Undeniable

by Harlow, Melanie

  “I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “You know what the worst thing is?” The ceiling became blurry as tears filled my eyes. “I keep wondering if that stupid fake proposal is the only one I’ll ever get.”

  “It’s not, Chloe.”

  “Like, I’ve never even cared,” I said, wiping my eyes. “I’ve never been that girl obsessed about getting married. But I was standing there looking down at him on one knee, listening to him say these sweet words in front of an audience, and it really sucks that I don’t even know if he meant them.”

  “I bet he did, deep down. Think of all the things he said to you without an audience. He meant those, don’t you think?”

  “I have no clue.” I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to quit crying. “But whatever. I guess I’ll never have any clue.”

  “So there’s no way to salvage it?” she asked. “Even though you still have feelings for him?”

  “I don’t see how.” I took a deep, shuddering breath, and faced the truth by saying it out loud. “He wants that money more than he wants me, April. Otherwise, he’d have told the truth already.”

  She had no reply.

  “I’m sorry, sis. This is hard.” She sighed. “And we’re starting to get busy in here so I better go.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for listening.”

  We hung up, and I curled back into a ball on my side, wondering how I was going to get through the night.

  24

  Chloe

  NOW

  “I just don’t understand why he’s so late,” Aunt Nell complained. “He knows what time dinner is. Why didn’t he come back sooner?”

  We were in the library having cocktails and Oliver still hadn’t shown up yet. I’d have been worried about him sailing alone except that he’d texted me that he was running late because he had to run an errand.

  That was not sitting well with his mother.

  “Honestly, that boy has no sense of urgency about anything at all,” she went on, sitting down next to me on the couch. “I should have taught him better. He’ll probably be late to his own wedding.”

  I tried to smile, but it was difficult. I’d been sitting there sipping some scotch and staring at the ring on my hand, getting more and more despondent by the minute. Tomorrow it would be returned to Gran, and I’d go home alone.

  It was what I wanted. So why did it hurt so much?

  I was about to excuse myself from the room because I was afraid of bursting into tears again, when I heard Oliver’s voice behind me

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said loudly.

  I looked at him over my shoulder—he was dressed in the same clothing he’d been wearing all day, appearing suntanned and windblown and gorgeous.

  “Oliver, what on earth are you wearing?” his mother asked. “Go change for dinner, please. And good grief, run a comb through your hair.”

  “No.” He strode further into the room, all the way to the fireplace, and stood in front of it. All eyes were on him. “Sorry I’m late, Mom, and I know your rule about T-shirts at the dinner table, but what I have to say is more important than how I look saying it.”

  I blinked at him in surprise.

  “In fact, I owe all of you an apology,” he said. “I lied to you. And what’s worse is that I forced Chloe to lie too.” He met my eyes. “I’m sorry, Chloe.”

  Chills swept across my skin. My jaw dropped.

  “I don’t understand,” said Aunt Nell.

  “Let me explain.” Oliver took a breath. “I needed money to buy that land I told you about yesterday, and I was too proud to admit I didn’t have it on my own and ask for a loan.”

  “Why would you need a loan?” Hughie asked from behind me somewhere.

  Oliver grimaced. “That’s kind of another story. Suffice it to say, my bank account isn’t as big as it would be if I’d made better decisions in my twenties. So my plan was to ask Chloe to agree to a fake engagement so I could inherit the remainder of my trust fund from Gran.”

  “Oh my God.” Aunt Nell covered her mouth with her hand. “Oliver Ford Pemberton, you didn’t.”

  Oliver nodded, his mouth set in a line. “I did. But Chloe didn’t know about it. Before I could explain things to her, the situation got away from me. So she was totally in the dark when I asked her to marry me last night.”

  Aunt Nell looked at me. “Is this true?”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice and my knees trembling. The rest of me felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. Was this really happening?

  “But you said yes!” Aunt Nell exclaimed. “Why did you say yes?”

  “She said yes to cover for me,” Oliver answered, and I was glad he did. My throat was so tight.

  “So …” She grabbed my arm. “So you’re not really in love?”

  My mother, who was seated adjacent to me in a leather club chair, sat up straight and touched her heart.

  I looked at Oliver.

  “We are,” he said emphatically, his eyes locked on mine. “At least, I love her, and I hope that she can find it in her heart to forgive me and give me another chance. Not that I deserve it.”

  “No. You don’t.”

  Everyone looked at Gran, who’d uttered the words. She sat over to the right of the fireplace in a tall wingback chair, looking imperious and unhappy—but not shocked.

  “I’m sorry, Gran,” Oliver went on. “I knew better. My parents taught me better. Grandpa expected better.”

  His voice wavered, and my heart ached. I knew how he’d loved his grandfather.

  “Yes, he did,” Gran said. Then her voice softened. “But he wasn’t perfect, either.”

  Oliver shook his head and looked at me again. “Chloe said yes last night because she could see how humiliated I’d be if she’d said no. She had nothing to do with the lie.”

  “Oh, Oliver,” his mother said, bringing her hands to her cheeks.

