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With one last glance at my room, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. I hated the hitch in my chest as I walked out the front door for what was likely the last time and made my way to car and slid in next to Alex. Through the tinted window I caught a glimpse of Thomas’ face. He knew I was leaving without saying goodbye.
We’d been friends for so long he knew how I’d react almost before I did. Even though I knew I’d hurt him, I didn’t have another choice. My feelings were already too raw. It was bad enough I was forced to say goodbye to the two men who made me want more out of my life and impending marriage. I hated I had to leave behind the two guys I’d always been able to count on. Without them, I might not have survived my earlier years and my parents’ matchmaking. I wasn’t sure how I’d get over the heartbreak of missing the most important people in my life.
I wanted to hold on to my last bit of hope that maybe Caleb and Andrew would come after me. Hope that they would still want me after they’d found out I’d left without a word. It was a pipe dream, but one I could take out when the days were dark and dreary. At least in my imagination, everything would turn out the way I truly wanted it to.
Alex gave me a side-glance before opening her mouth and shutting it again.
I held up my hand. “I just want to focus on work.”
She sighed and nodded, then proceeded to distract me by going over our pitch for the meeting. We went over our notes again and again on our flight to Kentucky, where Crestview was stationed.
An hour and a half into the flight, we took a much-needed break. Alex had to take a call to treat a cat with an anxious owner over video chat, and I contacted my mother to get my flight information. She had a private plane hired to bring me home. Now that I’d decided to return, she wasn’t wasting any time. I couldn’t take the jet the Kingstons had booked for us as it was supposed to take Alex home.
Her overwhelming excitement at having me home was frustrating, especially since it wasn’t as if she was happy to see me. She was happy to be marrying me off. Mother and I had never been close, and this was just another perfect example. She didn’t really care if I was happy or not. Although, part of me wondered if she thought this was what marriage was supposed to be like. Her marriage hadn’t been a love match, but deep down, I had hoped she would have wanted her daughter to have a better life than what she’d been forced into.
It was only a matter of time before she was going to drag me into wedding planning when I got home. No reprieve for a broken heart, not that she even knew I had one. But it was my fault. I should have been straightforward with the twins when I first met them. Maybe they were right, and we could have figured out a way to have a life together.
I shook my head. The plane was landing, and I needed to focus. We needed this meeting to go well. I felt like it was my responsibility to make this happen for Thomas and Declan. Hell, even Alex, Caleb, and Andrew. This was my area of expertise, but I also needed to prove to myself I could do it.
Alex and I stepped into the meeting, and it was everything we had hoped for. After hearing their pitch on the software, Alex agreed this was the best option and gave me the green light to seal the deal. I was able to negotiate marketing on our part to help promote their program, and in return, we got to use the software for a year, free of charge. Then a discounted rate applied after if we continued the contract, and they were allowed to use the Kingston Equestrian Team in their own marketing. All things I had anticipated and cleared with Thomas when I took on this project.
At least I had one less thing to worry about when I got home.
“Why don’t you come home with me and see if you and the guys can work things out?” Alex said when we returned to the airport.
I shook my head. “I can’t keep postponing the inevitable. It’ll just end up hurting us more.”
“Do you really want to go through with this arrangement?”
I shrugged and fought the tears burning behind my eyes. “No, but I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Alex pulled me into a hug, and I squeezed her tiny frame. “You do have a choice, Tori. It’s just whether you’re okay with what the outcome is.”
I squeezed her tighter. “Goodbye, Alex.”
“Goodbye, Tori. Don’t forget to keep in touch. Let me know if you need anything.” Alex took one last look at me, then turned and headed to the Kingston plane. I walked to the other end of the terminal where my jet was parked.
My heart ached as I watched Alex’s plane take off.
It didn’t matter how many hours I’d cried the night before. My eyes couldn’t hold back the tears. My heart felt like it was being torn apart with every mile that separated the twins and me. A sweet flight attendant was kind enough to bring me a cup of tea and a box of tissues once we had reached cruising altitude. Otherwise, they let me be, which I was extremely grateful for. I wanted to cry in peace. I had a feeling it would be the last chance I had to allow myself to think about the amazing times I’d had with the twins.
With my eyes closed, I pictured Andrew’s lighter side and how he knew just how to make me feel better. He helped me not take myself so seriously. During all our lessons, he found ways to make me laugh and showed me I had nothing to be embarrassed about. It gave me a confidence I never had.
And how Caleb needed to be in control in the bedroom. He thought this darker, controlling side of himself needed to be kept quiet, but his dominance turned me on even more. Even better was the way he took care of me afterward. He showed me I could completely let go. Our sex was intense, and I loved it.
My eyes were gritty, and I wanted nothing more than to take a ten-minute nap, but the constant worry of what Mother had planned for me made me too uneasy to sleep. The moment we taxied on the runway, I knew it had been a bad idea to ask her for help, but I had little choice.
The jet rolled to a stop, and the stairs were readied for me. I was immediately surrounded by paparazzi.
What fresh hell was this?
Leave it to my mother to have my arrival be filmed for the evening news. She’s always placed our title in high regard and took every chance of showing it off. I steeled my spine as I readied myself to leave the plane and plastered a brittle smile across my face. It was the best I could do, and I hoped they believed in manufactured happiness.
Lady Victoria. Lady Victoria. Are you excited to be home from your trip?
Can you confirm the rumors about you being engaged to the Donaldson group?
Are you excited to be home planning a wedding?
