Chapter 43
NATE
Iwoke slowly and lazily, something that didn’t happen often in my life. For a few seconds, I didn’t move, not even opening my eyes. I just existed in that hazy place between sleep and consciousness where nothing was urgent and everything was soft and happy.
Sunlight shone through my eyelids, bright even through the glass, and somewhere outside, a bird was making an obnoxiously cheerful noise. I smiled, leaning into the warmth beside me.
Kate.
Finally opening my eyes just so I could look at her, my smile widened as I took her in, half sprawled across me with one leg thrown over mine, her hair a wild, red mess across the pillow.
Sometime in the night, one or both of us had kicked off the sheet, leaving us tangled together in the middle of the bed, bare skin against bare skin, warm in the morning light.
Kate stirred slightly, making a soft noise before blinking awake. She squinted toward the windows, then groaned and buried her face in my chest. “Why is the sun so… sunny?”
I let out a quiet, sleepy laugh. “That’s generally how it works.”
She pushed herself up onto her elbow, her hair falling around her shoulders, and looked around like she’d momentarily forgotten where she was. Then she smiled. “That view is ridiculous and this room looks fake. Like something out of a catalog.”
I followed her gaze, not denying that the master bedroom really did look like something out of an ad. A wall of windows faced the forest, sunlight spilling across the wide wooden floors and the lake just visible through the trees.
When I’d renovated the place, one of the only changes I’d made to the structure was installing larger windows to capitalize on the view. I turned back to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look fake. Like something out of a catalog. The room is just okay.”
She snorted and flopped back down onto the pillow. For a while, we stayed like that, not in any hurry to move, but eventually, she shifted again, stretching out slowly and gracefully. Like a cat.
“We should go for a run,” she said.
“You want to go for a run?” My eyebrows shot up. “Here I was, thinking about pussy.”
She pursed her lips at me. “That’s all you had yesterday. All day. You’d think—”
“Actual cats,” I said mildly. “You remind me of one sometimes, but if you’re offering…”
She laughed and swiped the pillow from under her head. She chucked it at me as she rolled out of bed. “We’re running, Westwood. I can’t think of a much better Sunday morning than getting to go for a run out here.”
I sighed. “I can think of a few things, but sure. If you insist.”
“I do.” She changed into a pair of shorts and a sports-bra-type thing, already lacing up her shoes by the time I managed to force my own ass out of bed.
It only took a few more minutes before we were outside and I was leading her to the start of my preferred trail when I was out here. It cut through the trees just past the edge of the property, winding through forest that smelled like pine and warm earth.
The air was cool enough to be refreshing but warm enough that I didn’t regret being outside. We ran side by side once we got going, not talking much, but by the time we turned back, she was flushed and smiling, a little breathless but clearly pleased with herself.
“I like it here,” she said as we slowed to a walk.
I laced my fingers through hers. “I was hoping you would.”
We walked the rest of the way back like that, our hands linked and swinging slightly between us. It still boggled my mind that this could be—would be—our new normal.
“I want to bring our kids here,” she said suddenly.
The words hit me sideways. Not unpleasantly, just unexpectedly. I glanced at her. “What kids are those? Our hypothetical children?”
“No, our inevitable children.”
“You sound very confident that it’s going to happen for us.”
“We’ve already agreed we want them. No matter how we end up having them,” she said. “So they are inevitable.”
“Fair enough.”
She gestured vaguely toward the trees. “They could run around out here. Fall into the lake. Get sunburned.”
“We’re going to be excellent parents, then?”
“They’d love vacations here,” she said, rolling her eyes at me. “Christmas especially. With snow everywhere? It’d be perfect. This place must turn into a real winter wonderland.”
As she said the words, I could see it much too easily. The stockings on the fireplace. Noise in the house. A life that looked like something I’d never seriously expected to have but that had always been my deepest desire.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “They would. So would I.”
“Me too,” she agreed, sighing when the house came back into view. “I really wish we could stay longer.”
“Same, but it’s Sunday. We’ve got to head back. Once Jane is feeling better and Alex is fully back at work, we’ll take a couple weeks off and come here?”
