BROOKE AND THOMAS MET Amandine and Gavin at the airport. Brooke had brought the pink Mercedes, Thomas the Bentley. A black SUV waited as well with two large men, who unloaded all the suitcases and boxes, including the painting.
Gavin gave Amandine a kiss. “It’s been a long flight. Take it easy. See you later tonight.”
“See you.”
Brooke took the seat behind the wheel of the Mercedes and adjusted her sunglasses, leaving Amandine the passenger seat. “You look good,” she said as they drove away from the airport.
“Thanks. How were things while I was away?”
“Oh the usual,” Brooke said. A pair of giant gold hoops dangled from her ears. Her hair was dyed a brown-fringed deep purple. The glossy strands barely brushed her collarbones.
“I like the new style.”
“Thanks. I did it myself.” Her pink nails gleamed against the leather steering wheel. “By the way, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Silverman today.”
“What time?”
“Two. Figured we should make sure you and the baby’re fine.” She stopped for an intersection. “So how are you, really? Are you still going to ditch Gavin?”
“I don’t know.” Amandine stared at the busy traffic. The Mercedes started moving again. “I thought I would because he didn’t love me. And there’s the whole Catherine thing. But when we were alone in Thailand, it was like we were…connecting better. We’ve never spent so much time together as a married couple, and it was great.” She sighed.
“But…?”
“But that’s a fantasy life. What we could have if he didn’t work twenty-four seven. He delegated most of his work while we were there, and only checked in at the office in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon. Now that we’re back, I probably won’t see him for a week while he catches up. He might even sleep in the office. And,” she sighed, “he has to go to Houston again.”
“For what?” Hostility edged Brooke’s voice. “Did Catherine fire her pool boy?”
“It’s a meeting regarding the family business,” Amandine said quickly. “Ethan’s going to be there, too.”
“Well then. Guess that’s all right.” Brooke sat up straighter, pushing herself more firmly against her seat. “I know you guys are now back to real life, but if he wants you, he has to find a good balance of work and making his wife happy.” She glanced over at Amandine. “I was thinking that maybe he doesn’t realize how bad he is. He’s probably used to women who saw themselves as trophy-wife material, you know? And they probably didn’t care about spending time with their husbands, so long as they could spend all their money.”
“I don’t know if Gavin’s experience is limited to trophy-wife wannabes. Catherine wasn’t like that.”
Brooke burst out laughing. “Oh please. I don’t know why you put her on some kind of pedestal of womanhood. So she grew up rich and is from a good family. So what? She’s not that special. She’s not all that smart, not particularly talented—”
“That’s not true.”
“Girl, dating a string of rich guys doesn’t take any special ability. It’s called youth and beauty. And she didn’t date rich man after rich man out of some deep soul-searing love. I mean, other than for their wallets. She probably thought she had it made when she snagged Jacob.” Brooke drove past the gates as they opened for her at the mansion. “This is just the feeling I got watching you, her and Gavin all those years ago, but she was never seriously into Gavin. She used him as a stepping-stone to Jacob. The Lloyds Development is a solid company that keeps every one of the Lloyds flush and happy, and Jacob was the CEO. That’s what she wanted. If Ethan had been the one running the company, she would’ve married him.”
Amandine felt her mouth drop at Brooke’s scathing comments.
“You think people like Catherine Fairchild can’t be motivated by something like money?” Brooke snorted. “People like her are always motivated by it. She knows what it’s like to have money and influence, and she’ll do anything to get them back. If Gavin’s smart, he’ll stay away from her no matter how many times she wags her tail.”
“Oh geez.”
“Even Korean people say the same thing about gold-diggers. It’s universal.”
“Really?” Brooke had been half-raised by her maternal grandmother, a Korean who’d immigrated to the States decades before.
“Yup. Grandma said they’re like foxes that wag their tails to steal men. Like this.” Brooke wiggled around in her seat, canting her shoulders left and right in an exaggerated manner.
Swallowing a half-horrified laugh, Amandine shook her head. “Don’t be mean. She just found out her marriage was never valid. I’m pretty sure the State of Texas doesn’t condone bigamy.”
“Uh-huh. The only thing she’s really upset about is that she’s back to being poor, and now she’s five years older than when she snared Jacob.”
“Brooke, why are you being so…virulent? It’s not like you.”
Brooke pulled up in front of the main entrance, shifted into park and turned to face Amandine. “Because I can see you wavering and second-guessing yourself again. Look, you want Gavin. You didn’t sleep with him for money, and you didn’t marry him for anything other than love. Right? I guarantee you that those two facts alone make you a better person than ninety-nine percent of the women he’s ever slept with. But there are times, like now, when you start comparing yourself to Catherine and thinking you don’t measure up. And it pisses me off.”