  “I haven’t been honest with you,” Oliver said, looking around the room. “And I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But I want to make up for the wrongs I’ve done if I can, starting with one from the distant past.”

  My heart beat like crazy as he came toward me and knelt down at my feet. This time, he took my hand, and slid his grandmother’s ring off my finger. “It’s not that I don’t want you to have this,” he said. “I do. But I need to earn that privilege first, and it’s going to take a little more time.”

  He pocketed the ring and looked over his shoulder at his grandmother. “If it’s okay with you, Gran, I’ll hold onto it.”

  She nodded her consent.

  Oliver focused on me again. Reaching into his other pocket, he pulled out … a Tamagotchi.

  I’m not even kidding, he pulled out a fucking Tamagotchi.

  “Chloe, this is something I’ve owed you for a long time. It’s a symbol of one of the first times I let you down.”

  I started to cry. I couldn’t help it.

  “I know it doesn’t make up for the pain I’ve caused you, but I hope you’ll see it as a new beginning for us—a nod to our past and our future.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” I wept.

  “Say yes. Say you’ll give me another chance. I promise, in front of all these people”—he gestured around the room—“who will hold me to account, no more games. I want the real thing.”

  “Me too, Oliver. But I’m scared.” I felt heat in my face and knew it had to be beet red. “And this is really sweet with the Tamagotchi and all, but you’re totally putting me on the spot here.”

  “I’m sorry. But I wanted you to be here when I told my family the truth. I wanted you to hear me say publicly that I’m sorry for what I put you through, and even though you have every right to walk away from me, I hope you’ll stay.”

  I was so tempted to give in immediately and say yes, of course I’ll stay. After all, I was crazy about him and wanted him in my life. But he needed to know I would not be taken for granted or made to feel foolish again. “Could we m
aybe have a few minutes alone?” I asked quietly.

  “Absolutely,” said Aunt Nell, rising quickly to her feet. “Dinner is ready, everyone. Why don’t we go into the dining room and be seated? Chloe and Oliver, you can join us whenever you’re ready.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Oliver said, rising to his feet.

  "And if you screw this up, you’re grounded,” she whispered ferociously before rounding everyone up and herding them out of the library.

  Then we were alone.

  Oliver sat next to me on the couch and handed me the Tamagotchi. “Here. This is for you. And I’m sorry I ambushed you in front of everyone again.”

  I smiled tightly. “You like a show. I know this about you.”

  “You know me better than anyone.”

  Nodding slowly, I took a deep breath and looked at the Tamagotchi in my hands. “I want to believe everything you’re saying. And I want us to be together. I want to trust you. But this is hard for me.”

  “I know.”

  “It means a lot that you told your family the truth. That couldn’t have been easy.”

  “You know what?” Oliver thought for a moment. “It kind of was. Or maybe not easy, but once I’d made the decision, it felt good to get all that off my chest. Like unloading a lot of old baggage before starting a new journey.” He took my hands. “Come with me. I don’t know exactly where we go from here or if we can get the money for that land or not, but even if we can’t—I don’t care. You’re more important to me than any real estate or business deal or dollar amount.”

  Joy squeezed my heart. “I love hearing that.”

  “I realized today when I was out on the water that none of it would matter if I didn’t have you by my side. I wouldn’t even want that stupid farm.”

  I had to laugh. “You’re not supposed to lie to me, remember?”

  “I’m serious.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and tipped up my chin. “I love you, Chloe. It’s okay if you don’t believe me, or if you don’t love me back. I’m still going to love you.”

  I tilted my cheek against his palm. “You know I love you. I’ve always loved you—well, mostly. When you weren’t pranking me or calling me chicken or betting I wasn’t brave enough to jump off a roof.”

  “I take it all back.” He pressed his lips to mine. “You’re the bravest person I know. And I’m sorry you broke your leg.”

  “I’m sorry you broke your collarbone. But you were kind of an idiot to jump after you saw how badly I’d landed.”

  “Well, I couldn’t let you best me,” he said, looking and sounding like his eleven-year-old self again. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. And besides.” He grabbed me and pulled me across his lap, tipping his forehead to mine. “You jump, I jump. Always.”

  I smiled. “Always.”

  25

  Oliver

  NOW

  We walked out of the library and into the dining room hand in hand. Everyone was seated at the table already, and they must have been talking about us, because conversation came to a halt the moment we appeared.

  “Everything okay?” my mother asked nervously, setting down her fork. The food on her plate—on everyone’s plates—was untouched.

  “Everything is okay,” I said.

  She looked at Chloe for confirmation.

  “Everything is okay,” Chloe echoed.

  “Oh, thank goodness.” My mother leaned back in her seat, hand on her chest.

  I elbowed Chloe. “She never could resist me.”

  My mother rolled her eyes. “Good grief, Oliver. Behave yourself. You’re barely out of hot water with Chloe as it is.”

  “I’m used to him by now,” Chloe said. “Sorry to hold up dinner.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” my dad said. “Glad you kids have worked things out. And tomorrow, son, we’re going to have a talk about work ethic and strength of character. You’ve got some explaining to do.”

