by Erika Rhys
I shook my head. “I can’t dump more stress on them when they’re already putting in extra hours due to this party, and then our wedding. Since his heart attack, Alfred’s supposed to be taking it easier, but he never does. It’s not in his nature.”
“What about after the wedding, when things settle down? Couldn’t we tell them the truth then?”
“Some secrets are better kept. I don’t think I could bear to face their disappointment in me for lying to them—they think I’m better than that. But I can’t take the lie back now—what’s done is done.”
We exited the stairwell, emerged on the second floor, and walked down the hallway that led to the front of the house. As we approached the entrance to the oceanside room and the party, Veronica emerged from the crowd with my half brother, Aiden, who I hadn’t seen since Christmas. Aiden was wearing one of the fashion-forward suits that he favored these days, which, to my eye, made him look like a pretty-boy fop. Not that Aiden had given a shit about my opinion since passing his eleventh birthday or so, when he’d sussed out how his mother felt about me and learned to use it to his advantage.
Veronica marched toward us with a grim expression on her face, with Aiden trailing behind her.
“Thanks for nothing,” she said in a low voice, her lips tight with anger. “What’s your excuse for abandoning your engagement party to slum around the kitchens?”
I met her gaze and, out of consideration for the nearby guests, kept my voice quiet. “You know perfectly well that I always make time to see the Mortons.”
“Everyone’s aware of your attachment to our butler and housekeeper,” Aiden said. “But couldn’t you have waited to go downstairs until the party was over? The Andressons wanted to meet you and Ava, and we couldn’t find you. You put Mother in an embarrassing position. Your behavior was disrespectful and rude.”
“Thank you, Aiden,” Veronica said, glaring at me. “Ronan, don’t waste your breath with explanations, because there’s no excuse for your inconsideration. When are you going to grow up and take your social responsibilities seriously?”
Before I could respond, Ava faced my stepmother, ignoring Aiden altogether. “Now isn’t the time for this,” she said quietly. “Instead of arguing about responsibilities, we should be seeing to them. Ronan and I are back now, and we’d be delighted to meet the Andressons—or anyone else you’d like us to meet.”
Ava’s voice was polite but firm, and before Veronica could respond, Ava turned to me. “Shall we get back to the party and our guests?” she said. “I’d like a glass of champagne.”
I held out my arm to her. “Let’s go.”
She took my arm, and we walked past Veronica and Aiden and toward the oceanside room, where the party appeared just as we’d left it—a cheerful din of voices, music, and clinking glassware, and a crush of well-dressed Hamptonites gossiping and drinking my father’s booze. As we entered the room and moved into the crowd, Ava whispered against my ear. “Is Aiden always such a smarmy little ass-kisser?”
“Mostly,” I said. “But he’s at his worst when his mother’s around.”
“I suppose she’s his audience,” Ava said. “He even looks kind of like a male version of her—although he’s very handsome.”
“As a kid, Aiden wasn’t so bad,” I said. “Like me at that age, he was obsessed with Star Wars, which used to be a bond between us. But then he grew into a bratty teenager, and since finishing his MBA at Wharton last year, he’s been insufferable. Veronica’s pampering only inflates his oversized ego.”
“Ivy League MBAs tend to emerge from school that way,” Ava said. “But over the next few years, exposure to real life should bring your brother down to earth.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” I said, scanning the crowd for a server. But then I spotted an unwelcome face in the crowd. “Damn it. My stepmother’s really outdone herself this time.”
“What’s she done?”
“She’s invited Larissa Storrow—a woman I had a fling with one summer during college. See the tall blonde in the champagne-colored gown? That’s her.”
“Your college flame’s an attractive woman,” Ava said. “I like her dress—look, I think she’s spotted us. She’s coming our way.”
After confirming that Ava was right, I turned back to her. Before Larissa reached us, I needed to prepare Ava for what was about to come.
“You need to know that ever since that summer, Larissa despises me and rarely misses an opportunity to humiliate me in public. Veronica knows this, which is why she invited her.”
Ava leveled me with a look. “Quickly—give me the gist of what happened between you and Larissa.”
Reluctantly, I confessed the embarrassing truth. “A two-week fling when I was nineteen. I moved on—she didn’t. I handled it badly; I hurt her feelings—and although I’ve apologized more than once, she’s never forgiven me.”
“Don’t sweat this,” Ava said quietly, tucking her arm into mine. “If she goes there, we’ll deal with it together.”
Ava meant well, but she’d never seen what Larissa was capable of, and I steeled myself as she approached, with a gleam in her eye that told me everything I dreaded most was about to unfold.
“Hi, Ronan,” she said brightly, before turning to Ava. “And you must be the fiancée.”
I introduced Ava, who extended her hand to Larissa. “Pleased to meet you,” Ava said. “Thank you for celebrating our engagement with us.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” Larissa said. She gestured toward the crowd. “As tonight’s turnout proves, all of Southampton’s curious to meet the woman who’s snared one of our most elusive bachelors.” She gave Ava a querying look. “Ronan and I were an item at one point—but I suppose you’ve heard all about that.”
