“My focus has been on my family’s business,” Ryan added.
“Yes, of course. However, when your grandmother retires, what’s to stop the four brothers from breaking up the company or selling it? They could all go their separate ways, and we’d be stuck with a deal we don’t want,” Mr. LaMont said.
To my mind, they could break up or sell if they were married too, but I supposed he was thinking that with wives and families, the Strong brothers would have a greater sense of duty to pass on the business to their children.
Ryan sat for a moment. Standing next to him, and watching him, I wondered what was going on through his head. Neither he nor his brothers had any marriage prospects that I was aware of. His father was widowed, but he’d not been involved with the company for many years. Since long before I started even.
“You don’t need to worry about the family ownership of the company ending with my generation. I fully intend to have my children involved.”
Mr. LaMont smiled. “Yes, but you have no children, unless I’m unaware of them.”
“I don’t have them yet,” Ryan admitted.
“Nor a wife. In fact, my research suggests you don’t go out much.”
Researching potential business partners was par for the course, but I imagined it was still creepy for Ryan to know Mr. LaMont had delved into his life.
Ryan’s jaw tightened. “I work. I’m married to my company. That should count for something.”
Mr. LaMont’s expression suggested he wasn’t sold.
Ryan glanced up at me for a moment. I smiled, hoping I was encouraging him.
He looked back at the screen. “The truth is, I have been seeing someone and well…we did recently get engaged, but we’ve been keeping it quiet.”
It was strange the tinge of jealousy I felt about that. I knew everything about this man, how did I not know he was seeing someone? And got engaged? Why would he keep that from his brothers and his grandmother?
“Ah really? Do tell,” Mr. LaMont said.
“I know it’s a bit cliché,” Ryan started. “I guess it was all the long hours we put in.”
I frowned as I tried to figure out who he’d been working long hours with outside of me.
Mr. LaMont’s gaze looked at me and then back at Ryan. “Are you saying you’re engaged to your assistant?”
What?
Ryan’s hand covered mine on his desk. “Yes. I’m engaged to Ms…Kellie and we plan to marry soon.”
3
Ryan
I’d fucking lost my mind. I’d just suggested I was marrying my assistant in order to close a business deal. I was touching her in a personal way. Ms. Nichol’s would probably sue me for sexual harassment.
But I needed this deal and surely there was a way to make Christian LaMont happy without actually getting married. I could be engaged, close this deal, and as LaMont experiences a great business relationship with Strong Incorporated, it wouldn’t matter whether I was married or not. At that point, me and Ms. Nichols could quietly call off the wedding.
“Congratulations!” LaMont said. “I have something else to celebrate with my wife tonight. We’re hopeless romantics.”
I wondered if that was in the French DNA.
I looked up at Ms. Nichols standing next to me hoping she’d go along with this. Her eyes were wide, and I was certain she was going to expose my lie. God, I could only imagine what LaMont would think of me then.
“You weren’t expecting him to share this news,” LaMont said to her.
She looked at me and then him. “No. I wasn’t.”
“We haven’t told anyone yet,” I said, my hand squeezing hers hoping she’d play along.