Chapter 5
5
J AMES
“As I said a week ago... It better be good, Preston,” I say, flashing a grin and shutting the door behind me after entering his hotel suite.
Fixing his tie, he shakes hands with me while smiling mysteriously.
He looks radiant, and his clean-shaven face is glowing, but there is something else about him.
My eyes rake over his dark suit pants and button-down silver-gray shirt while his fingers slide over his tie.
He shows me to a chair.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asks, pouring scotch into a short thick glass, the hard liquor gliding over bulky cubes of ice.
“No. I’m good. Did you talk to Lex?”
“Nope. I wanted to talk to you first.”
I slide into my seat, my eyes trained on him as he turns around to face me.
He takes a few steps and claims an armchair.
Close to us, the doors are open, and the evening breeze rolls in.
I painstakingly read his face.
This must be important.
I’ve never seen him so serious and content at the same time.
“Is this about the company?” I ask.
He sets the glass down.
“Yeah… It’s also about the business,” he says, his lips holding a soft smile.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
He raises his hand.
“Everything is fine. I had business meetings in Prague. If everything goes well, things will roll as planned in the fall.”
“That’s good,” I say evenly, sensing there’s more to it.
“I also flew to Istanbul,” he says abruptly, looking down.
“How’s your girl?” I ask flatly again.
A smile I’ve never seen on him before creeps across his lips, and his eyes shine brightly, soft, and tender.
He tips his eyes down, smiling as if revisiting a good memory. A shadow slides over his face just as I’m about to ask another question.
I wait.
“She’s good... now.”
I don’t say a thing.
He continues.
“A few things have happened, and they will affect all of us,” he says, raising his eyes. “I’m only mentioning this now because I wanted to process everything on my own before making everybody else aware of the news. I also wanted to talk to you privately because it will affect you the most.”
“All right. Spill it out. I’m not a kid.”
He chuckles, my words jerking him out of whatever memory has put so much nostalgia on his face.
“It’s not about that,” he says. “As I said before, a few things have happened. Some good, and some bad.”
“Go with whichever you want to go first.”
He leans back in his seat, his elbows resting on the armchair, his fingers laced together.
“Two weeks ago, I almost lost Thea.”
His words hit me in my chest.
It’s certainly not what I expected to hear. Not two weeks after it happened.
“What are you talking about, man?”
The ghost of a smile flutters across his lips.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t want to.”
He pauses for a second.
“In a way, I didn’t want to acknowledge that story for what it was, and I needed time to come to terms with the fact that I could’ve lost her just like that,” he says, snapping his fingers. “It was one of those stupid accidents you never think could happen to you or someone you love.”
He takes a long breath before he continues.
“She fell asleep, and the house caught on fire.”
His eyes stay linked with mine as I stare at him, speechless.
“Is she okay?” I ask, trying not to assume the worst.
“She’s fine,” he says mellowly. “The strange thing is––and that’s what scared me the most––I found her and pulled her out.”
I sag in my seat, my arms uncrossing.
His soft nod comes in response to my perplexed expression.
“And it was one of those strange coincidences, or maybe fate played a role in our lives. I couldn’t quite explain it. But I wasn’t supposed to be there that day,” he says, the tension in his voice suggesting he is still affected by what happened.
“I flew in a day earlier because I wanted to propose to her, and I wanted it to be a surprise. She didn’t know I was coming and fell asleep earlier than usual. She didn’t feel well that day––Samira, her roommate, told me––and she confirmed that with me later. Before I arrived, the neighbors had called an ambulance and the firefighters, but nobody had entered the house. They were waiting for help. Thick smoke was coming from an open window, and I knew it was her room. I don’t know what made me go inside before anyone else did. I had a hunch, a gut feeling. I don’t know what it was, and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”
He goes silent as he looks at his glass.
“I flew up those stairs aware that most parts of the house that were built out of wood––the doors, the stairs, and the floors––were already engulfed in fire, threatening to collapse.”
