Chapter 8
Catherine
“This is it?” Hayes stood beside the bumper of my car with his arms crossed.
I laughed as I looked at the few suitcases I had thrown into the back seat. “I have a storage unit in town. I can go back if need be. Bringing every evening gown I own, my couch, or my kitchen appliances and cookware would have been overkill.”
“There’s plenty of closet space,” Hayes said as he opened the door and reached for the first suitcase.
I stopped him with my hand on his arm and glanced around. “Is Lewis here right now?”
“No. He left after breakfast. Not sure when he’ll be back, though.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Hayes’s posture softened. “I should be asking you that. You have a choice in this. I don’t.”
“There’s always a choice, Hayes.”
His eyes were tired. “Not for me.”
“Then I’m in,” I said with delusion worn in place of confidence when “fake it till you make it” was the only mantra I could hold on to. “It’s only a couple months anyway. That’s really not that long.” I looked around. “And I love it out here. I think I could use a break from the chaos.”
His expression softened. It was the same look he had shared with me the day of the funeral when we hid outside the kitchen door. “Are you doing alright? You know—after moving out of your mom’s place?”
Rocks and sand abraded my throat as I swallowed. I had cried. I had pleaded with the universe for one more day with her. I cursed whatever higher power was out there, wondering why she had been taken from me too soon.
Then, like Hayes, I had to start running the marathon. Funeral arrangements had to be made. And why were caskets so freaking expensive?
I had to pack her clothes. The garments she had worn in her last days went in the same boxes as the outfits she wore in my favorite memories.
I had to sell off the medical equipment we had bought to make hospice more comfortable. It was sickening to take money in exchange for equipment someone else would have to use while they survived the last days of their loved one’s life.
I had to pack up the pots and pans she used to make my favorite meals when I would come to visit, and the sewing machine she used to make all my pageant dresses.
I had to scrub the house that smelled like a hospital. I had to store everything in a corrugated metal unit that I never wanted to have to open again.
I had to do it all while holding my breath and blinking back tears. There was no time to grieve. Maybe that was one reason why I had said yes to Hayes’s proposal. The absurdity felt like a necessary shock to my system.
“No,” I answered honestly. “I’m not. And I’m okay with that.”
Hayes nodded in grave understanding. “Same.”
The single word was the most comforting condolence anyone had offered.
He pulled out the first suitcase. “With Lewis around, I can’t guarantee peace. But there will be space, and I’ll be taking advantage of that where he’s concerned.”
“How long is he planning to stay?” I asked as I shouldered two smaller duffel bags.
Hayes took both of them off my shoulders, then grabbed a suitcase. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
I grabbed another suitcase as he began to pack mule my things into the house.
Hayes stopped in his tracks. “Leave it. I’ll come back down to get everything.”
“I packed them up. I can carry them inside just fine.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Cath, I’m not letting you carry your own bags.” He tipped his head to the house. “Come on.”
Reluctantly, I followed him up the path, through the kitchen door, and up a discreet staircase that led from the kitchen to the second floor.
I knew the first floor like the back of my hand.
It was where guests were entertained. Whenever I hung out with Zach so Hallie could have a little time to herself, we stayed downstairs.
The living quarters on the second floor were new to me.
Massive was an understatement. I had never lived in a house with wings before.
Shoot—every house I had ever lived in was smaller than the kitchen here.
“That’s the west wing,” Hayes said as he cocked his head toward a curving hallway to the left of the staircase. “Hallie and Zach live on that side.”
We passed a small sitting area that was filled to the brim with dark-lacquered bookcases packed with a little bit of everything.
“That’s Lewis’s room whenever he’s here.” Hayes motioned to the cracked bedroom door. Clothes and bedding were tossed all over the place. Every flat surface was cluttered.
“This one’s yours,” Hayes said as he moved down and paused in front of a set of double doors to the left of Lewis’s room.
“Where’s your room?” I asked.
Hayes set the bags down and pointed down the hall and to the right. “In the east wing.”
I hated the idea of being close to Lewis, but at least Hayes was nearby.
