CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
NATHAN
IT DIDN’T TAKE me long to spot Dalton.
For once, the bar wasn’t teeming with a stream of people, which allowed me to find my friend much faster than it normally would.
“Took you long enough. What, were you checking your makeup?” Dalton grumbled before sliding a shot of brandy down the bar towards me.
“Gotta make sure I look good for you.” I quipped, before gladly accepting the shot and throwing it back.
The alcohol burned its way down my throat and I motioned towards the bartender to bring another one.
“Drinking on a school night,” Dalton mused. “How’s Elise?”
“She’s fine,” I said, exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Physically, at least. It’s only been a little over two weeks since Jax, and I can tell she’s still shaken, but she’s doing better every day.”
Dalton gave a small nod, his expression softening at the same time the bartender brought me my drink.
“Thanks for checking up on her,” I added. “And for the flowers. Leslie didn’t have to do that, but Elise really appreciated them. It meant a lot.”
“Leslie insisted,” Dalton said with a shrug, but there was pride in his eyes. “Said no woman should go through something like that without a reminder that she’s not alone.”
I swallowed hard, the burn from the brandy nothing compared to the one in my chest. “She’s tougher than she looks.”
Dalton let out a long breath, his shoulders easing. “That’s a relief, man. I’ve been worried, but knowing Elise is holding up, that takes a weight off.”
He studied me for a moment, though, the way only a friend who’d known me long enough could. His eyes narrowed, not unkindly, just sharp.
“But that’s not why you dragged me down here, is it?” Dalton asked, tipping his glass toward me. “You wouldn’t be two shots in on a Monday night just to give me an update. So…” He leaned in, voice low. “What’s really eating you?
The bartender placed another shot of brandy before me and I waited until he walked away before I spoke freely. “Got into my first argument with Elise.”
Just those words tasted bitter in my mouth. Argument and Elise shouldn’t be in the same sentence.
I didn’t mean to upset her, but the thought of Elise actually working for Titan made my blood simmer.
I knew she was auditioning to be one of his backup dancers.
I’d told myself it was fine. Just a job.
But knowing something in theory and accepting it in reality were two different things.
One was manageable. The other felt like the ground shifted under me.
Titan was talented, I wouldn’t deny that.
There was a reason my father signed him to Edge Records.
But the guy also had a reputation that made me want to slam my fist through a wall.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d seen his name on blog sites, always with a different woman draped over him.
Supermodels, actresses, singers—you name it.
Half of them had gone on to announce pregnancies that may or may not have been his.
I didn’t want Elise anywhere near that mess. Not in a professional capacity. Not in any capacity.
I don’t know why she couldn’t understand that. I meant what I said, but I had to admit my delivery might have been poor.
I regretted my words the moment she walked out the door knowing that in that moment my words reminded her of her father, but I knew better than to go after her right away.
She was angry with me and needed time; I was upset and needed a stiff drink.
Lucky for me, Dalton was up for the job of keeping me company tonight.
“Shit. What happened?”
I told him.
“You’re an idiot.” Dalton replied when I finished hashing out the details of our argument.
“Fuck you, Foster.” I knocked back the rest of my drink.
“I’ve been married long enough to recognize when a guy’s being an idiot, so let me be clear, you’re being an idiot.
” Dalton said. “You’re dating a dancer; opportunities like this are gonna be coming her way until she wants otherwise.
Now for some reason that I don’t understand, she likes you.
So instead of being an ass, you need to support her. ”
Fuck.
He was right.
The last thing Elise needed was for another man in her life trying to control her dreams. Her dad did enough of that.
The drink suddenly tasted sour in my mouth.
The last person I want to remind Elise of was her father.
She didn’t need me to diminish opportunities that she worked hard for.
If you can’t support my dreams, then maybe we don’t need to continue this relationship.
Her words sat heavy in my chest.
Why didn’t I kiss her and tell her congratulations? No, instead I decided to be a dick and hurt the woman I l—.
Love.
I love her.
The realization hit harder than a wrecking ball through a wall of cement. That’s the reason I started having second thoughts about the stipulation. The reason why I couldn’t think past a life without Elise. Why the idea of her walking away from us scared the shit out of me.
I ran a hand over my face. This was a disaster. How was I supposed to keep up the facade when it wasn’t a facade anymore? The whole point of this was to secure my inheritance. But now? The money, the company, all of it was nothing compared to her.
The small velvet box I’d been carrying around with me suddenly burnt a hole in my pocket. I bought it the very same day she was released from the hospital and have been carrying it with me ever since, waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask her to spend forever with me.
I reached into my pocket and gently sat the velvet box on the bartop between us.
Dalton’s eyes flicked down at the corner of the box and widened. “Shit.”
“I’m going to tell her the truth.” I admit, not looking at Dalton but at the velvet box.
I’d started this as manipulation. I’d used her trust, played with her feelings, and now I wanted everything.
I wanted her to say yes not because it was part of a plan, but because she genuinely wanted to spend her life with me.
How could I put this ring on her finger while hiding the truth?
