Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Paisley Stanton took to the stage with the confidence of the eldest sibling of three. She called the attention of the room with ease, and she hadn’t even spoken into the microphone yet.
“Good evening,” Paisley, her French-tipped nails wrapped around a champagne glass as well as the microphone, announced.
“Boo!” That came from Prescott, Paisley’s younger brother and May’s boyfriend of two years. May promptly shushed him, but there was no need. Paisley admonished him from the stage, a grin of endurance on her face.
“Aw, it’s okay, Pres. It’s not every day the favorite child in the family has a birthday.” Paisley blew him a kiss.
“We all know I’m the favorite!” Posy, the youngest of the Stantons, called out.
Paisley ignored that as well, before continuing to thank everyone for coming to the country club to celebrate her this evening. After a brief speech, the music started. May danced her heart out for three songs before she staggered off the dance floor, Posy in tow.
May sipped some water and caught her breath while watching Prescott from afar.
He had been behaving…oddly. Not only tonight, but the days leading up to this birthday soiree.
She’d witnessed him checking and rechecking the time, date, and venue—not typical behavior from her steadfast and confident boyfriend.
“What’s up with that boy? I’ve never seen Prescott this distracted.” Posy fanned herself with her free hand, the other cupping a vodka tonic.
“Right? Thank you. I thought it was just me.”
“Nope. He’s being weirder than usual.” Posy quirked her mouth and batted her lashes.
The bold one, she was happy to point out the truth.
That left Prescott to represent the intense one and Paisley the driven one, rounding out the Stanton siblings as a complete, if mismatched, set.
Only in personality, though. Their model good looks were consistent through and through.
“I love your dress,” May commented to his youngest sister now.
“Jewell is a genius,” Posy said of May’s new employer. “And a CEO. I want to be a badass girlboss someday.”
“She’s pretty great.” May had recently accepted a position at Jewell’s company, Zest, an online fashion retailer. Even as a data analyst, May had always had a deep appreciation for clothes.
Across the room, Prescott looked left and then right before checking his pocket. Again. Then he ducked out of the room after one last furtive glance.
“What is he up to?” Posy muttered.
May hadn’t planned on bringing up his odd behavior, but Posy had mentioned it twice—a good sign that May wasn’t imagining things. Her best friend, Lisa, had also shared her theory the night before—one that made May’s stomach clench in a combination of excitement and nerves.
“Paisley’s birthday parties are always major affairs, so he’s used to that. Unless he’s planning on serenading someone, I have no idea why he’s nervous.”
May snorted at the reference. Everyone knew that Prescott couldn’t sing on-key.
“Well.” Posy raised her eyebrows. “He’s not alone. He keeps sneaking out with Terrell.”
Terrell was Paisley’s long-term boyfriend.
Long-term as in nine years. Which their mother, Cherie, had deemed “An eternity.” The family matriarch had made it no secret that she was expecting nuptials any day now.
That the couple wasn’t married, or engaged for that matter, made sense to May.
Lots of couples dated for decades without marrying.
That’s what had made Lisa’s suggestion that Prescott might propose tonight all the more nerve-inducing. Was May ready to say yes? She wanted to be married, but she wasn’t sure a ring would fix what was missing between them.
Prescott, one hand in his pocket, one patting the sweat off his forehead with a silk handkerchief, returned to the room once again.
“He’s been like that all week,” May told Posy. “Every time I saw him, he either mentioned the venue for this party, asked what I was wearing, or reconfirmed the time. He’s like a worried mama hen. Which isn’t like him.” She chewed on her lip, considering.
“Definitely not his usual MO. I will ask him what’s up his ass. Then we’ll know.” Posy started in his direction, but May stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Before you do that…can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“My friend mentioned that maybe Prescott was planning to propose.”
Posy’s eyes popped with excitement.
“Stay with me,” May warned. Posy was rooted in place but resembled a rocket about to launch.