“Just so you know, this used to be Granddad’s room,” Hayes said. “And in case you’re superstitious, he did not die in there.”
I laughed under my breath. “I’m sure it’ll be just fine.”
“Hallie got it ready for you. She moved some things around to freshen it up. But if you want to change anything, that’s fine.”
I watched with curiosity as he pushed open the double doors.
Sunlight flooded in from the massive windows that covered the longest wall.
A four-poster bed stood tall, piled high with linens in pale blues and whites.
The mahogany chest of drawers was gleaming, with a small vase of roses on top.
More flowers dotted the bedside tables and the coffee table in front of the small sitting area next to the windows.
A fireplace stood stalwart across from the foot of the bed.
I imagined watching the snow fall outside those windows as firewood crackled.
“There’s an en suite bathroom. Cleaners come every Tuesday, so try to have things picked up before they come.
Laundry is on your own, but Hallie does the linens on a schedule so the washing machine isn’t tied up all the time.
Put yours in the laundry room on Wednesday mornings and she’ll bring them back up in the afternoon.
If you run out of trash bags for the bathroom or toilet paper, it’s in the storeroom in the kitchen.
When it gets cold, you can use the fireplace but talk to Mason first. Hallie will have guys come out to sweep the chimneys before the first cold snap, but Mason will talk you through how to use the fireplace and show you where the split wood is. ”
The room was massive, easily bigger than the entirety of my last apartment.
The walk-in closet was a full-size room in and of itself.
The bathroom door was open, giving me a peek at a massive vanity complete with a tufted seat.
I was utterly spoiled with both a walk-in shower and a behemoth claw-foot tub.
Hayes kept rattling off the schedule of how the house worked, but it faded into a blur as I slowly crept toward the wall of windows.
That was when I realized they weren’t actually windows.
Some of them were, but in the middle was a set of gleaming glass doors that led out onto a small balcony that overlooked the rose garden.
The view was breathtaking.
I moved mindlessly, opening the doors and stepping out into the warm May air.
A shadow engulfed me. I looked up to see the cloud that had eclipsed the sun but found Hayes standing behind me. “What do you think?”
I turned to face him, but Hayes didn’t move backward. He braced his hands on the iron railing, trapping me between his arms.
“This is…this is far too generous, Hayes. I don’t need this much space. I can take one of the smaller rooms.”
“You’re going to be my wife. You need the big room.”
“Is Lewis going to throw a fit about us sleeping in separate rooms?” I asked.
Hayes’s eyes darted out to the rose garden as he thought it over. “Hopefully he won’t be around much, but we should probably make it look like we’re sleeping together. If he’s home, I’ll slip in here for a little bit until it looks like we’ve gone to bed and then sneak down the hall to my room.”
I nodded. “I’ll make sure to keep the door closed. Just text me before you come in. It would probably look weird if you were knocking on your own bedroom door.”
Hayes chuckled. “Right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Hopefully after the wedding he’ll let it go, and we won’t have to keep up the ruse.”
I let out a deep breath. “Wedding. Right. We need to plan one of those.”
Hayes chuckled as he reached into the pocket of his slacks. He pulled out a ring and held it in his palm.
I couldn’t help but gasp. It was stunning. A large pear-shaped diamond sat in the center with smaller marquise diamonds creating a starburst around it. The gold band showed age with small scratches, but it had been pristinely polished, glimmering in the light.
Hayes gently took my left hand in his and slid the ring on my finger. “This ring has been in my family for over a hundred years. When my parents got engaged, my grandma gave it to my dad to propose with. When they died, my grandma gave it to me instead of taking it back.”
The ring fit like a dream.
Maybe it wasn’t love and wedding bells. But it felt right. This felt like something. I just hadn’t quite put my finger on that something just yet.
Hayes smoothed his thumb over the diamonds. “Looks good.”
“If people ask, how should we say you proposed?”
He never let go of my hand, just kept brushing his thumb across the ring. “How do you want to be proposed to?”
I laughed. “Honestly? Something like this. Something quiet and private. So much of my life is public. It’s nice when there are no photos. No hair and makeup. I like having things that I don’t have to share with the court of public opinion.”