“I have,” Ava said. “Before we met, Ronan and I both dated other people, so there was romantic history to be shared on both sides.”
Larissa leaned toward Ava and lowered her voice. “Romantic is the wrong word for your fiancé’s history, I’m afraid. Unless your idea of romance is having a man seduce you, dump you, and then put the moves on your best friend.”
As usual, she’d gone straight for my throat. “That was many years ago, and we were both young,” I said quietly. “Can’t we move beyond the past?”
“I moved beyond it long ago,” Larissa said airily. “But I consider it my duty to warn Ava about what she’s getting herself into.”
“Then consider that duty completed,” Ava said coolly. “Like all of us, Ronan made his share of youthful mistakes, but he’s been honest with me about those mistakes, and I trust him completely.”
Larissa’s face flushed, and although she kept her voice low, its tone took on an edge. “Don’t be ridiculous. The only person you’re fooling is yourself. Ronan Kingsley’s the last person on earth anyone should trust.”
“Really?” Ava said quietly, staring her down. “Who made you the expert on my fiancé? When was the last time you had an actual conversation with him, instead of trying to make trouble? You’re the one who’s fooling yourself, Larissa. You say that you’ve moved on—but you’re the one who’s stuck in the past, trying to get back at Ronan for something that happened over a decade ago. Grow up, and stop living in the rearview.”
“Fine,” Larissa snapped. “If you’re too stubborn to hear the truth, there’s nothing I can do to save you from your own stupidity. One day, he’ll betray you—and when that day arrives, I look forward to watching you suffer, just like I did.”
And with that, she turned and stalked away.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “And thank you. You handled her a hell of a lot better than I’ve ever managed to do.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Ava said. “That woman needs therapy or something. Seriously. Didn’t we all have a messy adolescent romance or two?”
“I had a lot more than that,” I said. “It wasn’t until my midtwenties that I got better at setting the expectations of the women I d
ated.”
“That’s normal,” Ava said. “When I look back at my nineteen-year-old self, I cringe too. There was so much I didn’t know.”
“My stepmother will do anything to make me look bad,” I said. “Larissa’s just a convenient weapon.”
“I know,” Ava said. “In a way, I feel bad for her. She seems emotionally unstable, and it was cruel of Veronica to invite her tonight and use her in that way.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. “Once the wedding is behind us, I look forward to avoiding my stepmother for a very long time.”
Ava squeezed my arm. “You and me both.”
I smiled at Ava, feeling fortunate to have her at my side. In the last half hour, she’d faced not only Veronica but also Larissa and shut them both down. Ava was quick on her feet, she wasn’t easily rattled, and she always had my back. I couldn’t have had a better partner.
Just then, a server appeared with a tray of champagne. I took two glasses and handed one to Ava.
“Cheers,” I said, clinking my glass against hers as I spotted Aiden coming our way. “And drink up, because you’re going to need it.”
She sipped her champagne. “Any particular reason?”
I lowered my voice. “My bratty brother.”
22
AVA
As Aiden approached us, I resolved to give him a second chance. He might be spoiled and egotistical, but he was also a twenty-five-year-old rich kid who’d spent his life cloistered in the kind of exclusive schools that constantly told their students how brilliant they were. And Ronan had said that his half brother was at his worst with Veronica around, which suggested that Aiden might be less unpleasant on his own.
“Mother’s thrown you quite the party,” Aiden said to us. “I like the band she chose.”
“They’re excellent,” I said. “I especially like the pianist.”
Aiden shuffled his feet nervously before looking at Ronan and then at me. “When we met in the hall, I didn’t have a chance to congratulate the two of you on your engagement. So…congratulations.”
Aiden’s discomfort was apparent, but perhaps he was trying to extend some kind of olive branch, so I tried to put him at ease.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “We’re very happy.”
“How are the wedding plans going?” Aiden asked.
“Fine,” Ronan said coolly, staring his younger brother down in a way that told me he hadn’t forgotten Aiden’s support of Veronica’s criticism of us earlier in the evening.
After several seconds of silence ticked by, I tried to lighten the mood. “Planning a wedding is a big project, and we still have a lot to do. But as Ronan said, it’s going fine; Cara and Veronica are helping us work out the details, and everything’s falling into place.”
“Glad to hear it,” Aiden said. “I wouldn’t begin to know how to plan a wedding, but then again, I’ll never have to.” He gave me a humorous look. “If I ever get married, my mother will no doubt insist on planning the entire affair.”
“Your mother has a ton of experience throwing events,” I said. “It probably feels natural to her to take the lead.”
“The Kingsleys are a strong-willed bunch,” Aiden said to me. “As you get to know us, you’ll find that we all tend to take the lead.”
“There’s some truth to that,” Ronan said.
Was he unbending a little? I hoped so. “I can be kind of the same way,” I said. “I suppose that’s why I prefer having my own business to working for others.”
“Ava’s business is doing floral design for events,” Ronan said with evident pride. “She started it all on her own, just like I did with Kingsley Tech.”
“That’s impressive,” Aiden said, smiling at me.
