Page 110 of If I Didn’t Have You

I sounded like an idiot. As much as I tried to talk about this shit in a professional manner, my sons were the brains behind the whole operation. But I still had years of experience on my side, and the relationship with John to hopefully make this deal happen.

“I’d have to consult a lawyer,” he said, his eyes flicking to mine. He was worried he was going to get screwed over, and after what happened with the land we previously bought from him, I couldn’t blame him.

Not that we’d swindled him out of the land. It just hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped. After all that, he wanted to make sure he didn’t lose even more.

“We can have Ryder help us draw up a contract,” I suggested. “But there is one request that needs to be agreed upon before we go any further.”

“And what’s that?” he asked stiffly.

“Austin is never to have anything to do with the business. Being at your house is one thing, but if we build on your land, he wouldn’t be allowed on any of the properties, and would never be able to inherit your shares in the business.”

He sucked in a breath, but nodded. “Agreed.”

I got to my feet and held out my hand, grateful that so far, everything was going a lot better than I hoped. “Then we have a deal.”

“A deal.”

He thrust his hand into mine, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had my old friend back.

“Clara!” I called out, kicking the door shut behind me as I strode into the house with a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

When she came rushing down the hall, her skirt swirling around her legs, I almost forgot about the whole damn thing. My cock swelled the moment I saw her in that tank top, smudged with paint.

“What is it? Ben!” she snapped when I couldn’t stop staring at her breasts. “What’s going on?”

I marched forward and snagged her around the waist, kissing her hard. “Fuck, every time I look at you, I want you.”

Chuckling against my lips, she peeled herself from my arms, putting some space between us until I answered her questions. “So, you have champagne, and you look happier than I’ve seen you in a long time. Care to share this brilliant news?”

“Your husband just snagged a nice chunk of land to expand the family business.”

“The cabins?” she asked in shock. “We’re expanding?”

“Not only expanding, we gained a partner. We’re going to put up more cabins—enough to draw attention from all over the United States. And we’re going to build a resort.”

“A resort!” she laughed. “When did all this happen?”

“Well, I’d like to take the credit, but it was really all Liam and Jeff. Those boys are smart, and they’ve been talking for a while about what they need to do to make the company thrive.”

“And you listened,” she said softly, a smile gracing those beautiful lips.

“Well, a wise woman told me that I needed to stop sitting on my ass and finally do something for my future.”

“Really? And who would this wise woman be?”

Tugging her back against me, I slipped my hand down her waist, gripping her ass tight. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

She hummed against my lips, her eyes beaming just as bright as her smile. This was right. So fucking perfect. The chips were all falling into place, and we’d finally have the life we always wanted. It might not look like I thought, but I’d learned over the last few months that it didn’t matter what I had or where I worked, as long as I had Clara by my side.

“So, who is this mysterious partner?”

“John Callahan.”

Her body stiffened in my arms, and she pushed out of my grip, turning away from me. “You partnered with John.”

“Yeah. He owns the property right across from the river. Expanding in that direction is the only thing that makes sense, and with the access roads and the⁠—”

The words died on my lips when she turned and shook her head at me, the disappointment clear as day.