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Garrett took another sip, declining to answer.
Elias waited a beat, then whistled. “Now I have to know who the fuck Emma is.”
Rainer held up a hand. “In a sec. I have one more question.”
Garrett put his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. “Shoot.”
“Are there any provisions for children of this blessed union in the contract?”
He waited a beat, but Rainer continued to stare at him in challenge until he caved.
“Well, obviously, any children of the union would become my heirs.”
Rainer guffawed, while Elias shook his head, mouthing,Wow.
Garrett dismissed their obvious concern. “It’s a moot point. This is a strictly platonic arrangement. But you know lawyers—they insist oncovering every possible contingency. The bit about kids is all hypothetical.”
“Uh-huh. What are the names of these hypothetical children?”
Garrett scoffed, reddening. “I didn’tnamethem.”
Rainer gave him a smug smile. “Yes, that was very believable.”
“Shut up,” he muttered.
“I need another drink, and the two of you need professional help.” Elias staggered to the right, reaching for the bottle of whiskey. He picked it up, pointing his index finger at him and Rainer, managing to wag it without spilling this time. “Being so eager to get leg shackled is not normal. Neither iswantingchildren. They’re loud, they smell, and you can’t just leave them at home to hop on a plane to Europe or Japan whenever you want.”
“You mean South America or Africa.” That was where Auric business generally took him, not the vacation hotspots he’d named.
“Whatever,” Elias replied, exasperated. “My point is you’re going to do what you’re going to do, so go with God and be grateful Ian is the one who drew the short straw on this royalty-sitting gig. Because if he was here instead of me, he would hog-tie you until he could get Doherty up here.”
Garrett frowned. “Doherty?”
Elias waved his glass at him. “He’s the deprogrammer we subcontract when we extract someone from a cult.”
Rainer snickered.
Garrett shook his head, letting amusement color his tone. “I can’t wait for a woman to take you out at the knees. That’s going to be incredibly satisfying.”
“Never going to happen,” Elias said with a snort. “But you go right ahead and put that yoke on with my blessing. Just remember this: when those rug rats start arriving, you’re naming one after me. Because I am never having one of my own.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
EMMA
“Should I reread that clause to you?” the lawyer asked Emma, concern lining his face.
She gaped at him. “How much did you say?”
“Five mil—” the man began when the door opened.
Emma twisted to see Georgia entering the office. From the look on her face, Garrett had already filled her in on what was going on.
“George!” she squeaked, reaching out to invite her friend to join them at the small conference table. “He’s trying to give me fivemillion.”
Georgia tripped but caught herself before she face-planted. “Dollars?”
“Yes!”