by Donna Alward
“I know.”
“We’re not even at my place yet, haven’t even spent any time together, and yet I know what I want. I want to be with you. Really with you. Not sneaking around but a part of your life and you part of mine. I want us to own our relationship.”
“I’m pretty sure my family wouldn’t have a problem with that,” she admitted, his words both thrilling and terrifying her. “They love you already. The day I told my parents the truth and you went upstairs? Mama asked if there was ‘any hope there.’ My family isn’t the problem.”
“I have to believe mine won’t be, either, if we tell them the truth. Everyone liked you so much before.”
“Yes, before I ran out on Stephen. Before they knew I was lying to them. Let’s be realistic. And there’s still the press to consider. Being seen together would rekindle that story.”
They were quiet for a while, sitting with their own thoughts. Gabi hadn’t been to Paris in a long time, but she didn’t care to look out the window at the city moving past them. She kept her eyes closed and held on to Will and the fragile bond between them.
The driver dropped them at Will’s apartment and Gabi tried very hard not to be overwhelmed. She had an idea what to expect—she’d been to the château and the manor, after all—but this was different. This wasn’t a family space, this was Will’s space, and his alone.
The first thing she noticed was the wall of windows that overlooked the river. “That is stunning.” She looked at the view and then turned back. “What is it with us and views, anyway?”
“It’s freedom,” he replied, putting down her bag. “It’s open space and possibilities and calm and a million other things that call to us. I’ve wanted to share this one with you ever since I got back.”
And then he finally kissed her, the way she’d wanted to since first seeing him at the airport. His arms tightened around her and his mouth was sure and soft, claiming and seducing, loving and teasing. Nothing in the world was as lovely as kissing William Pemberton.
The living area before the windows was open and furnished in soft whites and grays. It took no time at all before they were on the plush sofa, wrapped in each other’s arms. “I’ve missed you so much,” Will said. “That night in Perugia...it wasn’t enough.”
“I didn’t want to miss you, but I did,” she replied, then kissed his neck. “Oh, Will.” Their lips met again, and then he pulled away and looked into her face.
“I love you, Gabriella.”
It felt as if her heart expanded in her chest as the words filled her with joy, and yes, even fear. Love was such a big emotion, filled with such risk. But she couldn’t stop the words from coming. “I love you, too, Will.”
“We’ll figure it all out. I swear we will,” he promised, and somehow she believed him.
* * *
Will woke early. The sun was up but still held that thin, morning light quality to it. He slid out of bed and left Gabi sleeping on her side with her glorious hair fanned out on her pillow, the sheet tucked beneath her arms and revealing the top of her breasts. As quietly as he could, he grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and pulled them on, tying the drawstring loosely around his hips, and then padded quietly to the kitchen. He’d start some coffee. Enjoy the quiet moments, knowing that the woman he loved was in his bed.
The water was heating and he took a few moments to quietly tidy the remnants of last night’s late dinner. They’d made love first, on the rug in his living room, an urgent, hurried coming together after so many days apart. Then he’d ordered in steak frites for two, opened a bottle of wine, and they’d eaten, talking as if they’d never been apart, perhaps even freer now that they’d confessed their feelings. And then they’d made love again, slower, with a reverence that had shaken him to the core.
She didn’t know, but he’d never told a woman he loved her before. At least not since he’d been seventeen, and in his mind, that really didn’t count. It wasn’t a love like this.
He was still trying to figure out how to bring up the matter with his family, but it was no longer a question of if but of when. He did not want this to cause a rift, but his feelings couldn’t be denied, either.
But that was for later. Today he was going to enjoy every moment with Gabi that he could. She had to go home tomorrow.
He poured the first cup of coffee and had sipped away at half of it when he heard a key turn in his lock and he froze.
Charlotte, his twin sister, popped into the apartment and looked at him with surprise. “You’re up! I figured I’d have to wake you. I brought breakfast. I thought we could talk about the designs for the fashion week show. I want your approval before I finalize everything.”
Oh, God. Charlotte was here. Gabi was in his bedroom, wearing nothing at all. He had to get his sister out of here.
“You should have called, Charlotte.” His voice held a low warning. “We didn’t make plans for this. It’s barely eight on a Saturday morning.”
“I know, but it’s coming up soon, and—”
“We can do it another time. I’ll call you. It’s really not a good time for me.”
Her eyes widened. “You have a woman here. Oh, mon Dieu, I’m so sorry.” Then her eyes twinkled. “Anyone I know? Is it serious?”
“Charlotte.” His voice was firmer now as worry settled in his gut. “Please.”
“Mmm, is that coffee I smell?”
Will froze. Gabi shuffled out of the bedroom wearing nothing but panties and one of his T-shirts. Charlotte gasped, and Gabi suddenly looked very, very awake.
“Oh,” she breathed.
Charlotte’s normally sweet gaze darkened. “What the hell is going on here? Will? Gabi?” She put an emphasis on Gabi’s name that was more accusatory than surprise.
