TWO DAYS LATER, Liam stood in the glassy penthouse office of the Lange family’s attorney, Maria Moreno, of Leisten and Moreno and Associates, glancing at the gorgeous view of the Brooklyn Bridge out her window. Maria, who’d turned fifty that year, had finally started to gray, with a silver streak through her otherwise jet-black hair. She wore little makeup except for a slash of red lipstick. Her appearance was, as usual, impeccable. She wore her tailored black suit and matching sensible pumps and a string of white pearls.
As always, she looked ready for a courtroom or a funeral. Liam couldn’t even imagine the woman in jeans. He’d never seen her in anything other than Brooks Brothers. It’s no wonder Wilder liked her so much, Liam thought. This woman was a bulldog about details, and sharp as a tack.
Her light brown eyes studied him now, and he could almost see the calculations happening behind them, even as she kept her face stoic and unreadable. She cleared her throat as she steepled her fingers on her glass desk that sported only a closed laptop.
“I’m surprised to see you,” she told Liam.
“Not as surprised as me.”
An amused smile tugged at the corners of Maria’s mouth. She barely broke character even to acknowledge the joke.
Liam felt jittery as he sat in the black leather chair in front of her desk. His right knee bobbed with a life of its own, fueled by nerves.
“How long has it been?”
“A long time.” Liam couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Maria. Probably at Wilder’s flat, probably when he’d drawn up those papers asking Liam to sign away any future stake in Lange Communications along with his board seat. That had been a dark day. Liam had told Wilder to go to hell. Then he’d stormed out. He’d never asked for a dime, but then again, he’d never promised not to sue for his share, either.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Seth to this meeting.” Maria looked to the door. “Seth? You can come in now.”
At that cue, a door nearby swung open, and Liam’s older brother, Seth, strode out, looking tanned and healthy. Happy, even. Liam supposed living on a yacht and sailing around the world probably did go a long way to improving one’s mood.
“Seth.” He grinned, happy to see his older brother, though feeling a little guarded. “Forgiven me yet?”
“Never was mad at you, brother,” Seth said.
“Is that why you’ve been giving me the silent treatment?” Liam said. It had been about a year since they’d last talked on the phone.
Seth just shrugged. “I was giving you your space. You were the one who was pissed at us if I recall. And phones work both ways, brother.”
Liam guessed he was right. He’d been ticked off after Seth and Stuart voted against him and Mom in their last-ditch effort to muster enough support for a board vote of no confidence in Wilder as CEO, and get him out of Lange Communications for good. He hadn’t expected them to take his request seriously. He’d assumed they were pissed.
“So what are you doing here?” Liam asked.
“Trying to look after my little brother.” Seth grinned, and the two embraced in a tight, quick hug. “I’m not in town long. Maria reached out, and I was around, so I came.”
Liam frowned. “Are you sure it was Maria who called you?” Liam suspected it was actually Wilder. Seth took Wilder’s side early in the inheritance battle. They’d always been close, especially since Wilder had helped him come out of the closet. Liam got it. He’d realized that was a tough time for his brother, but Liam had always thought Seth had it covered. Seth didn’t need his help. Plus, he’d been twelve at the time. Not much a twelve-year-old could do, one way or another.
“Wilder might have mentioned it.” Seth shrugged. “But I’m here because you want to talk, and Wilder wants to listen.”
The way Seth said it rubbed Liam the wrong way, as if Liam ought to be grateful that he’d get an audience from his half brother, the dictator, the one who demanded everyone lick his boots. “Am I supposed to be grateful?”
“Yeah. You did tell him to go to hell, and not in a nice way.”
“I know.” Liam knew the shouting match hadn’t been his finest moment. But he’d been young then, hot-tempered, and still nursing grudges. Come to think of it, little had changed since then, if he were honest. “Look, I just want to sell him my damn seat and be done with it.”
Seth and Maria exchanged glances. It seemed the two spoke volumes in a single look.
“You’re serious about this? You really are here to reconsider your brother’s proposal?” Maria looked amused. No doubt, she thought he’d finally seen the error of his ways. Finally gotten tired of earning an honest dollar.
