Chapter 30
UNFORTUNATE
RHODES
Even though I longed to stay in bed with Rory, I disentangled myself when my alarm went off the next morning.
I had to work out, then prep for the board meeting.
The workout was my sanity, my way of clearing my head before my final chance to prove to the board that I was worthy of taking the helm at Barrington Enterprises.
Rory was asleep as I slipped out of the room. The house was quiet as I headed downstairs to the gym. Scenes from the night before flooded me—Rory beneath me, begging me not to stop; her cries as pleasure overrode her; the way she clung to me afterward, shivering and shaking.
I loaded weights onto the bar and straightened the bench. But the movements were muscle memory, perfunctory. All I could think about was her. I had the biggest presentation of my life in front of me this morning, but I couldn’t focus on it. Rory dominated every thought.
I got on the bench and raised the bar, beginning my set. I focused on my breathing, on counting, on… Rory.
Fuck.
Was I falling for this girl?
I finished the set, secured the bar, and sat up on the bench. My reflection in the mirror stared back at me. I looked the same—same dark hair, same chin, same slightly pissed-off expression. But there was a light in my eyes I hadn’t seen in a long time. Maybe not since my mother died.
It’s like I was back in there. I saw myself, probably for the first time in years.
Of course you’re falling for her, you fucking idiot.
It’s already done.
Rory was the first person I’d had in my life who was real.
She simply was who she was. The irony was not lost on me that she was at Barrington Manor to play a part.
To act. To lie. But she’d somehow taken a starring role in my actual life, which is to say my interior life, or more specifically, my heart.
Rory was a real person who had a genuine heart.
She cared about me. She cared about Luke.
She cared about her family. Hell, she’d sold herself to a stranger in order to keep her little brother and sister safe.
Her loyalty, selflessness, and bravery were admirable.
She was so young and innocent, and yet, she was remarkable.
She made me laugh, she made my pulse race, and she made me want to protect her like a caveman.
When Cousin Andrew had looked at her ass, I’d almost found a dinosaur bone and beat him over the head with it.
When she’d called me ‘Sir’ again last night, I died inside.
It was killing me to wait to take her until our wedding night, but I was doing it out of respect for her and also out of respect for our relationship.
Our… fake relationship.
But I wanted our first time to be perfect. For someone who had never believed that marriage was part of the plan, and had never even considered waiting for marriage to have sexual intercourse, my present condition was the plot twist I’d never seen coming. And yet, I was completely invested in it.
In other words, I had it bad.
So maybe I didn’t need to fear the board’s vetting of my marriage anymore, I mused.
If it was real between Rory and me—and for me, it was—I had nothing to fear.
I’d satisfy the trust requirements. My claim would be legitimate.
That would be the end of the story—so long as Rory felt the same way, of course.
And our marriage would still have to last a minimum of five years.
But I hoped we could do a hell of a lot better than that.
Acknowledging my own feelings, even though it was just to myself, felt both liberating and terrifying. So I did what any normal man would do: I stopped thinking about it.
I turned up the volume on my playlist and worked out. An hour passed. Lifting weights always calmed me; at the end of my workout, I was feeling calm and present.
And then my phone buzzed.
It was Alan, my attorney. “What?” I barked.
“A couple of things.” Alan sounded weary. “I know you have your board meeting this morning, but this couldn’t wait.”
My feelings of calm and being present dissipated. “I’m listening.”
“The mother was served guardianship paperwork last night. I had her under surveillance, so we could be prepared to move in if necessary. Well, it was a good thing I did—she threw a chair at the private process server, right over the railing of her motel. Almost hit her.”
“That’s not… good.” Understatement of the year.
“My guy called me as soon as it happened. I had him talk to the process server, smooth that over, and then approach the mom,” Alan continued. “She cursed him out. She threatened to get a chair for him, too.”
I grimaced. “Does this story get any better?”
“Not really,” Alan admitted. “As per your guidance, we made her an offer to settle it out of court. It was generous—I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind if it worked,” I said hotly. “What happened?”
“She accepted the money. But when my guy went back to check on her this morning, and to get her to sign a release, she was gone.”
“Gone.” My mouth went dry.
“That’s right,” Alan sighed. “She took off.”
“And you didn’t have the foresight to have her sign the release when we gave her the money?”
“It moved quicker than he expected. And he was bringing her more cash this morning, but she had already left.”
“You don’t know where she went?”
“No,” Alan sighed again. “But that’s why I’m calling you. You need to be aware. Rory’s name was on the filing, and it gave her current address—Barrington Manor. ”
Fuck. “Thanks a lot, Alan.”
“I’ll let you know when we find her,” he said.
“Super,” I said, and hung up.
My mind raced. Where had the mother gone? Why had she run, especially if there was more money coming?
I didn’t know, and I didn’t want this to be my problem.
But it was, and I knew it. For one thing, Rory wouldn’t be happy to hear about this.
In no way did I want to deliver the bad news.
I had a sinking feeling she’d be angry at me for offering her mother money, and also, for hiding the fact that I’d offered her money.
I needed to deal with the mother and with Rory, but I had the board meeting. That had to come first. That was the whole reason I’d gotten a fake fiancé and brought Rory into this mess in the first place.
I caught another glimpse of myself in the mirror and quickly looked away.
This is why we can’t have nice things, Rhodes.
Because we break them.