Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Niall nodded abruptly. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. I thought you were being selfish. You have a gift, we always knew that, but I’m only now starting to grasp how criminal it would have been to stifle that gift. How selfish we have been in not even attempting to understand what drove you.”
“And this kids’ story has given you an inkling?”
“I’m…” Niall directed a frown down at his feet and made a gruff sound in the back of his throat, before angling his eyes back up at Gideon. “I’m proud of you. For the way you’ve stood your ground. It would have been easy to buckle under the weight of Dad’s disapproval, but you didn’t. While he may never admit it, I think Dad is probably equally as proud of you. There’s nothing that man admires more than determination. Even in those who oppose him. And look, far be it from me to tell a man what to do with his money—that’s Nox’s job—but this stance you’ve taken over your inheritances…I don’t know how Kenny and Nox felt about it, but when I was younger, it felt like a slap in the face. Like you thought we were weak, or pathetic, for wanting to enjoy that money.”
Gideon stared at his brother in horror, only now recognizing how much his own grandstanding had alienated his siblings.
“I was an idiot,” Gideon acknowledged. “I shouldn’t have made this huge thing about it. I was a dumb, idealistic kid who obviously lacked maturity. I didn’t consider the consequences of my actions, didn’t consider what a fucking entitled brat I was being. Easy to eschew money when you’ve always had it.” He shook his head in self-disgust. “I’ve reconsidered my stance on the money, by the way.”
“You have?” Niall sounded astonished, and frankly, so was Gideon. He hadn’t realized how much those conversations with Beth had managed to open his eyes to his own foolishness.
“I’ll use it when I need it, donate a fuckton to worthy charities, form a couple of art scholarships in Mom and Gramps’ names, and speak to Nox about investment potentials. It’s staggeringly arrogant, careless, and selfish to simply ignore all that money. I can do a lot of good with it. I may not spend it the way Dad would approve of or understand, but I won’t continue to run around with my head in the sand pretending it doesn’t exist either.”
“Where the hell is all this mature self-awareness coming from?” Niall asked, a smile ghosting across his lips.
“Age, life experience—things haven’t always gone according to plan—a desire to reconnect with my family—”
“Elizabeth Finch?”
Gideon’s mouth clamped shut and he stared mutely at Niall, not quite prepared to discuss his complicated relationship with Beth.
“Dad likes her,” Niall said. “Which is surprising. He hates Amber, Nox’s fiancée. I mean, he truly cannot stand her. I can’t say I’m a fan either. She’s—” His lips thinned and he shook his head, leaving the sentence unfinished. “I don’t think he’s too impressed with this Smith guy either. Then again, I don’t imagine he’d find any man good enough for Kenny. And given that they don’t even seem attracted to each other, who can blame him? I’m not too happy about this match either. I don’t understand why Kenny is so adamant about marrying this man.”
Gideon nodded in agreement; he didn’t understand it either. Kenny, however, seemed hellbent on the match.
“What about you? What happened to that date you were going to bring?”
“We split up a few days ago. It wasn’t going anywhere. Well—truthfully—I didn’t want it to go anywhere, but she was talking about moving in together. I figured bringing her on this trip would merely encourage those unrealistic expectations.
“Now stop trying to change the subject. The point I was making is that Dad likes your Beth. He has never liked any of my former partners. And he can barely stand to be in the same room with Amber, so for him to be so obviously intrigued by this Beth is unprecedented.”
“He’s used to people sucking up to him. Beth doesn’t kiss anybody’s arse. And knowing Dad, he’ll want to dissect her thoroughly to see if her indifference is an act, or if she really is as unimpressed with him as she seems.”
“Well?” Niall prompted. “Is it an act?”
Gideon laughed at the thought of Beth pretending to be anything other than herself.
“God no, she genuinely doesn’t give a fuck about impressing Dad. She expects to never see him again after this weekend. Which means she doesn’t see the point in sucking up to a man who won’t feature in her life at all. She’s quite shy and that shyness can make her seem aloof. It also narrows her responses down to bare bones. First thing that pops into her mind is usually what comes out of that gorgeous mouth.”