Page 98 of The Havenport Collection

Declan

I didn’t deserve my brothers. I could add them to the very long list of people I didn’t deserve.

Liam and Cal had gone right to work, getting as much info as they could about Astrid.

According to Liam, Cece had reported that Astrid was indeed back in Boston and very angry with me.

Unsurprising but not exactly encouraging either.

The big game changer actually came from Callum.

Apparently he had played basketball with Luke Kim over the weekend, and Luke had mentioned that he had been in contact with Astrid about some upcoming legal projects.

My heart soared. Maybe there was a chance that she wanted this life after all?

It made me realize I needed to do some housekeeping of my own.

If Astrid could go after what she really wanted professionally, I should be able to do the same.

“Thanks for meeting me.” The Captain paced around my office in his usual uniform of Carhartts and a flannel shirt.

“No problem, son. Getting out of the house around lunchtime means I don’t have to deal with your mother force-feeding me lentils again.”

I clapped him on the shoulder. “You look good, Dad.”

He rolled his eyes. He would eat tree bark if my mother told him to, and we both knew it. He sat down on the couch and looked out at the view of the harbor. The skies were clear, and we sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the hustle and bustle of a commercial harbor.

I turned to him, gathering my courage. “Dad, it’s time,” I said softly.

He nodded, not taking his gaze off the horizon. “I know.”

I held up a folder. “Did you look at the business plans I sent over last week?” I had prepared and delivered a massive written proposal, outlining my business plans for the next five years.

It was all there—budgets, revenue projections, equipment upgrades, and strategic changes.

“You worked hard and built something significant. This is how I am going to preserve and improve on your legacy.”

He said nothing. Just sat and stared at the water silently.

“I reviewed everything,” he said quietly. “Callum came over and walked me through some of it.” I made a mental note to thank Callum. I know my dad respected his opinion, and he played a huge role in helping me put the plans together.

“Dad, I know that I’m a disappointment to you.”

His neck snapped around quickly. “How can you say that?”

“Because I don’t have a degree like Liam and Callum.”

He sighed and shifted on the couch. “I don’t give a shit about that. I don’t have a degree either. A piece of paper doesn’t make you smart, it doesn’t make you hardworking, it doesn’t make you a man of integrity. You are all of those things, Declan.”

Wow. For a man of few words, my dad sure had a lot to say on that matter. I sat silently, letting it all sink in. I had convinced myself that he didn’t notice how hard I had worked, how devoted I was. Maybe I had been wrong?

“I have had my head too far up my own ass to notice. My heart attack really sobered me. This career has taken a lot out of me, and I’m ready to try some new things.

I am still young, and I want to focus on my health and enjoying myself.

I took my father’s legacy and built on it, and now it’s your turn.

” I was amazed. Who was this man and what had he done with my father?

“I don’t agree with everything you propose. And I don’t understand some of it either. But I support you and your vision and I know you have a good head on your shoulders.”

My heart soared. “Thank you, Dad.”

“This is difficult for me. This was my life’s work.

I started working on boats in second grade.

My life has been the ocean, and I spent so many years fixated on success and growth and learning to never rest on my laurels.

That’s why I’m never satisfied. Because I can’t forget where I came from.

I can’t forget the legacy of our family, coming to this country with nothing and building something. ”

I nodded. I knew this place meant so much to him. I wanted him to understand it meant just as much to me.

“I don’t want to hand the company over to you because I can’t let it go, not because you aren’t qualified or I don’t trust you. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.

“Your mother says I have to start enjoying my retirement. Isn’t it bad enough I’m eating vegan and doing yoga? Now she wants to book one of those bus tours of Europe.”

I chuckled. A bus tour of Europe was my dad’s idea of hell. “Dad, you’re lucky that she wants to spend time with you.”

“I guess so. And you know me, I’ll do anything to make your mother happy.”

I smirked. Even as a small child it was clear who wore the pants in our household. My dad may have been a leader outside the home, in the navy, and on his boats, but inside he toed the line.

“Did I ever tell you about the first time we met?”

I rolled my eyes. “Dad, I’ve heard the story a million times. You were on leave from the navy, and she was a waitress at a restaurant in Boston.”

“Yup. And my buddies and I came in for dinner, and I took one look at her and decided that she was it for me.” He got up and walked over to the window.

“I went back to that restaurant every night for a week and asked to be seated in her section. Every single night I asked her out on a date. And she kept saying no.”

I laughed.