“I said you should have called.” Will’s voice was firm and none too pleased. “Now you’d better come in.”
Charlotte glared at Gabi. “I can’t believe this. Isn’t it bad enough you jilted Stephen?”
Gabi glanced at Will, her faced tense with apology and anxiety. “I’m going to put some pants on. I’ll be back.” Her gaze told him she didn’t expect him to handle this alone, though he was more than prepared to.
“I’ll get us all some coffee,” he said, and then looked at his twin. “You’d better sit down.”
To his surprise, she did, but not before she dropped the bag of pastries on his counter, her lips pursed in a judgmental knot. He’d wanted to do this on his own time, when they were ready, when they’d figured out exactly how they wanted to handle his family. For heaven’s sake, they’d only just said I love you to each other.
He hadn’t been ready to fall in love. He certainly wasn’t ready to deal with the family fallout.
He poured coffee, fixed Charlotte’s and Gabi’s the way he knew they liked, and as he took the mugs to the dining table, Gabi came out of the bedroom dressed in yoga pants and still in his T-shirt. He liked that she hadn’t changed. In some way, keeping his shirt on seemed like maintaining ownership of their relationship. Not hiding away, when it would be so easy to.
He sat down with his own mug, looked Charlotte in the eye and said, “Yes. Gabi and I are together. We weren’t going to tell anyone yet because it’s new to us, too. But I’m not going to lie to you, Charlotte, and pretend this is something it’s not.”
Charlotte looked at Gabi and scowled. “So you left one brother for another. Nice.”
Gabi curled her hands around her mug and met Charlotte’s gaze. “I never should have agreed to marry Stephen. We were never in love, Charlotte. We made a big mistake, getting engaged.”
“How convenient for you.”
Gabi laughed a little. “Trust me, this is anything but convenient.” Then she looked at Will. “Your brother was sent in to do damage control and...it just happened. Despite both of us saying it couldn’t and shouldn’t.” She smiled a little,
and Will reached over and put his hand over hers.
“Oh, yuck.” Charlotte was not convinced. “And you, doing this to your own brother. I’m disgusted with you.”
“It isn’t what it seems, Charlotte.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you should ask Stephen about his relationship with Gabi. I love my brother. God, you know I do.” He held her gaze and knew she understood. She knew what Stephen had done for him. “You know I would never hurt him. But what am I supposed to do, throw away the best thing that’s ever happened to me because it’s messy?”
“Will.” Gabi’s voice was soft and full of amazement, and he tore his eyes from Charlotte and looked at her instead.
“It’s true,” he admitted. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
“Me, either.”
Charlotte made a sound of disgust and stood. “Ugh, I can’t do this. Gabriella, I liked you when Stephen brought you home. But since then you’ve left him at the altar, caused a PR disaster, apparently seduced my other brother, and now you’re both creating another scandal. I don’t understand you.”
“I know it looks that way,” Gabi replied, “but you’ve only got part of the story. It’s not my place to reveal Stephen’s secrets. And you’re quite right that I’m not innocent in all this. Let me just say that not marrying Stephen was my attempt to make things right, not cause trouble. And falling for Will was pure accident.”
“That makes no sense at all.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. The truth is, Will and I haven’t had a chance to figure out how we wanted to tell your family. So I’m saying less than I might otherwise, out of respect for both your brothers.”
Charlotte stared at Will, and looked angrier than he could ever remember. “If you think I’m keeping your dirty little secret, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“I don’t expect you to. Hoped you might, but don’t expect it.”
“Don’t try to guilt me, Will.”
“I’m not.”
“And you.” She stared at Gabi. “If you think this is another way to get your hands on Pemberton money, forget it. Maman will never allow it.”
“That’s enough, Charlotte.” Will stood now. Anger he understood. Of course Charlotte wouldn’t understand, especially when appearances were so damning. But he also wouldn’t stand for Gabi being abused.
“It’s okay, Will. It’s no more than I expected.”
Charlotte grabbed her handbag and headed for the door. “I’ve heard enough. If you can dig your head out of your little love nest long enough, I’d like a meeting early this week. In my office.”
“I appreciate the summons.”
With one last scathing look, his sister slammed out the door.
He looked down at Gabi, who was sitting looking a bit shell-shocked. “I’m so sorry. She let herself in with her key and you came out before I could get her to leave.”
“It was bound to happen sometime. And like I said, I expected it. And more. Stephen will lose his mind and I’m sure your mother will be equally angry.”
“Arabella might be okay. She’s more the type who listens to all sides and makes up her own mind. Not that it won’t be weighted against us. I know that. But Bella is reasonable. And Christophe...he tries to please everyone. He’ll stay quiet and out of the drama.”
Will knew his cousin had never quite felt like a brother, even though he’d been practically raised by Aurora and Cedric. Mostly he tried to not make any extra waves, which Will thought was a shame. His cousin was smart and far more savvy than most gave him credit for.
Gabi slumped in her chair and took a drink of cooling coffee. “So what do we do now?”
