“Fredrick Banner called early this morning,” his grandfather added. “I didn’t answer but I’m sure he’s thrilled as it’s likely this news will push his son’s weekend of debauchery under the radar.”
Maddie stood up, came around the table. “I don’t know what’s going on with you. The news was shocking but if you’re happy, I’m happy.” She rubbed his shoulder in support.
Kyra came around and hugged his arm tightly. “When you know, you know.” The tease in her tone, and their close relationship, told him she knew something was off. And she was enjoying it way too much.
His grandfather rubbed the weathered skin of his chin while Will’s dad continued to pace and his mother typed something on her phone.
“I suppose we can spin this, highlight our dedication to family.What do we know about this woman? Alexandria Danby. She looks attractive but I can’t find any information about her. She has no social media,” his mother said, not looking up. “I’ll keep digging. No one has to know you care so little for your family that you couldn’t even be bothered to introduce us to the woman you’re going to spend your life with.”
Will groaned. He needed out of here. He needed to sort through this disaster. Holy shit. He needed to talk to Lexi. Had she seen this?
“I have to go.” Will picked up his phone and his bag.
His mother’s head snapped up. The dark eyes she’d passed on to him narrowed. “You can’t leave us with this media nightmare. When are we meeting this woman?”
“What? You’re not going anywhere,” his father said at the same time.
“Let him go, Jackson. Maybe all this badgering is why he didn’t tell us,” his grandfather said.
“Everyone says no comment until I have more time to look into this woman’s past,” his mother said, setting her phone down with a look of utter disappointment and a dash of hurt. “Really, William. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Leaving. That’s what he was doing. He walked out and wasn’t one bit surprised when his sisters followed him to his own office.
Maddie shut the door behind them after they’d gone through. Kyra flopped down on the leather couch that sat along the wall.
“That must have been one hell of a first date,” Kyra said, kicking off her high heels.
Will bit back a snarl. “Don’t you have classes?”
Kyra grinned. “Not until this afternoon.”
Maddie put her hands on her hips. “First date? Excuse me? What’s going on?”
Will told them as quickly as he could that it was all a big misunderstanding. That Carolyn—who he realized later had been in some of the photos his mother had shown him of possible dates—had likely called the fucking news outlet the second they left. The other option was thatLexi’s friend’s post had caught the attention of either theTimesor another outlet and it snowballed. Must have been a slow news day.
“Wait. You’renotengaged?” Maddie stared at him.
The oldest of them, she was always well put together, well mannered, even tempered, and reliable. She held the position of chief operating officer at the company, ensuring everything ran smoothly among the departments and among the staff.
Their parents had high expectations of all of them and put a lot of pressure on Will but they often overlooked the amazing contributions his sister put in. She was a large part of why their company continued to thrive. At least their grandfather recognized it.
Will flopped onto his leather rolling chair. “No, I’m not fucking engaged. I can’t even get a yes on a second date from this woman. Who Ireallylike andwantto go on a second date with. What am I going to do?” He leaned forward, put his head in his hands.
“You could call the paper. Ask them to print a retraction.” Kyra sat up on the couch, losing the teasing smile.
Will sat back, looked up at the ceiling.
“If he does that, we don’t control the narrative,” Maddie said. “If he makes any statement, good or bad, they’ll run with it. Even if it’s retracted, it’s already out there. I think we should ignore it.”
“What about Mom and Dad? Should he tell them?” Kyra asked their sister, discussing his life like he wasn’t in the room.
“If he tells them the whole truth, Mom will be all over him to make a splash with whichever woman she’s got on her roster this week. Carolyn, most likely.”
Will groaned and stood up. What were the chances Lexi hadn’t seen this yet?
“I need to go. I’ll be back this afternoon.”
“Where are you going?” both of his sisters asked.
