Page 781 of One More Kiss

Nicholas

After hearingthe weight that Riley had on her shoulders, there was no way I could walk away and do nothing to help her. So, I did the only thing I could. I paid for her father’s surgery. It was the right thing to do. All this time I thought she had no interest in me and was some hard-nosed, pissy-brat. But the truth is, she’s just a girl working her ass off to care for her parents. God knows, if there was something I could have done to save my mother, I would have. I completely understand her passion and need to be there for her parents.

Now that I’m waist-deep into things with Riley, I figure it’s time to enlighten my family on what has taken place and how I plan to fix it. During my drive home from the hospital, I call my father and William and ask them to meet me at my house for a family meeting. Sure, my father will be a little upset at the initial blow of hearing it all, but ultimately, he will understand. The idea of disappointing him is not one I want to think about.

Not long after I make it home, my father and William arrive. William has a rough idea of what this is about, but he does not know how deep it all goes. My father, on the other hand, is clueless. He enters the house full of piss and vinegar.

“Son, what is this all about? What was so important that you had to call a family meeting, right now?”

“Pops, please sit down and listen.” I pour myself a drink and take a sip of the dark liquor.

“Well, give me a drink or something, would you? Somehow I think I’m going to need one.”

“Yeah, Pops.” William can’t help himself. He has to throw in a jab. “You are definitely going to need one when you hear this.”

“Thank you, William, thank you. I got it!” I say. “Just shut up a minute and let me explain everything.”

“Fine... fine... I’ll shut up.”

I pin him with a stare and take my father’s favorite whiskey out of the cabinet. We all sit down and sip on it while I tell them everything that has happened over the past few days. True to form, my father is upset at the compromising position I’ve put the company in. However, he appreciated the plan that I came up with to correct the problem.

I know my fuck-up is a colossal blow for my father, so I don’t bother snitching on William and his frolicking. I decide to give him time to smooth that problem out on his own, for now.

Neither is bothered I paid for Riley’s father’s surgery. We’re rich, so the loss of thirty-thousand dollars is of no concern to them.

“I have a suggestion, and it’s merely for the protection of both the company and Riley. But if word gets out to anyone about us paying her father’s medical bills, then we will call it an act of goodwill in the community, or a company donation to an employee in need. Something of that nature.”

“Great idea, Pops.”

I lay out my thoughts and plans. Surprisingly, not only does my father like the plan, but so does William. I plan to have Riley lead the new team at the recently acquired company and remove myself from that branch. Technically, the new company would not be Brooks Enterprises, which would mean I’ve not broken any policies by sleeping with any of our employees.

My father sips his whiskey and gives me a pleasing head nod. William keeps quiet and watches our interaction.

“Okay, son, I like it. I don’t like the position you put this family and the company in, but I like how you figured out a way to make things right.”

He looks over at William and says, “You could learn a lot from your brother.”

William rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his whiskey.

“Now, before I leave, is there anything else I need to know? Do either of you have anything else that you need to tell me?”

William and I answer him in the same manner when we say, “No.”

“Has either of you stuck your dicks into anyone else that works for this company? Tell me now, so I don’t end up having a heart attack if there is some breaking news later on.”

William and I dart a quick look at one another, and again shake our heads.

“No, Pop, nothing more.”

We are both lying through our teeth, and my father knows it. He lets us have our lie, most likely because he knows it will come back to bite us later. William holds on to his little secret, and I don’t rat him out. One, we’re brothers, and two, we aren’t kids. If he wants our father to know something, he’ll tell him when the time is right.

“Okay then, that’s it. Are we all clear on what needs to happen? You boys can take care of this, right?”

“Right,” William answers.

I have one more thing that I want to tell him about.

“Uh, well… Pop, there is one other thing.”

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