Chapter 36
KATE
Back in Nate’s office, the door clicked shut behind us, and somehow, that made everything feel more real.
You’ll have to get married immediately.
The words still rang in my ears, too loud to ignore and too absurd to fully process, but it was happening and this would be our first conversation since finding that out. It’s going to be telling, for sure.
I was determined to handle it better than I had when I’d found out he was CB, though. That was the only thing I knew for an absolute fact.
Nate walked around his desk but didn’t sit, taking off his tie instead, like the pressure of it around his neck had suddenly become unbearable. I stayed near the door for a moment longer, trying to beat my thoughts into some kind of coherent order.
Finally, after staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows, Nate slid his hands into his pockets and turned to me. “Well, that was a fun meeting.”
I huffed out a quiet breath that might’ve been a laugh if anything about this had been even remotely funny. “Yeah, a real barrel of laughs.”
He looked into my eyes, his head tilting as he held my gaze. “First things first, I suppose. Are you okay?”
Taking a page out of his book, I didn’t give an immediate answer. I didn’t offer a platitude or say what I thought he wanted to hear. Instead, I turned the question inward, honestly considering it.
Am I okay? I’m definitely overwhelmed. I’m also stressed, confused, and emotionally bruised from everything that’s happened between us in the last forty-eight hours. And yet…
“Yes,” I said out loud as I came to my conclusion. “I think so.”
His brow furrowed slightly, like he didn’t believe me. “This is a lot, Kate.”
“I know.”
“It’s more than we planned.”
I almost smiled. Planned felt like a generous word for the chaotic series of events that had landed us here, but he wasn’t wrong. Finally moving farther into the office, I rested my hands on the back of one of the chairs across from his desk.
“We were always going to do this,” I said, my voice surprisingly calm. “Granted, not this fast, but we’d already agreed and we knew everyone was pushing for the acquisition to happen as soon as possible.”
He nodded slowly. “We don’t really have a choice, but if you’re not okay with it, I’ll create one for you. You will always have a choice with me. This has to be your decision.”
“No,” I agreed. “We don’t really have a choice, but I’ve already made this decision, Nate. We should move forward with the wedding.”
His eyes immediately slid back to mine from the window. “Do you really feel that way?”
“Don’t you?”
He exhaled a long, slow breath, but his gaze never left mine. “Yes, I do.”
There was no hesitation and no waffling or trying to talk around the issue. Just certainty, but I wasn’t really surprised. Nate didn’t seem to second-guess decisions once he’d made them.
“This is what’s best for the companies,” he said. “For both our families.”
It sounded like something from a boardroom memo, but I knew he meant it. Practicality was his language. He operated on structure and breathed logic, but I knew now that there was more underneath it too, the true emotional depths hiding beneath all that.
“We committed to it weeks ago,” he said slowly. “Neither of us is the kind of person who breaks their word. Walking away has never really been an option.”
Not even before everything changed between us, I thought, even though he didn’t expressly add it. The truth, however, was that everything had changed.
I was marrying my soulmate. It should have felt romantic. Magical. Meant to be. Instead, it felt rushed and complicated. Messy even.
In all the times I’d imagined marrying CB, I hadn’t thought it would be happening like this. I hadn’t imagined realizing he was the love of my life and planning a wedding in the same breath. As all these thoughts raced through my head, I must’ve gone quiet for too long because Nate shifted.
“I’ll handle it,” he said.
I blinked myself back into reality. “Handle what?”
“The logistics for the wedding. Whatever arrangements need to be made.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t need to worry about any of that.”
Ah. He thought I was overwhelmed, which was a fair assumption—and it was true, but he looked stressed too.
There was a tightness around his eyes and tension in his shoulders. The man was already carrying so much more than anyone knew.
Acting on an instinct that felt old and brand new at the same time, I walked around the desk. He stilled slightly when I got close, like he wasn’t sure what I was about to do, but he didn’t pull away when I reached for his hand.
Closing it in both of mine, I looked up into his eyes and gave him a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He squeezed back immediately, his gaze both curious and understanding.
“We’ll be okay,” I said. “At the very least, we know each other so much better now than we thought we did when we agreed to this, and we know we’re not marrying someone completely wrong for us.”
The faintest hint of a smile appeared on his lips. “That’s a high bar you’re setting there.”
“The highest.”
His thumb brushed against the side of my hand before he let go. “I’ll start making calls. Any specific requests?”
Only about a million. But I shook my head rather than naming a single one. “This wedding is for Hinds. We can put our own stamp on it, of course, but personally, I either want to go all out and have the wedding of my dreams or just get it done.”
“What’s the wedding of your dreams?”
“Nothing we can pull together in just a few days.” I stepped back, remembering suddenly. “I left my laptop in the conference room.”
“I’ll be here when you get back,” he said. “We’ll talk more about that dream wedding.”
I winked at him from the door. “Or maybe we’ll talk about yours.”
