Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
NATE
N ate’s stomach twisted into a tighter knot as he fiddled with the cufflink on his shirt. A curse escaped him before he tossed the accessory onto his dresser and wiped at a bead of sweat forming on his brow.
With trembling hands, he pulled the ring box from the drawer, opened it, and stared at the emerald ring inside. Most of his nerves stemmed from the upcoming proposal he planned at the end of the evening.
He desperately wanted her to say yes, but with the moment looming just a few short hours away, he wondered if she might turn him down. The idea gutted him.
The news he’d received earlier this morning hadn’t helped any, either. Hours before the event, Prince Julian had informed him that he would not accept the invitation to the gala. Likely his brother, Stephen’s prodding had been too much, and they’d lost the deal entirely.
He snapped the ring box shut, tightening his grip on it. He hoped the loss of the royal backer wasn’t an omen of bad things to come.
A knock at his door drew his attention away from his own thoughts.
He crossed to it and pulled it open, finding his mother on the other side. “You’re not ready?”
“The damned cufflink won’t fasten.”
She stepped inside, her eyebrows raised as she swiped it from his dresser and neatly used it to close his sleeve.
He rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
“Was it the cufflink or your nerves?”
“The cufflink…and my nerves.”
His mother gave him a soft smile. “It’s going to be fine, Nate. She’s going to love it.”
He made a feeble attempt at tying his bowtie before shooting his mother a pleading glance. “Help.”
She chuckled as she tied it and straightened it. “Do you need me to help you put your jacket on, too? Or tie your shoes.”
“Very funny, Mom. I just…my hands are a little shaky.”
She eased him into an armchair and took the seat next to him. “Nate, everything is going to be perfect for this. And she’s going to realize that.”
He blew out a long, shaky breath as he rubbed his sweaty palms against his pant legs. “I just…keep wondering if she’s going to say no.”
“Why? She’s told you how she feels, right?”
He nodded, his eyes trained on the floor in front of him. “Yes. But that doesn’t mean she’s ready to jump into marriage.”
“Do you want to wait? Give things a little more time to develop?”
“No,” he answered. “I can barely stand the waiting now. ”
His mother offered him a warm smile. “I think it’s normal to be nervous.”
“I wasn’t nervous with Chloe. Does that mean something?”
His mother offered a harsh chuckle. “You were certain she was going to say yes because she orchestrated the entire thing.”
“And she complained about the ring.” He shook his head. “Maybe I chose wrong again.”
“You didn’t. She loves emerald. The dress she picked for tonight is emerald. It’s a perfect match. The photos will be lovely with that dress and the ring.”
“I can’t wait to get to that part. I just want to fast forward after she says yes when everything is settled, and we’re happily taking pictures.”
His mother rose as he stood. “And they will be beautiful. And you’re going to have a fun story to tell your kids about how nervous you were when you ask their mother to marry you.”
“I love your enthusiasm, Mom. I hope it goes as well as you’re predicting.”
“Oh, I think it will,” she said with a grin before she kissed his cheek. “Now, get your jacket on and get downstairs. Your soon-to-be fiancée should be arriving any moment. And you don’t want to leave her sitting with your father.”
“No, she might burn his paper again. I still don’t get that.”
“She told me she was simply nervous about the dress shopping. And maybe about something else…have you hinted at all about the proposal?” His mother arched an eyebrow at him.
“No. Not even a tiny one like I have a big surprise or I bought you something. I haven’t said anything.” He pulled on his jacket and buttoned it as the blood drained from his face. “I should have hinted, huh?”
“No,” she said, cupping his cheek. “No, you should do it the way you planned.”
“And you got the roses, right?”
“I made sure they set them up in the gazebo just like we planned.”
He bobbed his head up and down. “Okay. Thanks, Mom.”
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand, “I’m taking you downstairs before you can obsess over this anymore.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” he said as they approached the door. He grabbed the ring box and waved it in the air. “I need this.”
With it secreted in his pocket, he followed his mother from the room. As he walked, his fingers found the velvet box inside his pocket, sending his heart hammering again.
