Chapter 25 #2
“My lady,” Henry said, “Peter Kincaid’s will makes it perfectly clear that his chosen heir—his grandson Weston—needed only to marry in order to inherit the estate.
There was nothing specifying any requirements surrounding the marriage itself, nor was there anything stated about the necessity of any particular type of relationship with the bride in question prior to the wedding.
The only stipulation was that Weston Kincaid had to be married within thirty days from his grandfather’s death, which he was. ”
The sheriff nodded, taking his words under advisement.
“As you can see from the documentation,” Henry continued, “their marriage was legal and valid. Therefore, the terms are met. As such, Jasper Kincaid has no grounds to contest the will.”
I wasn’t a fan of legal dramas on television, but by any standard, this one was rather subdued. Still, I held my breath as the sheriff reviewed our marriage certificate. Finally, the sheriff cleared her throat.
“Having considered the evidence provided,” she announced to the room, “I am satisfied that the conditions for a valid marriage were met. As such, the terms of the will remain fulfilled, and the provisions therein shall stand.”
“No!” We all turned to see that Jasper had shot to his feet. “This isn’t fair. None of it is. He always gets his way.”
“That’s enough out of you,” the sheriff admonished.
Before Jasper could say more and cause trouble for himself, his lawyer gripped his arm and yanked him back into his seat.
I blinked hard as Henry turned around with that buoyant grin, shaking Weston’s hand. “That’ll do. Congratulations.”
Weston clapped him on the shoulder, shaking his hand.
It’s done, I realized and blew out a breath. All that worry and anxiety had been for nothing. The courts had agreed that Jasper had no right to the property!
Across from us, Jasper growled something at his lawyer and marched off, storming through the door of the courtroom.
“How about a drink—my shout?” Weston said to Henry.
“I’ll take you up on that.”
My hand was still tucked into the crook of Weston’s arm as we made our way out of the courtroom, buzzing with giddiness.
But as we stepped out on the stone steps in front of the building, the elation inside me deflated like a balloon.
Because now that Lochbrae was no longer under threat, now that our marriage wasn’t being scrutinized, Weston certainly didn’t need me anymore.
I stopped in place, and Weston came to a halt as well, turning to face me as I untangled my hand from his. “What is it?”
“I’ll meet you down at the pub!” Henry called up to us, but I wasn’t paying attention to him. All I could think about was how wrong this all felt now, and I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t keep standing by Weston’s side and pretending this lie wasn’t tearing me apart.
“I can’t, Weston,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Can’t go to the pub?” he said. “It’s just a drink.”
But it wasn’t just a drink. It was a drink with me playing the role of his besotted wife, tucked into his side, staring at him like I was looking up at my happily ever after.
And that was a lie I couldn’t live anymore.
I couldn’t celebrate with him and not think about how much I still loved him.
How much it hurt knowing that what we had was over.
I couldn’t pretend the mess away.
“I’m going to go back to my room and then—”
“Then what?” he asked, frowning. He didn’t reach for me, but his hand twitched like it might.
He was close enough that I could smell his aftershave, and it made me dizzy.
I’d forgotten how overwhelming it was, being near him—and that was the reason I had to leave.
Not just Braeburn, but Kincaid Energy. The only reason continuing to work for him after the festival had been remotely bearable was because he was in Scotland, but he wouldn’t stay in Braeburn forever.
If I stayed as his assistant, sooner or later we’d be working from the same office again, and I knew now that just wasn’t an option I could handle.
“I’m going to go pack my things and go home,” I said, steeling myself for how hard this was to say. After everything he’d accused me of, walking away from him still hurt. “Then I think it’s time for me to move on from Kincaid Energy.”
“You’re quitting?” he asked.
“Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”
Weston’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tense. Then he nodded slowly. “Does this mean you’re ready to start your sabbatical?”
“No,” I said, biting down hard to keep my jaw from trembling.
I crossed my arms against my chest where my heart raced.
I didn’t want to feel like I still owed him, like I was indebted to him.
I just wanted a clean break. “I’m not going to hold you to your offer.
No need for the year of paid leave, no need to cover grad school tuition, no need to guarantee me a job after graduation. ”
“But those were the terms we agreed to,” he said immediately.
“I’m changing them,” I said, my words sharper than I meant them to be. I didn’t want to be tied to him anymore. I didn’t think I could handle it. “It’s time for me to move on from Kincaid Energy. It’s…what’s best for both of us.”
His entire demeanor shifted. I could tell he was frustrated by the set of his jaw and the way his shoulders hunched. “I won’t accept that.”
Irritation shot through me. What the hell did he expect? That he could marry me, break up with me, and I’d still be fine traipsing around the Houston office like a docile little employee? Even if I didn’t work directly under him as his assistant anymore, I’d still be working for him.
“Good thing you don’t have to accept it,” I said. “It’s my choice, and that’s what I’m doing.”
“We made a deal,” he growled. “I gave you my word. I intend to keep it.”
“And I’m letting you out of that deal.”
He gave a sharp jerk of his head. “If you don’t want to work for Kincaid Energy, fine.
But I will be giving you a year’s salary and benefits.
And if you get into grad school, I will be paying for it.
If you don’t want the job afterward, so be it.
I’ll see that you’re offered a comparable position at a different company. ”
“I don’t need you to swoop in and save me.” I didn’t need his help. I’d been running his life for the better part of seven years; I was more than capable of sorting out my own. “I can find my own job.”
“Those are my terms,” he said, refusing to hear any argument from me.
“Your terms?” I replied, my back going ramrod straight. “You don’t get to dictate the terms of a breakup.”
“No, but I do get to dictate the terms of the divorce. If you want this to be finished, then I’m going to keep to my end of the bargain, and you’re going to keep to yours.”
Anger pulsed through me, pounding in my temple. Screw whatever deal we’d made! “Or you can trust me to know what’s best for me.”
“I think we’ve established how I feel when it comes to you and trust. Besides, you’re clearly not making rational decisions at this moment in time.
Because no one in their right mind would be turning down what I’m offering.
An offer, by the way, that you jumped at mere months ago.
So don’t even pretend it’s not something you want anymore. ”
I ground my teeth together. “Screw you, Weston. Stop assuming you know what’s best, forcing your goddamn opinions and assumptions on everyone!”
His nostrils flared. “Do you want your year of leave to start immediately or in two weeks?”
I huffed out a defeated breath. I could see now that he wouldn’t be budged. If I walked away, if I refused him, he’d follow me all the way back to Houston, arguing about this goddamn deal with me. And I didn’t want that.
“Immediately,” I snapped. I couldn’t spend one more second of my life negotiating with him. “Oh, and before I forget.” I yanked the wedding ring off my finger, thrusting it out at him. “I won’t be needing this anymore.”
I brushed by him, marching down the steps without looking back. The farce was over now, and it was time to get back to a reality where I hadn’t fallen in love with my boss.