Chapter 17
17
R AIN
A week later
“Is he coming?” I ask breathlessly as Lex enters the foyer and closes the door behind him.
He tips his gaze up, his blue eyes twinkling with a secret smile.
“Yes,” he says calmly.
“Where is he?”
He glances at his phone and checks a message before looking over my shoulder.
“Everybody's outside,” I say, pointing to the guests. “Is he?” I ask again.
He closes the space between us, rests his fingers on my neck, and places a soft kiss on my hair.
“He’ll be here any moment now. I told you he would come. Where’s my wife?” he asks, looking at the backyard again.
“She’s at the table with Eve and Thea and everybody else. Ed is here too.”
“Good,” he says, tearing away from me.
“And he doesn’t know?” I toss at him.
“No, he doesn’t,” he says, smiling mysteriously again.
“Lex? I’m serious here.”
“I know, baby. He doesn’t know. But I’m sure he suspects something. It’s his birthday, after all.”
“Okay, okay... Go,” I say, nudging him to the terrace.
He pulls away, grinning.
Rushed, I glance around to make sure that everything is in order. The house is beautifully decorated, and the rooms are ready for our guests.
The servers are on standby.
Veronica, our housekeeper, has instructed the staff to wait in the kitchen.
Nervously, I run my hand over my dress.
One frantic thought sends me to the full mirror propped against the wall next to the entrance.
Running my gaze over my body, I check my summery dress––it has a buttercream background and a blue butterflies print–– and my sleek sandals.
I rake my fingers through my hair, annoyed with a few rebellious strands that refuse to stay in place.
A noise comes from outside. And I think that was a car engine. Rushed, I spin and slide the door open.
Silence and the sound of birds and crickets greet me in front of the house.
The car engine noise must’ve been the product of my imagination.
I crane my neck and look down the gravel path. The flowers are in bloom, the summer wrapping them in beauty.
The sun caresses the horizon, and a scent of flowers drifts to me as I take a few steps across the driveway.
There’s no car as far as I can see.
I turn around and sit on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the driveway, getting swept away by the scenery in front of me.
The colors bleed into each other, painting the sky red as more soothing sounds ripple through the silence, giving me a sense of peace and calm.
The voices in the backyard are barely perceptible.
And then I hear a quiet hum.
Shifting my position, I whip my gaze to the end of the road.
The gate slides open before his black Bugatti makes a turn and crawls up the pathway.
I push off the concrete edge and dash into the house.
I zip through the main door and dart to the backyard to tell everybody to get ready.
Frantic, I make the trip back, open the main door and climb the stairs.
Once I set foot on the ground, I pace myself, trying to control my breathing.
Casually, I walk to the fountain and take my old place, trying to calm down my throbbing heart.
Lights and shadows fall over me as the evening sets in.
I’m sure he’s spotted me already.
His shining car moves slowly as I lift my hand and wave in his direction.
He brings it to a stop not far from me, the window slowly going down.
My knees shake as our eyes connect.
As if knowing something’s up, he reads my eyes and smiles.
He says ‘Hi’ to me, and I wave at him again, my voice gone.
Grinning like a fool, I watch him climb out, his tan and dark hair registering with me.
His eyes are spellbinding.
“Hey, baby...” he says softly, opening his arms and pulling me into his chest.
My world feels right again.
“Hey,” I murmur, tipping my face up and welcoming his kiss.
His scent enters my lungs, tickling my nostrils.
He takes my hand, breaks the kiss, and slides his eyes down.
“I love…" he says and pauses, weighing his words.
I expect a compliment for my dress when he continues.
“I love when you’re outside, waiting for me like that,” he says, his eyes holding mine, his gaze warm, his grin faint.
He notices my smitten eyes and the anticipation written on my parted lips as every part of me vibrates for him.
And then his expression shifts and a different grin slips over his lips.
“You look beautiful,” he says, tipping his gaze down again before looking into my eyes.
I stare at him breathlessly.
“I hope there’s food in the house because I’m hungry,” he says, his eyes glinting warmly.
“Yes, there is,” I say, crawling my way back to reality.
Hand in hand, we walk into the house, and just as we saunter past the doorstep, I realize everybody must’ve seen us.
“Happy Birthday, James!”
Voices explode in every corner of the foyer, followed by cheering and live music.
Our hands disconnect as he greets hour guests, giving me no choice but to step aside.
It’s not much different than what happens in real life.
From the other side of the lobby, Eve gestures at me.
She catches sight of my expression and flicks her chin a few times, encouraging me to smile.
At least, that’s what I think it is.
A server passes by when I snatch a glass of champagne from the tray and take a few sips. A bit more relaxed, I grin, my eyes not getting enough of him.
* * *
RAIN
It’s almost two in the morning when the guests begin to leave.
James spends some time in his home office with Ed, Lex, and David while I linger on the terrace with the girls.
Minutes later, Ed and Lex exit James’ room and say goodbye to us before heading to their respective homes with their wives.
The last few guests leave shortly after.
“Let’s go inside,” I say to Eve.
She grabs her glass of champagne while I pick up a plate of desserts and walk into the house with her.
We turn left and enter the reading room in front of James’ home office.
The doors are wide open, and we can see across the hallway.
