Free Irrefutable (The Apprehensive Duet Book 2) by Kimberly Bracco

minutes to explain what Louis has been doing to Quinn and her motivations for going along with this. “He didn’t leave her much choice, but I had no idea the threats had gotten this bad or he’d gone this far.”
    “I should’ve picked up on it when he called me earlier this week about the opening at the Plaza,” my mom adds. “He seemed so adamant on having it then, and I just assumed that was what you guys wanted.”
    “Not at all,” I inform her. “Just his way of pushing Quinn.”
    “You know,” Mom says reaching her hand out, placing it over mine. “You told me all about Quinn’s reasons for agreeing to perpetuate this relationship, but why did you agree to do this?”
    Dammit. I didn’t really want to go into that much detail about everything. I just wanted to tell my mom the truth about Quinn and I. Tell her I fell for her and now I’m learning this will never be anything more.
    I did drag her out of bed after midnight, so I guess the least I can do is give her the answers she’s looking for.
    “Making Dad proud was important to me, and I wanted to do it while I still had the chance,” I confess, hanging my head. “I know how he felt about family and settling down. I wanted him to see me do that. I wanted him to see me get married and step up to fill his shoes at the office. I wanted him to be proud of me. Quinn was willing to help me give Dad that.”
    Mom’s eyes glass over as they fill with tears. “Jordan, he was always so proud of you. Is that what you think? That your father wasn’t proud of you?”
    “No, I know he was,” I say. “I also know he wanted to see me take the next step and start a family. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but he wanted me to get married first. I just wanted to be everything he wanted me to. He was such a great man and I wanted to give him all that before it was too late.”
    “God, I wish you had told us you were feeling this way,” she cries, hugging me. My large frame consumes her tiny one as I try to comfort her by wrapping my arms around her. It doesn’t take long for her tears to dry. She pushes herself back from me and gives me a sad smile. “I’m sorry you felt so pressured to give your father that illusion, but I think it’s time I told you a story.”
    “A story?” I laugh.
    “Yes, a story, but let’s go sit in the den. These chairs aren’t so good for my old back.”
    Grabbing my mug and hers, I head to the counter to refill them before making my way to the den after my mother.
    Placing both mugs down on the wooden coffee table in front of the couch, I sit next to Mom and make myself comfortable. “What’s this story?”
    “Your father did want you to be settled down before taking over the company, but not for the reasons you think,” she starts explaining with a far off look in her tired eyes. “We had just gotten married when your grandfather handed the reins over to your dad. He spent the first year of our marriage living at the office because it was so much work. Your father underestimated how difficult it would be to run a company. He was so focused on it, it sucked him in.”
    Mom’s eyes cloud slightly as she takes a minute to collect herself. “His thoughts only turned to me when work wasn’t consuming him. Which wasn’t often. He didn’t even notice there was something wrong until I told him how unhappy I was. He was devastated when he realized what he had been doing. It was then your father vowed that his family would always come first. And we did.”
    A fond smile forms on Mom’s lips, and it’s hard not to smile with her thinking about the amazing man my dad was. “We did,” I agree, taking Mom’s hand, enveloping it in mine.
    Her smile drops and her eyes meet mine as she continues, “He didn’t want that to happen to you. He wanted you to have a family and enjoy it before you took over. He wanted to make sure when you took charge, you wouldn’t make the same mistakes he did. He was only trying to