Chapter 14
ALEX
My condo at the St. Regis was too damn quiet. I didn’t notice it so much until Nate walked in, stamping snow off his boots and scanning the space like he expected to find someone else here. Suddenly, the lack of another person seemed jarring, the silence absolute.
Because there wasn’t anyone else. It was just me. As always.
A fact he seemed to process as he slid out of his coat and brushed past me after I stepped aside to let him in. Wordlessly, he crossed the room to the kitchen, his head turning from one side to the other like he was still trying to work out if I was really alone.
It had been three days since the wedding. Three days since I’d dropped Jane off in front of her home and watched her walk up the steps without looking back, and I hadn’t spoken to my wife since.
That alone should have told me something was wrong. The fact that she wasn’t here sure seemed to say that to Nate, but he didn’t mention it, setting a folder down on the kitchen island instead.
“Zach forced that Thayer board member he was working on into a cushy retirement.”
I nodded, cocking a hip against the counter and folding my arms. “That didn’t take long at all.”
“It didn’t,” he agreed, but his eyes stayed on mine for another beat before he looked around again, then paused, sighed, and brought his gaze back to mine. “Are you okay?”
I frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged. “You seem distracted.”
I scoffed, but the sound rang hollow even to my own ears. If I was honest, distracted didn’t begin to cover it. Jane had been a constant presence in my head since the courthouse. Since dinner. Since I’d watched her disappear behind that brownstone door and hadn’t heard from her since.
I couldn’t work without thinking about her. Couldn’t sleep without remembering how she challenged me instead of shrinking. The way she looked at me like she saw straight through the businessman to whoever the hell lived inside.
The only thing that had made the total radio silence bearable was the fact that the gala was tomorrow night. We’d been on the same page that we needed to attend together, which meant that I would be seeing her again in less than twenty-four hours.
Even so, it was ridiculous how much I’d been thinking about her, even catching myself wondering what she was going to wear. Why am I thinking about that? It’s not like I care.
“Distracted, huh?” Nate arched an eyebrow at me. “You’re sure that’s all it is? Because you don’t seem like yourself at all, bro. Not enjoying your honeymoon?”
“I’ll be fine.” I forced myself to uncross my arms and waved him off, suddenly unable to remember what I usually did with my hands. To give them something to do so he’d stop asking about me, I headed over to the cabinet and pulled out two glasses. “There’s just a lot going on.”
“Yeah, sure.” He watched me pour us each two fingers of scotch and took the glass I handed over, but didn’t bring it to his lips. “What are your plans with Jane for tonight?”
I glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“She’s busy,” I said automatically. “I’m busy. Why would we have plans?”
Nate took a long sip of his scotch, his eyes narrowing on mine. “Isn’t she your wife?”
“Yes.”
“And I don’t see her here.”
“That’s because she doesn’t live here,” I said, perhaps a beat too fast. “Yet.”
The word lingered in the air between us, implying expectation. A future. But I wasn’t sure it would ever come to pass. I was so conflicted about what to do next that I just wasn’t doing anything. Not my usual style at all, but this was starting to feel so much more complicated than necessary.
My brother picked up on that little conundrum without skipping a beat. “So we’re just… not going to see or speak to her?”
“I’m sure we’ll cross paths,” I said.
“When?”
“At the gala.”
He stared at me. “That’s tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“So nothing tonight?”
“I told you, we’re both busy.” I exhaled slowly. “I don’t need to hover over her.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting.”
“What are you suggesting, then?”
“That you don’t know what you’re doing or what the next move is,” he said evenly. “Which is new for you.”
I groaned. “This isn’t exactly a normal situation, Nathaniel. Everything about it is fucking new.”
He put his hands up, his head shaking slightly before he took another sip of scotch. “I know, but you’d better figure it out and fast.”
I ran a hand through my hair, glancing at the snow falling outside my kitchen window. Deep down—hell, not even that deep down—I knew he was right. Jane and I would have to figure this out, and the sooner the better, but fuck.
It wasn’t easy. She had her reasons for not wanting to move in together and I respected them, but at the same time, this situation we had going on right now wasn’t sustainable.
“Dad’s already talking about grandkids,” Nate added casually. “He’s chomping at the bit at the prospect of you having a son.”
