Patrick

There was silence around the room as each man looked at the other and then at Patrick. William smiled a little at the surprised look on his son’s face and was happy he had come to the decision.

“Will you be here at all?” an elderly man by the name of Douglas asked him.

“In a limited capacity, yes,” he said with a nod. “I am going to be taking my wife for much needed time alone around the world. We are having a difficult time leaving that beautiful grandson of ours, but we need to spend some time together.”

“I agree with you,” Blake told him quietly with a nod of approval. “I have watched you grow as well, young man,” he added looking at Patrick. “And I am in favor of the changes.”

The others held up their hand one after another until it was a unanimous decision.

“To Patrick, the CEO of Copeland’s Software!” William lifted his glass of water in a toast and the others followed suit.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after with the men congratulating him as they filed out of the room leaving him and his father at the table.

“You could have warned me,” Patrick said, looking at him speculatively.

“Then it would not have been a surprise, would it?” William lifted one thick brow at him. “I have watched you with Carrie and seen the love between you two and have learned from it. I almost lost my family because of my arrogance and I have been given a second chance which I am not going to blow. Thanks.”

“I think I should be the one thanking you.” Patrick got up from his seat and came around to where he was sitting and held out a hand. “Thanks, Dad,” he said sincerely.

William clasped his hand firmly and held it in his. “You have a number of responsibilities, but I know you can handle it. You have been practically running the company for the past few years.”

“I am glad you and Mother worked it out.”

“So am I.” He stood up and released his son’s hand. “Why don’t we clear out your office together?”

*****

“So, what does it mean?” Carrie picked at her pasta with lamb ragu. They were seated in the back in a privacy booth, and even though they had an unrestricted view of the rest of the patrons, they were basically secluded. She was wearing a brand new emerald dress with a plunging neckline and her hair was caught up in an intricate braid at the nape of her neck. Diamonds glimmered at her throat and her lobes. She looked stunning and quite unlike a woman who had given birth two months ago. The papers had been on about her and their newborn baby and how well she looked after her pregnancy.

“It means that you are the wife of a CEO,” Patrick said with a teasing grin. His father had advised him to redecorate and he was thinking of doing just that with the help of his wife.

She sent him a wry look and reached for her fruit punch. She was still breastfeeding and was not having any alcohol because of that. “Does it mean that I will be seeing less and less of you?” she asked him casually. As much as he had declared his love for her, she did not want to be one of those insecure wives who wondered where her husband was when he was supposed to be at the office late.

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. He had changed out of the gray pinstripe suit he had worn to the office and was wearing dark blue dress pants and light blue shirt with a soft blue and red sweater vest. His jet black hair was brushed back from his forehead and he looked handsome enough to turn heads. “I promise you that whenever I have to work late, I will always let you know. Wherever I am, you will always be able to find me, and we are going to have a life separate from the company. I am going to be there for my family because you are the most important part of my life.”

Her dark brown eyes met his baby blue ones, and she saw the sincerity in them. “Good,” she said huskily. “I would hate to mess up that pretty face of yours.”

He laughed softly and raised her hand to kiss it tenderly. “No need for violence, darling. I am all yours.”

“Your parents seem to be happy,” she murmured as they continued eating.

“Thanks to your influence,” he murmured softly. He owed her so much that there was nothing he would not do for her.

“I am sure they had something to do with it.”

“You are unorthodox and impulsive and don’t give a damn what people think of you, and I admire and love you for that, my sweet,” he told her huskily.

“You are going to make me cry and ruin my makeup,” she told him as she reached over and touched his jaw. “I love you, Patrick Copeland.”

*****

“I am not working with you,” she told him stubbornly as they sat in his newly refurbished office. She had come back to work and had started on their next ad campaign for the summer. She had torn herself away from Brent as his new nanny put him inside his rocking chair while she tidied his room. The entire office had welcomed her back with flowers and a box of candy and exclaimed how wonderful she looked. William and Linda had gone on their cruise and would not be back for a month.