“I don’t need any money.” Willow had been tense and mostly quiet since Sawyer had walked in. Now Jack could almost feel the waves of irritation coming off of her. She wasn’t happy about any of this, and frankly, neither was he.
It would all be so much easier if his memory would return. Then his whole life wouldn’t feel like he was reading someone else’s biography.
“When would we leave?” Jack asked.
“As soon as you’re ready.”
Jack looked at the beautiful woman beside him and wasn’t sure he would ever be ready.
* * *
“I want you to come with me.”
Willow stopped in her tracks just inside their hotel room and turned to face Jac—Finn. After breakfast, Sawyer had returned to his suite at the Four Seasons to call family. This was their first chance to speak privately since the bomb of his identity had been dropped on them both.
“What do you mean come with you? Where? To the Four Seasons?” He was supposed to be meeting his brother there later to make plans to return home.
“No. To Charleston. I want you to come back with me.”
Finn—right on the first try, finally—had to be out of his mind. “What reason do I have to go to South Carolina? You’re going home to your family and your old life. You don’t need me there.”
He shut the hotel room door and closed the space between them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, his scent wearing away at her resolve. “That’s where you’re wrong. I do need you there. Just like yesterday at the hospital—I need your support to get through this. These people might be my family, but I don’t know them. Right now, you,” he said, looking into her eyes, “are my whole world. I can’t remember a time when you weren’t in my life.” Finn smiled. “Don’t make me do this without you.”
Willow knew she would eventually relent—she couldn’t tell him no when he looked at her like that—but she had to voice her concerns first. “I grew up dirt-poor on a commune. I don’t know the first thing about how to act around rich people. I’ll embarrass myself and you in the process.”
“I could never be embarrassed by you,” he insisted. “And I’m in the same boat. I don’t remember anything about my life. I don’t feel like a billionaire. Sawyer could’ve said I was a circus clown and I would shrug and go along with it because it all feels wrong to me anyway. But all that talk of being a vice president and having trust funds... I feel like this is all some cruel prank being played on me. The only truth, the only constant in my life right now, is you. You’re my lifeline, Willow Bates.”
It was nice to be needed, but Willow could feel the anxiety tickling at the back of her brain. She was going with him to help ease the transition. No more, no less. She shouldn’t expect anything other than a week together. But she couldn’t help but feel a bit used. “And when you’re comfortable in your old life again? When you get your memories back? What then? I come home to Washington and we pretend like none of this ever happened?”
“No, of course not.” Finn ran his palms reassuringly along the backs of her arms. “I’m not sure what I’m walking into here, but we’ll figure things out as we go. I’m not ready to give this—you—up yet. But under the circumstances, we can’t promise each other anything, either. All I can tell you is that if you get there and you don’t like it, you can leave whenever you want. I won’t ask you to stay. But go with me.”
Finn reached up to brush a honey-gold strand of hair from her eyes. “Please.”
“I’ll see if Doc can keep Shadow,” she said with a heavy sigh of resignation. “But I’m not staying more than a week no matter what. I have a life, a deadline. And I won’t impose on Doc any longer than I have to.”
“A week is perfect.” Finn grinned and the single dimple in his cheek appeared, tempting her to lean in and kiss it.
She watched him for a moment before giving in to the urge and pressing her lips first to his dimple, and then to his lips. “I think Finn suits you. It’s sort of a mischievous name. Like that smile of yours.”
He shrugged. “It’s growing on me. It could’ve been worse.”
Willow pulled away and looked around the hotel room. “Well, we need to check out if I’m going to make the next ferry. I’ll talk to Doc, pack a bag and then meet you and Sawyer at the Four Seasons. Okay?”
He nodded. “Just don’t take too long. Sawyer has threatened to take me shopping this afternoon.”
She looked him over, eyeing the clothes she’d bought him that first night. It certainly wasn’t what you’d expect some tool magnate to wear. “You could probably use some clothes that don’t say San Juan Islands on them. Speaking of which, is there anything you left at the house that I should pack for you?” He certainly hadn’t left for Seattle thinking he wouldn’t return.
Finn looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. “The only thing I need is you.”
Willow rolled her eyes dramatically and laughed. “I’ve already agreed to go. No need to lay it on so thick.”
They gathered up what little they had in the room and left. She put Finn in a cab to the Four Seasons and caught another to the ferry pier.
Being away from Finn, alone on the boat, gave Willow time to think. Perhaps too much time. The whole way back to Shaw Island, she wondered if she were crazy to go with him.
This whole time, she’d thought he was a Seattle executive or something. Smart and well-to-do, definitely, but a billionaire? The heir of a tool empire that was a household name? That was beyond her wildest imaginings. Whatever girlish fantasies she might’ve entertained about the two of them together were dashed the instant she heard who he really was.
Jack and Willow made sense. Finn and Willow didn’t stand a chance.
