Chapter 25
LANEY
“ L aney? Are you ready yet?” Sterling’s voice drifted up the stairs, smooth but with a sharp undercurrent of impatience.
I was sure he was already dressed, cool, calm, collected, and looking infuriatingly perfect. Meanwhile, I’d been dressing myself since I was four and yet today would be the day when I wouldn’t be able to finish the damn job.
Gwen had offered to come over so we could get ready together, and I really should’ve taken her up on it. Stubbornly, however, I’d been sure I would be just fine and I hadn’t been comfortable inviting anyone else into Sterling’s space just yet, but gah! What a monumentally stupid decision.
“Almost!” I called, adjusting the bodice of my dress with a frustrated sigh. “I’m just having some trouble with my zipper.”
There was silence for a beat, but then I heard footsteps, heavy and deliberate, heading toward my room.
My pulse jumped. I was already feeling flustered enough to have spent the last twenty minutes pacing around in my brand-new heels, second-guessing every curl in my hair, and wondering why I cared so much about him seeing me.
Now that it was actually about to happen, my pulse was jumping like popcorn in a microwave, and then, suddenly, there he was. My bedroom door opened and he was leaning in my doorway like something out of a movie, looking incredible in a dark suit and open collar with no tie and no smile.
Just Sterling Westwood. As cool, calm, and collected as I’d known he would be, composed and much too handsome for his own good.
For some reason though, he seemed to have frozen where he was, gaze raking over me as I stood there, half turned toward the mirror with one hand holding the back of my dress closed.
Something flickered across his expression for a moment. It was gone too fast to be sure, but it’d looked like surprise or maybe something else. Admiration? Attraction. No. That’s just wishful thinking.
“Turn around,” he said suddenly, his voice a little lower and rougher than I was used to. “I’ll get that for you.”
I did as he’d asked, presenting my bare back to him and letting go of the fabric I’d been holding onto. As soon as I felt his fingertips brushing against my skin, my breath caught. Slow and careful, he tugged my zipper upward with the barest whisper of sound.
For a heartbeat too long, he didn’t move, fingers lingering at the base of my neck, and then, without a word, he slid my hair off my back and to one shoulder. The gesture was nothing. It was innocent and gentle, but a warm, electric chill shot straight through me.
“All good,” he said finally, his voice a little throatier than before. “I have something for you.”
I’d thought he might step back as I turned toward the mirror again, but he didn’t. Instead, I watched in the reflection as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, velvet box.
When I opened it, my breath left my body. Nestled on a bed of velvet were gorgeous ruby earrings with cushion-cut stones wrapped in gold and framed in tiny diamonds. They looked just like my ring set.
“Sterling,” I breathed. “These are…”
Perfect. Opulent. Devastatingly beautiful. I hadn’t quite decided how to finish the sentence yet before he stepped in and did it for me.
“A match,” he said quietly. “I thought you should have them for tonight.”
I looked up at him, completely overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of the gift. “Thank you.”
The words didn’t feel like enough, though. Before I could even think of stopping myself, I was surging onto my toes, my heart racing like a prized stallion in my chest, and I pressed a kiss to his cheek.
He was cleanly shaven, his skin warm and smooth against my lips. The scent of his aftershave clung faintly to him, and for a split second, just one suspended second in time, I thought he was going to turn into my kiss.
Our mouths were close together. Close enough that I saw the sudden flicker of something wild in his eyes, but I didn’t linger any longer, lowering myself back down and turning sharply toward the mirror again.
If he wanted to kiss me, he would have done it, and my cheeks were burning about the fact that I’d kissed him at all.
“I should switch out my earrings,” I murmured. “Thanks for your help. I’ll be down in a moment.”
Sterling didn’t say anything, but he didn’t leave my bedroom either. I felt his eyes on me as I worked on swapping out the earrings with my trembling hands, praying like hell I wouldn’t drop one, but him staring at me like maybe I wasn’t the only one feeling this heat anymore wasn’t helping.
But no. That’s crazy. Still crazy. A business. A baby. No love. That’s the deal.
On our way to his parents’ estate, we were both mostly quiet. With only the soft hum of his engine in the background, I sat with my hands in my lap, trying to keep my breathing steady while the city blurred past outside my window.
“Just a heads-up,” he said, his hand resting on the steering wheel in that annoyingly casual way. “There will be a lot of introductions tonight. My family’s circles are wide.”
“I figured,” I said. “Is there anyone or anything I should be cautious of? I’m kind of nervous that I’m going to mess this up.”
Kind of? Ha. Understatement of the century.
To my surprise, he actually cracked a smile. “No one is going to question how fast this happened. It’s kind of normal, actually.”
I glanced at him. “Normal?”
He shrugged. “You’d be surprised how many people in my world have prenups and press releases before they even have the ring. Half the marriages are business mergers with better food and nicer clothes.”
I frowned. “Seriously? Wow. Rich people really are weird.”
He hummed a sound that wasn’t disagreement before he glanced at me. “I’m probably the luckiest of them all, finding someone like you.”
My heart skipped. I was about to ask him what he meant by that, but then we pulled up to the ornate metal gates at the bottom of the drive and I decided to let it go. Sterling pressed a button and his window slid down. He gave his name to the security guard, and the massive gates swung open.