“That would be awesome,” she said. “Would you ever take that much time off, though?”
“For you? To be here together for longer than just a night?” I nodded with my eyes wide. “Anytime.”
She laughed.
Both of us downed some water when we got back inside. Then we packed slowly, neither of us in much of a hurry, stretching the morning out as long as we could. Before heading to the airstrip, I drove us into the little town about fifteen minutes away.
It only had one main street, a handful of shops, and a diner that looked like it hadn’t changed since the seventies, but Kate loved it immediately. She dragged me into a cozy store full of local crafts and handmade nonsense, holding things up for my approval like my opinion mattered.
“This is cute,” she said, holding up a lopsided ceramic bowl.
I frowned. “Cute? It’s a bowl.”
“It’s artisanal.”
“It’s uneven.”
“That’s the charm.” She grinned and added it to her basket, purchasing it and a few other items before we went to get ice cream.
We sat on a bench outside the shop while the afternoon sun warmed the pavement, finishing our cones before strolling along the sidewalk.
She glanced up at me when we passed a fishing-supply shop.
“My dad would love to come out here sometime, but if you ever give him a hook, you’d better keep at least fifty feet away. ”
I chuckled. “He likes me. I doubt he’d threaten me with a fishing hook.”
“I didn’t say he was going to do it on purpose,” she joked. “What’s your dad like when he’s not being the intimidating, negotiating Westwood patriarch?”
“I don’t know,” I said lightly, then shook my head. “Although that’s not really true anymore. Ever since he retired, he’s actually been pretty cool. He’s golfing a lot, but I don’t know that I’d trust him with a fishing hook either.”
She laughed, wrapping her arm around mine and pulling me into another store, this one selling hiking boots and other outdoor apparel. “I’d like to get to know him better. Maybe we should invite them here with us sometimes. The holidays?”
I shrugged. “Happy wife, happy life. That’s what I’ve heard. If you want to invite them, do it. Just tell me how much food we’ll need in advance so I can order it.”
“Or we could just come to town and buy it when we arrive,” she teased. “Like normal people.”
I let out a deep sigh, pretending to be offended, but honestly, I was pretty happy just holding her purchases and wandering around the store. The whole day felt suspended somehow, like it existed slightly outside the normal flow of time.
One of the things I loved most about this place was that I barely got service up here. That meant that she and I had both shut off our phones and we could just make the best of this time we had together before we flew back to our real life.
By the time we boarded the jet, we were both sun-warmed and tired but in a good way. A relaxed way. She fell asleep not long after takeoff, curled up against me. I didn’t sleep, just watching her before I eventually rested my head back against the seat and watched the clouds drift by.
The illusion that life might just be a little bit peaceful started cracking as we descended into Chicago. When the glittering lights of the city came into view, it was almost like I could feel the weight of reality settling back in.
I woke Kate up as we landed. Both of us were a little quieter than we had been the rest of the day when we settled into the car that had been waiting to pick us up.
Kate leaned her head back against the seat with a soft sigh. “That was perfect.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, pulling my phone out of my pocket on the drive back into the city.
It was still off, and I hesitated for a second before I powered it on, not really convinced I wanted to, but it started buzzing immediately. Then again. And again.
Notifications stacked on top of each other, lighting up the screen faster than I could read them. There were emails, messages, and missed calls. Beside me, Kate’s phone started going off too, a matching chorus of vibrations filling the quiet car.
I frowned, scrolling through them just to get an idea of what was going on. My stomach tightened when I realized most of them were from Alex. Alex, who was supposed to not be working.
A slow, familiar dread settled in my stomach, heavy and certain. Something was wrong. I didn’t know what yet, but I knew this feeling, and so far, it had never been wrong.
Kate glanced at me, chewing on her lower lip for a moment before she sighed. “Do we even want to know?”
“Probably not. Let’s give it until we get back to the St. Regis before we start worrying about it, though.”
The truth, however, was that I was already worried about it, the weight in my gut solid and ominous.