Amandine found she didn’t have anything to say. Brooke’s intensity was a little intimidating.
“Even now you’re a little bit worried about Gavin’s going to Houston because he might see Catherine again,” Brooke continued. “Right? Well, stop. You’re so much better than the likes of Catherine friggin’ Fairchild. And Gavin knows it. If he didn’t, he would’ve given you the divorce the moment you asked for it.”
“He might be doing it for the baby.”
“No, he’s not. Like he said, he’s a Lloyd. If all he wanted was the baby, he could just take it from you. He can afford a legion of lawyers who specialize in taking babies from their mothers. Investigators who’ll dig up all sorts of silly little things you’ve done, so the baby-snatching lawyers can blow them all out of proportion and portray you as an unfit mother. Maybe even a whore of Babylon for having gone to the high school prom.”
Amandine’s mouth dried. Everything Brooke was saying was the truth. If Gavin really wanted to, he could utterly ruin her. She could never fight him and his twenty billion.
“It’s great that your second honeymoon was nice, but you can’t spend all your time in Thailand. Time to get back to real life, and it isn’t going to be easy. But if your heart tells you that you want Gavin, don’t give up on him out of some stupid sense of inadequacy. Fight dirty. Keep him. Play to win.”
* * *
The moment Gavin entered the office, Hilary rose from behind her well-organized desk. “Welcome back, Gavin.”
She was in her late thirties. Glossy shoulder-length red hair framed a gorgeous egg-shaped face and set off intelligent green eyes. She wore her typical work clothes: a pale silk blouse, a fashionable light linen skirt suit and matching pumps. Diamond solitaires sparkled from her ears, and a small golden crucifix hung from a medium-weight chain around her neck.
She was a beautiful and friendly woman, but nobody in the office dared to flirt with her. She reported only to Gavin, and he wouldn’t tolerate anything that could make her feel uncomfortable about working for him. A good executive admin was nearly impossible to find, and one as superb as Hilary was god’s gift. He’d rather lose his best analyst than Hilary.
“Good to see you again.” He handed her a box of chocolate covered with tropical fruit chunks. A small gift was something he brought for Hilary after every vacation. “Enjoy.”
“Thank you.” Following him into the executive office, she handed him a stack of messages. “Phone calls requiring your attention, in order of importance.”
“Excellent.” He glanced at the top three and put them next to his computer. He’d deal with them later. Maybe on the plane.
She poured hot fresh coffee into a white mug that said YOUR COMPANY ISN’T EVEN WORTH SHORTING—a birthday present from her to him—and placed it on his desk. “Hope you don’t mind that I called Ethan directly.”
“You did well.” He sat in his plush and well-worn leather chair. “Can you ask Pete to come in? And there’s going to be a painting delivered later today. Make sure to hang it in my office.”
“Anything else?”
“Send me my itinerary for tomorrow and the day after. And leave my office door open please.”
She nodded and disappeared.
Sipping his coffee, he started checking his emails. Hilary had done a great job reviewing and delegating what could be delegated. She’d flagged a few that required his personal attention. Like an email from Salazar Pryce, Mark’s father.
Gavin started reading it, his eyebrows rising higher and higher as the purpose of the note became clear. Holy…! Did Mark even know he had a half-brother?
After he finished the email, he sat back, his head spinning. It was annoying to be in on what was obviously a secret and not be able to talk to the principal involved. But Gavin couldn’t say a word about it. All email correspondence between him and his clients was strictly confidential. Well, Hilary knew, but not even the CIA could have made her talk.
Pete popped his head in. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. Close the door.”
Pete came in, his expression tight. There were dark circles under his blue eyes, and his usually neat hair was sticking up, like he’d been running his hands through it all day long.
“Sit down,” Gavin said. “Coffee?”
“No, thank you,” Pete said, his voice polite and cautious. Still he took the biggest armchair in the office.
Gavin studied his brother-in-law. Other than the signs of fatigue, he looked his usual self. His tie was knotted perfectly, his suit crisp, and his shoes shiny. Everything on him was expensive, color-coordinated and neat. “Was I working you too hard from overseas?”
“Not at all.” Renewed tension carved lines on Pete’s face. “Why? Is anything wrong?”
“No. You did well. Surprisingly well, in fact.”
Pete’s shoulders lowered, but only a little. “Oh. Well, good.” He shifted his weight, crossing his legs. “Gavin, I don’t know if you already know this, but there are Facebook photos of you and Amandine in front of Jones & Jones. You were also with Craig Richmond in the pictures.”
“I know about them.”
“Is everything okay between you and my sister?”
Gavin considered. Was it? He knew where he stood, but had no idea what Amandine was thinking. He hoped she was closer to deciding to stay with him. There were some positive signs—like how Amandine had decided to return to the States with him. “We’re working on it.”
