Page 21 of Forbidden Earl

She turned toward him, but her lips were still pursed, which was always her way of not saying he was right. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

Oh.She never let him get away with anything. Now his cheeks felt hot. He lowered his head and put his hands in his back pockets. “I didn’t think you’d care and Blackwell was embarrassed. The selfie was a bad idea on my part and I’m sorry.”

She let out a sigh but nodded. “Fine, I’ll marry you still, but I’m not happy.”

Remington relaxed as he realized that he’d convinced her to give them a real chance. He smiled and offered his hand. “Let’s go see Grannie and make sure Lucinda and Chelsea are really gone.” He didn’t trust them, not like Cassidy.

She stared at his outstretched palm but stayed back and crossed her arms. “I meant it. No more kissing for fun.”

He kept his hand out, insistent. “I’ll make you a deal. No more kissing until after the wedding, unless you want me to.”

Cautious, she slowly accepted his deal and curled her fingers around his. “I’ll take what I can get—but I won’t ask, Remy.”

They walked down the stairs in silence, as a team. He had to find a way to get her alone and keep her there until they worked out a rhythm of daily life. What held him back from mentioning a honeymoon was his Grannie’s health, but the spark Cassidy’s kiss sent through him needed to be explored.

On the bottom step, Cassidy stopped and looked around the expansive hall and foyer. “I think they’re gone. I don’t hear anything…”

“Let’s go.” He motioned with his head toward Grannie’s room.

Cassidy stayed in step beside him. “I thought for a few minutes you’d want her back—she’s very beautiful.”

There was no contest between Lucinda and Cassidy. He stopped them and stared down at her. “Never.”

She swallowed but her face began to get its color back.

Remington knocked on the door and then opened it before peering inside. “Grannie, we’re back.”

His grandmother sat up, pillows supporting her back, a bowl of soup to finish on a tray before her. “What kept you? Who was at the door?”

“No one important. Let’s eat.” He motioned that he and Cassidy would take their seats. The servants removed the silver cloches warming their roast beef and set the steaming dishes before them.

As he picked up his fork, he glanced across from him. Cassidy being here was right. After the wedding, he’d show her the pleasure she’d denied them both for the next two days.

Chapter 9

The birds sang as Cassidy walked toward her new car, the sun shining down on her head in the early morning. The new car drove like a dream, though part of her felt guilty for not fixing up Reynoldo. Her old car didn’t fit in here. Remy’s home was so different than hers. Here everything was green and cared for. The house and all the machines were in top shape. She slipped behind the wheel and smelled the new leather that had no trace of coffee spills embedded in its interior.

Despite going back “home” her shoulders weren’t weighed down. As she passed through the polished gates of Bei Giardini Manor, she actually felt peaceful. The short drive through town was peaceful—she took note of the fresh paint on the buildings, the cut grass on the side streets, the smooth sidewalks, but the moment she reached her ancestral home, she noticed how dull the black gates were in comparison to Remington’s.

She’d never had the cash to make anything shine. Cassidy waved at the workers who mowed the lawn bi-weekly and parked the Mercedes in the circular drive.

While the structure was similar to Remy’s, her old home needed work. The stairwell had sagged, and the marble had cracks that needed mending.

The butler opened the door for her with a welcome smile and directed her to the dining room where she immediately saw the one person she wanted to speak with. Cassidy leaned against the door. “Morning, Mother.”

With one sideways glance in her direction, Cassidy stood straighter like she was caught slouching again. Her mother, the still beautiful and once famous Francesca Bright, waved her in with a welcome smile. “It’s good to see you, my dear. You’re up early. Your haircut looks nice.”

Right. She reached behind her to smooth the hair that no longer pressed against her spine, and fluffed it anyhow. “It’s a work in progress. I have another appointment today at noon, but for now, I have to go shopping.”

A huge smile grew on Francesca’s face, the same smile that used to grace covers of magazines. “Is that an invitation for me to join you?”

She glanced at her mother’s almost empty bowl of granola, banana and yogurt, her usual breakfast, and nodded, though that hadn’t been her original intent. “Sure. But it’s not for my wedding dress. I’m supposed to go to the Duke of Oakley’s small wedding tonight and I don’t have anything to wear. I only really have work clothes.”

Her mother dabbed a napkin at her lips and stood. “I’m disappointed. Wedding gown shopping would be fun.”

Shopping with Francesca was never easy as her mother could be super critical when it came to clothes, but Cassidy had chosen a dress she felt suited her. She hoped her cheeks didn’t blush although she felt them heat as she looked toward her leather flats. “The princesses had extra dresses at the castle and I found one I loved.”

Her mother walked with her through the old house that really needed an interior paint job. Oh, and the wall paper was peeling. Her mother grabbed her pocketbook. “It’s good not to bankrupt your about-to-be husband, I suppose.”

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