by Laura Burton
“Thank you,” Emily said in a quiet voice to the woman, then copied David. The towel was steaming and the warmth flooded her senses as she washed her hands. This is amazing, she thought and resolved to microwave a wet towel each night to use before bed.
“You’re here, grand. We must go in right away,” Charles entered the hall and shook hands with his sons, before he kissed Catherine on her cheek.
He turned to Emily. “Lovely to see you again, my newest daughter-in-law.” He pressed his lips to her cheek, Emily smiled warmly at him. He addressed her as his daughter-in-law at David’s penthouse suite—back when she was merely pretending to be David’s wife. This time, it was true. She was his newest daughter-in-law.
“Thank you. Do I call you Dad now?” Warmth rose to her cheeks as she said the word.
He clapped his hand on her back, just like David would do. “Charles will do just fine.”
“How is she,” David asked his father. Charles turned to look at him gravely.
“Not well. The nurses are saying her kidneys are failing. It could be any day now.”
The group followed Charles out of the hall. Emily glanced one more time at the grand staircase, the central point of the entryway and home. She wondered how many rooms were upstairs.
They walked through to a garden room, and a realization dawned on her: she was about to meet Grandmother Marks. Not just that, but dying Grandmother Marks. She gulped. Their make-believe suddenly became very real. Could she pull this off? Would Grandmother Marks like her? Could Emily lie to a dying woman? Well, technically it was no longer a lie. Emily wriggled her fingers against the gold band on her left hand. Stirring emotions inside sent a bubble up to her chest. She glanced up at David, his jaw was clenched. He was tense. She wanted to plant tender kisses all over his face and hold him close. As if kisses could make everything better.
They walked out into a garden. It took all of Emily’s self-control not to gasp. A myriad of flowers bloomed in splashes of colors. The lilies were nearly her height and the sunflowers towered above her. It was like an explosion of confetti, and one bloom had large pointy petals the size of a dinner plate. As they walked along the gravel path crunching beneath their feet, the constant musical chirping of the bird from the aviary was relaxing. Emily looked around in the blazing sunshine and thought, If I were dying, this is where I would want to be. They turned a corner and a summer house stood before them. It was smaller than the main building, the sides covered with climbing ivy. With the tall men in front of her, she leaned to the side to get a better look at.
The front of the house was made entirely of glass—not a speck of dirt in sight. She wondered how many times the staff cleaned the windows to keep the glass looking like that.
The group stopped walking and Emily almost bumped into David. She clutched his arm and peered around him to see what was happening. Charles was speaking to a woman who looked like a nurse. She was dressed in blue scrubs and had an upside-down pocket watch clipped to her shirt. Emily used to have a pretend one as a kid; she loved that watch. David wrapped his arm around her shoulders. His face was somber, and his eyes glistened. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed uncomfortably against it. This was not going to be easy.
“Come in, quietly.” Charles motioned for them to follow. The collective energy changed, as though carrying an invisible weight.
“Mother, the boys are here.”
“Edward? David?”
“Yes.”
Emily squeezed David’s arm as he let her go and followed Edward to the bed positioned in front of the bay window. Emily stood beside Catherine, who was almost a foot taller than her. The two of them looked on in absolute silence as Edward and David stooped down to offer their grandmother a kiss.
A white cat lay curled up on the edge of the bed, sitting nose to tail. Emily looked at its dark, sorrowful eyes and wondered if the cat smelled death approaching.
“I’ve had a good life. Don’t feel bad for me,” she said to her grandsons. “Come now, none of these tears. Let me see your wives.”
Emily glanced at Catherine who gave a small smile at her before marching forward. Emily followed a few steps back.
Here goes nothing. She took a breath.
“Grandmother, I’m glad I got to see you, before you go.” Catherine’s voice was like a songbird. She kissed the woman in the bed and smiled serenely. She appeared genuine. Emily gawped and wondered whether this was her dark sense of humor or she was just as cold-hearted as Edward. The frail woman chortled knowingly. “Yes, I’m glad to see you too, before I pop my clogs.”
