Chapter Twenty
Wolf
Ace’s mansion in the hills of Washington looks like it’s been carved out of sheer ambition and sealed with determination. Floor-to-ceiling windows with epic views of the mountains and lake, along with a massive deck that can accommodate a thousand people, all surrounded by the scent of cedar, make it a perfect place to gather.
My brothers, the Armstrong men, and, of course, Joseph Anderson and Sherman are all here for a night of supposed relaxation. With this group of opinionated people, it’s probably going to be more like another therapy session.
Currently, the pool balls are clicking on the slate table. Drake sinks a solid with the smug grin of someone who grew up playing trick shots on family vacations instead of building sandcastles and hanging upside down from monkey bars.
“You look like you’ve been hit with a wrecking ball,” Nick tells me as he leans back and lazily swirls his drink, looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“I’ve seen this look on your face a few times,” Maverick adds with a chuckle and shake of his head. “If I’m being honest, it’s the same look I had before my fiancée punched me in the ribs and told me to get over myself.”
I look at both of them, confident that I’m not showing any of what I’m feeling. Sure, I’m a bit confused, but I’m not flailing or anything. “What are you guys talking about?”
Jayden chimes in. “Well, to put it in black and white, brother, you’ve been walking around like your emotional wiring is melting down and a five-alarm fire is about to break out. This normally means you’ve taken the plunge and fallen in love.”
I glare at Jayden, not appreciating that once again my love life’s being dissected at a night meant to be all about the boys. I miss the times we didn’t discuss women on these nights. Before I can say something, though, Joseph and Sherman walk over like kings surveying their unruly subjects.
“You know it’s a sign of love that your brothers and friends are worried about you,” Sherman says as he rubs his hands together. “Joseph and I are experts on the subject of love, so if you’re having any troubles, you’ve come to the right place.”
“Yep, we bring fine liquor and sound advice,” Joseph says as he places a bottle of Scotch on the table, which makes my mouth water. I don’t often drink straight liquor, but I make an exception for this brand, which isn’t easy to get your hands on unless you’re Joseph Anderson.
“I think I’ve gotten all of the advice I’ll need from you guys already,” I assure the group.
Sherman waves his hand in the air as he takes a seat. “You can never get enough free advice. You should be more appreciative.”
“Yes, son, I agree with my friend. You’ve found a woman smart enough to not fall for your crap, and strong enough to put up with you. We want to make sure you don’t screw it up. The quickest way to do that is to be dishonest or to close yourself off. Don’t play games,” Joseph says.
I let out a sigh. “I think there’s good in having mystery in a relationship. If you give it all away from the start, you have nothing to share as you become closer.”
Joseph gives me a shrewd look. “What are you hiding?”
I laugh. “Of course, you think I’m hiding something by saying that.”
“Are you?” he pushes.
“Well, I guess I haven’t talked about my family yet. She knows nothing of the family business.”
“How is that possible?” Sherman asks.
I shrug. “Well, she knows I’m a pilot.”
Maverick laughs. “But she has no idea you own the airline,” he surmises.
“Or a major resort chain,” Nick guesses.
I shrug. “It’s never come up.”
Sherman laughs. “I love a good old decoy life story. How will you know if she loves you for you or not?” he guesses.
“That was my feeling in the beginning, but she’s a wealthy woman herself with no need for what I have. I don’t honestly know why I haven’t shared this with her by now.”
“I think it’s because you like being the average guy who seems to not have a care in the world,” Mason says. “You are that guy for the most part. You do know how to step up and solve problems, though, and are a huge part of the company. If you want this to go somewhere, to really go somewhere, you have to share all of you.”
“Yeah, I don’t want her to see me as this businessman and expect me to change. I don’t like wearing suits, don’t like attending huge events. I like my life the way it is with no weight of expectations.”
“There are different paths in life that entice people,” Joseph says. “I’ve always loved wearing a suit and being at the head of the table. My son, Lucas, is the same. Mark, my youngest boy, on the other hand, is much happier in flannel on the back of a horse. This world works because we have such a beautiful variety of souls in it. You can be you, appreciate what you have, and be loved for who you are. If she’s the woman meant to be with you for a lifetime, she’ll appreciate everything about you. I hope you’ll trust her enough to give her the truth.”
I sigh. “I know. I haven’t wanted to rock the boat, but I’m going to do it.”
Sherman and Joseph both grin, and I immediately don’t trust the sparkle in their eyes. As usual, the two men seem to be up to something, and when the two of them put their heads to together, it always spells trouble for whoever they have their focus on.
“What are you two planning now?” I demand. They laugh.
“We have no idea what you mean.”
“Everyone in this room knows when you use that tone of voice, it spells trouble,” I say.
“Well, this isn’t exactly just a boys night,” Sherman says.
My spine stiffens. “Yes, it is.” Now, the guys are laughing too. “What have you done now?”
“We’re having a party, and we invited Audrey. She and other guests will be arriving in less than two hours,” Joseph proudly states.
With these words vehicles begin pulling up. I’m not shocked when I see a massive crowd of people armed with decorations, party supplies, and food climbing from vans as Ace’s home starts transforming. The power of this family is incredible. They can pull off a party with barely a moment’s notice.
Within an hour, the deck and house have been transformed, filled with lights, fires, flutes of champagne, music, and more food than anyone possibly needs. I don’t care. My eyes are glued to the entrance for one special guest.
And then I see her.
She steps from a sleek black SUV wearing a form-fitting blue gown with her hair swept up and curls teasing her slim neck. She looks royal and accessible at the same time... like a dream come true. She scans the crowd until she spots me, then makes my heart skip a beat when a smile flirts across her full lips.