“But she finally said yes. I think she didn’t want one guy who only could afford to order soup taking up a whole table in her section every night. And the rest is history. I have loved her every minute since.”

I smiled. I had heard this story more times than I could count, but it was another reminder that my parents made it work. They fell in love and built a family, a business, and forty years of marriage together. “That’s sweet, Dad.”

“That’s the thing, son. When you find your person you have to be persistent. Once in a lifetime love isn’t easy. It doesn’t fall into your lap. You have to fight for it and be willing to wait it out if necessary.”

“But I just don’t know if I’m up for it, Dad. The husband and father thing.”

“Why don’t you take it one step at a time and be a boyfriend? I doubt Astrid wants a ring or a baby tomorrow. She seems like she has a lot going on.”

“That’s true. But I doubt she’ll take me back.”

“Son, you need to believe in yourself. You need to see what the rest of the world sees. You command respect. The crew loves you. Vince hates everyone and barely tolerated me, and he is totally loyal to you. Do you have any idea how many times he’s hinted that you should be CEO?”

I had no idea. I was touched. Vince was a tough nut, but he knew everything and was my right-hand man. I trusted him. “Wow.” I scratched my chin. Maybe my dad was right.

“I don’t want you to think I want Liam and Callum here instead of you.

That’s not true at all. Would I have loved all three of my sons to take an interest in the family business?

Of course. But you, Declan, you love the ocean, you love those boats and the men who work them.

This business is in you, in your blood and your bones, just like it was for me.

And I’m proud of you. And I will be proud to fully retire and promote you to CEO. ”

I was blown away. I had spent years being told to keep my head down and work and that I wasn’t ready yet. Now he was ready to turn over the reins?

“The paperwork is being drawn up and should be ready by the end of the week.”

I didn’t know what to say. It was finally sinking in. It was happening. He listened, he understood, and he respected my plans and my vision.

“You have pursued this carefully and strategically and have done your homework. You know your stuff, and although I might not agree with it all, I have confidence in your ability to lead. But you have to apply that same patience, that same focus, to your personal life. You have to be willing to take risks.” Oh shit.

I knew there was an ulterior motive here.

I looked around, half expecting my mom to jump out from behind the furniture.

“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. I will do it my way, but I’ll make you proud.”

He smiled at me. “I don’t doubt that.” He paced around some more, and I knew what was coming.

“You know, Declan, you keep yelling at me for playing it safe, saying we need to adapt and take risks. Follow your own damn advice, son. We all know you pushed Astrid away. You left her before she could leave you.”

I was growing weary of talking about this. “Dad. It’s not like that. I did what was best for everyone. Fear had nothing to do with it.”

“If you are in love with her you figure it out.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Your mother will be devastated.”

Now I was pissed. I had reached my limit of parental disappointment. “Why? Because I’m single?”

“No,” he snapped. Staring me dead in the eyes. “Because we clearly raised a moron.”

That shut me up. My parents were tough, but this was beyond the usual Captain Quinn pep talk.

“You are thirty-five years old so I am sad I need to say this out loud. Love, real love, does not come around very often. You cannot take it for granted, you cannot throw it away. You have got to hang on with both hands and ride out every storm together.”

“But her career…” I started.

He interrupted me. “Don’t shame the poor girl for her ambitions.”

“I’m not!”

“It sounds like you are. Women can do anything and everything, and trust me, most of the time they do these things better than we do.”

I nodded. He wasn’t wrong.

“If anyone can make it all work, it’s Astrid. And you should be by her side, supporting her and helping her build a full, beautiful life. Instead you push her away?”

“Dad, I know I fucked up. I knew before the words even came out of my mouth. But what I feel for her, it’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

“You think you’re protecting her, Declan, but you’re really just protecting yourself.”

Was he right? I had felt pressured to create a fake relationship to make my parents happy.

But had that been the real reason? I had always been desperate to please them, but maybe I just wanted a girlfriend.

Maybe I wanted a special person in my life but was too messed up to realize it.

Since Astrid probably wouldn’t ever be in my league, it felt safer to have a fake relationship.

To protect myself. Clearly that had backfired spectacularly. I was losing my mind without her.

“I’ve tried to apologize, to get her back. She wants nothing to do with me.”

“You’ll figure it out, Declan. Trust yourself and your instincts. That’s what I did with your mother.”

And with that, he walked out of the office and I was left staring at the ocean, with absolutely no clue how I was going to win back the love of my life.