Inked Persuasion: A Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins Novel

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Her lips quirked into a smile, and she shook her head. “I’ve lived here longer than you have, Jacob Queen. I can take care of myself. I always have.”

  She leaned forward, kissed me on the cheek, and then walked away, her clothes in hand as she made her way to the guest bathroom to change.

  I stood, completely naked, still smelling of sex and Annabelle—and had no idea what the fuck I was supposed to do.

  Chapter 16

  Annabelle

  * * *

  I stared at my bedroom ceiling, knowing my alarm was about to go off at any moment. I should just roll out of bed and pretend I had slept. I’d maybe gotten two hours the night before, but it had been off and on when I wasn’t tossing and turning. And I only had myself to blame.

  I had run out of Jacob’s home last night as if an ax murderer was behind me. I was so messed up. I couldn’t believe I had run like that. As if the hounds of hell were on my tail. I just couldn’t be in a room with Jacob any longer. And maybe that was the problem.

  Because I loved him.

  Damn it. I loved Jacob Queen. I loved how he made me smile, the way he made me laugh. How he could ask just the right questions when it came to my family to help me figure out what I needed to do—or even how I felt to begin with.

  Eliza had been right. It hadn’t been a single moment, but a series of them. I had found myself wondering who this man could be and how I could be with him, and now we were here. I couldn’t take that back.

  It couldn’t change who we were or what we’d said about being in this relationship to begin with.

  Yes, I loved Jacob Queen, but he could never love me. I had helped put that block on our relationship. Was right there with him.

  So why did it feel like I had made a mistake?

  Maybe the mistake was falling in love at all.

  My heart hurt, and I rubbed at my chest over my tank top, wondering if I could make it go away. I wasn’t supposed to love him. It was only supposed to be fun. Something entertaining, and a nice time to relax after a long day at work.

  But now I was thinking about what kind of food he liked so I could choose a place for our next date. And what I would send to him for lunch at work. I also thought about Dustin, Seressia, Lucas, and the others on staff because I always sent them sandwiches along with Jacob’s.

  Because Jacob did the same for me.

  He had sent a meal in for the office and my family just because he could. Because he knew we’d had a long day, and it would only get longer. And he just wanted to be a nice guy.

  He hadn’t even sent a note with it, saying he was thinking of me or anything romantic. It had been nearly business-like, and yet it had been the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me.

  I was losing my mind.

  Because I couldn’t fall in love with Jacob Queen. Only I was afraid I already had. I had broken the one cardinal rule of friends with benefits. I had fallen for the friend, and no benefits came with that.

  My alarm finally went off, and I rolled out of bed, taking my phone with me to turn off the sound. I had to go into work today, face another family meeting, and try to get through this project without coming to hate my dad.

  I didn’t want to hate my father. He was just making things difficult these days. And what a horrible state that was. On one side of the coin, I was falling in love with a man I shouldn’t. And on the other side, I was coming to hate the man who had raised me and taught me how to love my job.

  He had been the first to show me architectural plans and walk with me through homes that he was working on to show me where joists went and what a support beam was. He’d taught me about shiplap and the design features he loved, and I too had fallen for it all. He had taught me so much, and now he was ruining it all with his bitterness.

  I didn’t know why it had turned out this way. Nor did I know what we were going to do about it. But something had to change, and soon.

  If Beckett didn’t do it, then I would. I might be the perpetual middle child of our group of five, but sometimes it felt as if I were years older than my family members. As if I had lived a thousand lives in their span of one.

  But no, that wasn’t right. They had each been through their personal journeys and hells over time. But maybe losing Jonah had changed things for me. My heart ached at the thought, and I gripped the bathroom sink, trying to steady my breathing.

  I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Jonah’s brother. I had married Jonah because he was my best friend, but I hadn’t loved him.

  Not the way I loved Jacob. And maybe that was wrong…or beyond a mistake. But I didn’t know how to fix it. I looked at my reflection and wiped the tears from my face, annoyed that I was crying over this.

  I couldn’t reconcile the girl I had been with Jonah with the woman I was now with Jacob. Only I shouldn’t have to. Jonah would understand. He had never been the jealous type, and he loved his brother. No, the more I thought about it, the one thing I knew was that Jonah would understand my feelings for Jacob.

  The problem was, Jacob wouldn’t understand.

  You have work to do, and that means getting over yourself.

  I pushed away thoughts of Jonah and Jacob because they weren’t going to help anybody. Instead, I showered, did my hair and makeup, and finished getting ready to face the day. I loved my job, I loved creating, and I loved my family. But I knew going into work today with my father would probably be a bit too much.

  The dynamics at the office were off, and I didn’t want to go in at all. I could work from home, but I wouldn’t do that because Paige was there, as were my other siblings. I didn’t want to lose my time with them.

  I honestly didn’t know what to do.

  I made myself coffee in a travel mug, then headed out to my car. I risked a glance over at Jacob’s, but I couldn’t tell if he was home or not. He was probably already out for the day. He worked long hours just like I did—sometimes longer. He didn’t have a group of friends, really. Though I knew my brothers would probably invite him to something soon. Either to interrogate him or because they were nice people and knew that Jacob didn’t really have any friends here.