Emily resisted the urge to laugh at the sight of Catherine, who winked at her. Emily turned back to look at the grandmother who stretched out a hand to her.
“You are Emily. Come closer, child.”
Emily stumbled forward, struggling to keep balance on her high heels now that her ankles were aching. She leaned forward and kissed the woman on her cheek. Her waxy skin was cool and as thin as paper. Her breaths came out unevenly. Emily leaned away slightly to give her space. The elderly woman looked even smaller in person than she had on the TV.
“Lovely to meet you in person….” Emily hesitated. She wondered how to address her. Should she call her Grandmother Marks?
“Let me look at you.” The woman reached out with her bony hand to grasp Emily’s. Her eyes wandered up and down Emily’s body, then rested on her engagement ring.
“My late husband bought me that ring shortly before he died. It’s nice to see it on a much less wrinkly hand,” she said. Her voice was surprisingly steady and her eyes twinkled as she grinned.
Emily gasped. David gave her the family ring? She shot a nervous look at him; he was standing near the foot of the bed and kept his gaze on his grandmother. His face was almost as pale as hers.
“Do you love him?”
Emily turned back to look at the woman, who stared imploringly into her eyes. Emily took a breath. She remembered all of the times David showed her kindness, burning his steak, coming to the dinner with the investors, taking her out on the helicopter ride. She thought about the way his cheeks dimpled as he smiled. The sheepish laugh he made when she cracked a joke, and the way he held her protectively in his arms.
She bit her lip.
“I really do.” Emily’s voice cracked on a flood of emotions. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind. Her job was to match the perfect couple and watch them fall in love. She had been a part of that for years, but she never expected it to happen to her, and certainly not so quickly. Could she pinpoint the moment she knew she loved David? Not really. But at this moment, at his grandmother’s bedside, she knew. The knowledge burned inside of her being, so much so she wanted to scream.
I love David.
The thought came so freely. So simply. It were as if the fact had been there all along.
“And you promise not to betray him? You know what happened to his father, don’t you?” Emily glanced back at David again, who shifted his weight but did not look at her.
“Married the wrong woman. Without a prenup, either. David tells me he doesn’t believe in a prenup. He’s a romantic, just like his father.” Grandmother’s words were flying out of her mouth now. The frail, barely breathing woman was gone, and one to be reckoned with was now in her place. “But I knew, you see. And every day I regret allowing him to marry that wretched woman.” Emily gasped at the vehemence in the woman’s words. “Oh but, my dear, not you. Don’t you worry. I knew from our little chat the other day… You aren’t afraid to tell the truth. David will always know where he stands with you. And I like that.”
Emily squeezed her hands gently as her own eyes pooled with tears. It was lies. All lies. When they spoke on the phone, Emily was just playing a part, and she’d been playing David. Regret bubbled inside of her and rested in the base of her neck. Even though David now knew the truth, she’d still started their relationship on lies.
“Now, answer this for me,” the grandmother continued, unaware
of Emily’s internal torment. “Can you imagine growing old with David?”
Her words had a warming effect on Emily, who closed her eyes and imagined them both sitting on a park bench. David would have deep laugh lines around his eyes and mouth as he smiled at her, his thin hair curling at the ears and grey with white streaks. She imagined him holding her hand, his skin warm, soft, and wrinkled. He would then raise his other hand and surprise her with a bouquet of sunflowers. “Happy Anniversary, darling,” he’d say and kiss her gently on the cheek. Emily opened her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her mouth was glued shut as a bubble of emotion sat in her mouth, silencing her. There was no need to speak, though. Grandmother Marks studied her face and gave a nod.
“I thought so.”