“Then this is how it happened,” Hayes said. “Us on the balcony.” His lips quirked in a small smile. “And no one else.”
“And you were on your knees begging and pleading for me to marry you,” I teased dramatically. “And thank goodness for you, I finally said yes.”
Hayes’s laugh was bright and warm. I liked that he shared those laughs with me. He was always so serious. “Is that what happened?” he countered. “Because I remember it much differently. Something about you pleading and weeping to be my wife.”
“That’s the beauty of a lie,” I said with a grin. “Whoever tells it first gets their way.”
Hayes locked eyes with me. A twinkle of amusement danced in his. “You’re going to be trouble for me, aren’t you?”
“I think you need a little trouble in your life, Mr. Wilder.”
With a single step, Hayes had me backed up against the railing. “That so?”
I couldn’t breathe. Not with the way his cologne wrapped around me like a lover’s caress. Not with the way I was bracketed between his thick biceps.
Doors slammed downstairs, making me jump. But Hayes didn’t back away. Instead, he let go of the railing and slid his hands onto my hips.
I was a tall woman. If I had been in heels instead of sneakers, I would have been eye to eye with Hayes. But right now? I was glad I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to see the surprise or lust lingering in my gaze.
Hayes tipped his head to the side. I tilted my chin up, seeking, and felt the brush of his lips against my temple, then my ear.
“Lewis is here,” he whispered. “No one slams doors quite like he does.”
Oh. My heart sank just a little. For a second, it felt like he and I were having a moment, but I needed the stark reminder of exactly what this was.
It was time to play the game.
Since all the doors were open and anyone could see us, I wrapped my arms around Hayes’s neck, arching into him. “How’s this?”
There was a hitch in his breathing as I gently combed my fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck. “Diabolical,” he whispered as he fought to keep his eyes from closing.
“Are you sure you know who you’re marrying, Wilder? Do you know what you’re getting into?”
His fingers tightened on my hips. “I thought I did.”
“What the hell is this?” Lewis snapped with a huff as he stomped into the bedroom.
Hayes and I broke apart. “What do you mean?” he asked innocently.
“This”—Lewis swept his hand to the stack of suitcases and bags Hayes had brought up—“mess. Whose are these?”
Hayes slid his fingers between mine and held my hand. “They belong to Catherine. She moved in today.”
“Who is—”
I laid my left hand on Hayes’s chest, letting the ring do the talking. “Hello, Lewis,” I said with a smile that hid the disdain I felt for the man. “I’ve seen you in passing, but I’m not sure if we’ve officially met. I’m Catherine Foster.”
Lewis blinked, then stammered, “You—you’re—”
“My fiancée,” Hayes said coolly. He never flinched. Never looked angry or inconvenienced.
I had a hunch that his passive attitude bothered Lewis most of all.
Little did he know that Hayes was anything but passive. He was just better at playing chess than Lewis was. And now he had someone on his side to strategize with.
“I’m going to unpack,” I said as I lifted onto my toes and kissed Hayes’s cheek, startling him.
“Ri-right…” Hayes stammered, stunned. “I’ll bring the rest of your bags up. I’m sure Lewis wouldn’t mind giving me a hand. We’re all going to be family, after all.”
“I mind,” Lewis snapped. “I’m not a fucking bellhop.”
Hayes bit back a laugh as Lewis marched out, then gave me a wink as he slipped out behind him.
I slumped against the balcony railing and lifted my hand, taking another look at the ring.
Hayes Wilder was so many things. He was intelligent, well-spoken, and well-mannered.
He was the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on.
He was funny and easygoing when he let his guard down.
When he had his guard up, all I wanted to do was tear it down, piece by piece.
He had a gentle presence that soothed the storms still churning inside me.
I wanted to believe it was because he and I had just gone through the same kind of loss, but something deep inside me knew that wasn’t the case.
Maybe I should have had cold feet over the idea of marrying someone in a quid pro quo deal, but I didn’t. The wedding didn’t scare me at all. I was prepared to get married.
I was not prepared to fall for my husband.