At this second, the old pain melded with the present hurt floating around from Geoff and Ashley gripped the steering wheel tighter. It was now or never. Now or never. Now or never. Apparently repeating the phrase in her mind didn't give her any more courage to step out of the car.
She turned off the car and moved one foot in front of the other. When she was younger, she'd thought this home must be what it felt like to live in a castle. The mansion had impeccable landscaping that was hard to fully appreciate in the dark night. The cream colored siding and light gray roof gave the mansion a warm feel and even through the pouring rain, Ashley could hear the crashing waves coming from the ocean on the other side of the house.
But the beautiful facade was a lie. at least it had been for that one summer she'd lived there. A pretty exterior to hide all the turmoil inside.
She didn't have a chance to knock on the door before an older man opened it for her. She didn't recognize him, but that wasn't surprising. Walter had gone through staff faster than she'd ever imagined possible. He was never happy with his service and would berate the rotating stream of butlers and maids incessantly and they'd usually be gone within three weeks.
Maybe if he'd been nicer to them, they'd stick around long enough to actually get good at their jobs.
"Hello," she said as she waited to be invited inside. By now the rain had soaked her hair completely so she might as well have just stepped out of the shower fully dressed, but the man she assumed was the newest butler didn't appear to have any pity for her.
Finally he moved aside for her. Since it was three thirty in the morning, she doubted he'd been awake, but he had thrown on clothes at some point. Black slacks and a black sweater with a white collar poking up from underneath. His brown hair was just beginning to thin and Ashley was betting he was somewhere in his early forties.
"Mr. Farrell is being alerted to your presence," said the man. "You can wait in the sitting room." He held a hand out to lead her to the room to the right of the entrance. Hardly any lights were on, so it was hard to see how much of the house had changed, but the dramatic entryway was still impressive. The mansion was two stories tall, but the entry was open to both levels. There was a winding staircase that led upstairs with white rails and a wooden banister that matched the hardwood floors perfectly.
The butler led her into the sitting room which kept with the beachy white and wood theme with beautiful wooden bookshelves and a collection of white and cream colored lounge chairs.
Even though it was called the sitting room, Ashley knew her soaked body wasn't allowed anywhere near the upholstery.
"Mr. Farrell will be with you shortly," said the butler before he disappeared probably hoping the crazy woman would leave promptly so he could go back to bed.
Ashley let out a soft sigh of relief as she took a turn around the room. She hadn't spent much time in here that summer. It was a meaningless room. No television and no nice view. Simply a place to put guests when you didn't know what else to do with them.
Next to the bookshelf was a portrait of the Farrell family. It looked like Walter and his third wife. The one before Nadine. Nathan was still just a kid Robert was on the cusp of adulthood. Even then, in what was supposed to be the awkward teenage years, the boys looked good. They looked aristocratic. Like anyone who met them was supposed to assume they had money based off looks alone.
She never heard him. There were no audio or visual cues to let her know that Alex was standing in the doorway. Yet somehow Ashley knew. It was though some sixth sense was utterly attuned to him, letting her know he was near.
Ashley slowly pivoted around until she faced Alex. He stood in the doorway, his wide shoulders taking up almost all the space. The only exit.
"Ashley." His voice sounded rough and she wasn't sure if it was because she'd woken him up or if his voice had managed to age along with the rest of him. She'd seen current pictures, but seeing Alex in person was different. He'd been tall and lean that summer. A young twenty-two year old with everything going for him. Now at thirty-one, he looked like a man. Stronger. World-weary eyes. He'd also gotten dressed. At least Ashley didn't think he slept in jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe he'd passed out while fully dressed after a night of partying, but Alex had never been the partying type. That would allow him to have fun and Alex was morally opposed to fun.
Once again, the Alex that she used to know.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, still not moving as those skeptical dark cobalt eyes bore into her. Like if he looked long enough, he could learn everything he needed to know.
Now or never, she told herself once again. "I'm here because I have a proposal for you."
"What kind of proposal?"
And this was going to be the kicker that would either get her thrown out on her ass or be her salvation. "A marriage proposal."
~~End of Sneak Peek~~
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Check out all of Mallory Crowe's Books!
Billionaires In The City Series
Teaching The Boss
Teasing The Boss
Tempting The Boss
Devereaux Billionaires Series
Touching Jace
Trusting Michael
Testing Luke
Taming Rourke
Fractured Farrells; A Damaged Billionaire Series
Ruthless
Reckless
Remorseless
Restless
Relentless
Bad Boys of the Underworld (A Paranormal series)
Finding Fire
Daring Fire
Binding Fire
Ruling Fire
Stealing Fire
Remorseless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 3) Page 18