Until I Found You (The McKenna Brothers #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

“This can go one of two ways.” Willa Holland held the phone to her ear, watching the city bustle with activity outside the cab window. “I’m either getting dumped or engaged.”

“Oh, honey,” Finlay said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

The doubt in her best friend’s tone had her shifting in her seat. “Yes. I have to.” She wasn’t the type of person to sit around and wait. Even if it wound up hurting, it was always better to rip off the Band-Aid.

But she shared her friend’s concern. Because if she got dumped, her half sister would pull up a chair and watch it unfold like her favorite reality TV show—with snacks.

Nate was, after all, the firm’s golden boy and their mom’s favorite. Harvard-educated, handsome, fit…who wouldn’t want to be with him?

If only he weren’t so hard to read. Half the time, she thought they were on the same page—both prioritizing their goals over relationships—but the other half, she wondered if he even cared.

Then, that morning, while she’d been getting ready for her trip, it had struck her she’d never given him any indication she wanted more. Why would he put in effort when she’d shown no interest in the obvious next step?

Well, I’m ready now.

He just needs to hear I’m on the same page. “Nate and I make sense.”

Outside, cars jostled for position, parents pushed strollers, and pedestrians hurried past in every direction. The beautiful chaos matched her mood.

“And you’re sure it’s not because I’m getting married?” Finlay asked. “Maybe you should wait till you get back.”

“I don’t know, Fee. Your first wedding didn’t make me rush to settle down.”

“Oh, low blow.” Her friend spluttered a laugh. “It’s different this time.”

“I know, I know. I’m just kidding. You’ve absolutely found the right man.” Willa couldn’t wait to get to Calamity to celebrate with her. Her flight left in three hours, so she’d run in, talk to Nate, and dash right back out.

She just had to tell him she was ready for more.

“And back then, you were only dating finance bros,” her friend reminded her.

“Exactly.” Willa laughed. She’d really wanted to avoid messing around with someone she worked with. It was her mom’s firm, so if she was going to date a colleague, she had to be very sure it would work out.

Well, she was now. She was one hundred percent sure Nate was the man for her.

The cab double-parked in front of the building. “Okay, I’m here. Can’t wait to see you!”

“Wait, so, what’s the plan?” Finlay asked. “Am I picking you up from the airport, or is your dad?”

She loved that about her best friend. Even though it was her wedding weekend, she’d still drop everything for Willa. “You’ve got the rehearsal dinner tonight. You can’t be making airport runs. My dad’ll do it.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind. I love when you come home.”

“I’m positive.” Home. That was such a loaded word. She’d spent her first eighteen years in Calamity with her dad—the inn, the mountains, Finlay—and she’d loved every minute of it. But there’d also been an intense loneliness that only someone raised without a mother could understand.

Since moving away, she’d lived in Manhattan, but she couldn’t say it felt like home. It was exciting and rushed. It was sophisticated.

It was also fifteen-hour workdays. It was competition. Hustle.

Some nights, alone in her gorgeous twenty-second-floor apartment, she’d gaze out her window and just feel so damn lonely.

But with Nate, she’d have a partner. Someone to share life with.

The cab stopped, and the driver eyed her in the rearview mirror.

Willa nodded. I’m going. “It’s a five-hour flight, so I won’t get in until three. You pamper yourself today. And I’ll see you at the lodge at six.”

“I can’t wait. And, Wills, good luck this morning. Not just with Nate but with your mom.”

The reminder hit her nervous system like a hammer. At any other firm, a sixth-year associate who’d sourced a deal would be running point on it. But that wasn’t how her mom worked.

Willa was trying not to think about it. “She doesn’t expect me back in the office till Monday, so I don’t think she’ll make the announcement today.” It wasn’t about nepotism. Her mom wasn’t concerned about giving advantages to her daughters. Nope. Her mom did what was best for the firm—period.

Willa tapped her credit card on the box and headed out of the cab. Trapping her cell between her shoulder and cheek, she reached back into the car and lugged out her carry-on. “All right, I’m here. Got to go.”

“I can’t wait to see you! Don’t be late.”

“Are you kidding? Nothing would make me late for my best friend’s wedding. See you soon.” She disconnected, gave a hip swing to shut the cab door, and then headed inside the Upper East Side building.

