“Is this one of those women always stick together things?” Gareth asked.
Rosslyn put her hands on her hips. “Do you really think I’d stand by someone who intentionally hurt my family?” Gareth shook his head. “Good, because if she isn’t who I think she is, she won’t have to worry about the Hendersons. I’ll have a chat with her myself.”
Gareth almost laughed. Rosslyn wasn’t intimidating in the least, but when her mother-hen instinct kicked in, her demeanor changed. “Okay, I’ll think long and hard about my own actions on the flight to Tabiq. Is that acceptable?”
Rosslyn huffed. “It’s better, but you have a long way to go before it’s acceptable.”
Gareth shot Charles a look. Good luck with this one. She’s tougher than you.
“You two know how to reach me if anything comes up.” Gareth knew if he didn’t leave now, Rosslyn was going to keep lecturing him on what he was doing incorrectly. He didn’t need anyone to tell him he’d made mistakes with Brooke. She was right; he could’ve called her. The doctor’s had told him if she hadn’t been there, applied direct pressure to his wound, he probably would’ve bled out.
Guess if I was dead, I wouldn’t be worried if what I thought we shared was true or not.
Going back to Tabiq was something he’d already decided to do, even before that stupid shit on TV. All that had done was provide him an explanation to his family. He didn’t bring up that his trip was also damage control. Charles didn’t want the Lawson name linked to the Hendersons in a negative way, but the same people who came up with that crap could possibly accuse Gareth of helping her and working with Cortes. That would fucking rip Lawson Steel’s reputation apart. They wouldn’t have to worry about expanding their global business; they’d be out of business.
The flight to Tabiq was far more comfortable in their private jet. It provided much-needed time to think through how to approach the situation. He contemplated calling Alex and letting him know he was coming. But he saved that for when the jet landed. The Hendersons already knew about anyone coming to Tabiq, especially by plane.
“Hi, Alex, guess who is back?”
Alex asked, “Alone or did you bring Brooke with you?”
“Alone. I’m hoping to meet with you. Are you home right now?” The sooner he addressed this, the better. He felt confident that he and Alex could sort this out and come up with a plan so the rumors didn’t go any further than they already had.
“I am, and your timing is perfect. Do you need someone to pick you up or can you find your way?”
“I can find your house. I’ll be there in about thirty.” He ended the call. There was no reason to take any bags off the jet. He believed he was staying, but right now, there was no guarantee on that. All depended on how this meeting went.
Might be a very short stay in Tabiq.
It wasn’t long before he pulled up to their house. Alex failed to mention he was hosting some sort of party. He was tempted to call back and change the plan, but he was already there, and Gareth knew the security cameras had already announced his arrival.
He had no intention of staying long and didn’t want to risk getting boxed in. He parked the loaner vehicle on the street and walked up the driveway. Even before he had a chance to knock, Ziva was opening the door. She gave him a hug then stepped back, wide-eyed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I? You look so good that I forgot about your back and shoulder.”
“It’s going to take a lot more than a hug to hurt me,” Gareth joked. The fact was, he still was in recovery, and the doctors had a list of things he shouldn’t do. Lifting anything heavy topped the list. Since he wasn’t planning on visiting the gym, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about, health wise that was. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“You couldn’t have come at a better time.”
“And why is that?” he asked.
“They are all here. All the Hendersons. This is the first time that has happened since . . . well let’s see . . . I think it was my wedding.”
“Nope. It was my wedding to Drake. You must be Gareth. I’m Isa, Ziva’s sister. Glad you could join us.”
The two definitely looked alike. He didn’t know Ziva had a sister. Then again, there was a lot he hadn’t looked into. When he first started digging, it was only about the Henderson men, not their wives. Before he could respond, yet another woman joined them.
“You’re both wrong. It was my wedding to Caydan. I can’t believe you two have forgotten that already. Hi, I’m Allyson, one of the many sisters-in-law here. Hope you’re hungry because we are about to eat. My husband is manning the grill. He says that is his excuse not to have to chase after all these kids.”
Gareth didn’t remember a Caydan Henderson. Yet another piece of the puzzle. It seemed there were more secrets in the Henderson family than Alex had let on. And our secrets are what we need to protect right now.
“I really can come back another time,” Gareth said, but it was too late.
Ziva had grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him inside. “It seems overwhelming at first, but you’re from a large family too, so I’m sure you’re used to this.”
When they arrived in the backyard, Gareth wished he’d come at another time. Kids were running everywhere; it really was a family reunion. He didn’t belong there. If he doubted that, the look Brice gave him said it all.
Brice walked over before Gareth could get anywhere close to the rest of the family. In a low tone he said, “What the hell are you doing here?”