Page 6 of Charm (Billionaire Buck Boys #7)

CHAPTER SIX

Holden

Filling the time since I walked out of Mrs. Frye’s home hasn’t been easy.

I thought I could focus on work since there’s never a shortage of things that require my attention.

As the CEO of Carden Confectionaries, I’m the guy who makes the last call on almost everything that matters.

I take my brother’s opinion into consideration, but at the end of the day, I have to decide what is best for the company that mattered so much to my grandparents.

Carden began as a shared dream for them and has since morphed into a billion dollar empire.

The weight of that is always on my shoulders, but I’ll never complain about it.

I consider it an honor to sit at the helm of the company, even when I’m faced with the task of working out deals to take over enterprises that are struggling or those that have an owner who has checked out of the business.

That happens more often than most people realize. The idea of launching a candy company can seem like an easy route to riches, but it’s a damn hard climb even to get noticed.

Such is the case with a few businesses based in New York that my brother has recently reached out to . Jameson makes the initial contact, and then I swoop in to work on the finer details of a deal that will expand Carden’s empire.

That’s what our grandmother wanted before her death, so Jameson and I are intent on following through on her wishes.

I glance down when my phone indicates an incoming video call.

It’s almost eleven. That should narrow the options of who is calling, but it doesn’t.

My brother, my sister-in-law, and my friends all know that I’m available for them twenty-four seven.

If at all possible, I’m never out of reach, although I plan on leaving my phone behind when I go to see Summer in just over an hour.

“Declan,” I greet my friend as the call connects. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

I know the answer to that question, but I ask it anyway. Like Jameson and me, Declan and his brother run a business whose sales rival those of Carden’s. They’re not in the candy business, though. Wells, their brand, is all about underwear.

His hair is a mess, and he’s sporting a light growth of beard. Impending fatherhood looks good on my old friend, but I don’t tell him that. He owns a mirror, so he’s well aware of what he looks like at the moment.

“I can’t sleep,” he says before he yawns. “How hard do you think fatherhood is?”

“Your brother is the guy to ask that question to,” I point out, since Declan’s brother, Sean, is already a dad. I add on our shared best friend as a great resource, “Rook has been doing the dad thing for five years, Declan. Call him.”

“So he can tease me about how fucking scared I am?” He chuckles. “No way. You’ve been watching Jameson navigate fatherhood. Does it look easy or hard?”

“Both,” I answer as I settle into a spot on the sectional in the living room. I prop my bare feet up on the coffee table. “As with anything worth having in life, some bad always comes with the good.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re quoting the birthday card I gave you last year. I thought it was perfect since you’re getting grayer by the day. The bad being the gray. The good being… hell, I don’t know, with age comes wisdom, so the good is wisdom.”

That’s enough bullshit nonsense to force a question out of me. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“I sleep,” he insists. “I fall asleep fine, but wake up in the middle of the night with a million thoughts racing through my mind. All I want is to be a good father to my son.”

His son.

Gilbert Stetson Wells is due to arrive in just a few short weeks. I’m already madly in love with the kid. The pile of gifts I have at my apartment in Manhattan is proof of that.

“You’re going to be a great father,” I tell him what I truly believe. “Don’t doubt yourself, Declan. You’re one of the best men I know, and you’ve read a hell of a lot of books about babies. You could teach a class.”

He chuckles. I sense some of the weight is being lifted off his shoulders. “Maybe by the time you have a kid, I’ll be in a position to teach you the basics of being a dad.”

I want that, but I’ve yet to admit it to anyone other than myself. Having a child is the brass ring for me. Even though my marriage ended in a bitter divorce, it hasn’t soured me to the idea of taking the plunge again and starting a family.

I’m not in any rush, but it’s something I see on the horizon.

“I’m going to try and sleep,” he says through another yawn. “What about you? Are you hitting the hay soon?”

“Not yet.” I shake my head as I watch him rub a hand over his jaw. “I’m going for a swim right away.”

“Of course, you are.” He laughs. “You’re in East Hampton with a heated pool at your disposal. Why wouldn’t you swim as much as you can?”

I don’t bother mentioning my pool is out of commission, or that I plan on swimming with a beautiful woman.

“Are you free for lunch on Monday?” he questions, his gaze shifting to something beyond his phone.

“Are you asking me that or your beautiful wife?”

His lips split into a smile. “I hear Abby stirring in our bedroom, so I’m off to check on her. You and I are having lunch on Monday. Bring your credit card.”

Before I can say anything, he ends the call.

“Bastard,” I whisper as I drop my phone next to me. “It’s his turn to buy lunch.”

I push up to my feet and head toward the primary bedroom. I need to put on a pair of board shorts and grab a couple of condoms to tuck into one of the pockets. Then, I’ll visit the private wine cellar in the basement to choose a bottle of red that my grandparents stocked there.

They saved hundreds of bottles of the best vintages for special occasions. My midnight swim with the neighbor falls into that category because I sense tonight is going to be one for the record books.