Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family Book 2)

by Layla Hagen

  To my astonishment, Terence gives a mocking bow and heads for the door, clearly fearing the brothers. Not ten feet away, a blonde appears from a narrow corridor, taking his arm.

  “Sorry to make you wait, love. There was a line to the ladies’ room.”

  Pippa spares the pair one glance, but in the split second it takes for her to register that Terence and the blonde are a couple, the fire leaves her eyes. Discreetly, I squeeze her hand. She squeezes back then takes a deep breath, turning to her brothers.

  “What the hell is wrong with all of you?”

  “What do you mean?” Blake asks.

  “Terence is a jerk,” Logan adds unhelpfully.

  “Now you're overbearing, brother,” Pippa tells him. Turning to her two other brothers, she adds, “And you two, don’t piss me off. I can’t put the Terence episode behind me if every time we meet him, someone causes a scene.”

  “Why are you mad at us? He was rude to you,” Daniel says. Next to him, Blake still has his hands fisted.

  “I can handle myself.” She pulls herself to her full—and quite impressive—height. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Nadine here is my favorite person tonight, so I’d prefer to spend the evening in her company. The rest of you can do whatever you want, away from us.”

  “Pippa—” Logan begins, but his sister holds her hand up, shaking her head. Blake opens his mouth then closes it again. I can almost see the wheels turning in Logan’s mind. Should he call the sweets shop he has on speed dial? Or is it one of those rare instances where chocolate isn’t the answer? Finally, he holds up his hands in defeat. The man has excellent preservation skills. Daniel pulls his brothers away with an apologetic expression, and the three men leave.

  Stunned by the turn of events, I gaze at Pippa expectantly.

  “Well, tonight didn’t go as expected,” she says.

  “Are you in the mood for an impromptu night out?” I suggest.

  “Not really.” We wait a few minutes inside the building, until most of the ballet viewers exit, and then we leave too. Outside she adds, “But I don’t want to go home either.”

  “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go to the shop? It’s done, and I can show you some dresses.”

  “Great.” She smiles, and I’m relieved to see that it reaches her eyes. “Make sure to show them to me before we down the bottle of wine.”

  Perplexed, I observe her tiny purse. No way does she have a bottle in there. “Which bottle?”

  “That one.” She points to the small souvenir shop across the street, which has wines on display. “While I buy it, why don’t you call up Ava and ask her if she wants to join us? I’ll call my sisters.”

  “Done.”

  I watch the sky while I speak to Ava. There are almost no stars in sight today, clouds hanging low and heavy. This is a good night for wine. Pippa returns with a bottle just as I finish the conversation with Ava.

  “Alice and Summer are coming,” she announces.

  “So is Ava.”

  “Well, I call that a party.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nadine

  Pippa and I arrive at the store first. Once inside, I turn on the lights.

  “Wow.” Pippa sits in one of the armchairs near the entrance, holding the bottle in her lap. In the front of the store is a small waiting parlor for husbands or friends accompanying the customers. It consists of a small table and two armchairs. Then there is the central area, where the dresses and lingerie are, and two changing rooms. The back room serves as my storage area. Ava, Alice, and Summer arrive a few minutes later. The girls wear jeans and T-shirts; we obviously pulled them away from a cozy night in. Upon closer inspection, I discover each brought a bottle of wine. Either they didn’t receive the memo that we already have a bottle, or they’re taking this girls’ night thing too seriously. Four bottles for the five of us. This will not end well.

  “I love the Christmas decorations. This place is great.” Summer peeks around appreciatively.

  “Your dad and Logan helped a lot. I don’t have more chairs, though.”

  Pippa waves dismissively. “No problem. Summer can sit in my lap, Ava in yours.”

  “That still leaves me out,” Alice remarks. “You didn’t even have one sip of wine and you already can’t do math?”

  All of us burst out laughing, which is just as good because there was a slight tension in the air since the girls arrived. They all found out about Terence’s scene tonight. Thank God for the wine.

  “I’ll sit on the floor,” I say, lowering myself to the carpet, careful not to damage my dress. Ava and Alice join me, leaving Summer and Pippa in the armchairs.