  “Uh, sure thing, Dad.” I pulled out Chloe’s chair for her and took my seat, trying to think of a way to avoid my father’s insufferable work ethic lecture. I’d heard it at least a million times growing up. Clearly I’d have to do better with my own kids. Or come up with one that was even more torturous.

  The thought actually made me smile. I could see myself being that dad one day.

  And I saw Chloe by my side. It was the first time being a husband and father hadn’t seemed like something I had to do because it was expected—it was something I wanted to do.

  “So what will you do about the land you planned to buy for the rye?” my brother asked. Of course.

  I tried not to let it bother me as I spread my napkin on my lap. “I’ll apply for a loan, I guess. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”

  “Just a minute.”

  Everyone looked at Gran.

  She rose to her feet at one end of the table. “It seems there’s still a business opportunity to be had here. And as I’m ninety, I feel like my time to invest in talented entrepreneurs might be running out.”

  I shook my head. “Thanks, Gran, but I’ve decided I want to do this on my own.”

  “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about Chloe.”

  My jaw dropped. Everyone’s jaw dropped.

  “What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.

  “I mean, I’m going to invest a million dollars in Chloe. What she chooses to do with it, and whom she chooses to share it with, is her business. But she impresses me. She’s got heart and smarts and moxie, and it doesn’t get better than that.”

  We all looked at Chloe. Her face was white as a sheet. I glanced back at Gran, and she winked at me.

  I smiled back, appreciating what she was doing for me.

  “What do you say, Chloe?” Gran asked. “Will you accept my offer to invest in your future?”

  Chloe met my eyes and I shrugged. “Your decision. No pressure here.”

  “This is insane!” she cried, laughing and wiping tears from her eyes. “A million dollars?”

  “A million dollars.” Gran’s eyes glittered. “And maybe a bottle of that fancy whiskey you’re going to make.”

  “Deal,” Chloe said, putting her hand on her chest. “Oh my God, my heart is racing so fast. I can’t believe this! Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome. I have the utmost faith in you.” She looked at me and smiled. “In both of you.”

  “Thank you, Gran,” I said, my throat tight. “That means a lot to us.”

  “Chloe is going to be a busy woman,” said her father.

  We all looked at Uncle John.

  “I am?” asked Chloe.

  “Yes.” He put his arm around his wife and looked at his daughter. “Your mother has finally convinced me to retire this fall, and the only person I trust to run Cloverleigh is you. You’ve been there longer than anyone and know the place inside and out. You work hard, you work smart. You’ve got the education, the experience, the work ethic, the gut instincts, and the passion it takes.”

  “But what about April?” Chloe asked.

  Her mother smiled. “April is happy doing what she does. She’s one hundred percent on board with you taking over as COO. Everyone is—Sylvia, April, Meg, Frannie, Mack, Henry … if you want the job, it’s yours.”

  I found myself getting choked up and grabbed Chloe’s hand.

  “This is all so surreal,” she said, blinking back tears. “I feel like everything is happening at once.”

  “Do you need some time to think things through?” her mom asked.

  “No!” Chloe burst out. “When have I ever taken time to think things through? I want the job—give it to me!”

  Everyone laughed and I kissed her cheek. “Congratulations. We will make this work, I promise. You’ll be busy, but you can do it.”

  “Thank you,” she said breathlessly, squeezing my hand.

  “Well, hear, hear!” my father said, raising his glass. “A toast to new beginnings!”

  My mother quickly poured wine for Chloe and
me. “A toast to a wonderful past.”

  “To love and family,” said Aunt Daphne with shining eyes.

  “To friends who are family,” said Uncle John.

  Chloe lifted her glass. “To second chances.”

  I leaned toward her. “I might need more than that.”

  “I might give them,” she teased.

  We locked eyes as we drank to our past, our present, and our future.

  * * *

  Later that night, we undressed and climbed into bed. I wrapped my arms around her beneath the covers. “I can’t believe I almost lost you again.”

  “Me neither.” She snuggled up tight, her head on my chest. “That was a close call.”

  “I’m going to try really hard to be the man you deserve, Chloe. I mean that.”

  “All I want is you.” She kissed my bare chest. “And you don’t have to be perfect. Just honest.”

  “I will be. For example, I’m honestly thinking that I’d really like to have sex with you right now.”

  Giggling, she shook her head. “No way. Your parents, my parents, your grandmother, your nephews—they’re all right down the hall. And this old bed squeaks.”

  “So let’s do it on the floor.”

  “The floors in this house creak more than the beds!”

  I sighed. “You’re really going to make me wait until we get home to be inside you again?”

  “Sorry. Yes.” She was silent for a moment. “So where will home be?”

  “Where do you want it to be?”

  She picked up her head and looked at me. “Honestly?”

  I flicked her earlobe. “Duh.”

  “Right at Cloverleigh.”

  “Then it will be home to me too.”

  Her smile lit up the dark. “You mean it?”

  “Sure. I’ll get a condo in Traverse, or buy a little house in Hadley Harbor. I’ve never lived small town life. Maybe it will suit me.”

  “I hope so.” She brushed her fingertips across my collarbone. “Or you could stay with me at Cloverleigh if you want. Even if it’s just temporary.”