Maybe she was just fooling herself by going to Charleston. She was clinging to a dream that had died the moment Sawyer walked in the door of that diner. But she couldn’t help herself. Despite believing it to be impossible, she’d allowed herself to develop feelings for Finn. All she could do now was make the most of every moment she could with him. And when it was over, it would hurt, but it would be worth it.
Willow had a week left with Finn. And a lifetime to hold on to the memories and hope that was enough.
* * *
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Kat said with a near-hysterical edge to her voice.
Sawyer grinned and repeated his words loud and clear for his wife to understand over the phone. “He’s alive, Kat. I knew he hadn’t died in the plane crash and I was right. I found him.”
He didn’t have to be with her in Charleston to know that the stunned silence on the end of the line was being caused by her quiet tears. Third-trimester hormones were getting the best of her lately. She cried at television commercials. Social media posts. Surely this news would start the waterworks, as well, so he continued to talk and take the pressure to speak off of her.
“He ended up on an island, hundreds of miles away from the crash.”
“Is he okay?”
“For the most part, but he did hit his head. We would’ve found him sooner if he had any clue who he was or how he washed up on that beach.”
There was a moment of hesitation before Kat spoke. “Are you saying Finn has amnesia?”
“I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s true. He’s been staying with a woman for the last few days and going by the name Jack. He has no clue who he is, who I am or anything about his life before the plane crash.”
Kat made a thoughtful sound on the line. “Are you sure... I mean, he couldn’t be faking it, could he? Not the wreck, obviously, but could the amnesia be a ploy to try and take advantage of a little free time without responsibilities or your father hulking over his shoulder?”
Sawyer had considered that, but even Finn had limits on how low he would sink. “He’s absolutely not faking it. And you know how I know?”
“How?”
“Because he’s completely smitten with the woman that rescued him.”
There was another long silence. “Finn is...smitten?”
“I can’t think of a better word to use, but yeah. Smitten, infatuated, whatever you want to call it. He sat across the table from me at breakfast practically beaming at her the whole time. Holding her hand. I haven’t seen him act that way with a woman in my entire life. Not even some good old teenage puppy love back in high school.”
“This I’ve got to see.”
Sawyer took a deep breath. “Well, you’re going to get your chance. Because Finn insists on bringing her back to Charleston with him. At least for a week or so.”
The news had nearly knocked Sawyer off his feet, but when Finn had arrived at the hotel, he announced that Willow would be meeting them tonight and traveling back with them to South Carolina. This was so unlike his brother, Sawyer almost couldn’t believe it was really Finn, if he hadn’t been the spitting image of his twin.
Finn liked everything in his life to be flashy and beautiful, be it women, cars, watches...everything. But he kept the cars and the watches far longer than the women. He adored them all, but was easily bored by them and certainly wasn’t interested in the long-term care and maintenance that one required.
If he was honest, this woman, Willow, was pretty enough. She had a tiny frame, very slender, and was almost swallowed by the cardigan she wore over her T-shirt. She wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup. Her blond hair was cut short, which made her eyes seem even bigger than they were. Her face was interesting with high cheekbones and full lips that were in contrast to her lack of curves anywhere else. She wasn’t what you could call traditionally beautiful, but she was the kind of oddly attractive woman you would see on a high-fashion magazine cover or catwalk.
That was not his brother’s type. At all. He liked curves, flowing hair, lots of makeup and tight clothes. He liked them high-maintenance and fun to drive, like his cars. Willow was quiet, but smart and well-spoken. She seemed thoughtful and genuinely concerned for his brother without knowing anything about who he was and what he could offer her. It was refreshing, if not a little disconcerting.
“He really did hit his head hard, didn’t he?” Kat noted.
“Absolutely. And it’s not just her. There’s a complete personality change in him. He’s not as outspoken or extroverted. He isn’t constantly making jokes or sarcastic comments. He actually seemed to be really serious about the whole situation. Which, of course, is not like him at all.”
“Well, I can’t wait to see how all this turns out. Where is he now?”
“He’s in the bathroom taking a shower and cleaning up. I hauled him down to Neiman Marcus and bought him some clothes so he would at least look like himself when he arrived back in Charleston. Mother would faint if she saw him in the sweatpants and flip-flops he had on this morning.”
Kat chuckled and followed up her laugh with an “oh” sound. “The baby kicked. She must think that’s funny, too.”
Sawyer smiled, picturing his wife and her large, round belly as she sat in the wingback chair. Lately it was the only chair in the house she could get up out of on her own. He hated leaving her and the baby, especially when they were getting so close to her arrival. But finding his brother was important. Finn was the baby’s biological father, after all. Having him be a part of the baby’s life was just as vital as having Sawyer around.
“I think she misses you,” Kat said. “And so do I. When will you guys be coming back?”
“We may wait until the morning. I have to talk to the pilot and see what he recommends with the weather and flight time. We also have to wait for Willow to return to Seattle on the ferry.”
The bedroom door of the suite opened and Finn walked into the room in his new suit. It wasn’t as well tailored as it should be, but under the circumstances, it would do.