Pete breathed out, his chest shuddering. “My…understanding is that the whole thing was Amandine’s idea.”
“And?”
“If you love my sister and can make her happy, don’t let her do it.”
Gavin raised an eyebrow.
Pete went on, apparently taking Gavin’s silence as encouragement. “Amandine’s smart, but she can be naïve. She has this fantasy of how things should be.”
“Fantasy?”
“She thinks every marriage should be something like what our parents had. She remembers it as loving and happy, which is…well, an exercise in selective memory, to say the least.” Pete’s mouth tightened, his cheeks lightly flushed. “Our father couldn’t even provide for us. We would’ve been homeless if it weren’t for the Fairchild half of the family.”
Gavin remembered Catherine mentioning once how Amandine had been the poor little cousin. You know , every family has one of those sad little relatives you can’t help but take care of because they’re just so nice despite all their flaws , and she was ours .
“But other than the fact that your father was poor, the family was loving?” Gavin asked, curious about this “fantasy” of Amandine’s.
“Well, Mom loved him no matter what, that’s for sure. Personally, I think that if our father had really loved us, he would’ve provided for us. Taking somebody’s charity isn’t easy. It destroys your sense of worth.”
Gavin said nothing, processing what Pete was saying.
“I can try to talk some sense into her,” Pete began, “and maybe—”
“No.” Gavin uncrossed his legs and sat up. “Don’t interfere.”
“But she’s making a mistake!”
“Our issues were supposed to be private, and we would’ve resolved them on our own.” With her staying with me . “Outside interference will only get in the way.”
Pete pressed his lips together, his eyes still sparkling with an unsaid argument.
“By the way, who the hell posted the photos on Facebook?” Gavin asked. I’m going to kill them .
“Ceinlys Pryce.”
It figured. Mark’s mom was one of the biggest gossipmongers in the city, but her social position was such that nobody dared to shun her. And unlike some overzealous people, she never snooped too much. She merely reported what she saw in public, and certainly the parking lot in front of Samantha’s office building counted as public.
Damn it.
If it had been somebody else he might have ruined them, but there were limits to what he could do to the mother of his best friend. “I see. Anyway, I didn’t ask to see you to discuss my marriage.”
Pete flushed and said nothing.
“You did a great job while I was gone. I want you to take on more responsibilities.”
“But you’re back now. You hate delegating.”
“I’m going to be busy for a few months. Relating to the…other matter.” I need time to court my wife . “Unless you object.”
“No! No, not at all.” Pete tried, unsuccessfully, to keep a smile from spreading on his face.
“Excellent. I’ll be in direct contact, but so will Hilary.”
“Got it.” If Pete objected to taking orders from Gavin’s admin, he didn’t show it. But then everyone at the firm knew the pecking order: First Gavin, then Hilary, then all the rest.
After Pete left, Gavin logged into Facebook. He’d created a profile only because it promised an easy way to keep in touch with his family, especially Ethan, who’d been working in London at the time. Instead it had morphed into an unproductive hassle since most people in his family were too busy to use it, and he himself never saw the point in posting “Good morning, everyone” or sharing what he’d had for dinner. If people wanted to know about his diet, they could damn well call him.
The photos popped up. Ceinlys had tagged everyone, which was how every “friend” of Gavin’s and Amandine’s had seen it.
Ceinlys had commented on the photos as well: Marriage in trouble? Hard to fathom since they seem so in love . Gavin bought her a jet for their anniversary! What more could a woman ask for?
Underneath was a long string of replies. Gavin considered a response. He wanted to scrub the damned things from the Internet, but any attempt to do so would only bring more attention to them. The best course of action would be to ignore them, no matter how galling.
But he was patient. One day he would even the score with Ceinlys.
* * *
After the appointment with Dr. Silverman, Amandine climbed into the waiting car. The good doctor had reassured her everything was fine with her pregnancy. “The only thing I’m somewhat concerned about is the fact that your mother was diabetic,” she’d said.
“Is that a big deal?”
“Could be, but let’s not worry about that for now since you’re healthy and everything looks normal. Stress is bad for you.”
“So everything’s good?” Brooke asked, pulling away from the curb.
“Yup. Thank god,” Amandine said, then stifled a yawn. “I think I’ll have a nap. I can’t believe how much I’m napping. I’m sleeping my life away.”
“Nothing wrong with that. My sister was always tired, except she had to work through her pregnancy. Just wait until you start to get really big. You won’t even want to get out of bed.”
Amandine made a face. “I’m going to look like a beached whale.”
“A cute beached whale.”
She snorted. “There’s no such thing. What if I can’t lose my pregnancy weight?”