Her eyes were wide, her mouth pressed together as if holding in a scream.
“When Lisa mentioned the possibility, I admitted that it made sense. I mean, we’ve been together for two years, and you’re like my family.
With how nervous he’s been acting tonight… ”
“Oh my God!” Posy whisper-shrieked. “He’s going to propose!
” She let out a silent scream, danced in a circle, and then composed herself by closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath.
“We’re already sisters, and soon it will be official.
He would be a fool not to ask, and we all know Terrell’s stance on marriage.
If that man wanted to marry my sister, he could have asked her twelve times.
How many tropical vacations have they been on? How many jaunts overseas?”
That tracked. When considering the romantic locations Terrell and Paisley had visited, a country club ballroom in Ohio seemed the least likely place for a proposal.
“You should tell him you know what he’s up to. Put him out of his misery.” Posy, now the picture of calm, sipped her drink. “Surprises stress him out. Is it evil of me to be excited that the spotlight will be turned from Paisley to you, even for a moment?”
“A little bit.” But May smiled. A proposal was exciting to think about. And the timing was good. He was in the process of becoming partner at the law firm. Them having two separate residences didn’t make sense long term.
“Oh shit.” Posy frowned. “Do you think he told Paisley? If she knows and she didn’t tell me, I swear I will—”
“Hey.” Prescott materialized out of nowhere, causing May to nearly leap out of her Jimmy Choos.
After two years of looking at him, she’d grown used to his good looks.
Until she was in a room like this one, where passing eyeballs took him in, and then she noticed anew how attractive he was.
Bald head, full lips, impressive muscles bulging.
He looked great in a suit too. Tonight he was wearing a bold blue jacket and pants, the white button-down, sans tie, offsetting his dark skin.
“May, I will need you to stay close when they bring out the cake.” A frown accompanied his odd request.
“Why? Is someone going to burst out of it?” Posy asked.
Prescott flicked his eyes in his sister’s direction for a fraction of a second before snapping his attention back to May. “Can you?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Thanks. Fifteen minutes.” With that, he was gone, leaving May with a familiar sense of unease.
“Charming.” Posy rolled her eyes. “Tell me he’s more romantic than this when you’re alone.”
May’s smile was wan. He’d never been much of a romantic. More pragmatic and practical.
Fifteen minutes felt more like fifty, but eventually a suited waiter carried out a sheet cake adorned with lit sparklers. The crowd erupted into “Happy Birthday”—everyone except for Prescott, who was standing at her side and sweating visibly.
He reached into his pocket again. This time, she noticed a definitive sparkle.
A diamond, if she wasn’t mistaken. The song died on her lips as she gaped at him, her head swimming.
Lisa was right. May was right. Her eyelids fluttered as she thought of how to react.
Not like a deer in headlights, preferably.
She pulled her shoulders back and put a genial smile on her face.
He shoved the ring into his pocket, his startled gaze landing on her. “You weren’t supposed to see that. Did anyone else notice?” His deep brown eyes snapped back and forth around the room.
“Does it matter?”
When May’s mom died, she and Prescott had been dating for three months, which had been fragile timing for such a life-changing event.
As horrible as the grief of losing her mom had been for her, her dad leaving had overshadowed it.
Prescott could have spared himself the emotional heavy-lifting and broken things off with her, but he hadn’t.
He’d been her rock at a time she would’ve been utterly alone.
And then his parents and sisters had stepped in to tuck her under their wings.
They’d loved her when she needed it most, which had made mourning her lost family survivable.
Prescott’s mouth flinched. “It’s our grandmother’s ring.”
A family heirloom. She rested a hand over her racing heart.
Such symbolism. She’d lost her family in one fell swoop, and now Prescott was asking her to be a part of his.
It was everything she wanted—to be a part of something bigger than herself.
And yet she found herself thinking, What about our connection?
“Terrell was afraid he’d lose it if he carried it around, so he left that to me.”
