Page 32 of Stick to the Deal
Bree keeps her glare on me as she dryly answers her husband. “Shocking news. Anna’s engaged and Nic’s married.”
He tenses, resembling one of the marble statues I used to sketch at the Louvre—all the way down to the killer abs. His eyes dart around the room, confirming his family is safe and trying to process his wife’s words. The confusion is too delightful to resist.
“I see you haven’t developed a dad bod yet, Irish.”
Green eyes widen before dropping down. His hand flexes on the edge of the towel, holding it more securely. “I need pants for this.” He retreats back down the hall, still muttering, “and a coffee—with some whiskey in it.”
“Aren’t you the kettle calling the pot black? Giving me grief over getting engaged to a man I’ve known twenty years when you up and married a man you’ve known five minutes.”
“More like seven weeks,” I correct. Anna glares at me. “My situation is completely different.”
“Oh, because you’re a socialite and I’m a country bumpkin?”
Ouch.
The money has always been this weight around my neck. Sure, it opened doors, and I never worried about paying my bills, but it also made it hard to trust people. I always thought Anna and Bree were different, that they saw me and not my bank balance. Sure, they teased me about my pretentious name and galas, but at the end of the day I thought we were friends. Maybe it was about the money.
“No, Annabel, because we both went through extensive background checks and a matchmaker.” I swallow back a lump in my throat and the heat in Anna’s eyes simmers a bit. “I’m happy you and David worked it out. Truly, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just don’t rush the fun part.”
Bree snorts. “Says the woman who’s been married—what?—a week?”
“We were going to be married in a couple months, anyway. Neither of us wanted to go through the big society event.”
“Oh, I bet your grandmother loved that.” Bree’s words send a pang through my chest. I still haven’t spoken to her since I left England almost a month ago.”
“I’m sorry, Nic.” Anna sighs. “Maybe I’m sad we weren’t there for your big day, and another part of me is sad you don’t get a love story like us.”
“A platonic partnership was always the plan, Anna, and that’s ok. I don’t want some epic love story like those books. What Reginald and I have is a partnership built on mutual needs and goals. In families like ours, that is what you need to survive.”
“Sounds so cold when you say it like that.”
“Marriage has been business a lot longer than it’s been emotion. I may not be madly in love with him, but I enjoy our time together,” both in and out of the bedroom. “Seriously, these matchmakers know what they are doing.”
“Well, ok then. Where is this ideal husband of yours tonight? When do we meet him?” Bree shifts Nora to her shoulder for a burping.
“He’s in New York for work and looking for an apartment for us.”
Anna’s brows pinch in confusion. “I thought you already had a place in the city?”
I force a smile as I answer. “Technically, my grandmother owns it. Figured we should buy our own home.”
We’ve shared everything since we met in college, but we’ve all had secrets buried from before. My family has always been a topic I’ve avoided with the girls. When I escaped to college, I threw my all into living as normal a life as possible. When you’re running on borrowed time, you make every second count. My friends didn’t even know about the trust fund until long after we’d met.
“Where does a future earl buy property in New York, anyway?”
The front door opening saves me from having to reply. “Who’s that?” I ask.
Colin appears, now fully dressed. “I called in reinforcements. Sounded like we needed to celebrate.”
A giant bearded man enters the room, his biceps bulge as he carries five boxes of pizza and six-pack of beer. He stops in the living room doorway, eyes darting around the women staring at him. “What? You said not to ring the doorbell.” He lowers the bundles to the coffee table, then sits on the floor at Anna’s feet, leaning back against her as they smile at each other.
Scooping his daughter up to his chest, Colin rocks the baby as he stands by his wife. Bree grins up at them as her dog crawls into her lap.
My friends are so happy and settled in their lives here.
I’ve never felt more like a fifth wheel in my life. My heart aches as I watch them all together. “I’ll go grab some plates and napkins.” Without waiting for a reply, I dart into the kitchen to settle myself.
A vibration in my pocket breaks my self-pity.