Chapter Twenty
An Eventful Night
“Julie, open the doors. I want to feel the air on my face.” The nurse bowed to Grandmother Marks and rolled back the glass doors. A gust of cool air flooded the bedroom and the group shivered against it. The day had cooled off as the sun set behind the trees. They had been with Grandmother for hours and time seemed to stand still inside the room, but the outside world kept moving.
“Your rooms are ready, and I’ve arranged for you all to have a party tonight, some of my friends will be joining us.”
“Are you feeling well enough to entertain?” Charles asked.
“Well, like the old saying, ‘it’s now or never.’ I choose now.”
The group began to leave. But not before David heard Grandmother say, “Call my lawyer,” to one of the staff. David caught sight of Charles, who give him a pointed look.
“Hey.” He rubbed Emily’s back to catch her attention. Edward and Catherine walked ahead talking to each other in low voices.
“Yes?”
“You go ahead. I’ve got to talk to my father.”
Emily nodded and followed the others. He watched her go, momentarily hypnotized at the sight of her hips swaying with every step. He shook his head. Snap out of it.
“Come on,” Charles murmured and the two of them walked down to the aviary. The high-pitched chirping of the birds was sure to drown out their quiet conversation.
“It’s done. You can relax now.”
David snorted. “You mean, you can.”
Charles raised his brows at him but decided to remain quiet. “She seems to be quite taken with you. I don’t know how you did it so fast. But I always believed in you.”
David’s heart panged, like someone just struck a chord and the sound echoed in his head. Emily had been giving off signals all day. The furtive glances, clutching his arm, rubbing his back. And then there was the way she got emotional at Grandmother Marks’ questions. She changed from the ultra-confident, sassy businesswoman he met in her office two weeks ago. She was quieter, less sure of herself and clearly outside her comfort zone. Yet behind the nerves, her smile made her eyes sparkle and the warmth of her touch sent tingles through his senses.
“Do you love her? You think you’re going to make it work?” Charles’ words snapped David out of his thoughts.
“I do.”
Just those words, coupled with thoughts of Emily, warmed his heart and gave him hope for their future.
Charles clapped his son on the back and offered a chuckle. “Looks like it’s worked out for everyone, then. You won’t tell her about our arrangement, will you?”
David shook his head. What use would it be now? Did it matter his father set them up? Is that really a big deal? Now that they had feelings for one another… didn’t that change things? Charles smiled and gave a nod.
“Good. Well, I’ll let you go back to your wife. We’ll see you at the party.”
The grin on David’s face grew wider. My wife. That’s right, Emily is my wife now. He hurried along the path back to the house, his mind playing out scenarios that made his mouth dry.
David knocked on his bedroom door. He knew which room Emily would be in. Being married, they were expected to share a room, of course. And this was his childhood bedroom. The one he would stay in during the summer holidays when he visited his grandmother.
“Yes,” Emily’s muffled voice carried through the door. David pushed the handle down and opened it. Emily stood across the room barefoot and her hair cascaded down to her narrow waist. David wanted to scoop her up into his arms and carry her to the four-poster bed. His face heated at the thought.
“Hi,” Emily said as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. David closed the door and stood there, wondering what to do.
“Hi” was all he could say. For the first time since they said “I Do” they were alone in a room. But theirs was a marriage of convenience. Emily did it to help him out, how did she feel about it? He sighed. The day had been long and was far from over. Soon, the two of them would have to make their appearance at a party in the garden with all of Grandmother Marks’ closest friends. All he wanted to do was take Emily to bed and have their own private party.
“So… that was intense.” Emily’s soft voice dragged David out of his head. She tilted her head to the side and surveyed him sympathetically. “How are you feeling?”
