Chapter 35
AUSTIN
Ifastened the last button of my ruined tuxedo shirt, The fabric was still damp. I caught sight of us in the mirror by the suite door. We looked like we’d taken a detour through a tropical storm, but Melody’s grin was brighter than any chandelier in the lobby below.
I held the door open. “Ready?”
She exhaled and took another look in the mirror. The dress was definitely ruined but it was clothing. We just had to walk through the lobby and into the car.
“Absolutely not, but let’s do it anyway.”
We stepped into the hallway already laughing.
Elevator doors opened to the marble expanse of the lobby and every conversation hiccupped.
People did double-takes. I didn’t know if it was because of who I was or the way we looked.
We were the picture of the walk of shame.
The dreaded morning after. Except there was nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.
I threaded my fingers through Melody’s, pulled her close, and winked at the world.
“Smile, baby girl. Paparazzi love redemption arcs.”
She lifted her chin, shoulders back, and we walked through the gauntlet with smiles on our faces. Outside, the car I ordered was waiting at the curb. I opened the rear door and helped Melody in first. I slid in beside her and took her hand.
She leaned into my shoulder. “So we return to real life now, huh?”
“For a couple hours. Then I hijack you again.”
“Kidnapping. Romantic.”
“Trust me, you’re going to enjoy this kidnapping.”
The rain had softened. Gray light flickered through the windshield. Twenty minutes later we pulled up to her brownstone. The driver double-parked, hazards blinking.
I kissed the tip of her nose. “Go. Change. Pack your cutest sneakers.”
She arched a brow. “Sneakers? We’re fleeing?”
“Call it a strategic retreat.” I brushed a thumb across her lower lip, memorizing the exact shade of swollen pink. “Few hours. Text when you’re ready, yes?”
She nodded, slipped out, then leaned back in through the open door. “One condition.”
“Name it.”
“Bring coffee. The emergency-grade stuff.”
I smiled. “Your wish is my command.”
The driver took me to the hotel. I rode the elevator up, unable to stop grinning. I couldn’t wait to see Melody in a bikini. Seeing her naked was hot, but I liked bikinis. It was like unwrapping a gift.
The doors opened, and the second I stepped out, I felt the chill. I looked up and spotted Cash. In my penthouse.
I would be having a conversation with the hotel security.
His expression was thunderous, the picture of barely contained Bancroft fury. He had probably been standing there for an hour, working himself into a self-righteous rage about my behavior at the gala.
“Go away, Cash,” I said. “Go bother someone who actually cares about your opinion.”
“We need to talk.”
“No, we really don’t.” I kicked off my shoes and dropped my wallet and keys on the entry table. Of course he followed. Cash never could take a hint.
“You can’t just ignore this, Austin.”
“Watch me.” I headed straight for my bedroom and pulled out a duffel bag, starting to throw clothes into it. Swim trunks. T-shirts. Light pants. Sunscreen. The essentials for a week in paradise.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Packing. It’s this thing people do when they’re going somewhere.”
Cash’s jaw tightened. “Austin, stop for one second and talk to me.”
“I’m not interested in hearing your thoughts about anything,” I said. “And we both know you don’t actually want to talk to me. You want to lecture me. You want to scold me like I’m a child and threaten to take away all my toys.”
“What is the deal with her?” He snapped and stalked forward.
I knew who he was talking about but chose to pretend I didn’t. “Who?”
“Don’t play dumb. Melody. What’s going on there? You show up to a gala with her on your arm, make a spectacle of yourselves, and then what? You think that’s going to convince Dad and me that this is real?”
I stopped packing and turned to face him. “If you remember, I didn’t show up with her. She showed up on her own. And again, why does it matter?”
“Why are you trying to use someone like her to convince us you’re turning over a new leaf?”
I didn’t know what it was. Fury? Rage? Protectiveness? Something rolled through me. All of my senses were suddenly heightened. I felt like I was storming into battle.
I took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eyes. No fear. No apprehension. I wanted him to see exactly what I was feeling. “What do you mean, ‘like her’?” The words were cold, holding an air of danger.
Cash shifted. He had picked up what I laid down.
I could see him choosing his words carefully.
“She’s not Bancroft material, Austin. She’s a fashion influencer with bad press.
You barely know her. This whole thing started as an arrangement—one that I helped facilitate, might I remind you.