  As Pippa prepares to open her bottle, a realization strikes me. “Ugh, I don’t have any glasses.”

  “I bought some on the way.” Alice retrieves a stack of paper cups from her bag.

  “Paper cups and wine. How very Bennett of us,” Pippa says with a smile. “Nadine, you’ve had dinners with us, and we even worked on this shop along with you.” She holds the bottle in front of her as if she’s speaking into a mic. “Let’s not forget you’re sleeping with our brother,” she adds as an afterthought. I blush violently. “But you aren’t truly a Bennett until you’ve had wine with the girls.”

  Truly a Bennett... Her words hit me hard, squarely in the chest. God, I’d love to be part of this family, but I can’t let my mind wander that way. Logan and I agreed on fun and having a good time, both making it clear it would be temporary from the very beginning. At the time, I was relieved there was no permanency to us. Now, the thought of “temporary” suffocates me. Then again, so does the idea of “permanent.” Logan’s not ready for that, and neither am I, mainly because I don’t believe in permanent. Men don’t stick around forever.

  “From paper cups,” Alice insists, snapping me back to the present. “That detail is crucial.”

  “Yeah, it’s a tradition,” Summer says, “mostly born out of the fact that we decide to have impromptu nights out at the worst of times, so we never have glasses and end up buying paper cups.”

  “You often have gatherings like this?” I smile at them, and Ava chuckles.

  Summer purses her lips. “Only if our brothers piss us off or if we’re celebrating something.”

  “I have an idea.” Pippa points at me. “Can you bring out some dresses before we start drinking?” Turning to the other girls, she explains, “Nadine designed the dress she’s wearing herself. She’s crazy talented. I suggest we each try one.”

  The others nod enthusiastically, and I know I have what each of them needs. I disappear between my dresses, and everyone cheers when I return with them.

  “Let’s try them on,” Summer says, rising to her feet.

  “I only have two changing rooms, but you can take turns.”

  In fifteen minutes, everyone’s ready. They twirl and laugh, complementing each other. I’m the only one who hasn’t joined in the fun, mainly because I’m too busy trying not to tear up. Seeing my designs on actual people feels surreal.

  “This is gorgeous,” Ava gushes. “I can’t wait until you start working on my wedding dress.”

  “Nadine, I love this dress,” Summer announces. “I want to wear this to my gallery show at the end of next week. As a matter of fact, I want all of you to wear these dresses to the show.”

  “What?” I ask, my mouth suddenly dry.

  “Summer is used to our brothers doing whatever she says,” Pippa says. “Alice and I usually don’t but, this time, I have to say I agree. These dresses are fantastic.”

  “We’ll buy them,” Alice says, incorrectly interpreting my expression.

  “No, I’ll be happy to gift them if you want to wear them to the gallery. That would be excellent marketing.”

  “We’ll buy them,” Pippa says firmly.

  Ava pulls me to one side. “First rule of business: don’t gift your products, not even to friends.”

  “All right, people, we have our dresses.” Alice puts her hands on
her hips, mimicking model poses. “I say we change back into our clothes and open that wine.”

  “Can you shorten my dress a few inches?” Summer’s dress is the only one that doesn’t fit perfectly since she’s so petite. Dazzled by the fact that I made my first four sales, I nod, afraid that if I speak, I’ll tear up.

  “Okay,” Pippa says. “Out of the dresses, in with the wine.”

  Said and done. Fifteen minutes later, the girls are back in their clothes. Alice pours wine for everyone, and Summer plays some music on her phone. Within minutes, there is an energetic party vibe in the shop.

  “Are you designing the bridesmaid dresses too?” Alice asks me.

  I turn to Ava. “I don’t know. Am I?”

  “I don’t want to take advantage of you, since you have a lot on your plate. But I’d love it, of course.”

  “How many bridesmaids will you have?”

  “Twelve.”

  I do a double take. “What?”

  “It’s our fault,” Pippa chimes in. “We have a few cousins who have to be in the wedding and a few of the adopted Bennetts too.”

