Top floor, Miles High Building. The elevator doors open, and I stride out.
“Good morning, Sammia.” I smile. It’s good to see a familiar face.
“Christopher.” She gasps. “My god.” She stands, and I lean over the desk and kiss her cheek. “Miss me?” I ask.
“Definitely not.” She smirks.
Sammia and I have a strong friendship. Been play flirting for years. “Still married?”
“Yes, Christopher.” She rolls her eyes.
“Such a shame,” I reply as I walk past her. “One of these days,” I call as I walk away.
I hear her giggle, and I head down the corridor to Jameson’s. I walk in, and he’s on the phone. He glances up and stops midsentence. “I’ll call you back.” He hangs up without waiting for a reply and stands immediately.
I chuckle and hold out my arms, and he rushes me and pulls me into a hug. Emotion overwhelms me. I didn’t realize just how much I missed him up until this very moment. “I thought you weren’t coming until Friday?” he says as he regains his composure and steps back from me.
“Change of plans.”
He circles me as he looks me up and down. “Fuck . . . look at you.”
“What about me?” I smile.
“Tanned.”
I put my hands on my hips proudly.
“You’ve put on weight.”
“Fuck off, I have.”
He sits back at his desk, his eyes not leaving me for a minute, and he picks up his office phone. “Get in here. I have a surprise for you.”
I knew the three of my brothers were all in New York. There’s a board meeting at nine o’clock, and attendance by all is compulsory.
I walk to the bar and eye the assortment of all the alcohol I haven’t been able to afford. “Is it too early?” I ask.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” he replies casually.
I pour myself a scotch and hold up the bottle. He smirks with a subtle shake of his head. “I’ll wait till it’s five here.”
“Still boring, I see.” I sip my drink and smile as it burns all the way down. “Ahh.” I hold the glass up and stare at the amber liquid. “That’s the stuff.”
The door bursts open, and Tristan and Elliot come into view. They both laugh out loud and rush me with a hug. Elliot holds me a little longer than he should. “Let go of me, you creepy fucker.” I smile as I pull out of his arms.
He punches me hard. “Thank god that’s over.”
“Miss me?” I ask.
“No. Just sick of doing all your work.”
His eyes linger affectionately on my face, and I pull him into another hug. “I missed you.”
“London fucking sucks without you there.”
“Tell me everything,” Tristan says as he pours three glasses of scotch.
Jameson winces. “It’s eight thirty in the morning.”
“Stop being fucking boring,” Tristan huffs as he passes their glasses out. He holds his in the air to propose a toast, and we all raise ours too. “Together.”
My eyes well with tears. Fuck. I really missed them.
This is where I belong, with my brothers, running our company.
“Together,” we all repeat.
“So . . .” Tristan smiles. “Tell us everything. What’s been happening with gorillas in the mist?”