“Oh, Aiden.” The shame in his eyes tore at my heart. I squeezed his hand, wishing I could just crawl into his lap and hold him for hours.

“You did it for us, didn’t you?” Beck asked. “You tracked Kate down because you knew that if you didn’t marry and Danny learned about the trust, all hell would break loose. We’d be in a media shitstorm and the three of us would still have a trust to deal with, this time publicly.”

Aiden’s jaw flexed as he tipped his head.

“Just like you bit the bullet when it came to King Oil,” Xander said. “You did it so the rest of us wouldn’t get pressure from Grams and DB to work here.”

“Damn, Aiden.” Dawson shook his head. “No wonder you never really talked to us. You spent years bossing us around and getting attitude right back, then we got to do whatever we wanted while you were tied up here.”

“I didn’t realize, Aiden,” Beck said. “I’m sorry.”

“None of you are at fault.” Gentry’s forehead creased. I couldn’t see his hands, but the way Kendall was angled, she must be clutching his under the table. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life, and the worst ones were after your mom died. I should’ve been there for all of you. But I’m here now, and I swear to God, son, if you don’t quit, I’m firing you. Don’t think I haven’t figured out that you’ve been taking on so many duties to keep me from overworking. I’m healthier than I’ve ever been and Kendall makes sure my ticker gets a gold star from the doctor regularly. Aiden, you don’t have to keep protecting us.”

Aiden didn’t let go of me as he faced his family. “I am quitting.”

I let out a gasp. “You are?” This job was his life. He couldn’t just walk away and be okay knowing he was leaving a mess.

“I want to be with you. I want to have kids with you. I want to teach them how to ride horse, how to wrestle, whatever they want to do.” He looked at his dad. “You are right. There are others out there who want this job, and who’d be good at it. I asked you all here so you’d know everything, and to help us deal with Grams.”

The fantasy I’d had all those years ago had been shattered—and now he was putting it back together. I wasn’t deluding myself this time. There was a roomful of witnesses.