  “Will Caroline be one of the bridesmaids?” Summer asks with wide, hopeful eyes.

  “Why do you want to know?” Alice teases. “So you can run and tell Daniel?”

  Summer purses her lips but doesn’t deny the charges.

  “What am I missing?” I ask Ava.

  “I’ll tell you the short version,” Pippa answers. “Caroline is one of my best friends and a former adopted Bennett. Then Daniel dated her for a while. Things didn’t work out, and now she avoids family celebrations.”

  “She and Daniel should get back together. He keeps asking about her,” Summer states.

  “Oh, Summer, you’re so young,” Alice says. “Men must pay when they mess up, and Daniel messed up.”

  “What Alice said,” Pippa adds.

  “Just to be clear, yes, Caroline will be a bridesmaid,” Ava tells Summer.

  “So, how about those dresses?” Alice asks me.

  “Twelve,” I repeat, still stunned. “Sure, I’d love to do the dresses.”

  The sisters start talking about their cousins, brothers, and childhood pranks. Ava and I, both only children, eat up their words and laugh our asses off. After we down the first two bottles, we start to slur our words. I suspect we’ll resemble a drunken sorority meeting by the time we finish this. Ava and I are sitting on the armchairs right now, the sisters sprawled on the floor.

  “Oh, man, I miss Max and Christopher,” Summer says. “Why do they have to be so far away? I’m sure there’s some place for them here in Bennett Enterprises.”

  “There is,” Pippa says in a reassuring tone. “But Sebastian trusted them the most to oversee our foreign offices and expand the business there. He was right to do so too. They’ve done an excellent job.”

  “I spoke to Max last week,” Alice chimes in. “He’s eager to return. In two or three years, he’ll be back. Christopher too, probably.”

  Summer pouts, her lips violet from the wine. “That’s a long time.”

  “Aww.” Pippa elbows her. “Someone misses her favorite brothers.”

  Summer stands up straighter. “I don’t have favorites.”

  Alice narrows her eyes. “Then how do you explain that Blake and Daniel think Sebastian is your favorite, and Sebastian and Logan think Max and Christopher are your favorites?”

  “Because then they’ll all fall over each other to become her favorite,” Pippa explains. “Oldest trick in the book.”

  “I don’t know what you all are talking about.” Summer crosses her arms. “I don’t have favorites, but I can’t help if I’m the boys’ favorite sister.”

  “Oh, my God,” I interject. “My head is going to explode if I hear favorite one more time,” I say with a smile.

  Alice snorts and Pippa shakes her head, opening the third bottle. Alice, Summer, and Ava decide dancing is in order. Turning the volume up a notch, they start swinging their bodies to the rhythm.

  Pippa remains on the floor, and I seize my chance to play the pacifier, crawling next to her. “Are you going to forgive your brothers?”

  Pippa sighs, hugging her knees to her chest. “Terence is an ass, and I’m not that mad at my brothers. It’s just that...”

  “What?”

  “It’s going to sound silly.”

  “I promise not to laugh.”

  “Well, they’ve always been like this. Overprotective, having my back. I keep thinking if I hadn’t grown up believing all men are like my brothers—funny, sometimes stupid, and taking their alpha role too seriously, but overall genuinely nice guys—maybe I would have stood a chance.”

  “Trust me, Pippa, not having assholes for brothers is a good thing. Be happy you have them.”

  “I am.”

  She presses her paper cup to her lips before taking a large gulp of wine. “Terence is dating someone else,” Pippa says.

  “Yeah.”

  “I mean, I don’t love him anymore, but seeing him with someone else hurts. I don’t know if it just hurts my pride, or something more, but I felt the ground shake beneath my feet when I saw them.”

  She hunches her shoulders, a tear rolling down her cheek. Pippa’s usually so exuberant that I’m at a loss for words, but I instantly see red. Anyone who makes Pippa lose her spark deserves every misery in this world. I kind of wish Logan and the twins had wiped that stupid smirk off Terence’s face.

  “It’s normal. So, how about forgiving your brothers? Terence was asking for it.”

  “You sound like Logan,” Pippa tells me.