“I need to let you go. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Kat said.
Sawyer hung up the phone and looked at his brother. He looked like Finn. Sounded like Finn. But he certainly didn’t act like him.
Maybe, Sawyer thought, that wasn’t all bad.
Seven
The moment Willow stepped onto the Steele corporate jet, she knew she was woefully unprepared for this trip. The small jet sat six guests in plush leather seats, three on each side of the aisle. At the top of the stairs, they were greeted by their flight attendant, an attractive, middle-aged brunette named Gloria, who offered them each a glass of champagne as they boarded.
“I’m so glad to know you’re safe, Mr. Steele,” Gloria said as she gave Finn a crystal flute of golden liquid. “I knew I had to break out our best bubbly to celebrate your return home.”
“I was sorry to hear about the others,” he responded, with a sober expression on his face.
Willow had learned the night before that two pilots, a flight attendant and another passenger had lost their lives when the jet crashed. Considering the state of the wreck Sawyer described, it really was a miracle that Finn had survived. The best they could guess was that he was wearing one of the plane’s parachutes when the explosion tore the fuselage in half.
Gloria looked pleasantly surprised at Finn’s thoughtful words and nodded. “It’s a risk we accept and hope to not face in our line of work,” she said. “But no worries about today. This jet has been fully vetted by the best mechanics and inspectors in the business.”
“Thankfully, I don’t remember the crash,” Finn said. “Or anything else for that matter. So I’ll be fine.”
“Well, just in case, I do have some Xanax if anyone needs it.”
At first, Willow thought Gloria was kidding, but when no one laughed, she accepted her drink and kept her mouth shut. The world really did work differently for the rich in ways she never even imagined.
She settled into a seat in the second row across the aisle from Finn. Putting her champagne into the polished wood cup holder, she nervously buckled her seat belt. Then, she picked up the glass and downed it all in one gulp. It was probably a waste of very good champagne, but she didn’t care at the moment.
“Are you afraid of flying?” Finn asked. He was relaxing casually in his seat as though he hadn’t nearly died in a plane like this less than a week ago.
“No. I’ve flown a couple times in my life. Coach, of course. But if I wasn’t afraid before, meeting you would change that. I’m just a bit of an anxious traveler. I’ve spent too much time as a homebody, I think.”
That wasn’t entirely a lie. She never had traveled much. She had a passport, but only to go over to Canada from time to time. But really, her anxiety had kicked in the moment she met the brothers in the Four Seasons lobby. Both of them were standing there waiting for her, looking incredibly handsome. One was wearing a navy suit and the other a black suit. It was amazing how much they looked alike standing side by side smiling at her. At least until she noticed they each had a single dimple, but on opposite cheeks, like a mirror image of one another. Once she saw that, she knew that despite the new suit and the haircut, the one in black was Finn.
The fact that he wasn’t wearing a tie should’ve given it away, but she knew for certain when he approached her and said hello with a firm kiss on the lips.
From there, things had been like one big wealthy whirlwind. It started with the beautiful brass-and-marble lobby of the hotel and the two-bedroom hotel suite that was bigger than her first apartment. Then Sawyer treated them to dinner at the nicest seafood place in Seattle and ordered a bottle of wine that cost more than her mortgage. She’d had her first ride in a limousine when their car took them to the executive airport this morning.
And now, she was on a private jet, sipping a refilled glass of champagne and wishing she’d had nicer clothes to pack. She had a few business pieces that she wore to author events and my
stery conventions from time to time. Today, she’d chosen a black sheath dress with a cashmere sweater and ballet flats. It was a stretchy fabric and good for travel, but it didn’t feel nice enough. She felt more like the secretary traveling with her CEO boss.
Willow imagined it would only get worse once they landed in Charleston.
She was halfway through her second glass of champagne when the jet started to taxi down the runway for takeoff. Minutes later, they were in the air without much trouble. It was a remarkably smooth ride. Once they leveled off, a chime sounded. The flight attendant got up and went to the back of the plane to do something in the galley.
In front of her, Sawyer pushed a button and rotated his seat around to face them. Reaching down between them, he pulled out a table that extended from the side and offered a large new space for Willow and Sawyer to set their drinks, paperwork or whatever else they might have with them.
“So, now that you’re on the plane and you can’t get away, I need to tell you about something.”
Finn narrowed his eyes at his brother. “What could it possibly be? You’ve already warned me that your wife is pregnant with my baby. What could be worse than that?”
Willow sat stunned for a moment. She hadn’t heard anything about a baby, much less one the brothers shared. She’d presumed, ignorantly, that when Finn didn’t have a wife, that he didn’t have children. Apparently that wouldn’t be the case for much longer.
“It’s a long story,” Sawyer said to her with a comforting pat on the knee. “And it isn’t necessarily worse news. Just not the kind that you would normally want to hear.”
Promises from a Playboy--A secret billionaire with amnesia romance Page 8
