AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Cars, I know for sure, but I don’t know about the rest.” He frowns while we walk. “I suspect whatever else is down here has something to do with what Thomas requires from my brothers.”
“Let me guess, they have to find wives, too?”
He scoffs. “For the sake of women everywhere, I sure as shit hope not.”
I can’t help a slight smile, and I sway a little when it captures his attention. “You don’t wish them all a life of loneliness, do you?”
“Of course not, but if you knew them like I do, you’d know they’re not ready for that kind of commitment.”
“Why not?”
“Let’s take Lucas, for example. He’s thirty and works as our marketing director, but somehow, he needs the maximum amount of hand holding possible.” He sighs heavily. “I’m the one who keeps track of his appointments and interviews, while making sure he’s not late because another foursome got out of hand and he can’t find his fucking pants. I do all of that and more.”
I hesitate, “Sounds to me like you ought to let him screw up a little.”
Rowan looks skeptical. “And risk him embarrassing our company?”
“What’s the other option? Coddle him forever?”
He chews on that in silence as we make our way to the end of the hall. “I suppose the truth is that I don’t want him to lose himself.”
I nudge him with my elbow as we reach a vaulted door. “How could he when he’s got a big brother like you?”
It’s meant to be a joke, poking fun at his type-A mannerisms and obnoxious egotism, but it lands softly, sounding more like a compliment than an insult.
He gives a grim shake of his head and, as if compelled by an unknown force, picks a ball of lint off my shoulder before straightening the sleeve of my shirt. “It doesn’t matter. Patricia’s being tight-lipped about what’s required of them. So even if I wanted to tell them what to expect, I can’t. All I can do is try to convince them to hear their part of the will and fulfill their obligations.”
While he swipes a card to unlock the door, I imagine how helpless I would feel having to blindly agree to something like that.
“Do you think they’ll do whatever it is?”
“With everything that’s at stake, I hope so.”
Dropping the subject, Rowan twists the rotating door handle, and once he pushes it open, a flood of bright lights blind me.
I blink the spots from my vision, speechless over the custom-built jewelry vault before us. The room smells crisp, sterile even, and it’s nearly as large as my bedroom upstairs. A red velvet chaise lounge lies in the center with an ice bucket, champagne, and two glasses filled with bubbly perched on top of an all-glass coffee table.
“I… I…” My eyes dart between dozens of compartments filled with sparkling displays, rows of locker-style glass cases with felt busts adorned with dazzling necklaces, and various drawers of gold and silver bracelets. “This is unbelievable.”
“Rings are at the back,” Rowan says as he snags one of the flutes. He relaxes back on the couch and promptly drains half the glass. “Help yourself.”
“Wait.” I glance over my shoulder. “You’re just letting me pick one?”
He casually lifts a shoulder. “A wedding ring is nothing more than a piece of jewelry. The true devotion between two people who love each other can’t be bought.”
“That’s heavy shit coming from you, pretty boy.” I wave a hand in his general direction. “Didn’t think you were capable of being so poetic.”
I’m caught off guard by his lazy smirk. “You know, every time you call me that, you’re admitting that you find me attractive.”
“I’ll be denying that until death do we part.”
Entertained by my quip, he takes another gulp of champagne. “Time’s ticking, kitten.”
I turn back toward the task at hand, admiring rows of diamond earrings, necklaces, and finally, rings, but I’m distracted by a sudden bolt of disappointment.
Had I really thought we’d do this the normal way, with Rowan by my side, smiling proudly while I try on various bands and cuts?
An unexpected hollowness builds in my chest. Given the circumstances, it’s foolish to want those kinds of things with him, but there’s a long-begotten part of me—the one buried beneath decades of loneliness—that craves the kind of intimacy he spoke of. The undying commitment two people make when they marry each other.