She moves forward and shakes her head. “I received a command that my presence was requested for a small gathering,” she says with a laugh. “If this is your idea of small, we need to talk.”
“This wasn’t my idea at all, but I’m not unhappy about it, seeing you in this dress.” I pull her to me and immediately want to drag her away to somewhere very private.
I don’t think I can hide my family belongings anymore, not in this crowd. It’s time for us to talk. I take her hand and lead her away from the majority of people, taking her inside to the back sunroom, my favorite place in the house.
I lead Audrey to the couch facing out back, and am incredibly grateful for the clear sky filled with bright stars and a full moon, giving us a picturesque view and intimacy. With the sconces on the wall giving a hint of light, it’s peaceful and a perfect place to talk.
“I have to admit, I’m a little worried,” Audrey says. “I don’t know if I’ve seen this solemn look on your face before.”
I give her a smile as I take her hand. “When I met you I didn’t know how my feelings would grow, how much I’d feel the need to be with you. I miss you when we aren’t together, and I’ve never felt that with any other woman.”
She looks nervous. “I understand how you feel. I’ve been feeling the same,” she admits, which warms my heart.
“Because of this, I’ve held things back.” Damn, this is harder than I thought it would be.
She stiffens a bit as she looks at me. “Please don’t tell me you have a basement filled with dead bodies.” She gives a chuckle, but I can see she’s worried about what I have to tell her.
I shake my head. “No, nothing like that.” I pause for a moment. “I’m not just a pilot.”
She now looks confused. “I know you aren’t. There’s so much more to you.”
I shake my head. “No, I mean, I’m a pilot, but I’m actually a majority owner of my airline.”
Her eyes widen as she looks at me in shock. “Okay,” she finally breathes. “I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting that. Better than dead bodies, but why is this something you’ve been so scared to share with me?”
“Well, I guess for the same reason you didn’t want to share your royal heritage. Because of where we come from or what we have, it makes people see us differently. I’m still me, the same man you’ve been with for months. I love adrenaline, love adventure. I just happen to have enough money to buy a medium-sized country.” I laugh, but it’s not exactly humor I’m feeling.
“It’s funny because I want to be angry with you for not telling me, but you handled my royal heritage so well it would make me a total hypocrite.” She pauses for a moment. “Do you think I’d ever be after your money?”
I immediately shake my head. “How can you ask that?”
She gives me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me to say. We both know neither of us are like that.”
I give her a relieved smile. “I should’ve told you sooner, should’ve told you in London when I knew my feelings for you were well past the casual stage. It’s just something I’ve never shared with people. The majority of the pilots I fly with don’t even know this. I want to be a regular guy.”
She laughs. “Even without the money, you’d never be a regular guy, Wolf,” she assures me.
“Well, I guess I don’t want to be normal. I just don’t want to be identified as a rich snob.” A shudder wracks me.
She laughs. “I have to agree with you there. I went to school with those type of people and though my family has a lot of money, I didn’t fit in. I like nice things, but I hate the pomp and circumstance of the ultra-wealthy. Money might make people’s lives easier, but it doesn’t make them better than anyone else. It actually makes them worse in many ways. I’ll never understand how someone thinks they’re superior simply because of the size of their bank account.”
“Because that’s all they have. They don’t have pride, empathy, or brains, in my opinion. My parents grew up wealthy, as did my brothers and I. Sure, we did some amazing things and took incredible trips. We also camped in the wilderness and made our own fishing poles. My parents felt the need to teach us humility. If we ever started acting as if we were special in a negative way, they’d quickly humble us. I’m grateful for that. Most of the time, I like who I am. Some days I don’t, but when I don’t like something, I fix it.”
“I like who you are too,” she says with a smile. “Do you have any other great revelations to shock me with?”
I laugh as I pull her onto my lap and cuddle her close. “Nothing I can honestly think of. I’m sure something will come up, but it won’t be life-changing.”
“As long as we don’t find any dead bodies buried in your yard, I think we’ll be able to handle it.”
I laugh. “I can honestly say if any dead bodies are found, they weren’t placed there by me.”
“Mmm, that sounds like a good plot for a book.” She pauses for a moment, then looks at me. I wait, seeing she wants to say something that appears to be difficult for her. I hold her close as I rub her back. She sighs.
“I’ve begun writing a book. I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it, but the words keep pouring out of me. I’ve discovered a lot of it is our story,” she says in a rush of words.
I beam at her. “That’s amazing.”
“Don’t get excited about it or anything. I don’t know if this is a passing phase or if it will lead to anything. But I want to start telling you things, big and little. That’s hard for me, and I’m trying to change.”
I laugh. “I guess we’re both far out of our comfort zones now, but at least we’re doing it together.”
“Look at us growing as humans,” she says with a laugh.
I hold her tight. “Audrey, you’re incredible. I love everything about you, the sarcasm, kindness, loyalty, and even the royalty. I love the entire package.”
She shakes her head. “The royal stuff is strictly between us.”
“Do you really think you’ll be able to hide it forever?”
“I’ve managed to do it so far.”
“Well, your secret’s safe with me, but you know Joseph Anderson is the king of finding information.” Her eyes widen in horror, and I squeeze her a bit tighter. “He won’t sell you out even if he finds out,” I assure her.
“I hope not. I love my family, but I don’t want to be a part of that world.”
I lean down and kiss her, and the rest of the world falls away as it does every single time we’re intimate. We’re no longer pretending to be anything other than who we are, and we’re still together. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this good in my life. I have a feeling it’s only going to get better from here.