My arms tightened around me. Derek had gone on to plan an entire life for us and hadn’t thought to consult me on it. “Derek and I have no plans to move any time soon.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I mean he loves it here, but our lives are in Tucson.” Technically, that was a fat lie. Derek had already admitted I was the only thing keeping him in Tucson.
“Of course. I’m sorry. I suppose we just assumed that after all the time and effort Derek put into this house... I can see your point of view, though.”
Derek had bought this house over two years ago. He’d been renovating it since then. Up until he met me, he’d been planning to live here. I rubbed my temple. How could I take Derek away from all this? How could I leave my home to come stay here?
“There you are.” Anabelle rushed in, out of breath. “I’ve been looking for you all over.”
“I’m afraid that’s my fault. I kept her here.” Liam stepped in to kiss Anabelle gently on the cheek.
“You’re in trouble too. Why are you not dressed?”
“Did I miss something?” My gaze darted from Liam to Anabelle.
“Valentina, the photographer is already here. Everyone’s waiting on the two of you.”
Liam gave me a conspiratorial shrug. “In my defense, I was hiding here first.”
“I’m so sorry. I completely forgot.”
When I agreed to do engagement photos for the newspaper, Derek and I had been on the same page when it came to our relationship. But after our conversation last night, I wasn’t sure getting married was such a good idea. Posing for fake engagement pictures was the last thing I wanted to do today.
“Never mind. Let’s go. I’ll help you get dressed.” Anabelle gripped my elbow and escorted me out.
“I’m right behind you.” Liam called, but when I turned around to wave goodbye, he had already gone.
“Anabelle, I really don’t think I can go through with this today. Could we postpone?” Indefinitely.
“No. Derek is taken, and you need to make sure everyone knows it. You can figure out the logistics later.” She stopped at the bottom of the stone steps that led to the back patio. “I know you’re having doubts, but that’s normal. Getting married is a huge change.”
I nodded in agreement, but she took it as me conceding to whatever she had planned for the day. She flashed me a warm smile and pulled me up the stairs.
“There you are.” Derek met us in the foyer. The tentative glance he gave me said he also thought these photos were unnecessary at this point. “Mom laid out a dress for you. Would you mind wearing it?” He reached out, and my arm tingled in anticipation. When he stopped himself halfway, a cold shiver washed over me.
“I’ll wear the dress.” I clomped upstairs to our bedroom while he stayed there, staring at my back.
“Poor guy. He really wants to see you happy. Men can be so clueless sometimes.” Anabelle picked up a white dress off the bed. “Oh, this is beautiful. Let’s do your hair and makeup first.” She bolted toward the door and opened it to let two women in. Of course, Anabelle had thought of everything.
I sat in the vanity chair and let the two women do whatever they wanted with my hair and face. None of this mattered until Derek and I talked about what our future would look like. A real future, not the one he offered just to get me to say yes. Until I figured out what it was I wanted and how much I was willing to concede to what he wanted, there was no point in having that conversation.
“You’re so beautiful.” Anabelle met my gaze in the mirror, smoothing a curl away from my face. “Okay. Dress time.” She shoved me out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom.
The dress Derek’s mom had laid out for me was elegant and sophisticated in a soft fabric that felt like butter in my hands. If only it’d been a size bigger on top, I would’ve been able to wear it.
“This is not going work.” I took the bustier of the dress and pressed it against my chest. “This number was meant for someone with less boobs.”
Anabelle offered a nervous smile. I’d bet this dress would fit her perfectly. I slow-blinked and sauntered to the walk-in closet. Thanks to Em and my friend Annie, I had plenty of dresses to wear to the photoshoot. I picked a silky, long dress with spaghetti straps. The silver fabric had a slimming effect on my chest. Maybe. Argh. Who cared what Lilly thought?
“I’m sorry, Valentina.”