The thought of proposing with a lie hanging over us made my chest tighten and my stomach churn.
She deserved the truth. She deserved honesty, no matter how much I stood to lose.
Dalton exhaled, a low whistle escaping him. “Fuck…You love her.”
“I do.”
The velvet box was no longer just a ring. It was my confession, my hope, and my reckoning all wrapped into one. I’d lose everything if she walked away, but I’d rather be honest and lose it all than live a lie with her by my side.
“Look, I’m happy for you, man. Really, I am. But let’s not lose sight of the very real issue here. Time’s running out, man. Hundreds of millions, your legacy, all of it. And if she says no, poof—gone. And me? I’d be losing a fortune too just like that.” He snapped his fingers.
“I know what’s at stake,” I said tightly.
“And you’re still willing to risk it all?” Dalton asked.
My throat worked, but I didn’t say anything.
Dalton leaned back, shaking his head with something almost like awe. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
* * *
THE PRETTY PINT-SIZED woman who opened the door wasn’t the one I was expecting. Taylor Thorne, Rhodium’s personal bodyguard, stood in the doorway of the R&B princess’s house, leveling me with a gaze that would make lesser men run.
I met her gaze head on, refusing to let her or anyone else keep me from fixing things with Elise.
“Can I help you?” Taylor crossed her arms over her chest.
“I need to speak to Elise. I know she’s here.”
“Maybe she is,” Taylor didn’t move an inch. “Doesn’t mean she wants to talk to you.”
“I need to apologize.” I tried again.
Her piercing brown eyes regarded me shrewdly for a moment before taking a step back. “She’s in Kelsey’s room. Last room down the hall.”
I moved forward and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time before I finally reached the top. Soft laughter spilled out from one of the rooms, revealing where I would find Elise.
I knocked once and waited.
It seemed like hours before the door opened but in reality, it couldn’t have been more than ten seconds.
Kelsey opened the door, her eyes roaming over me from head to toe before she settled back on my face. “Took you long enough.” She said to me before turning her head. “He’s here.”
She stepped back and opened the door wider, revealing Elise who sat with her legs crossed, looking impossibly small on the king-size bed.
I took in the redness of her eyes and dried tear streaks on her cheek and I didn't wait for Kelsey to invite me in.
I pushed my way into the room and crossed the carpet until I stood across from my girl.
“I’ll be downstairs,” Kelsey announced before quietly excusing herself, leaving Elise and I alone.
“Hi.” My voice was soft, scared that if I spoke above a whisper I’d run her off.
“Hi.”
Silence filled the room.
“I’m sorry about what I said. I was an ass to diminish this amazing opportunity for you.
Instead of criticizing, I should've congratulated you. If I did, we would’ve never gotten into the fight and you would never have questioned how proud I am of you.
” I said, my chest heaved up and down beneath the weight of Elise’s stare as I waited to see what the fate of our relationship would be.
“I understand where you’re coming from. Titan does have a bit of a reputation when it comes to women. It's not easy for any man to know his woman is going to be around a man like that. But if we’re going to be together, I need you to trust me.”
“I trust you, cupcake.” I sure as shit didn’t like it and I would definitely be at every fucking show of the tour though.
“Then apology accepted.” The words barely left her mouth before I crashed my lips onto hers.
Satisfaction laced through me as Elise wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her chest against me. “And there is no if,” I told her after pulling away. “We’re together. I’m not letting you go.”
“Never?”
“Never.” I confirmed before brushing my lips against hers one more time. “And you know why, Cupcake?”
“Why?”
“Because I love you.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. I hadn’t planned on saying them like this. But the second they left my mouth, I knew they were true. Knew they’d been sitting on the tip of my tongue, waiting for the right moment.
And somehow, this was it.
“I should’ve said it the night you told me in Disney, but I was scared. I knew if I said it back, there’d be no pretending anymore. And I’ve never had anything I couldn’t walk away from... Not until you, Cupcake. I love you.”
“You had me at the first I love you,” Elise giggled before tightening her hold around my neck. “I love you too.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you. I love—”
I kissed the rest of her words away, slow and deep, backing her toward the bed until we tumbled onto it together in a tangle of limbs and laughter.
Elise squirmed beneath me, her breath catching as I pressed soft kisses along her neck, pausing where I knew she liked it most. The moment my lips found that spot, she let out a soft sound that sent warmth flooding through me.
God, I loved her.
All I could think about was holding her close, skin to skin, until nothing existed but us.
“I need you,” I murmured against her skin.
Elise shivered, her fingers curling around my neck. “Not here.”
I nuzzled her jaw, barely suppressing a groan as I pressed against her. “What’s wrong with here?”
She bit her bottom lip, breathless. “Kelsey’s room.”
I let out a quiet curse. “I’ll buy her a new bed.”
Elise gasped, caught somewhere between a laugh and a whimper, but I didn’t let her speak. I kissed her again, gently this time, savoring the way she melted into me, her hands finding mine.
And by the time the sun rose, I had spent the entire night wrapped around the only woman I’d ever love, showing her, in every way I could, what she meant to me.