He sucks in more air.
“I found her on the bed. She was deep asleep, and I thought she’d passed out, so I snatched her off the bed and carried her outside. Amazingly, we both got out alive without a scratch, but she wasn’t strong enough, and eventually, she lost consciousness.”
My eyebrows move up as I shoot him a questioning look.
“To make a long story short, I was in the hospital with her the following day and sat across from the doctor who had her in his care. Turned out she was recovering exceptionally well, but there was something else, the doctor said.”
A mysterious smile curves his lips.
“What are you saying, man?” I murmur.
His grin broadens.
“Thea is pregnant.”
I look at him frozen before a laugh makes it to my lips, and I leap out of my chair.
“Fucking Preston. Are you fucking kidding me, man?”
He rises to his feet, and we‘re locked in a hug for a moment.
I tear away, jerking his shoulder.
“Congratulations, man. How could you keep it a secret all this time? Motherfucker. Lex is gonna fucking kill you,” I say, walking to the bar and pouring myself a drink.
I turn to him and lift my glass.
“To the most secretive motherfucker ever.”
We clink our glasses, grinning.
“Who taught you to be so sneaky? You surely didn’t learn it from me.”
We crash back into our chairs.
“It was a lot to take in,” he finally says.
“Are you happy?” I ask, his expression giving me the answer a thousand times over.
“Yes, I am.”
“Is she fine with it?”
“More than fine,” he says, smiling behind his glass.
My eyes stay on him for a moment, different thoughts bouncing around in my head.
“Who knew you’d beat us to the punch, man?” I say, laughing. “Oh. Lex is gonna have a field day.”
“I didn’t plan any of it,” he says, his smile fading.
“It’s all right. And stop thinking about what happened that night. You’re both fine. More than fine… Shit happens. And I don’t need to tell you that, but you were both lucky. Take it for what it is, and don’t think about it. Good thing she’s alive and well. Is she?” I ask, grappling with a pang of suspicion.
He nods.
“Other than dealing with the morning sickness, she’s fine.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear. Cheers to that, motherfucker. I can’t believe you’ve made me wait the entire week to find out this. So what about your proposal?” I ask after taking a swig of scotch and setting my drink on the table.
His eyes twinkle with a smile.
“I asked her that day after I told her the news. I didn’t want her to answer right away. I knew it would be too much to digest at once.”
He goes silent again.
My eyes linger on his face, observing the smile glowing over his face as he looks down again and stares blankly at his glass.
I’m jealous of him for a moment.
“How did she take it?”
He drags his gaze up and looks at me.
“She was surprised, scared... And she panicked at first,” he says.
A chuckle falls from his lips.
“She was an emotional mess... She’d been like that even when she’d visited me here, but I thought it was some weird change, the stress created by a new place. I never thought it was her being pregnant, and she didn’t, either. It wasn’t planned, as I said before. It was an accident. A happy one if you wish.”
I lean back.
“And you? How did you take the news?”
His smile withers away as he muses.
“I never thought about having a kid before I met her, and it wasn’t only that. Things felt different after I made that trip to Vegas. I guess it all came to me at the right time. It was fate, as I said before.”
“So, what’s the plan now?”
His expression shifts swiftly.
He inhales deeply before speaking again.
“For now, she’s still in Turkey. She’ll go home when the semester ends, a few weeks from now, and I want to go back with her. I told her she wouldn’t be alone, and that’s why I needed to talk to you.”
I gesture at him.
“No need to worry.”
He seems surprised by my reaction.
“I’ll take over your work,” I say.
“Are you sure?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It’s a lot to cover. I can surely work back home, but I can no longer travel. Aside from an aunt and a cousin, she has no family left, and it’s not only that. I don’t want her to be alone. She needs to go to school, and when the baby arrives, she’ll still be a student.”
