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I quirk my brow. “It’s been eighteen hours, Denny. Not even a full day.”
She pauses. “Doesn’t matter. Every alarm in my mind was going off. I rang the doorbell, but it didn’t sound. I knocked, but no one answered. So, I used the code because I thought...” She plants her hand across her chest which is rising and falling with her panicked breathing. “I could’ve been walking into a bloody crime scene. You’re so secretive here. Dottie was the only onewho could get through to you, and I thought…I thought… What if something happened to you? Who would know? Who would tell me? It’s my job to know, and I couldn’t…” Tears streak down her cheeks as she heaves.
“Oh, Denny.” I cross the short width of the porch and help her to her feet. I pull her into a hug, patting her back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d worry so much.”
She returns my hug but smacks my back hard. “Didn’t think I’d worry?” Her tone is scolding. “I’m your family. Of course, I was worried!”
I hold her for a while until she calms down. “Feel better?” I ask as I pull away.
She glares at me. “Somewhat. I’m glad you’re breathing.”
“Sweet of you,” I say with sarcasm. “Would you like to come inside?” I peer up and down the street. “How’d you get here?”
“The family jet and then a car service. The driver went off to get gas the moment I got into the house. He’ll be back shortly if you want me to leave.”
“Don’t be silly. Come in.” I nod to the door.
“Is your guest still…”
“Getting dressed. She’ll be down in a moment, and I’ll introduce you.”
Suddenly recomposed, Denny crosses her arms in a way that tells me a lecture is on the tip of her tongue. “Dex, I understand you have your life here, but out of respect for your new wife, it’s probably best to keep your dalliances minimal. The last thing we want is people insinuating that you’re having an affair mere moments after getting married. Allie, or any woman for that matter, wouldn’t want to be embarrassed in the media like that.”
I let out a heavy sigh, deciding to rip off the Band-Aid right here, right now. “Thedallianceyou’re referring to is not a one-night stand. Her name is Lennox Mitchell. She was a very good friend of mine. Now, she’s my wife.”
Denny gawks at me. “I’m sorry…what?” she hisses. “What do you mean ‘your wife?’”
I clear my throat and give Denny a warning look. I understand she’s shocked, and my communication has been pretty piss-poor, but disrespecting Lennox is not a line she nor anybody else is allowed to cross. I mentally plead for her to respect some boundaries before I have to kick her off my porch. “Denny, I won’t be marrying Allie or any of the other women you suggested. Last night, I asked Lennox to marry me, and she agreed.”
Denny breathes out in relief. “Oh, you mean you’re engaged. So, there’s still time to talk you out of?—”
“And then last night we got married at a chapel just outside The Strip.”
She goes back to jaw-dropped gawking.
“Denny—”
“I thought we talked about you running this stuff by me?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, controlling my temper. If Denny was a normal employee this condescending attitude wouldn’t be accepted, but this woman helped change my diapers and used to buy me rubber bath duckies. I have to grant her a little grace. “There was no changing my mind. And I’d like to convey how completely devoted I am to my marriage. Please understand that anything you say moving forward about Lennox isabout my wife. You know how unreasonably protective men get when they’re in love, right?”
“In love?” she practically spits out. “How come I’ve never heard of her once? Now you’rein love?Dex…be with whomever you wantafterHessler Group is yours again. Surely you can wait a year. This isn’t what Dottie wanted.”
“I’m pretty confident it’s exactly what she wanted,” I chide.
It seems like we’re both puffing up our chests, trying to prove who has the superior point in the argument. But it really doesn’tmatter what Denny wants. She’s not the heir of Hessler Group. I am. Denny doesn’t need to obsess about my company. She’ll be well taken care of for the rest of her life. I’ll make sure of that. She doesn’t need to bear the burden of my business decisions…or my personal ones, for that matter.
She rubs her arms when the brisk breeze cuts through the porch.
“It’s cold. Come inside, Denny. You’ll love Lennox. She’s the most amazing woman I know. You guys will be fast friends, and she’ll need your help just like Grandma did. I’m adding to our family, not taking away. I’d really like your support in this because I don’t want to say goodbye to any more members of my family.”
I’ll admit, I’m laying it on a little thick. But maybe if Denny realizes she’s safe, she’ll see Lennox as less of a threat.
Denny hangs her head, her eyes watering again. She wipes her nose with the back of her hand and sniffles in a very un-Denny-like fashion. “I stood by Dottie through everything. She lost Melody and was left to raise you. Harrison all but abandoned her with an empire she was unprepared to run. I watched this woman become a phenomenon, never cracking under the pressure that would’ve broken anyone else. She worked so hard for everything we have, Dex. I don’t want to see it fall apart in front of my eyes. Protecting you is the only way I know how to honor her now. So, please pardon me for being skeptical of any woman who says she loves you after you wave a billion-dollar company in her face.”
My eyes drop to the ground. “Isn’t that exactly what Allie and the other women did? They agreed to be my wife in exchange for a payout?”
“No, those were business transactions. Love is an entirely different matter. You can trust one, not the other.”