Chapter 40 Sienna
FORTY
SIENNA
I glare at Cat, but she merely waggles those damn fingers again and sashays away.
Alone with my ex-boyfriend, unease rolls through me. It’s been a long time since I saw him, and I don’t have any idea what to say.
Thankfully he takes the lead.
“You look stunning, as always,” he says in that sexy British lilt. He’s wearing his requisite suit. The man is never not dressed for business. This one is herringbone gray. One I helped him pick out, if I’m not mistaken.
He looks exactly like he did when we ended things almost two years ago. His well-groomed beard still hasn’t started turning gray, and those silverfish blue eyes are as unreadable as ever. Though there’s a hint of kindness there, it’s reserved only for the people he’s closest to.
They’re only a few shades off from the eyes I’ve been dreaming about for years, but Noah’s are filled with kindness for everyone he meets.
A pang of guilt hits me as I picture what they’d look like if he saw me now. I can’t imagine there’d be much warmth in them. And I couldn’t blame him for it.
What am I doing here?
Garreth steps forward and motions to the chair Cat just deserted. “May I?”
“Can we, uh, go to a booth?” I peer over my shoulder, feeling a little too exposed out here.
While there’s nothing wrong with being seen with a man like this, considering I’m single, being in Garreth’s presence stirs up the need to find a place a little more hidden. A leftover habit after hiding our relationship for so long, I suppose.
He nods, then asks the server to send over a whiskey and a fresh martini.
“Mine is fine,” I argue. I reach for it to prove that fact, though I overshoot a little and send the liquid sloshing. On second thought, it probably isn’t safe for me to carry it across the room. “Right.” I huff. “You know me.”
He smiles. “I do.”
We’re quiet as he leads me to one of the tables off to the side. He’s familiar with the place; that’s obvious. Not that it’s any of my business. And it’s my genuine hope that he’s moved on. He deserves to have a wonderful partner. It was just never going to be me.
“I can practically hear the thoughts racing through your head, so spill them,” he says as we settle at the table.
I glance over my shoulder, apprehension flaring again. “This just isn’t my scene.”
He nods once. “Mine either.”
My eyes widen without my permission, making him chuckle.
“I haven’t changed that much since we broke up. You know I like my privacy.”
I nod. He’s always valued it above just about everything else. “So why are you here?” I ask, getting right to the point.
“For you.”
Those two simple words set my nerves on edge instantly. The ease with which he said them, as if the statement is a well-established fact, only adds to my discomfort.
“Garreth, I—” I close my eyes. The fact that he thinks there’s still a chance leaves me feeling utterly bewildered. We cut ties cleanly, with no loose ends, and in truth, I haven’t thought about him except in passing since I walked away.
“I did some digging into the settlement agreement you signed.”
My body goes rigid. “You what?”
I ensured the terms of the agreement were confidential. Because if my brothers caught wind of them, especially Beckett, they would have lost their minds. I did it to protect them, and I’d do it again, but I lost everything in the process.
Back then it felt like I’d lost a piece of myself, a limb.
Like that Sienna had died. Now? With time and distance, I realize that though the loss was real, it constituted a much smaller part of me than I believed it would.
I can still create, and I am. I just can’t sell my designs.
No, it isn’t ideal, and yes, it hurts, but I can live a full life without it.
“I didn’t understand how you could have just walked away from it all. I know you, Sienna. You wouldn’t give up your company unless you were forced to.” He stares at me, the look far too knowing. “It didn’t sit right with me, so I hired an investigator.”
Stomach plummeting, I lurch forward. “You had no right.”
He nods. “I’m aware. But I did it anyway. We both know I’ve never been great at accepting what I don’t want to hear. Case in point: You told me over and over that your heart wasn’t up for grabs, yet I foolishly tried to win it anyway.”
I slump, the fight draining from me. “Garreth.”
He shakes his head and picks up his whiskey.
“You were honest from the beginning. Things may not have gone the way I’d like, but I still care about you.
And I can still give you this.” He pulls an envelope from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pushes it across the table.
“You didn’t deserve what happened to you.
It wasn’t right and I couldn’t leave it be. I’m sorry.”
Frowning, I ease the envelope open and pull out the document folded neatly inside. “What is this?” I ask as I squint at the small print.
“It’s a rescission of the settlement agreement.