He relaxed a little as they descended the stairs. Wait staff flitted back and forth as the final preparations commenced for the doors to open in less than fifteen minutes.
He followed his mother into the living room, finding Ellie already awaiting him. In the emerald dress with her hair swept up, she looked stunning.
“There you are,” she said with a wide grin as he kissed her cheek.
“Sorry, I couldn’t get the tie straight.”
“Well, it looks perfect now,” she answered as he slid an arm around her.
Victoria snatched a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and sipped it. “I’m afraid, Ellie, you may be responsible for tie-tying if you stick with this one.”
“Quite all right,” she said with a nod. “I’m capable.”
“Oh, really, you sound pretty confident.”
She lifted her chin. “My cousin is quite terrible at it, too. I’ve helped him a number of times.”
“It’s a skill you may need.” Victoria handed her a glass of champagne as the first guests filtered in .
Introductions were made when needed and soon, the party was in full swing. Guests mingled and chatter filled the air.
Nate led Elena to the dance floor, pulling her close as they shared a quiet moment after the barrage of conversations with several of Sterling City’s elite.
“Are you all right?” she asked as they swayed to the music.
“Yes,” he said, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand.
“Are you certain? You seem…tense,” she said.
“Oh, uh, it’s nothing. Just…I think we lost that royal deal.”
She seemed to tense up at the words as he said them.
“It’s nothing to worry about, though, Ellie. I mean, it would have been nice, but…I think my brother scared him off.”
“Where is Stephen tonight?” Elena asked.
“He’s here somewhere. I saw him come in with her earlier.”
Elena lifted her chin. “Ah, is this the source of your consternation?”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “They’re staying away for the most part. Though I think they’ve been warned. I would like to tell him that he ruined our royal deal though. And it’s a shame because if he wouldn’t have interfered, we could have met him for dinner. I know you would have clinched it for me.”
“Don’t be so certain about that.”
He spun her around on the dance floor. “I am certain. He would have loved you.”
“Royals can be quite fussy, you know?”
“I know,” he said with a nod. “This guy was exactly like I would expect a royal to be. You could see it from a mile away. Stuffy, arrogant, self-involved. Thought the sun rose and set on himself.”
She offered him an awkward smile, her eyes widening a little.
“Sorry. I know, coming from a billionaire’s kid, that’s saying something. But I’m a nice guy, right? I’m not stuffy and arrogant.”
“No, you are not. I’d wager not all royals are stuffy and arrogant, though.”
“Ha!” he barked with a grin. “I would. Ellie, you’re just too nice to think people aren’t all hearts and sunshine. Trust me, if you met this prince, you’d be saying the same thing.”
“Mmm, I bet.”
Their dance was interrupted by a fellow businessman. As they started their conversation, Maddie discreetly pulled Ellie away to meet someone else.
Nate finished his conversation with the man, promising a follow-up call early next week to discuss a collaboration. He scanned the crowd in search of his girlfriend, not finding her. Instead, he spotted Stephen coming toward him with Chloe on his arm.
Nate paused, pressing his lips together as he flicked his gaze away from them.
“Where’s the lovely Ellie?” Stephen asked as he closed the gap between them.
“With Maddie,” Nate answered. “I was talking to Ed Caruthers.”
“Didn’t want to be bothered with the details of business?” Stephen asked.
Nate shook his head as he rubbed his chin. “I’m not doing this with you, Stephen. I’m not going to let you goad me into an argument.”
“It’s not an argument. I’m just…mentioning it. She seems a little…simple.”
Nate narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Well, I guess I like simple. It’s better than…” He flicked his eyes over to Chloe. “Fake.”
Stephen’s jaw clenched as he curled a hand into a fist. “You were warned about your mouth, Nate.”
“First of all, I wouldn’t punch anyone at Mom’s party. And secondly, if you’re going to insult Ellie, you need to be ready to take it right back.”
“I didn’t insult her.”