“Ava’s impressive,” Ronan said, reaching for my hand. “I’m a lucky man.”
The tension between the brothers seemed to have dissipated—until Aiden spoke again.
“Speaking of Kingsley Tech, rumor on the street is that you’re having serious financial problems.”
Ronan stiffened beside me, and his grip on my hand tightened. “What you heard is an exaggeration,” he said evenly. “Kingsley Tech’s expanding and taking on new contracts. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I hope you’re right,” Aiden said. “But you should know that the Manhattan rumor mill is betting against you. People are saying that in taking on the Asian contracts, you’ve significantly overstretched yourself.”
“People can say whatever the hell they like,” Ronan said curtly. “They’re wrong.”
“For your own sake, I hope you know what you’re doing,” Aiden said.
“Of course I do,” Ronan growled. “Who do you think I am?”
Aiden held up his hands. “No offense, OK? Based on what I heard, I was concerned.”
Had he accepted Ronan’s explanation? I wasn’t sure. Aiden might be young and inexperienced, but he was also a Wharton-educated MBA, and the rumors that he’d heard were dangerously close to the truth.
Sensing Ronan’s annoyance and hoping to shift the conversation onto safer ground, I smiled at Aiden. “I know you work at Kingsley Capital with Carter, but what does your job entail? What kind of work do you do?”
An expression of pride took over Aiden’s lean, handsome face. “Over the past few months, I’ve moved into forex stuff. Dad’s put me in charge of a team that’s developing a new line of hedge funds.”
“I know what a hedge fund is,” I said. “But what does ‘forex’ mean?”
“It’s slang for foreign exchange,” Aiden said. “I’ve decided to specialize in working with foreign currencies.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Ronan asked.
Aiden looked defensive. “It’s interesting work.”
“Maybe to you,” Ronan said. “To each their own, I suppose—but I can’t think of anything duller than staring at currency numbers all day.”
Aiden’s expression shifted, and he leaned toward Ronan. “I came over here to make an effort to have a decent conversation with my brother, and all I get is attitude? Fuck you. Mother always says that trying to get along with you is pointless, and you know what? Maybe she’s right.”
And with that, he walked away.
I hadn’t been fortunate enough to have siblings, and I couldn’t stand to watch Ronan throwing away any chance of a positive relationship with his brother. Aiden might be a brat, but he also clearly craved his older brother’s approval, which meant there was still hope that they could form a connection.
If only Ronan was willing to be the mature older brother I knew he could be. If he was willing to step up and be the bigger person.
I looked at Ronan, who was calmly sipping his champagne. “Is there anywhere nearby that we can have a few minutes of privacy?”
“We can step into the sitting room across the hall,” he said. “What’s this about?”
“I’ll tell you as soon as we’re alone.”
When we reached the sitting room, I closed the door behind us, crossed the room to the single arched window, and looked out over the ocean before turning to face him. “Why did you have to be so hard on your brother just now?”
He looked surprised. “Why the hell would I waste energy being nice to Aiden? He’s a worthless little shit. I may have finished what just went down, but Aiden started it. The only reason he bothered to talk to us was to deliver that poison pill of malicious gossip. What I said to him was no more than he deserved.”
“I disagree. He’s young and socially awkward, but I don’t think he meant badly. There’s a part of him that wants your attention and approval.”
“I don’t care what he wants,” Ronan said, his voice rising. “As long as he remains his mother’s goddamned pawn, he’s getting nothing from me.”
“Have you even considered trying to separate your relationship with Aiden from your relationship with your stepmother? If you gave Aiden a break and stopped assuming the worst of him, maybe the two of you could
build a better relationship.”
Ronan stepped closer to me, so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his powerful body. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Veronica destroyed any possibility of me and Aiden getting along years ago.”
“I may not know everything about your family, but you shouldn’t forget that Aiden’s just beginning his adult life. He’s at the stage when people become more independent and start thinking for themselves.”
Ronan snorted dismissively. “Aiden? Thinking for himself? That’ll be the day.”
“If that’s your attitude, then you might as well forget about having a brother.”
He glared at me. “Believe me, I already have.”
Just then, I noticed that the door that I had closed to give us privacy was now open. Who had opened it—or had I not closed it securely? In the doorway, Veronica stood, with a curious expression on her face. Had she heard our raised voices? And if so, how much had she heard?
Ronan stood just in front of me with his back to his stepmother, and his face was flushed with anger. No doubt my face betrayed my emotion as well. If Veronica came in and saw us like this, what would she think? Would her suspicions about our relationship rise to new heights? And if they did, what would that mean for our fake-marriage arrangement?
Desperate to salvage the situation, I did the only thing I could think of.
“Veronica’s behind you,” I said in a low voice. “Kiss me now.”
23
RONAN
When Ava told me to kiss her, I couldn’t have been more surprised. But despite the argument we’d just been having, I trusted her judgment that kissing her was what was necessary to maintain the illusion of our relationship. It didn’t hurt that I’d been fantasizing about getting my hands on her all night, ever since she’d stepped out of her room looking sexy as hell, and my body had responded in ways that reminded me of my teenage years.