I located the funds that were stolen from you.
While the authorities deal with the victims’ recompense, yours included, I took what I found to the artists who sued you.
Presented them with the proof that you had also been defrauded.
I made them see that what they did to you was no better than what that charlatan of a financial planner did. ”
My heart hammers in my chest and my mind whirls, making me lightheaded. “D-does this mean what I think it means?”
“It means you’re free to return to your company. Free to return to Paris. Or stay here. Or go to London.” Hope flashes in his eyes, though it’s gone quickly. “The point is that you’re free to design, to create, to rebuild.”
Choking on a sob, I launch myself over the table and into his arms and hug him fiercely. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
He chuckles as he squeezes me, and as I pull back, those usually shrewd eyes soften. “I’d do anything for you.”
His focus drops to my mouth, and my stomach flips over on itself. Shit. He’s going to kiss me.
I rear back, but before I can put a safe distance between us, the scraping of chair legs against the floor startles me.
The two of us turn at the same time, our cheeks so close that I can feel the warmth of his skin.
A large figure looms over us in the dim room, but as the man drops into the chair, straddling the seat, his arms resting on the back, his identity is revealed.
Noah.
His expression is one of indifference, his eyes unreadable.
Still, I find myself cataloging every inch of him.
He’s wearing black pants and a black Oxford.
The top two buttons are undone, exposing his thick, gorgeous neck and collarbone.
His glasses are firmly in place, the black frames casting shadows on his face.
Every inch of him screams sex. And anger.
“Can I join you?”
Scrambling, I push away from Garreth. While I may technically still be single, my body knows who I truly belong to.
“What are you doing here?” I say by way of greeting.
“Do you know him?” Garreth asks, straightening beside me.
Noah breaks into a smile. It’s one I’ve never seen before, and it looks all wrong.
This isn’t the friendly one he uses at the arena when dealing with fans, and it most certainly isn’t the gentle one he uses with his son.
It’s not unfriendly, though there’s a mocking quality to it, I suppose.
It’s cocky. And sexy as fuck, if I’m honest.
“She does.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Noah. I’m Sienna’s.”
Garreth glances from Noah’s outstretched hand to me and then back again. “Sienna’s what?”
“Just Sienna’s.” Noah sears me with a look full of dirty, filthy, painful promise.
I’ve never even considered categorizing this…connection between us. Or maybe I have. More than once, I told him to stay away from me. I told him we couldn’t be anything more than friends.
But it’s obvious now that his statement is 100 percent accurate. He’s mine and I’ve only ever been his. Outside of that, I don’t have the first clue what we are. But from the moment we met six years ago, those two things have been categorically true.
He’s mine.
As if he can sense the moment I come to that realization, a proud smirk creeps onto his face and his blue eyes warm.
That warmth pulls a smile from deep within me. The news Garreth just shared is incredible. Truly. But only this man has ever left me feeling this light. This right within myself. It makes even the brightest moments in my life pale in comparison.
“Okay,” Garreth says slowly, once again glancing at me.
I feel bad, truly. But I’m as lost by this turn of events as he is.
“I’m Sienna’s—”
“Ex,” Noah interjects.
My heart stutters in surprise. How does he—
“Garreth Hanson.” Jaw locked, said ex finally shakes Noah’s hand. “And yes, Sienna’s ex.”
“Yup. And I’m her future.” Noah looks at me, a brow arched, like he’s waiting for me to object.
But my mouth couldn’t formulate a sentence, even if I tried.
The air thickens with tension and my pulse thrums wildly.
This is so unlike the calm, collected man I’m used to.
Then again, maybe this is the man who fought on the ice after seeing me in a jersey that may or may not have belonged to him.
Maybe his possessive side is more savage than I realized.
If that’s the case, I should probably rein them both in.
“Garreth was just giving me some good news,” I explain.
Beside me, Garreth straightens and adjusts his jacket.
“And I appreciate it immensely.” I give him a grateful look. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you.”
“Just be happy.”
My heart cracks at the genuine affection in his voice.
“I will. I am.” I hug him gently.
I think we both know this is our true goodbye.
When I release him, he eyes Noah, his mask of professionalism in place. “Be good to her.”
Noah nods. “Always.”
Without another word, Garreth pushes out of the booth and disappears.
“What was that about?” Noah asks.