  “Annabelle,” a familiar voice said, and I looked over to see Hotch making his way out to his car. He had a travel mug in his hand, his work bag in the other.

  “Good morning, Hotch.”

  “Good morning. Have a good day at work. Yay for coffee, am I right?” he said and lifted his mug.

  I smiled, waved, and made my way back to my car. I could always count on Hotch to make me smile, even if there was no spark between us.

  I made my way into the office and saw Paige already at her desk, phone to her ear, her fingers clicking away on the keys of her computer. She grinned, her planner outstretched, and her tablet next to her. She was in the zone. I just smiled, loving how my sister could tackle anything. She kept us all on our toes and in line, and I was grateful for it.

  I went to my office, set my things down, and looked up as Archer walked into the room. He was a little more rumpled than usual, and I frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He glanced at me and snorted. “Wow, good morning to you, too. How much coffee have you had?”

  I grimaced. “Sorry, you just don’t have as much product in your hair, and you look like you didn’t sleep all night.” A lazy smile crossed my twin’s face, and I shuddered. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

  “What? I was going to ask why you have dark circles under your eyes. But, hopefully, it’s for the same reason.” I met my twin’s gaze, and his smile faltered for a minute. “Shit. Are you okay?”

  I lifted my chin and did my best to blank my expression. It didn’t work. “I’m fine, and I had just as much fun as you probably did,” I said. “And we’re never talking about this again because it’s weird.”

  “Very weird, but I love you anyway. You sure you’re okay?” he asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

  “I’m fine. Really. I just di
dn’t sleep much. It seems you didn’t either.”

  “I forgot my hair products at home, and I didn’t spend the night there. Luckily, I had a change of clothes in the car, but I forgot the rest.”

  “So, you’re not sharing a drawer then?” I asked, teasing yet wanting to know more about my twin’s happiness.

  “I do have a toothbrush at his house,” he said, his smile widening. “I have a toothbrush. At my boyfriend’s house. And he said I could just leave a couple of things over. In my own drawer.”

  Archer’s smile became so bright, I thought astronauts in space could probably see it if he stepped outdoors. My heart gave a tug. “Really?” I whispered. “I’m so happy for you. You look happy.”

  “I am. Are you happy?” Archer asked. I blinked before putting a smile on my face. As usual, my twin saw right through it.

  “Annabelle,” he whispered, and I shook my head, tears threatening. Why was I even crying? Weird feelings. I needed to get over them. Just because I thought maybe I could love Jacob didn’t make it real. He and I had an agreement. I wouldn’t go back on that.

  “I’m just tired. And I don’t have the same kind of relationship you do with Marc.”

  “Okay, but I’m here if you want to talk.”

  “One day. Just not at work.” I only said that because I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep things from Archer for long. He always knew when I needed to talk, and I didn’t know I needed to in the first place.

  I knew he’d be there for me.

  “Family meeting in the conference room, now.” Dad’s voice echoed from the hallway, and I frowned and met Archer’s gaze.

  “Is Clay here?” I whispered.

  “He’s off today, doctor’s appointments and physicals for the kids.”

  “Good, because this is work. We don’t do family meetings like the one that’s about to happen when Clay is here,” I bit out.

  Archer rolled his shoulders back. “Good. It’s about time we stand up to Dad.”

  I faltered, though I shouldn’t have. “That’s what we’re doing? Standing up to Dad?”

  “I sure as hell hope so. Because I know the strain on your face isn’t just from what we’re not talking about in your personal life.”

  I held back a curse, grabbed my tablet, and followed Archer to the conference room. I met Benjamin’s gaze as he exited his office, his eyes stormy. No, today would not be good.

  Beckett and Paige followed us into the conference room where my dad paced in front of the large desks, acting as the chairman of the board—or maybe a father ready to discipline his kids. This work environment was not healthy. Something needed to change.

  “Sit down,” Dad ordered. None of us sat. “What did I just say?” he asked, and I raised my chin.

  “We’re at work,” I said, my voice calm. I felt anything but calm. “You’re going to want to watch how you talk to us in our place of business. Anyone can come in at any moment to discuss plans, building… any number of things. What you’re doing right now is not the face of the company we want to show the world.”

  “Don’t act like you’re infallible, Annabelle. You’re one of the reasons we’re in this mess.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked, my eyes opening wide. I did my best to ignore the barb slicing through my chest, but it was hard. This was the man who’d put me on his shoulders and handed me ice cream cones that would drip all over us. This was the guy who’d taught me to ride a bike and drive a car. And yet I couldn’t see any of that in the person in front of me.

  “No, you’re going to want to step back, Dad,” Beckett growled, moving past me. Suddenly, the five of us were standing shoulder to shoulder, with Beckett slightly in front, facing down our dad.

  Hell, this was not how I wanted this conversation to happen, but I didn’t know what else to do. I did not recognize the man in front of me right now, and I didn’t know how to fix it.

  But we had to.

  Or we would end up losing something far more precious than our project.

