Page 58 of Now or Never

“I’d like you to meet Chelsea Davenport,” he said, stepping aside and gesturing toward her. “We went to the premiere ofLoop. Chelsea, this is my Uncle David.”

Uncle David turned to her, giving her all of his attention. The shock from seeing Adam slowly receded from his handsome face, and he smiled, staring into her eyes.

“Chelsea,” he said, taking her hand between both of his and squeezing gently. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

The charm oozing from the man had her stunned. “Hi,” she said, unable to break eye contact. She was entranced. Is this what Adam would look like when he was older?

Ifhe was older.

A sadness washed over her, and she glanced away.

Uncle David let go of her hand, but his fingers stopped, and he looked down at her macaroni bracelet. “Ahh,” he said. “Adam’s been doing arts and crafts again, I see.”

Chelsea looked down as Uncle David slid her bracelet up her wrist. She laughed and smiled back up at him. “He tried his best. Measuring is hard.”

Adam slid a look over at Chelsea as his uncle laughed. “I knew you two would get along,” he said.

Chelsea smiled back at David. “My son made this for me.”

David’s jaw dropped. He cast a quick glance at Adam. “You have a son?”

Chelsea nodded. “His name’s Ben. He’s going to be five in a few weeks.”

“I see,” David said, locking eyes with Adam and raising his brows a bit as if asking a question.

“We’re just—”

“Sorry,” a glamorous woman in a silver jumpsuit drowned Adam’s voice out. “Forgive me for interrupting,” she said, only looking at David. “Imustintroduce you to someone, David. This is Jasper Fenton.”

From behind the woman came Jasper, wearing a suit just as impeccable as Adam’s and the rest of the men in attendance.

“Jasper,” David said politely, shaking his hand. “A pleasure.”

“Likewise,” Jasper said. He took a breath to continue but glanced to the side and caught Chelsea’s eye, then Adam’s, and his jaw hit the floor. “Chelsea?”

David beamed. “You two know each other?”

Jasper nodded in silence, then looked over at Adam with his mouth gaping open like a dead fish. “You . . . How . . . ?”

An awkward silence stretched on for an eternity.

“Do you also know my nephew, Adam?”

Jasper’s eyes went wide. You could see the blood drain from his face as he realized he’d been calling one of the richest men in Canada a hillbilly and treating him like crap.

“We’ve met,” Adam said in an icy voice.

Chelsea’s eyes darted to Adam. She’d never heard that tone come from him before. David clearly picked up on it, too, because he stood a little taller. His face went a little more serious, and he took a step toward his nephew.

If Jasper were anyone else, Chelsea would have felt bad for him. There was a lot of hostility coming from Adam and his uncle. But she didn’t feel bad. She felt as if the universe, which had been tipped entirely in his favour, was righting itself.

“Maybe you should excuse us,” David said.

Jasper didn’t utter another word. Just turned and walked off.

David turned to Adam. “Why don’t you like him?”

“He’s a selfish little rat,” Adam said. “Don’t trust him.”

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