“Is that right?” Langley muttered.
“Gammon might have done wrong, but he did a lot of good for this country. He served his time and he had a family that are left still picking up the pieces. Although they deserve better than your blood money, you owe them.”
“I owe them?” Langley’s groomed brows popped up.
“If I say you do, then you do. You have plenty of money so you’re going to be gracious enough to take care of his kids until they’re old enough to do that for themselves.”
“And you think Gammon deserved this?”
“No, but I think his kids do. They lost their father and you blasted his name like dirt all over the news.” Egan scratched his temple with his thumbnail.
“What if I refuse?”
With a raw laugh, Egan shrugged. “I’ll call in a lot of favors. Just like today, you’ll never know who you can trust and who you can’t trust. I’m sure for a man of your caliber it’s important to know your security team has your back.”
The man’s color drained from his face. “No problem. I’ll see that they are compensated.”
“Good.” But Egan wasn’t finished. “What you did to Novah was dirty, so you’re going to make amends to her as well.”
“Fine. She can come and work for Langley Industries again.”
“Not on your life,” Egan growled. “You’re going to give a very generous donation to the local school where she worked but was let go because they didn’t have the funds to keep her on. You’re going to make sure you give enough, so much, that they can provide scholarships to potential artists and bring back their full staff.”
With a disgruntled expression, Langley nodded. “Is that it?”
“You wish.” Egan noticed that they were getting close to the stoplight, so he had to hurry. “Don’t ever try to reach out to Lindsay. If you do, I’ll find out and you’ll regret it. Understand?”
A flash of humanity, maybe even regret, fled over the man’s face. “Is she okay?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but she’s good now that she’s away from you.”
A ragged sigh escaped his lips. “I’ll have funds sent every month to an account in her name. I want to be sure that she, and my child, are taken care of. I’ll send you the information and you can give it to her. It’ll be there whether she decides to use it or not.”
The business Egan had with Langley finalized. The car pulled over to the side of the street and Egan climbed out, leaning in to say one last thing. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your dick inside your pants.” He slammed the door and walked away.
The driver’s door opened and Parsons crossed the street.
“Hey! Wait! I have a meeting,” Langley called out onto deaf ears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
NOVAH HEARD HEAVY footsteps from inside the cabin then a clanking of the knob before it swung open. Egan stood on the other side, shirtless, and looking like he’d been sleeping.
“Hi,” she said.
“Novah? What are you doing here?” He swiped a hand over his weary eyes as if he were seeing things.
“I need to speak to you.”
“Come in.” With his bare foot, he pushed open the door to let her in.
“So this is your place?” Although the cabin needed some work, it was tidy and cozy. He had a fire going and the TV switched on a football game.
“I don’t think you came up here to see my place.”
She turned to face him. “I needed to see you face to face.” She wanted to see him more than she needed her next breath.
“Okay.” He strolled to the center of the room and stuffed his hands into his front pockets. The waist of his worn jeans dipped low on his obliques, making her salivate.
“You and I had a bet and I’m calling it in.” She lifted her chin high.
“A bet?” He blinked and then his features softened. One corner of his mouth lifted. “Oh? You remember, huh?”
“I do and lucky for you, I brought groceries with me so we can begin our lessons today. The bags are sitting on the porch. We can get them after…”
“After what?”
She covered the space between them and laid her palm against his warm, stubbly cheek. “After I tell you ‘thank you’.”
“Why are you thanking me?” Flecks of light bounced in his irises.
“I got a call from the art school yesterday and they received a large donation from an anonymous donor. Enough that they are hiring back all the teachers they’d let go.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“You somehow made Langley contribute, didn’t you?”
“No, of course not. But aren’t you happy? You loved teaching the kids there.”
She could barely contain her excitement. “Very happy. Happier because the kids there will have more opportunities. Including Finley who can start there too in a few years.”
He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, his eyes taking on deep emotion, and then he took a step back, breaking their connection. “Novah, that’s great, but I don’t think it’s a good idea that you and I see each other, at least for a while.” She heard the struggle in his voice.
Wringing her hands together, she looked at him through unshed tears. “I’ve been so wrong, Egan. I wonder if you could ever forgive me for my stupidity.”
Confusion settled on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you and me. The reason why we always find ourselves back to square one is because fate keeps screaming at us that we belong together. We do. I love you and no matter where you are, where