So forgive me for being skeptical when you suddenly act like it’s the real deal. ”
Something hot and sharp twisted in my chest. “You mean she’s not thin enough? Not rich enough? Not whatever arbitrary standard the Bancrofts have decided qualifies as acceptable?”
“That’s not what I said and you know damn well that’s not at all what I meant. Have you met some of your sisters-in-law? Actually, considering you’ve been gone for years, you probably haven’t. Her looks don’t matter. I’m talking about who she is.”
“It’s what you meant.” I went back to packing, throwing clothes in without giving a shit if they got wrinkled. “And for your information, it is real. I care about her. Really care about her. And I don’t give a single damn what you or Dad or anyone else thinks about it.”
“Austin, you don’t even know her! She is someone who makes a living by exploiting her life. You don’t think she might be using you for clout?”
“No.” I spun back to face him. “You don’t get to do this.
You don’t get to question my relationship or imply that Melody isn’t good enough for this family.
She’s better than all of us combined. She’s kind and genuine and works her ass off to help other women feel confident and beautiful.
What do we do? Hoard wealth and judge people from our ivory towers? ”
Cash’s expression was hard to read. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need your protection. I need you to stay out of my business.”
“It becomes my business when you’re making decisions that could affect the family.”
“Everything I do affects the family, according to you. I breathe wrong and it’s a scandal.” I zipped up the duffel bag. “I’m done trying to live up to impossible standards. Done trying to be someone I’m not just to make you and Dad comfortable.”
“So what, you’re just going to run off with this woman you barely know?”
“I know her better than you think. And yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Cash stepped closer, his voice dropping. “Define it for me then. What is this? A relationship? A fling? An extended arrangement? Where is this going, Austin?”
“I don’t know.” The admission felt like pulling teeth.
“I have no idea where this is going. All I know is that when I’m with Melody, I’m happy.
Actually happy. Not performing or pretending or living up to anyone’s expectations.
Just happy. And I’m not giving that up just because it doesn’t fit neatly into your spreadsheets and five-year plans. ”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“It is. You’re all about control, Cash. About managing everything and everyone.
Clean lines. Black and white. Risk mitigation.
But life doesn’t work that way. Feelings don’t work that way.
And I’m not going to stop something good just because you can’t quantify it.
This little thing called life, that’s all we get.
At the end, it doesn’t matter how careful we were or what decisions about money we made.
We all leave with nothing but the skin we’re in and memories.
I’m making memories. I’m enjoying every minute on this earth I have.
I don’t give a shit if you like it or not.
If I’m wrong, I guess I’ll find out when I’m standing on death’s door.
But until then, I’m going to do what makes me feel good. ”
Cash stared at me, his expression tight. “You’re making a mistake.”
“Maybe. Probably. But it’s my mistake to make.” I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a week.”
“Where the hell are you going?”
I stopped, turning back with a grin that I knew would piss him off. “I’ve chartered a yacht in Tahiti. Maybe when I get back, I’ll have answers for you that will put your mind at ease. Or maybe I won’t. Either way, I’ll be happy. Can you say the same?”
Cash’s glare could have melted steel. “This is reckless.”
“This is living. You should try it sometime.”
“Austin, you’re blowing money you don’t have.”
“I do have it. And you can take my trust fund, but that’s not going to make me stop living. I have my own money, remember?”
“You’re flitting around like you’re a teenager without a care in the world!”
I shrugged. “Yes, yes I am.”
“You’re fucking reckless! Careless!”
I laughed. “Yep, that too.”
“You’re wasting your life.”
“I think you need to get laid, man.” I couldn’t resist. “It might help with the stick in your ass.”
“Real mature.”
“I am the immature one, remember? The family disappointment. Might as well lean into it.” I headed for the door again. “Lock up when you leave. Try not to snoop through my stuff. And maybe, just maybe, consider that I might actually know what I’m doing for once.”
“Do you? Know what you’re doing?”
I paused at the door, thinking about Melody. I thought about how she made me want to be better, do better, live better.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “For the first time in a long time, I actually do.”
I left without waiting for his response, closing the door on Cash and his concerns and his need to control every aspect of the Bancroft family image. The elevator ride down felt like freedom.
I had a week in Tahiti with Melody. A week of sun and water and no expectations. A week to figure out what this thing between us was without the weight of my family’s judgment.
A week to just be Austin and Melody. Not Bancroft and influencer. Not arrangement and contract. Just us.