Page 8 of Chasing I Do
Rhett studied him long and hard. “If you’re so sure that money won’t sway her, then how about you?”
“What?”
“Well, you’re the one who claims toknow her.” Owen threw up air quotes. “I forgot how close you two used to be before she and Kyle hooked up.”
Too close.“No way.”
“It’s actually not a bad idea. She’s always liked you, trusted you,” Clay added.
“Not anymore.”Not after today.“And even if she did, that doesn’t mean she’d change her policy. Especially for an Easton wedding.”
Jesus, Darcy was right. Saying it aloud made him realize what an impossible situation this was. Them expecting Darcy to agree would be like her asking Rhett to play at her wedding. Worse even, this wasn’t just her place of work, it was her home.
“She won’t change her mind,” he said, confident now in that fact, even if he wasn’t okay with it.
“She would change it for you,” Rhett said, so serious that apprehension twisted in Gage’s stomach. “And if she’s worried about the house, tell her I’ll bring in my best people.”
“What people?” Gage laughed, but it was more of a release of emotion. It had been one hell of a day and he was about at his breaking point. “You mean your roadies?”
“No, I mean I will have Steph call the company that catered for Oprah when she interviewed her. I will provide background checks on every employee who walks on that property. And I will give every media outlet exclusive pictures from the wedding when it’s over. It might even land her a cover.” Rhett sounded so serious that Gage began to believe that it might work. “And I will personally vouch for everyone invited, as long as Stephanie gets her dream wedding and Mom gets to see us walk down the aisle without a reminder of Kyle hanging over her head.”
“And will you personally apologize for what happened at the funeral?” Gage asked, ignoring the shocked looks on his brothers’ faces.
He’d worked hard to do the right thing, to avoid situations where he treated others unfairly. After seeing the absolute conviction in Darcy’s eyes when she said there was more to the story, Gage began to question everything he’d assumed to be just.
Including how his family had treated her after the wedding day.
“Are we all going to apologize? Because, let’s face it, there is no way she’d feel comfortable letting Mom on the property after the fall-out they had.”
And by fall-out, he meant his mom having Darcy arrested for trying to get her stuff out of Kyle’s apartment, then accusing her in the news for the death of her son.
“When did you become Debbie Downer?” Rhett asked.
Gage had no idea. He was the guy with the plan, the brother who could find an upside to any problem.
Years of negotiating multi-million dollar contracts for some of the biggest egos in sports and music had taught Gage that most life decisions were driven by emotional needs. People didn’t haggle over an extra half-percent—they were searching for validation. The key to closing a deal was pinpointing what that meant to each person, then delivering it in a way that both sides felt as if they’d been heard.
Darcy didn’t want money, and she didn’t give in to threats. All she wanted was an honest conversation. And his brothers were right, the only one who could give her that was him.
Chapter 3
The wedding was in full swing and already deemed a success.
So why couldn’t Darcy pull herself out of the tailspin that Gage had started? He’d always had the ability to get straight to the heart of the matter, and today was no exception. Only this time, her heart hadn’t seemed to matter to him.
Which was okay.
She herself had made a lot of decisions in recent years where his best interests weren’t a factor. Something she’d thought about non-stop since she told him to take his offer and his dog somewhere else.
Although, after a quick google search, she’d learned it wasn’t his dog, but it belonged to one of his clients. Stephanie Stone, to be exact. One of the most recognized names on the internet, a mover and shaker in the national media, and soon to be renamed Stephanie Easton.
Hosting her wedding would be huge for Darcy—and Belle Mont House. And even though passing on the opportunity had been a smart move, it had left an unsettled feeling that was too intense to ignore. Which was why Darcy needed some perspective.
Behind her, the sweeping music swelled as couples spun around the dancefloor in tuxedoes and elegant ball gowns, love and forever thick in the summer air. While above her, a million or so white lights twinkled, turning the rose garden and bubbling brook trail into a romantic paradise. But to Darcy, the most perfect part of the night was standing on the grass in front of the guest cottage, twirling under the stars.
Darcy stopped at the edge of the foot bridge that separated the main property from her cottage, her heart swelling with love as she watched her two-foot-tall ballerina lead a neighbor boy around the lawn. Dressed in pink feetie-pajamas with little puppies scattered down the front, a pair of Darcy’s pumps, and a veil someone left in the bridal suite decades ago, was the reminder she needed.
Darcy’s reason.
