Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Emma
I just confessed to Case what I came to New York City to tell my brother.
When I broke up with Beau, I called Drake, but he was in a meeting. He returned my call a few hours later, but I was at a yoga class at the gym. My phone was silenced in my locker.
The voicemail message my brother left me was focused on the fact that he was in the middle of a crisis with a competitor. He was on his way to see one of Cabbott’s lawyers.
I listened to the message all the while staring at my bare ring finger, feeling a sense of relief I hadn’t in a long time.
Beau was wrong for me even though my entire family thought he was my prince charming. Drake was his biggest fan. My brother worked summers in high school with Beau at my dad’s car dealership.
Two years ago, when I told Drake I was going on my first date with Beauregard, he was more excited than I was.
“Bonehead is your boss?” Case shoves his hand through his hair.
I laugh at the nickname. It’s perfect. “Bonehead?”
Case’s brows pinch together. “I’ve never met the asshole, but I can tell he’s a bonehead. Hell, he’s a lot worse than that for the shit he’s pulling, but bonehead seems to fit.”
“Like a glove,” I say. “I work for The Garrington Academy. It’s a private school in Seattle. Technically, Beauregard’s dad is my boss.”
He looks at me for several seconds as if he’s debating whether to delve more into my connection to the Garringtons. “What’s his stance on your job?”
“I haven’t spoken to Archibald yet.” I shrug. “He’s very by the book, so I don’t think he’ll fire me because I dumped his son.”
“Archibald?” Case grins. “What century were these people born in?”
“The one where you don’t have sex until you’re married,” I quip.
I don’t know why I shared that. I knew Beau’s stance on sex after our third date, but I continued to see him. I thought he would want to be intimate once we became engaged, but he held tight to his belief that waiting for marriage was right for him.
I respected that about him until he shamed me for the fun I had before we started dating.
That was the day our relationship suffered a crack that was too deep to be repaired.
Case tilts his head back to look at me. “You’re a virgin?”
“No. Before Beau there were men,” I answer quickly.
“How old are you, Emma?”
I’d change the subject, but I’m enjoying this too much. With each question, he inches closer by a breath.
“Twenty-five,” I say softly.
His eyes rake over my shirt. I know that my nipples have hardened beneath the thin fabric. He’s looking at me in a way that makes me want to race to my room, climb in bed, and bring myself to orgasm.
I’ve never seen desire this intense in a man’s gaze before.
“You don’t need me to tell you this,” he pauses for a beat. “But, you were engaged to the biggest dumbass on this planet.”
Laughter escapes me.
Case’s voice lowers. “Bonehead’s loss is my…”
My eyes widen as his voice trails.
Finish it, Case. Please say it. Tell me that Beau’s loss is your gain.
The words stall inside of me. I don’t say them. Instead, I bite back a curse word when Case’s phone starts up on a ring.
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters as he darts to his feet and races toward the foyer table.
“It’s Drake,” he announces. “He wants to video chat. What the hell time is it in Ireland?”
My mind is so consumed by what Case almost confessed that I go blank. I can’t do quick math in my head right now, even though it’s a skill that I use to semi-impress my students back home.
“It’s tomorrow.” I wrinkle my nose embarrassed that I can’t be more specific. “It’s already tomorrow in Ireland.”
Case glances at me before his finger swipes the screen of his phone.
“Cason!” Drake’s voice booms through the living room. “Guess what today is, buddy?”
Crossing the floor toward me, Case smiles. “Happy Birthday to you!”
“And Happy Wedding Day!” I call from where I’m sitting.
“Is that Em?” Drake’s voice takes on a higher pitch. “Let me see her.”
Case plops himself down on the couch next to me with his left arm extended and his phone in hand. His thigh is pressed against mine; his right elbow jammed into my side. My breath catches as he leans in until his cheek almost brushes against the side of my face. “Here she is.”
I glance down at the front of my shirt, grateful that it’s not in Drake’s view.
“Up here, Emma.” Drake laughs. “Look at me.”
I do.
I smile at my older brother. Pure happiness is radiating from him.
“Happy Birthday, Drake,” I whisper. “You’re officially old.”
Case playfully jabs his elbow deeper into my side. “I’m right on his tail. My thirtieth isn’t that far away.”
We lock eyes for a second before I shift my gaze back to the screen of Case’s phone. “Are you nervous about the wedding?”
“Not nervous.” Drake pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I’m fucking excited.”
“Is Jane there?” I ask, hopefully.
This isn’t how I anticipated meeting my brother’s future wife, but I’ll take it. I want to congratulate the woman who has made him this happy.
“She’s asleep.” He rakes a hand through his brown hair. “A few hours from now, I’m going to tell her that we’re getting married.”
Case huffs out a laugh. “Are you sure she’s all right with this? You’re not giving her any warning here, Drake.”
I don’t fault him for the question even though it chases the smile away from my brother’s face. If Beauregard had planned our entire wedding and surprised me with it on the day he wanted me to become his wife, I would have run for the nearest exit.
Maybe Jane is different. I hope that she has the same adventurous spirit as Drake.
“She’ll be over the moon,” he says convincingly. “We’re on the same page. A wedding, kids, homes in New York, and London. We’ve got this mapped out.”
Case pushes himself even closer to me. “London? What’s that about London?”
Drake sets back in the leather armchair he’s sitting in. “Shit. I meant to talk to you about that. I’ve got this plan, Case. It’s good for business. Great for me, but I hope you’ll see the value in it.”
“I’ve got a plan too.” Case glances at me before he levels his gaze back on his phone. “I’m selling the apartment. I want you in London with Jane full-time.”
Drake’s glasses are in his hand in an instant. When he looks back at the screen, there are tears in his eyes. “What the fuck? I know what that apartment means to you, man. You’re selling it?”
“I’m selling it so we can both move on with our lives.” Case exhales sharply. “It’s time, Drake. We’re setting up an office for Cabbott in London. I need you there. Your wife needs you there. We’ll work out the details once you’re back on this side of the ocean.”
“You’re serious?” Drake’s voice cracks.
“Dead serious,” Case responds in a tone that conveys that message. “Blair Montgomery is taking over your duties here next month. I already gave her the heads-up.”
“Thank you, man,” Drake says quietly. “I can never repay you for everything you’ve done for me. Everything you’re doing for me.”
“Let’s call it even,” Case shoots back.
Drake nods before he shifts his gaze to me. “Can you believe it, Em? I’m getting married. I’m moving to London. Life is full of surprises, isn’t it?”
I turn to catch Case staring at me.
“It sure as hell is,” he says in a low voice. “You never know what life has in store for you.”