“Sorry for what?” I was beginning to lose patience with Derek’s mom. “Sorry that I’m too busty to fit Lilly’s dress? Or sorry that I’m not what Derek needs.”
“If you only give her a chance, you’ll see how lovely she is.”
“I’ve been here for two full days. If she wanted to show me her lovely side, she would’ve done it already.”
“Well.” Her gaze fell to my dress. “I can tell you Derek will come in his pants when he sees you in this.”
I barked out a laugh at Anabelle’s crude words. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“It’s the truth. Lilly can’t tell Derek what to do or who to fall in love with. Trust me—if she had that kind of power over her sons…” She waved her hand in dismissal. “Talk to her. I was thinking maybe if you ask her to move here indefinitely, she might see it as a peace offering.”
“What do you mean? Ask Lilly to come and live in Derek’s house?”
“Yeah. Would you mind that? It would mean a great deal if she heard it from you.”
Mind? I couldn’t think of a single reason why I would care if Lilly lived in Derek’s house. In twenty-seven days, we were leaving and hell if I was planning to come back. I glanced down at my dress. We? Were we leaving? Or would it be just me going home at the end of this trip?
“Not at all. Everything in this house is here because she put it there. She deserves to enjoy this place.”
Anabelle flashed me a smile. “Tell her that. She’ll at least see that you’re not here to replace her.”
Replace her? Jesus Christ. Out of fear or sheer stupidity, Derek had made a real mess of things between his mom and me. That aside, I wasn’t ready to give up on him.
“This house isn’t mine. I can’t tell Lilly to move in without Derek’s consent.”
She glanced down at her hands. “Zack told me Derek was planning to give the house to his mom. He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “He just doesn’t trust me.”
“Come on. Let’s go. The photographer has been waiting a long while.”
I followed Anabelle to the drawing room, where the photographer and her assistant had set up her lighting and rearranged the furniture. Derek stood by the window, drink in hand, while his mom placed an arrangement of flowers on the mantel. For her, this was more than an engagement photo. She wanted the work she’d done with this house showcased on the front page of the social section. Derek, as usual, looked as if he’d stepped out of a magazine spread.
The second he spotted me by the door, he made a beeline toward me. “You look beautiful. What happened to the dress Mom got for you?”
“It was too small,” I blurted out, then bit my tongue before I mentioned the fact that Lilly had bought it with Anabelle in mind.
“I’m sure it was an oversight.” He cupped my elbow, and my entire body melted into him. “God, I missed you.” His fingers grazed up my arm.
I’d missed him too. I wasn’t ready to give up on Derek. If I had to spend another night away from him, I would scream and possibly beg him not to leave me. We belonged together.
“Could I have the lovely couple over here, please?” The photographer gestured for us to join her.
Derek looked like he was born to be in front of the camera, perfectly comfortable in his three-piece suit. The dark fabric made his blue eyes stand out in this lighting.
“Don’t fidget, dear.” Lilly gripped my shoulders and moved my hip a few inches behind Derek’s side. “Maybe less backside,” she said to the photographer, who’d been snapping pictures that whole time, c
hecking the frame on her camera after each shot.
“They look perfect.”
“What’s wrong with my backside?” I whispered to Derek.
A wrinkle touched his eye as he slanted a glance behind me. His hand slid down to my lower back, leaving a hot tingling trail on my skin. “Nothing. I think it’s perfect. I love your curves,” he whispered against my temple.
His blue gaze fell down to my lips and then my cleavage, and my face flushed. My mind flooded with fleeting images of the last time we were together: his full mouth sucking on my nipple in that way that just made me lose all sense of time and space. I gripped his suit blazer, and he held me tighter. This intense need was the reason why I stayed away from him all morning. I needed to think about what our future together looked like. Having him intrude on my every thought made it impossible to think rationally.
“Will you be able to run the announcement next week?” Anabelle asked the photographer.
“Absolutely, but I have to leave here with all the information.”
