Seduction (Club Destiny #3)(80)
Author: Nicole Edwards

If he hadn’t known it by then, he knew it now.

This woman owned him. All of him.

The rest of the evening was spent laughing, talking and ribbing the McCoy brothers who had shown up. By the time they were ready to call it a night, Alex wanted nothing more than to take Ashleigh home and hold her next to him for the better part of eight hours while they slept. He was exhausted.

“You about ready?” He asked when he located Ashleigh standing in the kitchen with Sam and Sierra.

“I am. I just need to find Pops before I go. He said he needed to tell me something.”

As though Ashleigh’s thought conjured the man up out of thin air, Pops walked into the kitchen with Dylan, Stacey, Nate and Veronica following behind him. Not far behind them were Luke, Logan and Cole. Everyone dispersed throughout the kitchen, turning their attention to Xavier.

“First, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming today. Today has been about my boy, Nate.” Xavier said, turning toward his great grandson. “I’m proud of you, son. In more ways than you’ll ever know.”

Alex felt the emotions that flowed from Xavier’s words, the man’s pride obvious.

“And as for the rest of you, well, I’ve got some news to share.” Xavier looked almost bashful for a moment, and Alex steeled himself for what was to come.

“I’m a very blessed man, to say the least. I’ve got my family,” he said, glancing at Ashleigh and then Dylan, then to his great grandchildren, “I’ve got my company and no, it wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for those of you who run it like it were your own.” Xavier’s gaze landed on Logan first, then Alex.

“And more importantly, I’ve had a second chance in life. Something I never expected.” Xavier’s gaze turned to the woman standing just inches from his side, and Alex didn’t need to hear the man’s heartfelt declaration to know what he was about to say. The love in his eyes was evident.

“I’m happy to say that Veronica has agreed to marry me and though I’m not sure I’ve ever done anything to deserve her, I’m selfish enough that I’m going to make her my wife.”

Veronica blushed prettily when Xavier pulled her into his arms. Ashleigh, Sierra and Sam all three sighed, almost simultaneously. Alex glanced at Logan who shrugged, his admission that he had no idea. Alex had suspected as much, but neither Veronica nor Xavier ever gave the impression that they were more than business associates.

“Welcome to the family, Veronica.” Dylan stated. “If you can put up with him, you’re welcome to him.”

The room erupted in laughter and then a round of congratulations before the conversations commenced. Alex just looked around, baffled at how much of a family they’d all become over the years.

Looking at Ashleigh, his heart swelled yet again.

He wouldn’t do it now, but he promised himself that very soon, he’d show Ashleigh exactly what she meant to him and how he hoped to make her his family permanently.

Chapter Twenty Five

Alex wasn’t all that happy about having to drive to Austin yet again, but the opportunity was too great to pass up. This time he’d opted to go by himself, not wanting to subject Cole to yet another meeting that may result in nothing more than an agreement to think about it.

That’s what Alex had been dealing with the last two times he’d visited the Walker ranch. He knew the time would come when Travis Walker would make the final decision to move forward with his plans, but as of yet, the man hadn’t done it. Alex hoped that was all about to change.

Travis had called the night before, insisting he was ready to make a final decision and Alex figured it was worth at least one more shot. After all the work Cole had put into it, he couldn’t just tell the man no. Not to mention, that was just bad for business.

Since Travis Walker was in the early stages of building a resort the likes of which hadn’t been seen in the rural town he lived in just outside of Austin, Alex knew it was going to be well worth the investment. Not that CISS generally took part in startup companies, but after he’d met the Walker brothers and saw what they’d done with the company they already owned – Walker Demolition – Alex had been interested from the start.

Since Alex would be infusing CISS into the mix, it made it well worth his time in the long run.

Just north of Austin, Alex followed the 130 toll road on-ramp and dialed Travis’ number, letting him know he was only about fifteen minutes out. They were meeting at the ranch so Travis could show him the plans for the resort.

This wasn’t going to be just any resort either. The Walker brothers had a dream, and after having met all seven of the brothers in the last few months, Alex didn’t doubt they could pull it off. That was if they could secure the land to do so.