The handle of her suitcase slipped out of her hand.

Get a hold of yourself. It’s just Nate.

You two have a good thing.

He wants this.

The wheels clattered on the pavement, and the air smelled of exhaust. She pushed through the revolving door and entered the building. Massive crystal chandeliers threw shards of bright white light onto the marble floor of the grand lobby.

She pictured his face when she strode into his office, the hitch of his eyebrow wondering what she was doing there. The crack of a smile when she told him she was ready for more. He’d get up, swing around the desk, and pull her into his arms.

Well, he’d be more understated than that.

Still, excitement rolled in.

Maybe he’d even suggest coming to the wedding with her. A fizzy warmth spread through her. She’d love that.

As her Jimmy Choos clacked on the marble, she rolled her suitcase to the security desk. “Hey, Spencer. Can you watch my bag for about twenty minutes? I’m on my way to the airport, but I have to run up to the office for a minute.”

“You got it.” He tore off the bottom of a valet ticket and handed it to her. “I’ll keep it right here at my side.”

“Now, don’t go rooting through it,” she teased as she reached into her tote bag and pulled out three packs of Necco wafers. His favorite. “Because I’ve got what you’re looking for right here.”

Spencer’s laughter boomed in the lobby, and his smile warmed her. “Did I ever tell you you’re my favorite person in the building?”

“Maybe once or twice.” She headed for the elevator. “See you in twenty.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

With each step she took, her confidence grew. She’d been right to wait, to take it slow.

They were colleagues. Imagine rushing into something and having it blow up.

You’d have to work with him every day.

That’d be awful. Her mom wouldn’t tolerate drama.

But Willa had played it just right. She’d waited until she was sure.

Someone outside this profession could never understand the lifestyle.

It wasn’t just the hours an associate had to put in, but the level of commitment.

If the work didn’t come first, a lawyer didn’t make partner. Period.

As she boarded the elevator, she pulled out her phone to check the office text chat. She needed to know what she was walking into. While her mom wasn’t expecting her to come in, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t announce it anyhow.

But no. Nothing was going on.

Good.

It’s all good.

When the doors parted, she stepped into a reception area buzzing with excitement. People clustered in the hallway, chatting. No one was at the reception desk.

She thought she heard a cork pop.

What’s going on?

She’d find out later. First, she needed to talk to Nate. She pushed open his door and walked right in. “Surprise.”

He looked up from his big oak desk, his gaze flicking over her shoulder. “Hey.” Slowly, he rose. “Shouldn’t you be at the airport?”

“I’m on my way. But I have to talk to you, and it can’t wait.”

“Okay.” He said it slowly. “What’s up?”

Why did he seem so guarded?

And why did he keep glancing toward the door?

Ignore it. Get to the point.

“I’m ready, Nate. For everything with you.” Joy bubbled through her, and she laughed. “I know it took me a while to get here, and I’m sorry about that. It’s my mom’s firm…I have to be careful. I have to be sure. And I am now.”

“Willa…” He jammed a hand into his slacks. “This isn’t the best time.”

“I know this seems out of the blue.” He revealed so little, it was hard to tell if he was surprised or worried.

“But no one gets me the way you do. No one has the same ambitions, the same goals. We both understand what it takes to get to the top. Nate, we’re perfect for each other.

” Another guy might want her to stay home with their future kids.

He might think only one of them could work these insane hours—it wouldn’t be fair to the children if they both did.

But he’d understand. He’d want her to keep working.

He swallowed hard, a flinch tightening the skin around his eyes.

She’d made him nervous, and that was fair.

What had she ever done but give him mixed signals?

“Sweetie—” Oh, God, that sounded awkward.

She’d never used a term of endearment with him.

Course-correct. You got this. “It just struck me—like all of a sudden, I realized…I’m ready.

” She gave a nod. “I want to be with you.”

He didn’t move, but he seemed to shrink in on himself. And if he hadn’t lowered a hand to his desk, she wouldn’t have noticed the blue velvet ring case.

Her heart leaped into her throat.

Holy crap. Are you kidding me?

I knew it.

He’s ready, too!

That’s why he’s nervous. He’s planning a proposal.

This is magic. It’s kismet. She opened her mouth, ready to blurt, “Yes,” but she held herself back.