“Of course. These pictures look so amazing, you guys.” Anabelle stared at the small screen where our proofs had already been uploaded. “Come look.” She waved me over. Behind me, Derek let out a quiet moan, his fingers in a viselike around my wrist, his other hand firmly over mine.
“Can we talk?” He rubbed his thumb along my palm.
“You can talk later.” Lilly pressed her hand to his chest. “Right now, you need to select a photo. We’ve already made the photographer wait long enough.”
“Valentina can decide.”
“Maybe later?” I asked. Derek nodded, squeezed my fingers for a beat.
“Of course, dear.” Lilly kissed him lightly on the cheek and watched him go. She furrowed her brows, shaking her head. She wasn’t wrong if she blamed me for Derek’s dark mood.
From the other end of the room, Anabelle made eyes at me, mouthing talk to her. I glanced upward, looking for the right thing to say. “He loves having you here.”
“I’m sorry?” Lilly turned to face me. Derek definitely got his intimidating-as-hell glare from his mom.
“What I meant is that he would love it if you moved in.”
Her small laugh and shrug to dismiss my words as unimportant didn’t match the look on her face. For the first time since we met, she regarded me with kindness in her eyes. “Who wants their mother-in-law to come live with them?”
No one did, but I had no intention of living here either. “Well, Derek and I were not planning to be here full time. It makes sense for you to stay here and run the house in our absence.”
The minute the words spilled from my lips, I knew that was the right answer. Not just for Lilly, but for Derek, Max, and me too. Someone with a private plane and a freaking helicopter had no reason to be tied down to one city.
Anabelle practically squealed before she clasped me in a bear hug, Zack style. “I know you can’t tell, but Lilly is bursting with glee right about now.”
“Ana.” Lilly said in a curt tone. She turned to me, sliding her reading glasses over her head. “It’s very kind of you, Valentina. But I can’t accept.”
“Why not? It makes sense. It would make Derek happy.” I cleared my throat. “It would make me happy.”
“All right.” Lilly beamed at me. “I wish I deserved your kindness. What can I do?” The sincerity in her eyes disarmed me. All Lilly wanted was to be in Derek’s life, a part of this legacy he’d worked so hard for, his family home.
“Can we start over?”
“Please.” She nodded and hugged me that way I’d seen her do with Derek. “Enough about me. You and Derek really do need to talk.”
I glanced over at Anabelle. Did everyone know Derek and I had been fighting?
“We all kind of knew,” she said, guessing my thoughts. “Go. Grab him before he leaves or finds a new way to mess things up.” She shoved me out the door.
12
How’s Valentina Liking Hotlanta?
Derek
I donned my suit jacket and sat on the edge of the bed to tie my shoes. A few hours in the office might get my mind off Valentina. I’d hoped that after the photoshoot Valentina would be in the mood to try and talk things over. Maybe later, she’d said. Later when? I couldn’t spend another night without her. Last night, Zack had talked me into giving her some space.
I’d listened to him and let her be because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing again and push her into a decision she wasn’t ready to make. It’d taken half a bottle of bourbon to get me to pass out downstairs, even though all I wanted to do was to climb into bed with her and kiss her.
Valentina hadn’t left the house this morning, which meant she wanted to work things out. I missed her. I hated having to sleep alone in the same house. The thought that this situation could become permanent, that I’d have to spend the rest of my life without her, stifled me.
My phone rang on my way out of the bedroom. I answered without looking, another work problem I’d have to add to my never-ending pile. “Yeah.”
“Derek, Dom here.”
Hearing my lawyer and best friend’s voice stopped the pity party going on in my head. At least, he’d managed to find a life that made him happy. “Hey, man.” I glanced at my screen. “You’re in the office? I thought these days you only came in on Mondays.”
“Fuck you. It’s called work-slash-home balance.”
“What’s going on?”
