I look over my desk at both of my sisters. Everett and Elijah are sitting across the room on the lounges with Emerson and Rayne. But I wasn’t the one that called this family meeting, and I was only made aware of it five minutes ago when they all piled in like they owned the goddamn place. You wouldn’t know this is my house by the way this lot treats it.
“What do I owe the pleasure?” I ask, leaning forward on my elbows.
“We need to talk about what’s going to happen when I have this baby.” Wynter rubs her belly lovingly.
“How so?”
“Someone needs to do my job while I’m on maternity leave. I wanted to continue working but someone”—she peers over her shoulder at her fiancé across the room—“has informed me that I will be taking a minimum of six months off work.”
“Six months?” I choke. Jesus. I knew she was going to need time off, but what the fuck is Frost Industries going to do without a CFO for six months?
She nods. “Like I said, not my choice. So I was thinking Snow could take my place.”
Snow chokes on the air she’s breathing and turns to face our sister. “Are you fucking insane? I’m not qualified for that job. I have a public relations degree. I don’t know the first thing about numbers.”
Wynter nods as if she’s thought about this a lot. “I know, but you can do the boardroom stuff. You would publicly be in my role, and Clara would be the one doing the backend stuff. She’s too anxious for the boardroom, and I wouldn’t force her into that position, but between the two of you, I think you could do it. And contrary to what Everett thinks, I will still be available for questions.”
I lean back in my seat and consider what she’s said. Clara is the obvious choice. She may be Wynter’s assistant but she does come from a finance background. It’s only her shyness that holds her back. Snow is great with clients and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. It could work.
“And then there’s the succession plan…” Wynter trails off.
“If something happens to me in the six months that you have off, which I doubt, I’m sure between you, you can work out how to run the business.”
“I would prefer Wynter not head up one of the largest criminal families in the country with a newborn,” Everett says evenly, but I can see how much this is weighing on him. His shoulders are slumped, the dark circles under his eyes are darkening by the day, and every time he looks at my sister another worry line appears on his brow.
I pinch the bridge of my nose between my fingers and sigh. He’s right. It’s not fair to expect that of Wynter, but we’re still playing with hypotheticals. Even with Annalise hanging over our heads, the chance of only me being taken out is minimal. I have a feeling with her it’s an all or nothing kind of approach. “Again, this is probably something you can muddle your way through as a family. It’s not as if between you, you don’t have all the parts of the business handled.”
Wynter looks over at our sister and then back at me. “It should be Snow.”
Elijah abruptly stands from his seat and crosses to us. “Absolutely not. She rules by my side.”
“But she’s Saint James blood. It has to be her,” Wynter argues.
Snow’s eyes are wide and the blood has drained from her face as she looks between the three of us. “Elijah and I are trying to have a baby,” she blurts out.
All eyes turn to her, her husband included who looks both proud and frustrated at her admission. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us, but I guess some of us, namely me, always kind of thought Elijah was just marrying our sister to fuck with us. But the way he looks at her, the love and care he showed her after she was shot and when Annalise almost burned her alive, it’s not made up, it’s not fake, it’s not forced. It’s just as real as my feelings for Ayvah.
Just the thought of her is like a bullet to the heart. The ache immediately seeps into the surrounding areas until my entire body hurts just from one thought. When is it going to stop hurting so fucking much?
“Okay, so Snows out as well.” I turn to Rayne who is looking at Emerson expectantly.
“I’m pregnant,” she says softly before my brother drags her onto his lap with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on the motherfucker’s face. Jesus Christ, there are going to be so many kids running around this estate. And that just makes the pain deepen further. There was a time when I allowed myself to consider the possibilities, where I let myself think about a future with Ayvah. A future where she would carry my babies, and where we would fill this house with kids. Where she would walk down the aisle and become my wife. And where we would live a long, happy life like my parents did, although not long enough.
Snow and Wynter are out of their seats immediately, flocking around Emerson and Rayne before either of them can take a breath. As happy as I am for all my siblings, it’s coming at a bad time. It’s hard enough keeping the seven of us safe without adding babies to the mix, but we’ll do what we have to do to keep them safe, just the same way we always have.
My phone vibrates around my desk before I can get up to join the celebrations, and my brows pull together when I see Rohan’s, the head of security, number on Ayvah’s flash up on my screen. Usually we just get a daily report on her movements, but for him to be calling me…
I reach for the phone and bring it to my ear, dread settling low in my stomach. “Hello?”
“Mr. Saint James. I’m sorry to bother you, but Ayvah is missing.” All the words that come after that are a blur. Something about a vodka bottle, vomit, and a scuffle, but none of it sinks in because despite the fact I’ve done everything to keep her safe, including breaking both our hearts, she’s gone.
And I don’t know how the hell I’m going to get her back.