Beyond them, the long drive was lined with glowing lanterns. The front garden had been transformed from a large lawn into something out of a storybook and my jaw slackened as my eyes went wide.
“I didn’t know people actually had parties like this.” My voice came out low and breathy, like a whisper trying to be something more, but seriously, I was too stunned to care.
White tents fluttered slightly in the light breeze. String lights had been wrapped through trees. There were guests everywhere with servers in black and white carrying silver trays through clusters of them. Everyone seemed to be laughing and having a good time.
“Your mom said this was a barbecue,” I said faintly. “This is not a barbecue.”
He let out a short laugh. “She doesn’t know what an actual barbecue looks like, but this is her favorite party of the year.”
I stared out the window, trying to kill the butterflies in my chest, but this wasn’t just a party. It was the Westwood kingdom on full display, and here I was, about to walk into it on the arm of their Royal Prince and with his ring on my finger.
Once we were out of the car, Sterling stayed mercifully close, his hand resting gently on the small of my back. He swept me around the party with practiced ease, introducing me to waves of people whose names I immediately forgot, but whose eyes lingered on me with careful calculation.
Their expressions didn’t seem malicious, but they were certainly curious. I wasn’t one of them and that made me interesting.
Sterling only left my side when Gwen showed up, looking radiant in a white sundress and gold hoops in her ears that shimmered in the warm afternoon sun.
She found me just long enough to squeeze my hand and whisper, “You look hot,” before being dragged off by a pair of older clients who recognized her from her Pilates studio.
CC appeared at my side as if she’d been conjured there and took my arm, sweeping me into the heart of her domain like a proud general parading her newest recruit. “You look lovely, darling. Just gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, still overwhelmed by how genuinely nice the woman was. “I’m nothing compared to you, though.”
She laughed, keeping her arm linked with mine, and guided me over to a group of elegantly dressed woman. They were all as blonde and beautiful as she was. She leaned in and gave them a proud smile. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet my daughter-in-law, Laney Rhodes.”
Wow, that’s weird to hear her saying it loud. She went around the circle, telling me her friends’ names and I tried to absorb them all, pleased to see subtle nods of approval from everyone.
Until we got to one girl around my own age. She was impossibly polished with ash blonde hair pinned into a sleek twist, her lips painted the exact color of a ripe cherry. Her smile was just sharp enough that I could feel it.
“Laney, this is Cassandra Saxon,” CC said to me.
Cassandra Saxon, whoever she was, seemed barely able to bite her tongue as her gaze swept over me like I was something that lived in a sewer. She took both my hands in hers though, plastering an overly sweet smile on those painted lips. “So, you’re the wife.”
“Guilty as charged,” I replied, careful to keep my tone light. “It’s nice to meet you.”
It really wasn’t. This girl looked like she could swallow me whole. Something in her eyes shimmered like venomous poison, but still, she smiled. “It’s lovely to meet you as well.”
Thankfully, I was saved by one of the older women. She leaned forward, smiling in a way that was much more real. “Laney, darling, are you any relation to Bella Rhodes, by chance?”
The name landed like a needle in my skin, stealing my voice and leaving only a breathless sliver of it behind. “My mother? I mean, yes. She was my mother.”
The woman’s hand touched mine in a gesture that was both warm and familiar. “Oh, sweetheart. She was a gem. I used to shop at Baby Blossom when my children were born. Your mother helped me so much, and she remembered my name every single time. I’ll never forget that personal touch.”
Another woman suddenly nodded, blinking like she’d just made a connection too. “Bella saved my life when the twins were toddlers. Goodness. I haven’t heard that name in a long time. I was so sorry to hear she passed. You must’ve been only a child.”
“Thirteen,” I forced out, my throat tightening with strange pressure that rose up like a wave, a devastating mixture of nostalgia, grief, love, loss.
CC’s grip firmed on my arm. “She sounds like a lovely woman. Would you all excuse us for a moment?”
Without waiting for a response, she guided me away from her friends, her movements swift but elegant, like she’d done this kind of thing before. We kept walking until we’d rounded the hedge wall, tucked away safely from prying eyes and the polite hum of garden gossip.
“I had no idea you’d lost your mother,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry, darling.”
“That’s okay. It’s nice to hear that her customers remember her so fondly.” I tried to blink back the sting of tears. “You had no way of knowing. It’s not something I talk about much.”
CC’s expression softened. “You don’t have to explain, sweetheart. I just wish I’d known, and I wish she could see you now.”
Her kind words nearly undid me. I nodded, not trusting my voice. CC seemed to realize that I was a breath away from falling apart and she squeezed my hand before letting go of me. “Why don’t I give you a moment? Take your time, darling. You’re family now. The party can wait.”
I gave her another nod, my insides in pieces, and headed further into the garden around the house to get away from the party. Hydrangeas bloomed under the soft amber light of the fading sun and little strings of lightbulbs blinked on above the winding garden paths.
The whole property was being painted in dusky magic that made it feel like a dream. I breathed in and tried to steady the buzz in my chest. Despite what CC had said, I knew I had to get back to Sterling.
“Laney.”
I turned at the sound of my name, thinking that perhaps Gwen had tracked me down since it hadn’t been a male voice calling for me, but no, standing half in shadow beneath a white pergola with one hand delicately curled around a champagne flute, was Cassandra Saxon—and something told me she wasn’t going to be so nice this time.