“I hear you. You do what you need to do. She’s your family now. I’ll set up the Singapore branch and finish your work here. Once it’s all done, I’ll have someone oversee everything in case I don’t want to do it myself. But for now, it won’t be a problem.”
He studies me for a moment.
“Is Rain going to be okay with it?”
“I’ll tell her tonight. You break the news at the dinner table, and I’ll handle everything else. It’s a temporary arrangement anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I pause for a second.
“When are you going to tell Lex?” I ask.
“I’ll call him,” he says, rising to his feet.
“Any plans for the wedding?” I toss at him, pushing out of my chair.
“She’s not sure if she wants to have a wedding now or after the baby arrives. We’ll probably pick a date sometime next year. Too many things are happening right now, and too many adjustments need to be made. Adding a wedding to the mix would only increase her stress.”
“I understand.”
“We’re hoping for a spring or summer wedding.”
“Sounds good.”
“In the meantime, I want her to feel settled in my home.”
“It makes sense,” I murmur, both heading to the door. “I’m happy for you, man,” I say, patting him on the shoulder.
He looks at me, smiling while I continue.
“Fucking Ed Preston. A husband and a father.”
I shake my head, grinning.
“I knew she was the woman for you, man, but even I didn’t know you had it in you,” I say.
Laughing, we exit his suite and walk to the elevator.
* * *
RAIN
“They’re already downstairs,” I murmur, reading James’ message on my phone. “Are you ready?” I ask in a louder voice, glancing at the bathroom door.
“Eve?”
A sound comes from inside the bathroom before the door swings open, and she walks out.
“How do I look?”
My gaze dips before drifting up.
“What did you do?” I ask, studying her eyes, lips, and hair.
“Nothing. It’s just makeup.”
“You’ve never looked like this,” I murmur, fascinated. “And blue is definitely your color.”
An azure dress hugs her body. Delicate spaghetti straps highlight her tanned shoulders, and cups emphasize her chest, the garment setting off her waist.
“Turn around.”
She twirls for me, showcasing her dress.
The soft fabric follows the contour of her butt.
Her silver heels–– a meshwork of straps that tie around her ankles–– emphasize her calves, lifting her rear even more.
“You’ve been working out, haven’t you?”
“I’ve learned from you.”
“Good job.”
I raise my eyes.
“You look stunning.”
A soft shade of nude glistens on her lips, and layers of black mascara make her blue eyes pop.
Her skin looks like silk.
“Am I okay?” she asks, turning her back to me and glancing in a mirror.
“You’re more than okay. If the men having dinner with us were free, you’d probably leave with one of them. Or both,” I say, winking at her in the mirror.
She spins to me fast, her cheeks red.
“How can you say that to me?”
I smile.
“It’s the truth.”
“You really think so? I mean... I’m not talking about them, but someone like them.”
I nod, my eyes locked with hers.
“Yes. That’s your league. I always thought you’d sold yourself short.”
She opens her mouth to argue.
My hand goes up.
“Before you say whatever you want to say… I know you know I’m right. And you said it yourself a few hours ago. You met guys who weren’t a good match for you because you thought compromising was the way to go.”
She grips her hips.
“There aren’t that many men like them,” she says, flicking her head toward the door, meaning the men waiting for us downstairs. “And I wasn’t the way I am right now back when they were free men, and I’m not talking James Sexton here.”
“I know what you’re talking about, but Ed was a free man a couple of years back.”
Her expression collapses into a puddle of disappointment.
“Back then at that party...” I murmur. “Do you remember? The night Dahlia had wrecked Lex’s car?”
“Yes. Of course, I remember.”
“And he liked you, yet you chickened out as you always do.”
“He’s never made a move on me. Truthfully, he’s never been serious about me.”
It’s her turn to flick her hand up and stop me from commenting.
“As I said before. I’m different now. I didn’t have enough experience back then to hook up with someone like Ed Preston.”
“Do you think Thea had? Or do you think I had experience when I met James?”