“Work stuff, I’m afraid. Well, for me. Not you.” He paused, probably to see if I’d tell him to go to hell with more problems. At this point, one more thing didn’t matter. “Bridget’s lawyer called.”
“What the fuck? Does she not realize she’s not in jail because I chose not to send her there? What does she want now?”
“The short of it—she’s back at it. She left rehab, and now she needs serious money. You must be the only cash cow she knows.”
At the beginning of the summer, Bridget dangled divorce papers that asked for everything I owned. I wanted her out of my life so badly I almost accepted. Thanks to Dom, I fought back and figured out Bridget had been embezzling from my company for years. In exchange for a divorce and a peaceful life with Valentina, I agreed not to sue her. Big mistake. I should have known her addiction would not let up so easily. No doubt she was in bed with a loan shark again. Like before, it was pay up or die.
“How much?” I asked.
“I didn’t ask because you’re not giving her any more money. She walked away with five million not even a month ago. I’m sure she’s not strapped for cash.” He cleared his throat. “I called because she didn’t take to my bedside manner very kindly. We had words. And she more or less threatened Valentina’s life. I thought you should know. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was on her way to you right now. You know she doesn’t like to leave things for later.”
“Fuck.” I rubbed my forehead.
“My sentiments exactly. Just take care of yourself. Make sure the guards are aware of the situation, and you should be fine. I already notified the authorities. I should have a restraining order for you in a few days.”
“Thanks. What a nightmare. We were supposed to be on vacation.”
“Speaking of vacation, how’s Valentina liking Hotlanta?” He chuckled on the other end of the line.
These days Dom didn’t have time for regrets or ill will. He was determined to live life to the fullest with the love of his life. I should be doing the same. I strolled through the foyer toward the kitchen. The house was empty. On a beautiful day like today, I bet everyone was out back enjoying themselves.
“She’s liking it okay.”
“Wow, that bad, huh?”
“Thanks for the call, man.”
“You bet. I’ll keep you posted if anything else comes up. Be careful. Bridget’s not right. Smart and not right are a bad combination.”
“I know. See ya.” I ended the call and stood in the kitchen where the sunlight hit the breakfast nook. Why the hell was I
going into the office instead of staying home?
Valentina had had enough time to make up her mind. I wanted her back. Maybe she’d gone out to the gardens after the photoshoot ended. I’d hope to have this conversation in a more private setting. I didn’t want Mom or my brothers to know she didn’t want to be here.
I made it as far as the foyer, where Mom stood under the sparkling chandelier ready to murder Bridget. “What the hell?”
“She wouldn’t let me see you.” Bridget said by way of explanation.
“That’s because there’s a restraining order against you. You can’t be here.” I glanced at Mom, and she nodded. She knew I was bluffing but played along anyway.
“Why won’t they let me see you?” She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head once.
Seriously? Dom had said she wasn’t right, but now she was borderline delusional.
“You’re here. What do you want?” I placed my arm around Mom’s shoulder.
Bridget stalked toward me, a longing look in her eyes. As if she loved me. Anyone outside looking in would think that for sure.
“We need to talk.”
“My lawyer tells me he already said everything I needed to say to you. Just leave. I’m out of patience, Bridget.” I sauntered to the door and swung it open. My heart thrashed in my ears. Having Bridget here with that demented look in her eyes put me on edge. Thank God Valentina wasn’t here for this.
“This is because of you, isn’t it? You always hated me. You couldn’t stand that Derek listened to me and not you.” She hovered over Mom. “Answer me.”
As tall as she was, Bridget could be intimidating. Next to Mom, she looked like a giant.
“You’ve lost your mind,” Mom said.
I gripped Bridget’s arms and pulled her toward the door. She spun and threw her arms around my neck. “I know you still have feelings for me.”
“I think we both know I never did. We never had any feelings for each other. Ours was a business transaction. Nothing more. That transaction is over, Bridget.”
Unravel You: A Hot Billionaire Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 1) Page 11