When we finally walked into my apartment, Kate kicked off her shoes near the door and stretched like she was still half asleep, lazy and unconcerned. I envied her for exactly three seconds before my phone buzzed again in my hand.
Alex.
“I have to take this,” I said. “Something is obviously wrong.”
Kate turned immediately, all that soft relaxation gone. “Do you really think there’s a problem?”
“I don’t know yet, but yes. I really do think so.”
I hit call on his latest message and put it on speaker. He picked up on the first ring. “Nate. Finally. Fuck, man. Where the hell have you been?”
“On my honeymoon. For exactly one day.” I frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Are you alone?”
I glanced at Kate. She was right next to me, her arms folded loosely and her expression alert.
“No,” I replied. “Kate is here and you’re on speaker.”
“Nate, you might want to hear me out first.”
My gaze snagged on hers. “Say what you need to say, big brother. This concerns her, too, right?”
“Yes, but—”
Something cold slid down my spine. “Just spit it out, Alex. She’s my wife now. Whatever it is, she’s going to find out eventually anyway, and besides, you just confirmed my suspicion that this is about us. Not only me or the company.”
I set the phone on the kitchen counter between us and sank onto a stool. Kate stepped closer, leaning into me. I slid my arm around her hips. My heart was already pounding, but it kicked up another notch when I heard Alex exhaling sharply.
“Fine, but don’t forget that I tried to speak to you alone,” he said. “Who the hell is Emma, Nate?”
For a second, the room went completely silent. Kate froze beside me and my stomach dropped. “What?”
“Who the fuck is she?” Alex snapped.
Kate turned toward me slowly, obviously confused and alarmed. I held her gaze even as I replied to my brother. “Why? How do you even know about her?”
Alex made a strangled sound. “Oh, that’s great. Fucking fantastic. You don’t even know what’s been going on.”
“I just turned my phone back on a few minutes ago,” I said, my tone sharper now. “What’s happening, Alex? Are you really going to make me drag it out of you?”
The faint sound of a keyboard clacking filtered through the line.
Then he spoke again, but it sounded like he was reading.
“‘Sources close to Westwood and Sons claim CFO Nate Westwood has maintained a long-term relationship with a woman known only as Emma throughout his engagement and recent marriage.’”
Kate’s hand flew to her mouth. I felt like the floor had tilted underneath me, all my blood leaving my face in a rush.
“That’s not—” I started, but he kept going.
“‘The mysterious Emma is rumored to have been involved with Westwood for years, raising questions about the legitimacy of his sudden marriage to Kate Vanderhaul during the Hinds’ Global acquisition.’”
Kate made a small sound that was pure, quiet horror. My hands curled around the edge of the counter.
“This is bullshit,” I said. “All of that is private and it doesn’t have anything to do with the acquisition.”
“I know it’s bullshit,” Alex said. “That’s not the point. Here, let me read you another excerpt from today’s paper.”
He didn’t even take a breath before he was speaking again. “‘Insiders speculate the marriage may have been strategic, allowing Westwood to maintain his private relationship while securing the deal.’”
Kate turned away from the counter like she couldn’t stand there anymore, pacing toward the windows with her arms wrapped around herself.
“I didn’t—” I started again. “Alex, I didn’t tell anyone about Emma.”
Except Will. Shit. Except Will.
Alex let out a harsh breath. “That’s not even the worst part.”
Ice slid into my veins. “What do you mean?”
“Hinds called me.”
Kate stopped pacing and I stopped breathing, both of us intently focused on my phone. “He’s furious, Nate. He thinks we lied and that the whole thing was staged to make him believe you would stay in the marriage, but that you’re going to divorce her just as soon as he’s out of the picture.”
“I’m not going to do that.”
“I know, but optics matter, and right now, he doesn’t believe that we operated in good faith,” he said, then followed it up with the words I’d been dreading most. “We’re still in the probationary period.
Legally, he can pull out. No penalties. That’s what he says he’s going to do.
Kate is his goddaughter, Nate. Can you blame him? ”
“No.” Fuck. “No.”
Kate turned back to me, her eyes wide.
Alex cursed over the line. “Seriously, Nate. What the fuck have you done?”