  “Well, I’m Team Logan on this.”

  Abruptly, Summer stops dancing. “We’re picking teams? I’m Team Logan too.”

  “You don’t even know what this is about,” Pippa says.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m Team Logan,” a clearly inebriated Summer repeats.

  “Me too,” Alice says. “Wait, who’s on the other team?”

  “Terence.”

  “Ugh.” Alice frowns. “I thought we were talking about soccer teams.”

  I laugh, then fill her in. “No, we’re talking about whether Logan’s entitled to kick Terence’s ass when he’s rude to Pippa.”

  “Definitely Team Logan,” Alice says.

  “Me too.” Ava slumps in an armchair again.

  “Putting it like that, he’s obviously entitled to kick Terence’s ass,” Pippa says, sighing. “I’ll tell them everything’s fine when I see them.”

  “I want to call Christopher,” Summer announces out of the blue.

  “Uh, what time is it in Hong Kong?” Alice asks.

  “I’m not sober enough to calculate the time difference,” Pippa states. Before I have the chance to jump in, Summer’s already calling, putting him on speaker.

  “Summer, is this urgent? I got out of a meeting to take this call.”

  “No,” Summer replies. “Just wanted to tell you I miss you.”

  “We also miss you,” Alice and Pippa chime in, while Ava and I chuckle in the background.

  “Ah, my girls are drunk again,” Christopher exclaims. I like him already. “Anyone sober around there?”

  “I am,” Ava and I say at the same time.

  “I recognize Ava’s voice. Who’s the other sober voice?”

  “Nadine,” I reply.

  “Ah, Logan’s girl.”

  I blush, and everyone turns to Summer. Evidently, she’s the one who spilled the beans to Christopher. She grins, not sorry in the slightest.

  “Well, Ava, Nadine, take care of my sisters. I have to go back to the meeting. And for God’s sake, don’t let them drink anymore.”

  The sisters frown at the phone while Ava and I reassure Christopher. After the call ends, Summer, Alice, and Pippa resume their dancing, while I sit next to my best friend.

  “I can’t believe you all want to wear my dresses,” I tell Ava.

  “I always told you how talented you are.”

 
; To my astonishment, Ava tears up.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “My mother would’ve loved to have something like this.”

  I hug Ava with one arm. I met Mrs. Lindt one time. Unfortunately, she was in the late stages of her illness. Even so, whenever she spoke about her love for creating clothes, her eyes lit up. Ms. Lindt was one of the few people to tell me to go for my dream. She’d had the same dream when she was young, but she got pregnant and set it aside. She told me she didn’t once regret giving her dream up for her daughter but, given the chance, I should go for what I want. I made that chance happen. Now I only have to turn it into a success.

  Ava interrupts my thoughts. “I offered before, and you rejected it, but if there is anything you need, a loan or something, tell me.”

  “You introduced me to the Bennetts.” I point at the three sisters, who’ve stopped dancing. Now they hug each other, singing the refrain of the song playing on Summer’s phone at the top of their lungs. They’re adorable. “That practically means I owe you for life.”

  Ava pulls a serious face. “Speaking about Bennetts, how are things between you and Logan?”

  “Honestly? I want to pinch myself. He’s so...”

  “I’d go with self-assured, but I think you’re about to say something else.”

  “Perfect. He’s charming, attentive, not to mention sexy, even if he likes to behave like a caveman now and again. And that man cooks like you wouldn’t believe it.”

  “So, you two are...”

  “We haven’t talked about what we are or aren’t. I’m not going to bring up the topic of “defining our relationship” either. I don’t want to jinx what we have. I finally found a good thing, so I’m not taking any chances. I’ll enjoy it while I can, no matter how long it lasts.”

  A dull ache spreads through my chest at my words. I miss Logan already.

  Someone knocks at the door, and my stomach dips. It must be some neighbors, complaining about the noise. I can’t see what’s outside because I haven’t taken down the paper covering the windows yet. I’ll do that Monday morning.

  When I open the door, I’m surprised to find Logan, Sebastian, Blake, and Daniel outside.