3

"Franklin," he began with quiet uncertainty, "I’m not exactly sure that I’m the right man for her." He didn’t want to admit that he wasn’t in love with her; speaking those words to her father seemed like such a cold thing to admit to. But he wasn’t sure that marrying her would be the right road for him, and he wanted her father to know it.

Franklin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice grew deep. "You are the right man for her. There is no doubt in my mind about that. There was no doubt in your father’s mind, either. In fact, he was so certain that it would be right for you both that he left your mother’s wedding ring with me so that I could give it to you when the time was right so that you could propose to Felicia."

He reached into his pocket, slid out a black velvet box, and handed it to Derrick. Derrick’s heart pounded as he took it from the old man’s withered hand. He held it in his fingers and stared at it for a long, silent moment.

"Well, go on, open it up," Franklin urged him, his old eyes shifting from the box to Derrick.

Derrick’s breath was held tight in his chest, and it felt as if he couldn’t inhale or exhale at all while the realization of just what Franklin was asking him gripped him. Slowly, he reached his free hand to the box and lifted the lid of it, and the sight of the beautiful diamond ring inside it made him gasp. It was his mother’s wedding ring, as Franklin had said, though Derrick hadn’t seen it since it was on his mother’s hand when she was alive.

"I didn’t know my father had given it to you…" he whispered as he looked at it wistfully. Thoughts of his mother flooded his mind, and again, his throat tightened.

Franklin shook his head. "No, son. Your father didn’t give it to me. He’s giving it to you. I was only holding it until the time was right to give it to you so that you could give it to Felicia and ask her to marry you. The time is right. This is what your father wanted. Hell, for that matter, this is what your mother wanted as well. We all want it. You and Felicia are meant to be. You’re made for each other. It’s a perfect match. It’s all any of us have ever wanted; that and for the two estates and businesses to come together the way that you two kids will, and everything will be combined as one."

Derrick hesitated and glanced back up at Franklin with a strong look of uncertainty. "I realize that you’ve all been planning this for years and that you think it would be best if she and I…" he began, but Franklin cut him off.

"We have been planning it for years because it is for the best. It’s exactly what we always wanted, and now it’s time to make it happen. Don’t disappoint poor little Felicia, don’t disappoint me, and for heaven’s sake, do not disappoint your late father. This is what he wanted for you; this is his dream for you and for her, to have your futures sewn together. Now, you take that ring, and you ask my daughter to marry you. You do it soon. You have all the responsibility of running your estate and the businesses, and it’s time to take up that yoke and do it, and the best woman to have at your side is my daughter, my Felicia. She’s been groomed for it all of her life, to take her place at your side. Now, do as your father has always wanted you to do—obey him, respect his wishes, and marry Felicia."

It was clear that Franklin wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Derrick wished that he could wait or have some time to think about it, but he knew deep down that Franklin wasn’t about to let it go. He never would. Derrick’s own father had been in on it, or he wouldn’t have given Derrick’s mother’s wedding ring to Franklin. He knew that the old man was speaking the truth to him. He knew that there really was no option or choice in the matter. He was going to have to do it.

"I guess I’ll do it," Derrick said with a sigh of resignation, closing the box. "I’ll ask her to marry me."

"Soon," Franklin replied pointedly.

"Soon," Derrick answered, giving him a nod. He meant it. He would call her up and think of something. Perhaps take her out to dinner and propose. It would be for business, not love, and it would be what their parents wanted them to do. Everyone else would be pleased.

Franklin talked with him a while longer about a few other things, and at long last, he finally left. Derrick pocketed the ring box, feeling its weight pulling down on him like a ton of lead. It was as if his entire life had just been mapped out ahead of him, and there was no way out of it—no option, no choice, no place to go but forward, directly into everyone else’s expectations. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he knew that they were right, and he knew that it didn’t matter to any of them that he wasn’t in love with Felicia and that he didn’t really want to spend the rest of his life with her. What mattered was the business and the families, and keeping them all together. There was nothing else.