Let him do it the way he planned.

But he wasn’t coming out from behind the desk, and he wasn’t getting down on a knee.

In fact, he looked pale. Uneasy.

She didn’t have time for this. She had a flight to catch, and she really needed to move things along.

She reached for the box. “What crazy timing, right? We both had the same realization at the same time.” But when she lifted the lid, the velvet bed was empty—except for the small oval indentation where the ring had been.

She gazed up at him, waiting. He must have had it in his hand or his pocket.

Something cold slid down her spine. That was when the office buzz broke through, became more insistent, and she heard someone squeal, “You’re getting married?”

A sickening sensation erupted in her chest and blew through her body with gale force. She lowered the box. “Nate?”

“I’m sorry, Willa. I enjoyed our time together.”

Her hands went clammy, and she set the box back on the desk. “What?”

“Come on.” Her mom’s voice rose above the others, commanding, upbeat. “Everyone in the conference room. We’re toasting the happy couple.”

“What’s going on?” Willa demanded. But he wasn’t answering, and he looked like someone had just kicked him in the stomach. She followed his gaze outside the office, where she found a cluster of her colleagues surrounding a woman who held her hand out, showing off an engagement ring.

Willa rushed out there to see it. She didn’t know much about diamonds, but that one had to be at least five carats. Slowly, her gaze traveled up the manicured nails to the diamond tennis bracelet wrapped around a slender wrist.

All the way to the eyes of her half sister.

Kendall?

Relief loosened the knot in her chest. Oh. She’d been freaking out there for a minute. So, the ring box in Nate’s office had nothing to do with her sister’s engagement.

Right?

He wouldn’t date sisters in the same firm. Her mom’s firm.

No one would do that.

So, then, why was the empty ring box in Nate’s office?

He was good friends with Jason, another associate. Maybe it was his, and Nate was holding on to it for him? She and Kendall had never been close, so it wasn’t like she’d know who her sister was dating.

Except…she thought of Nate’s awkward expression. I’m sorry, Willa. I enjoyed our time together.

No, no, no. He barely had time to spare for me.

How could he be dating someone else?

And my sister?

Only when Kendall’s gaze brightened with a brilliant smile did she understand that Nate had joined the group.

Her sister rushed over to him, sliding her arm through his. “I’m not sure I said it enough, but just to be clear, yes, yes, yes, yes.” She got up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick imprint.

Nate looked…pampered. Relaxed.

Happy.

“Congratulations to the perfect couple.” Her mom raised a champagne flute.

The room spun. Willa’s hands reached out, but there was nothing to hold on to. Everyone was watching her.

Of course, they’d known she and Nate were dating. It was impossible to keep it a secret in a small firm.

Her mom bustled over to her side, her expensive perfume swirling in the air. “Isn’t it wonderful, Willa?” Beneath the pleasant tone was a threat. “Your sister and Nate are getting married.”

White noise filled her head. Mortification slammed into her, choking off words.

Her body moved toward the elevators of its own volition, the pitying stares hitting her back like a thousand pinpricks. She went hot and sweaty, all while shuddering from a chill deep within.

“Willa, I know you’re rushing to the airport,” her mom said. “But surely, you have time to toast your sister and colleague.”

Oh, you mean the colleague who bent me over your desk while you were in Indiana?

The one who fed me pad thai while we were naked in my bed?

That colleague?

But she’d never talk back to her mother. Not with the partner track on the line.

The reminder of her goals jerked her shoulders back. It centered her, empowered her.

The deal she’d sourced would lock it in if her mom named her lead.

“My taxi’s here.” She may as well have been standing on hot coals—she was that desperate to get out of there.

Could they hear it in her voice? See it in her expression?

Keep it together. “I just came in to see if you’d signed the FieldTech acquisition, but now’s not the time for that. You’ve got an engagement to celebrate.”

The ding of the elevator triggered a wild sense of relief, and she fled inside. Her mind raced, her heart thundered, but she forced herself to face the crowd. Her mom, Nate, Kendall, all her colleagues stared at her, waiting.

Did they think she’d throw a fit? Cry? If they wanted a show, she wouldn’t give it to them. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she looked her mother right in the eye. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”

Only after the doors closed did tears flood her eyes.