“They’ve been in there for a while,” she says, her gaze swinging to the carved wooden doors as she slips into a chair.
“Yes,” I say, sitting on the sofa.
“David Moore is so hot,” she mouths to me, running her hand over her skirt.
Her draped white dress fits her flawlessly, the low plunging neckline revealing the smooth skin between her breasts.
A necklace is wrapped around her neck.
Her lips glimmer, coated with a nude shade of lipstick, and her eyes sparkle in the barely lit room.
“I can say the same thing about you.”
She chuckles.
“He noticed you,” I add.
“I know,” she murmurs, hiding her smile behind her drink.
“Are you considering David now?” I toss at her, smiling.
She shakes her head, gesturing.
“No way. That’s not to say he’s not handsome. I don’t know how he was back in the day, but he sure is the whole package.”
“He’s always been like that,” I say before popping a bite-size piece of lemon cake into my mouth.
“What are they talking about?” she asks, placing her drink on the glass tabletop and looking at James’ office door.
“My company, most likely.”
Promptly, she shifts her gaze to me.
“I told James I wanted to sell it, and David wants to buy it.”
Her eyes linger on me.
“Good for you. You did the right thing. Instead of talking with David behind James’ back,” she clarifies.
“That was a stupid idea. I agree.”
My gaze trails down for a moment.
“It was good talking to you last week. It helped me clear my mind,” I say, smiling faintly. “If there’s anything I can do to return the favor, just let me know.”
“There’s nothing you can do for me right now. Besides, things are good.”
“Are they?”
“Yes, they are. I got a promotion. My job pays well. And now, I’m coming to these fancy parties. Life is good. If we could spend more time in Monaco, it would be perfect. That vacation was memorable.”
“Speaking of that...” I say, voices ringing behind the closed doors.
Her eyes shift away from me when the door slides open, and two men walk out of James’ office, both smiling.
Glancing at me, they shake hands.
“Excuse me,” I say to Eve while pushing out of my seat.
I walk to them.
“Do we have a deal?” I ask David, our eyes connecting.
“We sure do,” he says as James curls his arm around my shoulders.
“Well… I’m glad things worked out,” I murmur before David says goodbye to all of us and walks away.
“I should get going as well, “ Eve says, rising to her feet.
“Aren’t you staying here?”
“I promised my mom I’d sleep at home.”
James flicks his eyes to me.
“Did you tell her?”
“Tell me what?” Eve asks, looking at me curiously.
Silently, I swing my gaze between the two of them.
“Tell me what...?” she asks again, noticing James’ mysterious smile.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell her,” he says, stirring her up.
“Actually... I was about to tell her when you and David walked out.
“What are you talking about?” she asks, intrigued.
“I guess I have to do it then,” James says.
My hand jerks up.
“I’ll tell her.”
Her eyes dart back and forth between us.
“Is it something good or bad?” she asks.
“It depends on how you look at it,” I comment.
“It’s good,” he says curtly.
Her gaze comes to me.
“I’m listening.”
James props his back against the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest.
It takes me a moment before I talk.
“We found the men you were obsessed with.”
She looks at me, confused.
“What men?”
“The men you saw in Monte Carlo. The men on the beach...” I add as she struggles to remember.
Her eyebrows tilt up in surprise.
“Oh. Those men... Oh... What about them?”
She slides her gaze to James.
“James knows them,” I say, prompting her to move her eyes to me.
“Uh-huh,” she says, her lips parted.
“He asked them if they’d be interested in, um... you know.”
Her palm slides over her mouth, hiding her shock and smile.
She looks at him again.
“Oh, no. You didn’t tell them...” she murmurs, grappling with disbelief.
“Well, he did. And they said yes, so if you’re interested...”
A nervous chuckle falls from her lips.
“I can’t believe you did it,” she says to James.
“I didn’t do anything. I simply asked them.”
“And they said yes?” she asks incredulously.
“Mm-hmm.”
His eyes glint with amusement.
“Are you seriously considering it?” I ask, staring at her, baffled.
She looks at me, somewhat embarrassed, not so much by the idea but by the fact that James has been instrumental in making it happen.
“Are you?” I ask again.
“I might,” she says, taking me by surprise.
I look at James, who tips his head to the side and arches an eyebrow at me as in, ‘I told you so.’”
Yeah, he did tell me, but I never thought she’d go for it.
“If you’re serious about it, James can give you the details,” I say, rolling my eyes at both of them.
She laughs.
“I am serious about it. It’s on my bucket list.”
“If that’s the case, go for it,” I say, smiling.
Minutes later, we finish our conversation and accompany her to the main entrance.
Soon after, she climbs into the limo waiting for her in front of our house and waves at us before the driver closes the back door and steers the car away moments later.
Once the noise fades, a chorus of crickets echoes around us.
I love that sound.
James loops an arm around my shoulders while I snake mine around his waist.
He slides his hand into his pocket, his lips coming to my hair, planting a tender kiss.
“Thank you for the birthday party,” he says mellowly.
I push my gaze to him.
A faint smile clings to his lips.
“Did you like it?”
“It was perfect...” he says, locking my eyes briefly before looking in the distance. “It’s good to be back home,” he adds, sunk in thought.