job a thousand times harder than it needs to be,” Dad says, his shoulders drooping.
I know there’s nothing I can do to jump into the future, but I feel guilty I can’t take over the company yet. Dad’s given me everything and more, including supporting me when I told him I needed out of the city. It might not be my dream, but I want to do this for him.
“Have you thought about delegating more to Maddox? I’m sure he’d be happy to help more,” Grayson suggests, and Dad loosens his tie.
“No. His kids are young, and I can’t ask him to change his mind about taking on more until they’re in school. Maybe Dean had the right idea—getting out before he was in too deep.” Dad pauses and I can only imagine everything he’s leaving unsaid.
My uncles—Maddox and Dean—are half-brothers, and they’ve both worked for the family company at one point or another in their lives. My Uncle Maddox is currently the Chief Operating Officer, working as my father’s right-hand man until he becomes mine, but both of his kids are still under the age of five. I remember overhearing my parents talk about how Uncle Maddox told my dad he was afraid of missing out on time with his kids while they were young, and my dad promised him he wouldn’t have to.
My Uncle Dean was initially being groomed for the position prior to Uncle Maddox taking on the role when he abruptly quit to join the fire academy twenty years ago. I’ve always envied my Uncle Dean for making a choice to defy his birthright as a Benson in the way I’m afraid to let myself dream about. Sometimes, I think my father feels the same way.
“You could alwa—” Grayson starts to say before Dad levels him with a sharp look.
“No, and I don’t want Marley to know anything about this either. I’ll just plan on making more trips out here to help with the transition of the new head of this branch. At least there’s a bright side of getting to see my kid more.”
I hate seeing him like this, but what I hate even more is how he’s trying to shield me from it instead of letting me carry some of the load.
“It’s only a couple more years, right?” Dad asks, dragging his hands over his jaw.
Yeah, Dad. It’s only a couple more years.
I shut my car door loud enough for them to hear, plastering on a smile to pretend I didn’t hear everything they just said. Dad’s face lights up, but I see right through the exhaustion he’s trying to hide. “There’s my girl. How was the game?”
“It was super fun. JJ was a rockstar, but how was the visit to the branch today?” I ask, fishing a little to see if he’ll tell me.
Dad ruffles my hair. “It was fine, but why aren’t you inside? Did you go somewhere after the game?”
My cheeks flush because I’m an open book when it comes to JJ, and Grayson eyes me the same way Bria does. “You were with JJ, weren’t you?” he muses, and I can’t help smiling.
“We went to get some ice cream.” I steal a look at my dad to gauge what he’s thinking, but I can’t get a read on him. “What did you think of him?”
“He’s not good enough for you,” Dad answers, causing Grayson to snort.
“You never think anyone is good enough for me,” I counter as we start walking up the stairs.
“I liked him. I thought he held his own against the interrogation last night,” Grayson says, and I agree. I was mortified when Dad asked what his parents do, but I can admit I should’ve asked JJ sooner. I mean, I assumed his parents were wealthy based on his clothes and the second house in France, but I didn’t realize they were famous as well. He told me Mirabelle was engaged to a football player, but I didn’t think much about it.
“Hayes, you have to admit this kid is better than the previous asshole.”
I nod quickly. “Exactly. JJ’s a good guy.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Dad says stubbornly, but I have no doubt in my mind JJ will be able to win him over. He’s asucker when it comes to making me happy, and if JJ makes me happy—which he does—then I know Dad will learn to love him.
When we step into the apartment, Mom, Tessa, and Bria are sitting on the couch, staring at the door. “Finally! So?” Bria asks, nearly bouncing in her seat with anticipation.
“So, what?” I say, walking to get a glass of water from the kitchen.
“Oh, come on, we’ve been sitting here for over an hour waiting for you to get back to grill you on how it went with JJ,” Tessa says, patting the open spot on the couch next to her. Mom’s eyes are bright as she watches me, and it’s nice to have them rooting for him.
Dad groans, shrugging out of his blazer to sit on the other side of Mom. “I don’t want to hear about this.”
“Plug your ears then,” Tessa says, and Mom laughs.
“Okay, you two, play nice. Benson, just look at Marley. She’s practically glowing, and I want to hear what the young man did to make her so happy. You heard him talk about her last night—it was so sweet. I hope you haven’t forgotten what young love is like in your old age,” Mom teases, reaching for his hand. Instead, he wraps his arm around her, pulling her into him. He presses a kiss to her cheek, and I melt, watching them.