I shot him a look but stopped short of actually admitting that I was nowhere near consummating my marriage, let alone thinking about children. But I wasn’t surprised my dad had gone there. No doubt her mom was wondering about it too.
We were married now, right? To people of a certain age, that meant kids were the next logical step, regardless of our situation or our own feelings about it. None of which, however, was Nate’s fault. “Jane and I haven’t even spoken about procreation yet. Drop it.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’d get ready for the questions if I was you, though.”
I nodded slowly and took a long sip of my scotch. The smooth liquid slid down my throat, relaxing me slightly. “This marriage is strategic. Dad has to cool his fucking jets and let us get the Thayer acquisition finalized. We can deal with everything else after that.”
Nate studied my face. “Just be careful not to treat her like part of the acquisition, Alex. No matter how you got into this thing, she’s still your wife now. If you’re going to make a go of this, it’ll help if you’re on the same team.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I held his gaze, then sighed when he didn’t back down. “I wouldn’t treat her like property. You know me.”
“That’s why I’m worried you’re going to screw this up.
Despite having met her because of the job, she’s not a part of it, Alex.
Remember that.” He shook his arm out a little, then glanced at his watch and drained his drink.
He set his empty glass back down on the counter, grabbed his coat, and straightened up.
“I’ve got to get going. I’m meeting Will for dinner.
All the paperwork for that deal he made is in the folder.
I think he crossed all the t’s, but look it over and let me know if we’re missing anything. ”
“Happy to help.” I nodded and walked him to the door. “I could use the distraction from my marriage.”
After he left, the condo felt even emptier. I stood by the window, my reflection staring back at me. It was no wonder Nate had been worried. Even people who didn’t know me would be able to see that I was completely off kilter.
Three days married. Three days without hearing her voice. It’s fine, though. Space is healthy. Especially in a situation like ours. I’ll see her tomorrow and we’ll talk. Probably.
My phone felt heavy in my pocket as I drummed my fingers against my thigh. I pulled it out, mostly so I could stop feeling the weight of it, but now that the seemingly inoffensive, innocent black rectangle was in my hand, I couldn’t stop staring at it.
This is fucking insane. I closed billion-dollar deals without blinking. I dismantled boards before breakfast and rerouted legacies on my way out of the office.
Yet calling my wife—my actual, legal wife—felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, wondering how badly it was going to hurt if I jumped. Grow some balls, Westwood. Fuck space.
Before I could change my mind, I scrolled to her number and hit call. She answered on the third ring.
“Jane Thayer,” she said crisply, ever the professional.
“Did we ever discuss you changing your last name?” I asked.
She hissed out a breath that wasn’t quite a sigh but sounded more like she was bracing herself. “No, and we’re not discussing it now.”
Background noise filtered through the line, shouts, a sharp whistle, and people yelling things that sounded vaguely threatening, but enthusiastic. I frowned. “What are you doing? It sounds like you’re in a cage match.”
She snorted. “You’re close, actually.”
“An MMA fight?” I teased. “If that’s your thing, I can get us seats in Vegas.”
“I’m at my brother’s wrestling meet,” she said dryly. “It’s not MMA and it’s not the kind of wrestling with cage matches.”
I blinked back my surprise. “Just plain old wrestling?”
“Yes.”
“Like, high school wrestling? You’re watching children fight?”
“Well, technically, yes, but it’s a competition, not a street fight.”
“Where is this happening?”
She named an inner-city high school I’d never been within five miles of, but then there was a pause and I could practically hear the moment she realized what she’d just done.
“It’s almost over,” she said quickly. “Do not come here.”
I cut her off before her protests could gain momentum. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Alex—”
Without letting her finish the thought, I said goodbye and hung up, and less than half an hour later, I was standing in the doorway of a public high school gymnasium, a first for me in more ways than one.
Inhaling the unfamiliar scent of sweat, popcorn, and industrial-strength chemicals masquerading as cleaner, I looked out at the meet.
The bleachers were packed with families, banners hanging crooked from the rafters, the atmosphere loud, alive, and chaotic in a way I wasn’t used to. Finally, however, as I searched the stands, I saw my wife.