Nate shrugged as he shuffled a few steps closer. “If you want to get into an argument, let’s get into one over something that matters. Like the boneheaded move you pulled with Prince Julian.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stephen said.
“Don’t you?” Nate scanned the room. “Take a look around, Stephen. Do you see him here?”
Stephen shrugged as he let his eyes scan over the crowd. “No. So what?”
“So, we lost him. Your antics pushed him too far. You should have left well enough alone. He declined the invitation to the event tonight because he wants to distance himself from this family. The royal family of Eldoria is never going to invest with us now.”
“We don’t know that. Maybe he just hates these types of events. He’s probably constantly at them. Maybe he just wanted a night off.”
“I doubt it. He said it was lovely to meet us both, but he must respectfully decline, and that he looks forward to following the company’s growth.” He raised his gaze to his brother as he clicked off his phone. “He looks forward to following the company’s growth. That’s code for I won’t be investing. Otherwise, he’d have said he looks forward to collaborating or similar. You blew it.”
“Maybe you blew it. Maybe not taking Ellie to the meeting blew it. I told you he was weirdly interested in her.”
“What does that even mean?” Nate asked.
“Maybe he’s the one she’s having the affair with,” Chloe mentioned.
Nate glared at her. “She’s not having an affair.”
“Like I said,” Stephen answered, “he kept asking about her. He asked if I’d met her, and if you two were serious. Just…weird stuff.”
Nate screwed up his face. “What? Why would he ask you about her?”
Stephen shrugged as he shook his head. “I don’t know. But I didn’t screw it up. I don’t think he was interested in our company at all. I’d start looking at his connection to your girlfriend, if I was you.”
Nate studied his brother’s face. The familiar fear of a woman betraying him crossed his mind, but he shoved it aside. Stephen had a way of painting a picture that wasn’t real. “Soon, she won’t be my girlfriend, she’ll be my fiancée. And I swear if you do anything to ruin this–”
“I’ve already been warned within an inch of my life, Nate. I’m not going to mess up your little proposal.” Stephen tugged on Chloe’s arm. “Come on, let’s go.”
Nate twisted as they skirted around him and mingled with the other guests. He found Elena, and they swapped stories about their recent interactions before they circulated amongst the guests again.
The night wound down, and Nate’s nerves began to ramp up again. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as they said more good nights to guests as they departed.
Elena offered him a fleeting smile before her features pinched. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I, uh…come with me.”
He grabbed her hand and led her from the house. He tried to force his steps to be slow, but he wanted to pick her up and run to the gazebo. The weight of the ring box in his pocket seemed to press down on him.
He shot her a nervous smile as they bypassed the pool.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see,” he said, his grin broadening as his heart thumped against his ribs.
He led her to the gazebo, lit with twinkling lights and filled with roses. She stepped inside, her jaw unhinging before she twisted to face him, her lips forming a confused smile. “What is this?”
He could barely form words as he grinned at her, his pulse racing. “Well, uh, I just…”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him as she waited for the response, the smile still on her lips.
“Ellie, since I met you, my life has been different. You’re like this beacon of light that I never thought I’d find.”
She lowered her chin as she offered him a tight-lipped smile. “I feel quite the same.”
He sucked in a shaky breath as he nodded. “I’m really glad you said that. Because I…love you. I am in love with you. And, Ellie…”
His heart pounded with such a frantic rhythm that he thought it might burst from his chest. His fingers touched the velvet box inside his pocket as he sank to one knee and cracked it open. He glanced up to her, his eyes hopeful. “Will you marry me?”
Her features scrunched as she stared down at the emerald ring, sparkling under the twinkling lights.
She cut her stunned gaze from the gem to his face. Her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Nathan.”
He couldn’t figure out if the breathless whisper was one of pleasant surprise or disappointed shock.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and for a second, he worried she was about to say no.
“I…I love you, too, and…I…I’d love to say yes, but there is something I must tell you first that may change your mind.”
Nate’s features fell. His worst nightmare was coming true. She was turning him down. And no matter the reason, he was devastated.