AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Without a moment’s glance at the silly poses or laughing faces looking back at him, he wrapped the frame with paper and stuffed it in a box. Were we going to talk about who was taking the photos? Was he even interested in keeping them?
I had no fucking idea.
A flash of anger sparked in my stomach, mixing with the hurt and sadness already there. What did it matter, anyway? After today, I’d never have to see Alex Sawyer again. It was exactly what I wanted. And, I suspected, exactly what he wanted, too.
CHAPTER1
Brooke
NOW — EIGHT YEARS LATER.
As I finishedup the last paragraph of a press release, I heard him clear his throat.
“We’re going to be late.”
Only after typing the last two words and clickingsendto the online newswire did I shift my gaze to the six-foot-tall, blue-eyed, sandy blond-haired, chiseled man standing before me.
“Wouldn’t the CEO of Grey Industries want his press release to go out on time?” I said with a smirk.
“As your CEO, the answer is yes,” Liam Grey said, inching his way around the side of my cubicle. “As your boyfriend, who’s eager for you to meet his family, I couldn’t care less.”
I chuckled as I closed my laptop, tucked it into my purse, then pulled my suitcase out from under my desk.
“More importantly, isn’t one of the perks of flying private that we can leave whenever we want? We’ve got plenty of time to make it to New Haven.”
Liam and I had been dating for about four months, and by month two, he’d become eager to introduce me to his family. I was okay to take it slowly and meet them when a natural opportunity presented itself.
Then, a week ago, Liam’s mom, Lillian, called to inform us that his sister had gotten engaged and that there would be a party. It was just the invitation Liam needed, so now we were booked on the private jet from San Francisco to New Haven, Connecticut.
Liam pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m just excited. With my sister running things from New York, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her in person, and you finally get to meet everyone. It’s going to be perfect.”
I pushed onto my toes—despite my four-inch heels giving me a boost—and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. “I hope so. I’m a little nervous.”
He shot me a dubious look. “You have nothing to be nervous about. My parents are going to love you. My sister told me she’s already got some really embarrassing stories about me she’s dying to tell you. And you’ll commiserate with her fiancé about what it’s going to be like to join the Grey family.”
He made a good point with that last part. It would be nice to have someone to talk to outside the family. Being in a relationship with the man I worked for—though he often reminded me that, as PR Manager, I didn’t report directly to him—was already a little isolating. Knowing there would be someone else to talk to who didn’t already know every facet of my work and personal life would be kind of fun, and maybe even take some of the pressure off of meeting his entire family.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” I said with a smile. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
We made our way to the private airport, checked in to ensure the manifest had all the pertinent details, and within fifteen minutes, we were wheels-up, glasses of champagne in hand.
Five and a half hours later and ten minutes ahead of schedule, we touched down in New Haven and were in a town car on the way to Prospect Hill.
“I feel like I should’ve studied more,” I said, glancing out the window as we approached our final destination. The Greys lived in the residential part of the area, a straight shot north of downtown and far enough removed from the Yale campus to afford a sprawling estate and lots of privacy.
“You ‘studied’ enough. They’re my parents, not an exam.”
“You know I like to be prepared and have the answers. I’ve been that way ever since school,” I said matter-of-factly. “I just want to make sure I have enough to talk about with them so I make a good impression.”
The town car rounded the long driveway, stopping in front of the three-car garage. As the driver retrieved our bags from the trunk, Liam ran around to my side of the car and opened my door for me. He was always so caring that way. It was the small things like that he was so good with, and they always made me feel loved.
“You’re going to make an amazing impression... Just like you did with me.”
“But it’s different when I’m not in work mode. You know I—”
Before I finished my protest, the blue front door of the majestic stone house cracked open, and Mr. and Mrs. Grey walked toward us.
“You’re here!” Lillian trilled.