“I don’t know. Let’s sit tight for a while and see what happens. For once, getting ahead of the story might not do us any favors. Charlotte is probably already on the phone with Stephen. Let’s see how this all plays out before we make a plan to change minds.”
She put down her cup and looked at him sadly. “It is worth it, right?” she asked, her voice wobbling. “I do love you, you know.”
“It’s worth it,” he confirmed, sitting next to her again.
“I won’t let you have to make a choice.”
His heart warmed. “Oh, darling, I know that. If anyone forces a choice, it’ll be my family. And that makes me sad. But it can’t stop me from loving you. I never had a choice in that.”
Still, the atmosphere in the apartment had turned to one of sadness and worry. Will had made all sorts of romantic plans for the day, but pushed them aside. What they needed now was to stick together. And so they went back into the bedroom, crawled under the covers and held on to each other while they waited for the storm to break.
CHAPTER TWELVE
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG.
First Bella called, asking if Will was sure about what he was doing, at least attempting to be fair as she agreed that there seemed to be more to the story than a runaway bride and the groom’s brother. Will hung up not quite sure he had an ally, but at least one person who was willing to listen.
The next phone call came early in the afternoon, and was from his mother. It didn’t go as well as the call with Bella. It became clear to Will that Stephen had not enlightened anyone as to the original agreement between himself and Gabi. It was very difficult to hear Gabi spoken about in unfavorable terms, and to have his own family loyalty questioned. Gabi was right about one thing. The truth about the fake marriage would end up making her look like a gold digger.
Gabi was unusually quiet, her face pensive. Their romantic weekend was a disaster. Would their entire relationship be this way? Could they handle it, especially living so far apart? Will listened to his mother’s voice in his ear and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He and Gabi were supposed to work this out gradually. Tell people when they were ready, when they had a handle on their relationship. Will, who prided himself on his ability to clean up messes, now found himself in the middle of the biggest one yet, and no clue how to fix it, other than let Gabi go.
He pondered it for exactly two seconds, before his stubborn nature rose up and rebelled. If he buckled under the pressure now, he’d regret it forever. He was not the same boy who’d been rash and impulsive and seeking attention. He was a grown man who’d worked very hard to become who he was. He wouldn’t let anyone put him back in that box.
“Maman, what I’m saying is you need to talk to Stephen. Can you do that and then we can talk again?”
He listened to her for another moment, then replied, “Because it is his story to tell, not mine.” William had never been, and never would, be a tattletale, even now that they were grown men.
The call ended and he sighed deeply.
“I’m so sorry, Will. I should go home. This is causing nothing but strife.”
“I can handle it, but I understand if you want to go home. This is not the weekend I promised.”
Instead of getting out of the bed, she slid closer and wrapped her arms around his middle. “It was going to happen eventually. We just thought we had more time.”
“It’s a lot of pressure on a new relationship.”
She nodded against his chest. “Yes, but we’re not exactly conventional.”
He chuckled at that. How did she have the ability to make him laugh in the midst of such a horrible day?
His phone buzzed and he looked down. It was a text this time, not a call, but it hurt his heart more than any conversation he’d had thus far today.
So much for loyalty.
He put the phone aside, regret weighing heavily.
“From Stephen?”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry. Maybe this is a mistake, Will. It isn’t fair to put you through this. I’d rather walk away than see you lose your family. I can’t imagine if this were my papa and mama and Giulia.”
He thought back to the day she’d confessed the “plan” to her parents at the villa. There had been instant forgiveness and acceptance. Why did his family not trust him the same way? He understood they were trying to protect him, but why could they not give him the benefit of the doubt?
Was it because despite all the hard work of the last four years, he was still the screw up who’d fought an addiction and nearly tossed his life away?
For the briefest of moments he let those feelings in. Feelings of being a disappointment and a failure. Feelings of being a burden. And then he sniffed, sat up a little taller. He’d changed, grown, and had worked so hard to make up for the worry he’d caused. That was the man his family needed to see. Not the troubled boy.
“Will?”
He turned to her. “Stay. Forget about my family for twenty-four hours and stay with me. Love me. They can wait. We get to decide what we want, so let’s do that.”
“If you’re sure...”
“I’m sure.” In fact, he’d never been surer of anything. “Let’s get out of here, get a hotel and hide away.”
“That sounds a lot like running away.”
He shook his head. “No, darling. It’s a tactical retreat. Sometimes you concede the battle to win the war, and we’re going to win them over, you’ll see.”
* * *
Gabi sighed, tucked her hair behind her ears and, for the first time in her adult life, considered day drinking.
Corsetti had not renewed their contract. When word got out, two smaller clients pulled their agreements as well. Massimo was home after his second round of chemotherapy and going through the full gamut of side effects. Her job was to save the company, not chase all their clients away.
And she didn’t even have Will here for moral support. He’d visited the weekend before last, spending two days at the villa with her and her parents. He hadn’t minded sleeping in his own room, he’d assured her. So they’d kept to separate rooms, but swam in the pool and walked the grounds and spent time together free of criticism or pressure.