  “I was just on the phone with the McConnells,” Dad growled out.

  I blinked. “The McConnells? You mean the business that tried to outbid us for this project?” I asked, dumbfounded.

  “Yes,” he snapped. “The McConnells and I used to have an understanding. It seems we’re going into more bidding wars with them because you don’t understand how this business works.”

  “Excuse me, no. That’s not how we do things,” Paige said, speaking up for the first time. Actually, it was the first time I had ever heard Paige talk back to our father.

  “Excuse me?” Dad asked.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with you, Dad,” I began, but Beckett cleared his throat. I nodded, letting Beckett have this. At least, for now.

  “Dad, why did you talk to the McConnells?”

  “Because they bid on this project, too, and I wanted to know what they gave them. They weren’t doing all this new-fangled shit that is costing us so much money. They’re going about things the right way. We’re going to lose out on projects if we don’t follow that path. We almost missed a deadline with our permits, and we’re already behind schedule. This is not the Montgomery Builders I created with my blood, sweat, and tears.”

  I froze, looking at the man. I couldn’t believe what he was saying.

  “Our blood, sweat, and tears,” I whispered. “You might’ve started this with other people, but this building and everything in it came about because of your children. The adults currently looking at you.”

  “Montgomery Builders hasn’t continued without good people behind it,” Beckett added.

  “No, we were all part of it. Are part of it. We each have assigned roles here, and we work together,” Benjamin agreed.

  “We’re all in the positions we loved finding when we were children and teens and are now doing as adults,” Archer added, and Dad just glared at him.

  My dad still didn’t like Archer’s job, and I didn’t know how to fix that. But this wasn’t the time.

  “And we didn’t miss a permit,” Paige said. “The county added an addendum, and that meant we had to redo the paperwork. That’s on the county, and they’re aware of it. We’re not behind.”

  “I know how permits work, young lady.”

  “You can call me Paige,” she said. “We’re at work.”

  “And yet, none of you guys are working. You’re running this thing into the ground. We’re never going to beat Montgomery Inc. if we continue being lazy and don’t follow the path I set us on.”

  “Your path got us here, but now we need to work together to keep going.” I fisted my hands at my sides. “And stop comparing us to the other Montgomerys. They’re not our competition.”

  “They are always our competition, damn it. Don’t you see? They’re looking down at us. They’re acting all high and mighty because they have more money. Because they have more experience. Well, screw them. We will be bigger and better, and you’ll just have to follow my lead if we’re going to get there.”

  I honest to God did not understand the words coming out of my father’s mouth. What was wrong with him?

  “Dad,” Beckett began, and my brother stepped forward. “No, this isn’t going to be how it works. We are not in competition with the other Montgomerys. We did not lose a permit. We did not get behind on anything. All of that’s wrong.” I looked at my brother, frowning.

  “See? You don’t even know,” Dad spat.

  “No, we’re behind on certain items because you keep having us triple-check things, and we have to show you in everything we do that we are adult enough to make our own decisions. You second and triple-guess everything we do to the point where I’m not even sure why we’re doing this anymore.”

  “I’m the boss here. You’re supposed to follow my direction.”

  “No, Dad. I’m the project manager. You are one of the owners of Montgomery Builders, but you don’t lead. You sign the papers, and because you’re my father, I’ve let you hurt our family
with your antics, but I don’t think I can do it anymore.” Beckett stood his ground.

  Tears threatened again, but I raised my chin, standing at my brother’s side as we faced down our father. This was not how it was supposed to go. We were a family that worked together, played together, and loved one another.

  And yet, it didn’t look like that right now.

  “So, you’re just going to toss me out? After everything I did for all of you?”

  “No, I’m going to be the one that does that,” Mom said from the doorway, tears running down her cheeks, her hands shaking. “You need to come with me, Russell. Because if you don’t let our children thrive, if you don’t step away and realize what you’re doing to this family, it’s over. We’re done.”

  I leaned into Beckett as my knees went weak at my mother’s words.

  “You’re threatening to divorce me?” Dad spat, his face going ashen.

  Mom looked down at her hands and let out a breath. Archer moved forward, and she met his gaze and shook her head. My twin stopped, and I reached out and took his hand. He squeezed mine hard, and the tears finally slid down my cheeks.

  “I’m not threatening divorce, Russell. I love you, and that won’t change. It hasn’t all these years. But it’s time to retire. It’s time for us to move on and let our children thrive. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why you hate my brothers so much. We’re going to talk about that more later. But you need to stop. I love our children, and I don’t want to lose them. So you and I are going to officially step down like we planned in the beginning. It’s time you and I have some time for ourselves. And it’s time for our children to be the next Montgomery Builders.”

  “Pamela, I don’t understand,” Dad whispered.

  “Don’t let your misconceptions about my family hurt ours,” Mom whispered. She held out a hand. “Come, let’s figure this out, and then you’re going to apologize to your children.”

  “Not today,” Beckett said. “You two talk. We can have a family dinner or whatever later and figure this out. But you’re right. It’s time to step down. It’s time for Montgomery Builders to thrive, and we can’t do that if we hate each other.”