“Half brother. And...yes. I am.” God, it sounded like he was waving the white flag of surrender. Seth studied him, growing quiet. Maria cocked her head to one side. He hated this. Hated even being here. It went against every single thing he stood for. But, he reminded himself, being in Maria’s office was better than seeing his half brother again. He never wanted to see Wilder. Not ever. That was why Liam chose to talk to Maria. He hoped he might simply be able to send a message to Wilder through her. Neat and clean, and without having to worry about trying to keep his temper in check.
“Why now?” Seth asked.
“None of anybody’s business,” Liam said, biting off the last word.
“Friendly as ever, I see,” Maria murmured, so softly Liam almost didn’t hear. He didn’t care if she or anyone else thought he was rough around the edges. He wasn’t here to make anybody feel good. He was here to get money for Cecily’s surgery.
Maria and Seth again looked at one another. God, maybe this was a mistake. Then he thought about Cecily’s beautiful face.
“Is he still interested in my seat on the board or not?” Liam asked.
“I do not know, to be honest.” Maria gave a little shrug. “So much has changed at the company since he offered to buy your seat.”
“I know.” His own mother had called him out of the blue a year or so ago, saying that it was vital he vote to oust Wilder. Liam hadn’t even thought twice about it. He’d cast his vote without a second thought. It was one of the reasons he’d refused to sell his seat on the board. He could’ve used the money. Oh, could he have used it. But he hadn’t wanted the many millions Wilder had offered him back then. He hadn’t wanted a dime. All he wanted was the tiny little bit of power that his father had given him and Wilder hadn’t managed to wrest away from him. The seat was the only part of his inheritance that was left. But now, with Cecily’s life potentially on the line, he didn’t care about keeping Wilder in check. Besides, his one measly vote hadn’t mattered in the end, anyway. Wilder got what he wanted.
“Maybe he’s not interested anymore,” Maria suggested. “Or maybe he’ll offer less.”
“Oh, he’s interested,” Seth said. Liam was suddenly grateful for the honesty. At least Seth didn’t a hundred percent take Wilder’s side on everything. It was good to know. “If Liam signs, that means he also gives up the right to sue for future earnings. I assume that would be in the fine print of the deal.”
Maria frowned at Seth. Liam guessed he wasn’t supposed to mention that, even though Liam hadn’t forgotten. The fear of Liam bringing a costly lawsuit was something Wilder would definitely want to avoid.
“So Wilder hasn’t changed, then. It’s always about money for him.” Liam wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Money always did all the talking with Wilder Lange.
“You’ve always been too hard on him,” Seth chided. “He saved the company.”
“From what? From being run by all of us?”
Seth shook his head. “He’s done the best he can by the family. He tried to do the best by you.”
Liam thought about him getting kicked out of private school. Of the humiliation of leaving midyear his freshman year, holed up in the penthouse, where little by little, his mother sold things like furniture and jewelry to pay for food and booze.
“Where was his care when I had to withdraw from Jordan Prep?”
“He tried to help you with that.”
Liam let out a sour laugh. “You mean he tried to corner a fourteen-year-old boy and get him to sign away what inheritance he did have in order to go to school.”
Seth sighed. “You know he was afraid Mom would use you against him. He had to make sure that didn’t happen. He wanted to care for you. Wanted you to graduate school.”
“Only if I agreed to do whatever he wanted.” Liam shook his head, bitterly remembering feeling taken advantage of. “I was fourteen. Mom at least saved me from making that mistake. If she hadn’t come home, hadn’t broke up that meeting, I would’ve signed everything away.”
“Look, if you just would talk to Wilder. He can explain. Really. He’s not a bad guy. He’s done the best he can.”
Right. Sure. Liam couldn’t believe how brainwashed Seth had become. “Listen, I know you and he are close, but we’re not ever going to be close,” Liam said. “Either he wants this seat or he doesn’t.”
“He has control of the board already,” Maria said, almost trying to sound bored. “He’s made alliances. You know that, just from you and your mother’s stunt last year.”
Maria took a seat behind her large desk, arms resting softly on the armrests. She glanced at Seth, who frowned, ever so slightly.
“You have to admit it’s tough to ask Wilder a favor when you tried to steal the company away from him last year,” Seth said.
“I wasn’t stealing anything. Mom needed my vote, so I gave it to her, end of story.”
“What if she needs your vote again?” Seth asked, as he perched on the edge of Maria’s desk and crossed his thick arms.
Liam stared out the window to the Brooklyn Bridge beyond and for the briefest of moments, wondered if was doing the right thing or making a huge mistake.