“Don’t worry, it’ll come off. If not, you can use Gavin’s money to hire a trainer. He won’t mind.”
No, he wouldn’t. He never cared how much she spent or what she spent it on.
It took almost an hour to reach the mansion, thanks to the traffic. There had been a minor fender-bender, but that always meant every lane crawled.
Amandine was surprised to see Thomas getting into the Bentley at the house. He was in his customary black suit. His clear intelligent gray eyes warmed as he nodded in greeting. “Ma’am.”
“Hi, Thomas. What are you doing here?”
“About to go home. Gavin’s done for the day.”
“No way.” Her jaw dropped. “It’s not even four.”
He chuckled. “Well, he’s the boss. He can leave whenever he wants.”
She shook her head. Being the boss usually meant he left later than most people, since the buck stopped with him. Gavin took his job seriously, and understood that so many depended on him. Not just employees at the firm, but all the investors and retirees too.
She found him in his study, tapping away on his computer. Ah-ha. So he wasn’t really done.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hey. Come in.” He rose from his chair and crossed the room, while she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. His arms around her loosely, he kissed her gently in a lover’s greeting. “Where have you been?”
“Dr. Silverman’s office.” She sat down on a couch, and Gavin pulled her close until she was practically in his lap.
Something flickered in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was at two, and I figured you’d be busy. We just got back.”
He shook his head. “I want to be at every appointment if possible.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you felt that way.”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s my baby, too.”
“You’re always so busy.”
“That doesn’t mean the default answer is a no.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll make sure Brooke updates you with my appointments. Do you want her to send them to you directly or to Hilary?”
“Me. Hilary’s going to be swamped.”
Amandine nodded again, though she was certain Gavin would never make it to any of the appointments. Whenever Hilary got swamped, he got even busier.
“By the way, do you want to go to Houston with me?” he asked.
“I thought it was a board meeting.” She didn’t have a seat on the board, unlike Catherine.
“It is, but you can go into the city if you want. Do some shopping or whatever during the meeting.”
“Who’s coming from your family?”
“Just me and Ethan.”
“What about Catherine?”
“She hasn’t confirmed yet.”
“Mmm… I think I’ll stay home. You can tell me about it when you get back.”
Gavin’s eyebrows rose. “You want to hear about it?”
“Of course. It’s family business, and you said it was important.”
“It is.”
“So I want to know.” She kissed him on the nose. “What’s important to the family is important to me too.”
But the true reason was more complex. Brooke had been right to call her on comparing herself to Catherine and feeling insecure. It wouldn’t be easy to change her mindset, but she wanted to start acting more like she belonged with Gavin, and that meant she needed to be more involved with her in-laws and should try to be more engaged with Lloyd family matters. There wouldn’t be any more Ms. Withdrawn and Distant.
Amandine had demanded that he convince her that she should stay with him, but the four-month period wasn’t just about him doing all the work to salvage their marriage. She wanted him to realize he loved her, and how was he going to do that if she acted aloof or uncaring? Or like she didn’t trust him?
* * *
Even as he nodded, Gavin couldn’t believe Amandine wanted to know. She’d never shown any interest in The Lloyds Development before, and he’d avoided talking about it so as not to bore her. The women he knew were mostly interested in how much cash the company generated, not the daily operational headaches.
She grew pliable on his lap. His body stirred, but her eyelids were drooping and a hint of pallor marked her skin. She was probably exhausted from the trip and the doctor’s appointment. Pregnant women needed extra rest and care.
He carried her to their bedroom. She buried her face in his chest and sighed with contentment. He stripped her out of the sandals and dress and placed her gently on the bed. After taking off his own clothes, he joined her in bed, holding her close.
Her breathing had already deepened into sleep. She was so beautiful. Her cool golden hair spilled over his arms and hands, her skin no longer a sickly grayish white. He traced the gentle curves of her body and rested his hand on her belly where their baby grew.
He closed his eyes, trying to savor the moment.
What he felt for her was new to him. Holding her while she shuddered in climax and called out his name equaled mind-incinerating heat. Giving her lavish gifts and spoiling her? Near-gleeful joy. But the emotion that unfurled in his heart… It was quiet and tender, but no less intense than spilling his seed into her womb.
Peace, he realized with sudden clarity. This was peace, bone-deep satisfaction and the sense that everything was right with the world.
He opened his eyes and watched his wife sleeping in his arms. He could imagine them like this ten, twenty, forty years from now. There would be gray in her hair and lines on her skin, but she’d still be the most beautiful woman in the world.
Was this love? The poets made it sound like it was some kind of gut-twisting, heart-ripping emotion. Gavin didn’t feel that way. What he felt was soul-calm and happy.
He realized he was smiling.