When I stepped out into the hallway, it felt different than it had before. More like I was finding my feet here. Like the decision had shifted something into place deep down inside to stop being on the outside looking in and to start embracing the fact that by this time next week I’d be a Westwood.
I made it halfway down the hall before nearly colliding with Alex, looking up at him as my eyes widened. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was doing.”
“Neither was I,” he said. “Actually, I was hoping I’d run into you, though. Perhaps not quite as literally, but I’m glad I’m seeing you before I leave.”
He looked exhausted. Worse than before somehow, if that was even possible. I frowned up at him. “What did you need to see me about?”
“I just didn’t get a chance to thank you,” he said. “For being there for Jane back in New York.”
“Oh,” I said softly. “Of course. It’s not necessary to thank me for that.”
“It is,” he said firmly. “She appreciated it and so did I.”
I smiled, feeling a strange tinge of sympathy for a man I never thought I’d feel anything for at all. “How is she doing?”
His expression shifted into fondness and exasperation at the same time. “Honestly? She’s more upset about slowing down at work than she is about being sick. She’s been throwing up for three weeks straight, but for some reason, the part that bothers her most is having to take a step back.”
I winced. “That sounds miserable.”
“It is, but she’s tough.”
“That she is,” I agreed easily. “I may not know her that well yet, but I already know that to be true. Is there anything I can do for her?”
Alex’s face softened. “We’re staying in our penthouse at the St. Regis. You should come by. She’d love to see you.”
I nodded immediately. “Of course. I actually forgot my dad mentioned you lived in the same building. I’d like to pop in sometime.”
“Do,” he said, his tone surprisingly friendly. “Charlotte and Trent are flying in for a few days too, to help out wherever they can.”
My eyebrows rose. “Your sister and her husband, right?”
He nodded, grimacing like he couldn’t believe he’d missed something. “I’m sorry. I forget you probably haven’t had a chance to meet them yet, but you’ll love Charlotte. Everyone does. She’s like sunshine.”
His features softened so much, he actually seemed human again for once, and I smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve heard a lot about her and I’m sure extra support will make a big difference for Jane.”
“Definitely.” He gave me a tired smile in return, then excused himself. “I should get going. I’ve still got a few more stops to make in the office before I can go home. See you around, Kate.”
Before I could even respond, he was heading down the hall with the slightly rushed, distracted energy of someone whose thoughts were already somewhere else. I stood there a moment longer, watching him go.
So much was going on right now that I honestly didn’t even know where to begin.
Jane was sick. Alex was taking a step back.
Nate, Will, and I were all stepping up. The acquisition was moving at lightning speed and a wedding had just been shoved into the middle of it all like a final, glittering complication.
I pressed my lips together and exhaled slowly. One thing at a time. I have to get my laptop first.
After retrieving it from the conference room, I tucked it under my arm and made my way back to Nate’s office. There was still so much we hadn’t talked about, but we just didn’t have time to do it before we got married.
That was the part that gnawed at me. Every instinct I had wanted to slow down, sort through the emotional wreckage, figure out what we were doing, and how to make it work. Instead, we were sprinting straight into our vows.
Nate was behind his desk when I got back, sitting now but with his phone in his hand. He looked up immediately, smiling when his gaze landed on mine. I slowed slightly as I approached, wondering why he looked so pleased all of a sudden.
“What?” I asked after he set the phone down.
He leaned back in his chair, considering me like I was a puzzle he was enjoying solving. “I was just wondering whether you’re going to remain a Yankees fan now that we’re getting married.”
I frowned. That was not what I’d expected. “A Yankees fan?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
A soft laugh came out of me. “I was never that serious about it.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly. “No?”
“Nah, I went to a few games and I own a hat, but that’s about the extent of my devotion.”
Relief trickled across his features. “Good.”
“Why?”
“I’d hate to start our marriage with divided loyalties.”
I shook my head, smiling despite myself. “I’m sure we’ll find more important things to fight about.”
“Probably. Although that is pretty important to me,” he said, but he still had that look in his eyes. That thoughtful, slightly distant look like he was turning something over in his mind.
“What is it?” I asked again.
He paused just long enough to make me curious. “There’s one place where I’ve always pictured getting married.”
I leaned one hip lightly against the edge of his desk. “Yeah? Where’s that?”
For a split second, my imagination ran away with me. Some tropical island. A private beach. Crystal-clear water, white sand, and a spontaneous elopement far away from contracts and expectations.
It would be insane considering all the work we had to do here in Chicago, but for just a moment, the image lingered anyway, the two of us disappearing to someplace warm and quiet. The kind of place we’d spoken about running away to.
Nate stood, moving around the desk toward me. He stopped a step away and I tilted my head up slightly to keep eye contact.
“I guess if we’re doing this, we might as well do it right,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what you’ve always imagined first?”
“Nope.”
All I really wanted to know right now was what he had in mind, and then I had to figure out why the thought that he wanted to do it right had suddenly actually made me feel just a little twinge of excitement about having to do it at all.