“Clearly, my vote didn’t really help her last time. Probably won’t the next time, either.”
“Then, why did you cast it?” Seth asked.
“To get under Wilder’s skin.” There was some satisfaction in that, at least.
“Maybe you succeeded a little bit too much at that,” Maria said, rearranging a stack of papers on her desk. “Maybe he’ll remember the insurrection and hold you accountable for it.”
“Insurrection? What is he? A monarch? Of course, I’m sure he thinks he is.” Still, Liam felt a little bit of panic rise in his throat. He hadn’t thought that Wilder would be petty enough to turn down Liam’s offer out of spite. He just assumed his half brother was the same power-crazed narcissist he always had been. If he wasn’t interested in the seat, then Liam had no bargaining power. No way to get the money he needed for Cecily’s surgery. Unless he begged.
Maria just smiled, but the expression didn’t reach her eyes. “Why are you looking to sell now?” Maria asked, light brown eyes sharp.
“That’s none of your business. Or his.” He wasn’t going to bring Cecily into the backstabbing world of the Lange family.
“He’ll want to know,” Maria prodded.
“Debts? Spend too much?” Seth studied Liam. Liam glared back.
“No. Nothing like that. What kind of loser do you think I am?”
“It’s not what I think that matters,” Seth said. “It’s what Wilder is going to think. You know these are questions he’ll ask.”
Maria quirked one dark eyebrow, intrigued. “He’ll want to know,” she repeated.
“He doesn’t get to know. Either he’s interested or he’s not. I just need to know if he’ll honor the old deal.” Liam suddenly wanted to leave. He needed to get out of there. His knee bobbed again. He wished he wasn’t so nervous. Wished he never had to do this. But it was for Cecily. All for Cecily.
“I’ll call him,” Maria said. “And then we’ll let you know.”
“Tell him he has to decide by Friday,” Liam said, standing. Forty-eight hours should be plenty of time. He headed for the door, not waiting for Maria or Seth to respond. He couldn’t wait to get out of her sterile office, couldn’t wait to get to the fresh air outside. His heart was thumping as he headed straight for the stairwell, not caring about walking the twenty flights down. He just needed to get out of there. He wasn’t sure if he hoped Wilder offered him the money, or told him to go to hell. Then he remembered perfect Cecily. She needed that money. Period. And he’d do whatever he had to in order to get it.
He glanced at his phone and realized that he should get a move on if he was going to get to Cecily’s apartment on time. He promised her one more item off her bucket list this afternoon, and he couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw the surprise.
“Horses?” Cecily managed, her jaw dropping, as Liam steered his pickup to the stable in Woodland Hills, New Jersey. “Are you kidding me?” Cecily felt her face glow as she saw the big barn in the distance. “How did you manage to find this place?”
“I’ve got my sources,” Liam said, an amused grin on his face. “Actually, I did roof work a few years back. The barn and the house.”
“You did?” She glanced up at the huge barn and the big white two-story farmhouse next to it. “That’s a lot of roof.”
“I know.” Liam parked the truck and then hopped out, walking around to open her door, but she was already out of it before he could get there. She felt like she was ten again, a girl buzzing with excitement and her whole life ahead of her. Liam brought that feeling to her, and she was suddenly so grateful for him. She reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging him to the front door of the barn and office, an old wooden structure, complete with extra wide porch and rocking chairs out front. She felt like she’d stepped into the Old West.
She couldn’t believe how excited she was about the prospect of riding a horse. She’d never done that before, and it had been a dream of hers since she was a little girl and used to sleep beneath pink horse sheets, back when she liked to draw unicorns on her school folders, and now here she was in an actual barn.
They were barely inside the door when a tanned, dark-haired middle-aged man came out to great them.
“Liam! Good to see you, man,” he said, shaking Liam’s hand.
“And you, Carlos,” he said, smiling. “We still good for that trail ride today?”
Carlos laughed a little, showing even white teeth. “Sure thing. It’s been a few years for you. You sure you remember how?”
“Ha. Funny.” Liam rolled his eyes.
Cecily quirked an eyebrow as she studied Liam. “You know how to ride?”
“A little.”
Carlos gave him a playful punch in the arm. “He’s being modest for no reason,” Carlos said. “He grew up with horses. His father owned many.”