The vision of her future popped like a soap bubble. She felt her brow scrunch as she repeated, “Terrell?”
“Can you believe it?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper. “Nine years and he chooses today to propose. I don’t want to be the one who screws it up, you know?”
The music swelled, and Terrell called out Prescott’s name. Numbly, she watched as Prescott handed the ring to Terrell, who turned to Paisley and went down on one knee.
So, the ring wasn’t for May.
Tears sprang to Paisley’s eyes. As she nodded her yes, Terrell embraced her. He grinned and gave a thumbs-up. The crowd surrounding them applauded.
Prescott returned to May’s side and blew out a breath. “Jesus, that was stressful.”
“Why didn’t you tell me he was going to propose?” she asked as evenly as possible.
“Because you’d tell Posy and then Paisley would know.” He said it so matter-of-factly, it was like a slap to the face.
“I wouldn’t have told anyone.”
“Come on, May. You and Posy are two halves of the same whole.”
“I saw a ring in your pocket and assumed it was for me.”
“For you?” His eyebrows lifted in a show of shock.
“It’s not an outrageous idea. We’ve been together for two years. Your family practically adopted me.”
“Well, yes, but…” He glanced around before leaning in to say quietly, “We’ve never talked about moving in together. Let alone marriage.”
She stepped away from him, tears of frustration burning behind her eyes. She’d been with this man for two years, and he hadn’t entertained so much as a passing thought that she might want more?
“Marriage is…” He grimaced like the word tasted bad. “I don’t desire tradition.”
“Do you desire me?” She gripped her glass tightly, tempted to dump it over his head.
“Of course.” He took her by the arm and led her away from the music and foot traffic. In a dim corner of the room, he continued. “You told me you wanted stability. Stability is me making partner at the firm. Stability is us keeping our separate residences so that we always have our autonomy.”
He was twisting her words. “Yes, I want stability. But not like this. Not only to be organized and practical. I feel like you’re making the decisions and I’m along for the ride.”
That was partially her fault. She’d needed a safety net, and the Stantons had spread one wide enough to catch her. She’d happily landed there and hadn’t yet attempted to climb out.
She scrubbed her forehead where a headache was starting to form. “You know what? I’m going to call a car and go home.”
“You can’t.”
“I can,” she challenged. Prescott was choosing a comfortable, predictable life. Stability. But May wanted more. She wanted a raw and real partnership. She wanted to love and be loved passionately.
“Terrell is going to announce that he and Paisley are having a destination wedding in two weeks, and we’re invited. It was supposed to be a surprise. I’ve already bought our tickets.”
Of course he had. Leave it to him to assume her preferences and then act on her behalf. And yet, her heart was full. Paisley was like a sister to her, and May was thrilled for her upcoming marriage.
“She needs you there,” he said. “And I can’t show up alone.”
She needed May there. Not Prescott. His worries seemed to be focused on the explaining he’d have to do if May wasn’t there by his side.
The truth was that she and Prescott hadn’t been seeing eye to eye for a while. Love to him was stability and arrangements. Love to her was romance and commitment, with a rich promise of a future together.
How had they ended up in a place where she wanted more and he had exactly the right amount?
But she knew. Because he’d been there when her family had fractured. He’d witnessed the fallout. She’d held on tight—maybe too tight—at a time when she’d needed stability more than anything.
“This isn’t insurmountable,” he said, practical as per his usual.
“Where is May?” came Paisley’s voice over the speakers. She was shielding her eyes and searching the crowd, microphone in hand. “Get up here, girl! I have an announcement!”
“Told you.” He offered a smile and then his hand. “Come on. Act surprised, will you?”
She smiled, but not for his sake. She smiled for Paisley and Terrell. For Prescott’s parents. For Posy. She kept smiling right on through the destination wedding. Up until the flight home, when she told Prescott they were over.
Her biggest fear after her mom died was having no one. Then she learned that being with someone and feeling alone was far worse.