***

Derrick pressed the lock button on his key fob, and the jaguar behind him beeped at him as the alarm was set. He was meeting Garrett Hawkins for a drink. He needed a drink; it was the only way he was going to get through the conversation he knew he was going to have to have with his best friend.

Garrett already had prime real estate reserved for them at the bar, and he was holding their chairs as Derrick walked in and gave him a nod. They shared a hug and a hearty clap on the shoulder before Derrick took the seat beside his friend and ordered a drink.

Where Derrick was six feet tall and change, with dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a solidly muscular frame, his best friend Garrett was about six inches shorter than him, with a wild crop of blond hair and sky blue eyes. His form was a little more lanky than Derrick’s. They could not have been more different on the outside, but they were oftentimes twins as far as thought, manner, and morality was concerned. They could have been natural brothers of the heart and of the mind.

"So, what’s got you down here having a drink tonight? This isn’t a casual beer with me, that I do know," Garrett started straight in without waiting for any kind of pleasantry.

Derrick sighed heavily and raked his fingers through his dark brown hair. "Franklin Van Buren was over at the house yesterday."

"That’s not a surprise. He lost his best friend. How’s he doing?" Garrett asked as he tipped his own beer back and took a healthy swig.

"He’s fine. He misses my dad, but he’s doing alright. He’s not so focused on what has happened, though. He’s a lot more focused on what’s coming up." Derrick swallowed a gulp of his beer and set the mug down, staring into the froth on top of it.

Garrett raised one eyebrow. "Is he? And what’s coming up?"

"I’m not sure you’re going to believe it…" Derrick hesitated. "I don’t believe it, and I have to." He turned and looked at his friend. "He says that he and my father have both been working on merging their businesses together."

"Haven’t they already got some of their businesses merged together?" Garrett frowned slightly.

"Yes, but he means all of them. Everything that his family and my family have, into one big corporation." He looked pointedly at Garrett.

"Why would he do that? He’s a billionaire, you’re a billionaire… what difference does it make if the businesses are together or separate?" Garrett tilted his head questioningly.

Derrick pursed his lips a moment, regretting having to speak the words aloud. "He wants to build a secure dynasty for his daughter when she gets married."

There was a moment of confused silence as Garrett thought over what he had just heard. "Is Felicia getting married?"

"Not until I ask her, and then yes, she will be getting married." He sighed again, quieter the second time, looking back down into his beer. No amount of alcohol was going to erase what was coming at him like a freight train.

Garrett blinked several times. "You’re… you’re going to ask Felicia to marry you?"

"Yup." It was succinct to say the least.

With a doubtful shake of his head, Garrett eyed his friend closely. "Do you want to marry her? I mean, I know you guys have a little history from years ago, but… I tho

ught she was dating some guy from Europe, and you have been on the strictly single but playing list for a long time now. Did I miss something?"

"No, you didn’t miss anything. That’s about the size of where it is right now, but her father wants us to merge the companies, merge the estates, merge his daughter with me…" He rubbed his hands over his face and then dropped them flatly on the surface of the bar. "I guess he says that my father wanted that too, although I can’t remember my father ever really talking about it with me. Maybe he just didn’t get around to it before…" he trailed off and shook his head.

Garrett frowned thoughtfully. "How do you know your dad wanted you to marry Felicia? What if Franklin’s just pulling your leg to get the businesses?"

Derrick looked back over at him. "No, Franklin’s not pulling a fast one. He’s not like that. He has the best interests of his businesses and his daughter at heart, and there’s no doubt in my mind about that. Also, he had my mother’s wedding ring. I guess dad gave it to him to give to me when the time was right. They both expected me to give it to Felicia and marry her. Consolidate everything under the sun. It’s just that dad never said anything about merging business or family, and now I’m looking at doing it alone. It’s… unexpected."