Page 55 of One Last Time?
“I’m sorry. I am. I truly am.” He apologized with a sincerity I hadn’t seen before. “I want you to work for me. Damn it… I want you to workwithme.With me,Dylan. Notforme. Because it wasn’t Patterson Inc. Peter hired for these two-million-dollar gigs. We got all of that because of you. I’m man enough to admit that, and it’s fair, so I want you to work with me as my business partner, and not someone I’m looking to fill Tommy’s shoes. No one can fill his shoes, and no one can fill yours either.”
Dad pulled in a deep breath. “Company aside, I want you to be my son.My son. I overreacted yesterday. I absolutely did. I freaked out because the last time something bad happened, it crippled me. I thought of the opportunity Peter has given us, and I freaked when I thought of what could happen if things go to hell. I never factored in that you could be genuinely serious about Taylor. So, please, stay and work with me if you want, but if you decide to go… Don’t stop being my son. I lost Tommy, and I will never get him back. I don’t want to lose you too. Not for something as trivial as the company.”
I looked at him long and hard, contemplating his words. His eyes pleaded with me and reached into my heart.
“I won’t stop being your son, Dad. I can’t stop being that. I never planned to. It’s just this place…” I stopped and thought about it, and I realized that was exactly what I needed to do.Think about it. “I’ll think about staying. Right now, I need to see Taylor.”
I’d told him a lot more than I’d told her. It was time to fix that.
Dad nodded. “Okay, I understand. And thanks for considering staying… Know that if you decide to come back through these doors, it will be as my business partner.”
I had to admit that did have a good ring to it.
Dad put out his hand to shake mine. I took it and shook his hand.
“Thank you,” I told him. Now, it was time to find Taylor.
Chapter 18
Taylor
* * *
Dad took me for a late lunch, and we spent time talking the way we used to when I was little.
I then thought it was best to come home. I didn’t want to go back to the office and not see Dylan there. I came home, grabbed a notebook, and sat out by the pool jotting down my ideas.
Ideas I’d had forever that I’d always wanted to implement at the company.
I couldn’t believe I now had the chance. It was amazing, and I relished the fact that I was now the owner of Cartwright PR.
Cartwright PR, the billion-dollar company that did so much. It was its own empire. I owned it, and I was going to take it places. I would take it to some amazing places that would exceed everything it had ever done.
I was thinking of liaising more with the marketing company and working more with my sisters. I’d be the first to point out the roles they had weren’t like mine, and they probably liked it that way, but I knew they’d love the chance to work with me. Us together as a team could do wonders. I wanted to do more charity events. Justmore.
I wrote down some good stuff. All things that kept my mind distracted.
When Abby came out to the terrace, she distracted me further. She had another pink box in her hand and a glass of lemonade.
“You’re home.” I smiled at her.
“I am. Thought you might need me,” she bubbled.
I’d messaged her this morning and told her what happened with Dylan. “Thank you for coming back.”
She laughed. “Taylor, I live here.”
“I know, but come on, you guys are never here.”
“Well, that’s about to change soon. I’ve decided I need to take a look at my life and change a few things.” She sat on the chair opposite me.
“Like what?”
“No more fun guys. I mean, I want a fun guy, just not these assholes who want to spend one night with me. I want someone for more than a night, or a week. So, I am home, and I won’t be attracting the wrong kind of attention anymore.”
This would be interesting coming from my sex-crazed, man-crazy sister. Between her and Mia, I wasn’t sure which was worse. Maybe it was Mia now, since she wasn’t here, and I doubted she’d be back tonight.
“I’m sure you will find someone worthy of you.” I nodded, although I could think of one guy who would tick the box for her in every way. “Abby, just a thought… Please don’t get mad. Have you ever thought of maybe, just maybe, Gilly could be that guy you’re looking for?”