Her eyebrows knit into a frown.
“Thea was married before Ed, and you were a call girl when you hooked up with James for real. If you ask me, that's an impressive experience, and not many women have it.”
I look at her, expressionless.
“What’s your point?”
“You had experience.”
“Do you think so? Do you think Thea and I ended up with them because of our extensive experience with men? Do you want me to remind you how many times Ed and Thea have split and how rocky their relationship has been? Or mine, for that matter? You have everything you need, Eve. It’s all inside of you. All you need is to get rid of your fears. You barely breathed today when James questioned you about that threesome thing.”
“Speaking of which... I’m still mad at you for doing that,” she says, not sounding at all mad. “He was the last person I wanted to exchange opinions with on having sex with two men at the same time.”
“And yet he’s the best man to give you advice.”
Her cheeks turn crimson again.
“I’m not having a threesome. Just to be clear. I’ve had enough of talking about it.”
Her expression makes me laugh.
A smile grows on her lips.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you are so funny. And cute. And sexy,” I say, sliding my gaze over her body again. “And you’re a walking contradiction. You have so much life in you, yet you keep suppressing your deep-seated desires.”
Her shoulders slump.
“What are you afraid of?” I ask in a different voice.
“To get hurt, I guess... And make a fool of myself.”
“Is that why you were afraid to talk to James today?”
“Yes.”
“At least you’re honest. But they are people like everybody else.”
“I know they are, but if I fall for a man like that, I’ll get hurt.”
“Is it better not to have them?”
“No.”
“There.”
I push out of my chair and step toward the couch, collecting my evening bag.
“Even if it happens, I won’t know what to do,” she says.
I spin to her, slipping my phone into my purse.
“That’s what stopped me back when I danced with Ed Preston,” she confesses.
My eyes connect with hers.
Her smile dies out, a pang of desperation flashing through her gaze.
Hesitating a little, she speaks again.
“I don’t think he knew what to do either because I wasn’t one of the women he was used to. Besides, I was your best friend, and you two had a history together. And there were so many thoughts in my head at the time. But he did like me... He even said it to me.”
“He did?”
“Yes.”
I freeze in the middle of the hotel room, my purse in my hand, my eyes linked with hers.
Sadness slides over her face.
“He danced with me that night while I was filled with jitters. The thought that he’d find me attractive was overwhelming.”
I’m about to retort.
“I know it’s frustrating. Trust me,“ she says. “I know. But that’s what it was. He wasn’t meant to be with me. And he’s with someone else now.”
I gesture dismissively.
“Whatever,” I say, unable to stifle my frustration. “I don’t understand how these things always happen to you. But you know better than me. I guess he was just another life lesson you needed to learn.”
“I guess,” she says regretfully.
I feel bad for her but sense her struggle and soften inside.
“Don’t think about it. It’s in the past,” I say, stroking her arm to comfort her. “Let’s enjoy this moment and forget about everything else. Someone will benefit from you learning that lesson at some point, so cheer up. You’ll need to face these two men tonight.”
She attempts to chuckle just as her eyes glisten with tears.
Swiftly, she pushes them back, her gaze slipping down as we take the first steps toward the door.
“Your dress is pretty,” she says, gesturing toward my red dress.
She drags her eyes up.
“And your hair. It looks good against your tan,” she murmurs before we slip through the door and stroll down the corridor.
Mirrors line the walls.
“Thank you.”
“I can’t believe the week is almost over,” she says, glancing at me, regret tinging her voice.
I press the button, and the elevator doors slide open.
We walk in.
“I wish I didn’t have to go back,” she says after a moment.
“Me too.”
She studies me, surprised.
“Why wouldn’t you want to go back?” she asks.
I smile.
“For one, I like spending time with you. And this place is really nice. And then, if I had you with me back home, I wouldn’t feel alone all the time,” I say melancholically, just as the elevator starts moving down.