David swallowed. His brain was foggy and he couldn’t process all of the thoughts and feelings swirling around inside. It was intense. The reality that his grandmother was dying had still not set in. Her health had been a long and arduous decline. Between his father being so pragmatic about it, and Edward already spending his inheritance, his whole family was falling apart. Was everyone just burying their heads in the sand and refusing to face up to reality of the situation? Their grandmother was going to die. The family used to be so close, and she held everyone together. She arranged all the family events. She took the most interest in how everyone was. She cared. Then she made the dramatic decision to change her will, leaving everything to Edward and it was as if an atom bomb hit the family. And everyone just seemed to be very matter-of-fact about it all.
Seeing her looking so weak, watching her talk to Emily, holding her hands, and smiling at the ring sent a flurry of emotion through his senses. It took all of David’s resolve not to crash to his knees and weep. The agony of knowing his brother planned to destroy her legacy and spend the family fortune on a pipedream was becoming too much. While visiting her in her sunny cottage, he’d been unable to look at Edward; it was hard enough reining in the satisfying thoughts of punching him in the gut and telling him he was a heartless, disloyal fool, who only cared about himself. So instead, he kept his eyes fixated on Grandmother.
Emily. Just saying her name had hope blossoming within him like a sunflower. Emily spoke so softly and held his grandmother’s hands tenderly. She didn’t move back in repulsion. Even Catherine appeared awkward and glanced at the door, probably planning her escape. But Emily remained present and caring. His heart swelled at the thought. David jumped and blinked at the touch of her hand on his arm.
“Are you okay?” Emily was standing on tip toes and looking at him with her hands rubbing his arms. Her eyes were dark and sorrowful. Seeing her looking at him with pity broke his resolve and the dam burst.
He knelt down and his shoulders heaved up and down as he cried. Emily knelt down with him, wrapping her arms around his neck. David buried his head in her hair with his cheek pressed up against her shoulder.
David’s grief eased as he felt her hair against his skin and inhaled the scent of Emily’s perfume on her neck. Slowly, he raised a hand and took a handful of her hair, kissing a line up her neck to her jaw. Emily leaned back, forcing him to let go of her hair and see the bewilderment on her face.
“What are you doing?”
David wiped his eyes and shook his head with a laugh.
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. What was he doing? One minute he was crying, the next he was kissing her. But all he knew, was in that moment he didn’t want to think anymore. He didn’t want to process what was going on. He didn’t care about family politics or what happened next. He just wanted Emily. He wanted
to hold her, caress her, kiss her. He just wanted to be with her. Was that wrong? Emily seemed to be following his thoughts. She sighed and pulled on his hands as she got to her feet.
“Come on,” she said as he stood. “We need to get you presentable. I heard the kitchen staff saying that guests will be arriving soon.” Emily ran across the room and gestured to the black suit lying on the bed.
“You’ll feel better if you take a quick shower, then you can wear this,” she added.
“I’d feel better if you joined me.”
Emily’s cheeks reddened.
Chapter Twenty-One
Burning Desire
Emily forced a smile with her hands on her hips as she watched David walk into the bathroom. His neck was blotchy and his shoulders slumped, a start contrast to his usually casual smile and straight posture. Her heart ached to see him this way. Once the door closed she lowered herself onto the bed in a daze. Tears flooded her vision at the memory of David in her arms, trembling. He was quiet, and if it wasn’t for his tears wetting the neckline of her dress, she could have guessed he was laughing. It seemed like years had passed since their conversation in the limousine. With the burden of her secret lifted, and David not being mad about it, there was a sense of relief. Yet, something jabbed at her insides, though she couldn’t work out what. David was in a vulnerable place mentally. She wondered how best to deal with that. Her thoughts battled as she shimmied out of her dress. A long pastel purple gown lay on the bed next to David’s tux. She ran her fingers down the organza material and carefully unzipped it. The sound of the door banging against the wall caused Emily to spin on the spot and stare, open-mouthed at a dripping wet David, in nothing but the world’s tiniest towel. The two of them gawped at each other, then Emily burst out laughing. Forgetting that she was wearing nothing but a white satin slip, she dropped the dress.