“You owned horses?” Cecily couldn’t believe it. She knew Liam came from a wealthy family—whose father built a company everyone knew—but the idea of owning multiple horses just took that wealth to a whole new level. She wondered if she would ever really get used to hearing about the wealth he was born into.
“My father did. My half brother sold them all when he took over.” The sadness in Liam’s eyes struck Cecily hard. “He always hated horses. Thought they were a waste of money.”
“Probably because he couldn’t ride to save himself. Didn’t you tell me he always fell off?”
Liam laughed. “Yeah. He did. It’s lucky he wore a helmet.”
Carlos nodded toward the stable. “You ready to meet your horse?”
“Am I!” Cecily could barely contain her excitement as Carlos led them to the stables. Once inside, she found herself in front of the stable of a brown mare.
“This is Cupcake,” he said. “Speak softly to her and offer up your knuckle.”
“Like this?” Cecily mimicked Carlos, who offered one knuckle, and then two, to the horse’s nose. Cupcake nuzzled her hand in greeting. “Hi, there, Cupcake.”
“She likes you,” Carlos noted as the horse nuzzled her hand.
“You’re beautiful, Cupcake,” Cecily said, reaching out to touch the mare’s head. The hair was so soft. She wasn’t expecting that.
“Want to give Cupcake a treat?” he asked, offering her a carrot.
“Sure do.” She fed the horse and watched it gulp down the carrot in just a couple of bites.
Carlos’s pocket rang then. He picked a phone out of it. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to take this. I’ll be back in just a few minutes to saddle her up for you.” Carlos turned away. “Hello?” he answered, as he walked back to the main office. Cecily stroked Cupcake’s muzzle again, in awe of the big animal and her big doe-brown eyes.
“She’s so pretty,” Cecily breathed.
“Not nearly as pretty as you,” Liam said. She glanced up at him, met his gaze. She felt a shiver all the way down her spine.
“You’re too good to me,” she said. “How much did this cost?”
“Don’t worry about it. Carlos and I go way back.”
“Do you know everyone in the tristate area?” Cecily laughed. “Oncologists and horse breeders?”
Liam laughed a little, too. “You know, just the important people.”
“I guess so.” Cecily grinned at him. Liam seemed to grow thoughtful then. He glanced up at Cupcake and gave her snout a stroke. “By the way, Dr. Kelly called me.”
She saw Liam stiffen. “And?”
“And she said she made some calls to her colleagues in Japan, and that I’m approved. As a candidate for the experimental surgery. They have an opening in a month.” Cecily didn’t want to think about it, actually. Didn’t even want to consider that she might really have a chance. If she could only come up with a quarter of a million dollars.
“You have to do it,” Liam said.
“I can’t afford it.” Cecily shrugged. She’d been planning this speech for Liam since she got the call. She was just going to gently, but firmly, help him see that she was, truly, a lost cause. She didn’t want him asking his family for money, and she wasn’t going to ask her family for it, either. They’d have to mortgage their Cleveland homes. Cecily was just going to enjoy what time she had left. She was slowly starting to resign herself to the fact that her life would be cut short.
“We can work on it. I can work on it.”
“Liam. No. That’s too much to ask of you.” She shook her head. Liam frowned.
“No, it’s not.” Liam studied her face. She could see how determined he was, how stubborn. It would be hard to convince him this wasn’t his fight. But she’d have to find a way. “Besides, I already reached out to my half brother.”
“You called Wilder?” Cecily felt bombarded with a range of emotions: shock, dismay, anxiety. “You can’t ask him for this money.”
“He has it,” Liam said simply.
“No. That’s too much money.”
“It’s nothing for him.” Liam shrugged.
“But you walked away from him. From his money.” Cecily didn’t want Liam to sacrifice his pride for her.
“I don’t need it, but you do.”
Cecily shook her head. “No. I can’t ask you to do this.”
“You’re not asking me. I’m doing it. He owes me at least this much,” Liam said. “Besides, I might have something he wants.”
“The board seat?” Cecily shook her head. “No. Liam. You can’t.” Panic welled in her. “You wanted to make him look you in the eye. You wanted to make him feel badly for what he’s done. That’s what you said. You didn’t want to give up that seat.”
“I know. I used to want that. But now I want something more.”
Cecily bit her lip. Giddy excitement and weighty guilt battling it out in her chest. “What’s that?”
“I want you, Cecily. I want you.” Liam took her hands in his. “Cecily, I love you.”