Chapter 22
Three Months Later…
Felt her lips twitch when she saw the glare that Marc was sending Laura.
While her parents had fallen in love at first sight, Marc and Laura…
Absolutely hated each other.
Granted, they were only five when they met, but apparently, it had been a memorable occasion ending with Laura trying to shove a handful of mud down Mark’s throat.
After that, they’d avoided each other like the plague only to have their best friends fall in love years later, which, of course, ended with them as the maid of honor and the best man, a role that neither one of them wanted.
It forced them to spend time together, which somehow led to Marc kidnapping Laura during the reception and dragging her to New Hampshire in a move that no one saw coming.
She took in the collection of photos on the wall, depicting all the important memories they’d shared together, their first houses, baby bumps, family pics, only to release a shaky breath when she caught her reflection in the gilded mirror that the hotel placed by the coatroom.
She took in the soft waves of her hair, the makeup highlighting her features before she took in the black sundress that she wore tonight and couldn’t help but smile.
She was almost four months pregnant and just starting to show.
Pretty soon, they wouldn’t be able to keep this a secret any longer, Dylan thought as she placed her hand over the soft swell of her belly and-
“Are you coming in?” Tristan, her unofficial date for the night, asked as he held his arm to her.
“Yes,” Dylan said, smiling as she took his arm and headed down the tastefully decorated hallway that led to the hotel’s private event rooms.
“How much longer are you two planning on keeping this a secret?” he asked as they followed the signs for the Bradford/Thomas party.
“I’m not sure,” Dylan said, and it was killing her.
She hated this.
She hated pretending that this was just a deal when it was so much more.
She-
“You love him,” Tristan said, sending her a curious look as they reached the small ballroom that had been rented for the night.
“More than anything,” Dylan said with a sad smile, knowing that Quinn would never feel the same way.
There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her. She could tell by the way that he watched her, the way that he touched her, and the way that he seemed completely at peace at night when he held her. But she knew that he would never be able to love her and-
This was enough.
More than enough, Dylan told herself as she took the large room filled with their closest friends and family, the white roses placed on the tables covered in black and white tablecloths, the tables overflowing with food lining both sides of the large room, the small dance floor, and-
“Don’t give up on him,” Tristan said, shooting her a wink as he made his way across the crowded room to congratulate his aunt and uncle. Slowly exhaling, Dylan made her way to the table by the back and pulled out the envelopes she’d picked up on the way over and placed them with the others.
As she made her way to the food, she spotted Brooke’s fiancé standing in the corner, sipping a drink as his gaze locked on a passing waitress’s ass. She knew that Brooke was desperate to get her hands on B.T. Construction, but she could honestly say that she never saw this one coming.
Mike Skye was one of the biggest assholes in town, but he also owned one of the large real estate businesses, making her wonder what kind of deal Brooke had made with him because she honestly couldn’t see her sister marrying him unless there was something in it for her.
She had to get married in order to get B.T.
Construction, but she really didn’t think that Brooke would have a problem finding someone to marry. She was beautiful, successful, and-
Definitely up to something, Dylan thought as she glanced across the room to find her sister watching her with that same calculating gleam in her eye that she had the day that she tried to get Blackwood Manor condemned.
She just didn’t know what it was, but something told her that she was about to find out.
“Any regrets?” Brooke asked as she joined her.
“About?” Dylan asked as she grabbed a plate and helped herself to a stuffed mushroom.
“Handing over Blackwood Manor to the asshole,” Brooke said, looking bored as she grabbed a plate and took her time selecting items from the vegetable platter, forcing Dylan to look away before her stomach could react.
Her morning sickness had gotten better over the past month, but she still couldn’t handle the sight of scrambled eggs and vegetables, something they’d figured out after an unfortunate incident at a local farmer’s market that ended with her spending two hours in a porta-potty, praying for a quick death.
“None whatsoever. I got to save Blackwood Manor so that Quinn could bring it back to life,” Dylan said as she put a little more space between her and the vegetable platters.
“You could have done it on your own.”
“Not after you left me with no choice but to hand it over,” Dylan pointed out as she made her way down the line.
“You had other options,” Brooke said as they came to the end of the table.
“Like selling it to you?” Dylan asked, placing her plate down so that she could face her sister.
“For one,” Brooke murmured absently as she considered her. “But now you have nothing.”
“I have everything I want,” Dylan said, and it was all because of the woman watching her with something close to pity.
If it hadn’t been for Brooke, she never would have married Quinn, never would have realized that she was still in love with him, or had a beautiful baby on the way, and she never would have figured out what she really wanted.
She always thought that her dream was to renovate old houses, but now, thanks to Brooke, she’d realized that she was in over her head with Blackwood Manor. She never would have been able to keep up with everything that came with renovating a historical house, but she could do something else.
A few months ago, she started designing “mock” historical homes.
She took everything that she’d learned about historical houses over the years, used what she’d learned while working at B.T.
Construction designing luxury houses and figured out a way to combine the two.
She came up with designs for modern houses that looked historical, with all the modern amenities seamlessly blended into the design.
After her first design was done, Dylan designed a website for her designs, created a digital mock-up of the house, allowing users to take a realistic tour of the house, and placed it online.
She’d sent the link to a few local realtors that she knew and within a week, she had an offer.
Two weeks later, she deposited her first check in the account she’d set up to pay Quinn back for Blackwood Manor, and now, she had a thriving business, one that she hadn’t told her husband about yet.
She wanted to wait until after he finished Blackwood Manor so that she could surprise him.
“Quinn’s about to be out of a job, which means that you are too, since I won’t be needing your services anymore and he won’t be able to afford them,” Brooke said, looking bored as she scanned the room.
“He can start his own business,” Dylan pointed out.
“With what? Last time I checked, he owed B.T. Construction a little over four hundred thousand dollars for Blackwood Manor,” Brooke said as Dylan mentally calculated how many designs she’d have to sell to cover that and realized that she’d have the money by next year.
That’s if everything went according to plan.
“Besides, I don’t think he’s interested in B.T. Construction anymore,” Brooke said with a pointed look that had Dylan frowning as she followed her sister’s gaze only to forget how to breathe when she saw him.
She always thought that he was handsome, but tonight…
God, there were no words, Dylan thought, unable to look away as she ran her eyes over her husband and couldn’t help but notice how good he looked in a suit. She watched as he made his way around the room, greeting a few cousins and uncles along the way before he made his way to their parents and-
“He’s given up,” Brooke said, making her frown as she looked back at her sister to find her watching her with something close to pity.
“What makes you say that?” Dylan asked, stepping out of the way for a server carrying a tray of glasses.
“Because he spends most of his time at Blackwood Manor,” Brooke said, shrugging it off as she helped herself to a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
“He still does his job,” Dylan pointed out.
“True, but he’s lost interest,” Brooke said, taking a sip of champagne as she glanced around the room and-
“Or he’s found something more interesting to focus on,” came the softly murmured words as Dylan felt Quinn’s hand wrap around hers before he led her to the other side of the room.
Without another word, he leaned down and kissed her forehead as she felt him slide something on her finger.
Before she could say anything, he gave her an achingly sweet kiss that left her melting before he stepped behind her and pulled her into his arms, his right hand absently caressing the soft swell of her belly through her dress while Dylan stood there, watching their mothers’ expressions go from confused to-
Calculating.