“Let’s just hope he keeps his eyes behind that lens and his hands on the camera.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to track down?”
He motioned with two fingers from his eyes to hers, silently letting her know he was watching her, and then he went in search of Aubrey and Landon, who he hoped were not together. He found Landon and their father talking in hushed voices exactly where Paige had said she’d seen them. The hair on the back of Knox’s neck prickled. They were both standing pin straight, a habit they shared when trying to gain the upper hand. He hoped to hell they weren’t having an argument.
“Landon, Dad,” he said as he approached.
Both men said “Knox” at the same time.
Landon looked from Knox to his father, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Well, it looks like now we know which one of us is more like our father.”
Knox glanced at their father. It took a moment for him to realize Landon was referencing their clothing. Landon wore a white tuxedo jacket, black slacks, and a black bow tie, while Knox and his father had gone for classic black jacket with satin lapels, black slacks, and matching bow ties.
“We just don’t have as much style as you do,” Knox said. “Bold move, the white jacket.”
“This is classic Gatsby.” Landon swiped a hand down the front of his jacket.
“Funny,” their father said with a small smile. “I always thought Knox was the louder of you two, but perhaps I’ve had you boys wrong all this time. If you’ll excuse me, the party is starting shortly. I need to find your mother.”
Music filtered out of the side doors to the ballroom, and Knox noticed more people gathering around the tables and dance floor. He brought his attention back to his brother, who was watching their father walk away, and said, “You look sharp, Landon.”
“Thanks. You too,” Landon said, looking past Knox at the empty hall.
Knox stepped into his line of sight. “Want to tell me why you’ve been avoiding my calls?”
“I don’t need another one of your armchair-therapist diatribes, okay?” Landon started down the hall.
Knox grabbed his arm, stopping him. “How about an easy conversation, brother to brother?”
“We don’t seem capable of those,” Landon said solemnly.
“We’re more than capable. You’ve been dodging more than my calls lately, haven’t you?”
Landon’s jaw clenched. “Leave it alone, Knox.”
“No. I won’t this time. I love you too damn much to watch you go down this road. You’re making shitty business decisions because you’re still in love with Carlos.”
Landon stepped closer, nostrils flaring. “You have no idea what decisions I’m making.”
“Bullshit. You want to turn Aubrey’s movie away because you’re too stubborn and your ego is too fucking big to face the man you love and hear him out. It’s easier to shut yourself off from the world. To pretend the inn doesn’t need the exposure, when you know damn well it does.” Landon’s hands curled into fists, and he knew he’d struck the right nerve this time. “What else are you going to screw up, Landon? How much do you have to lose to see what’s right in front of you?”
“You don’t give a fuck about me, brother.” Landon’s tone was ice-cold steel. “You think you can change my mind about using the inn? Well, guess what. I made no bones about my decision. You’ve known I wouldn’t allow it since you showed up with Aubrey two weeks ago, and just because you’re sleeping with her will not change my mind.”
A sharp gasp and a loud crash caused them both to spin around. Knox’s gut sank at the sight of Aubrey, frozen in the middle of the hallway, shards of china and food at her feet. She turned and rushed away.
“Goddamn it, Landon.”
“I’m sorry,” his brother pleaded. “I never meant for—”
Knox got right in his face, speaking through gritted teeth. “None of this was about the inn, you idiot.”
“Landon?”
Knox swallowed hard, recognizing Carlos Ruiz’s accent.
“Carlos…?” Landon said to the handsome dark-haired man standing at the side entrance to the ballroom wearing his heart on the sleeve of his royal-blue tuxedo.
“I’ve been trying to open your eyes to the huge-ass personal mistake you’re making,” Knox said as quickly and evenly as he could, when he really wanted to haul ass down that hall after Aubrey. “But you’ve been so damn wrapped up in protecting your delicate ego, so intent on sharing your misery, you went right for the throat, hurting the only woman I’ve ever cared about. You want to keep fucking yourself up, go right ahead. I already planned on telling Aubrey the inn wasn’t an option.”
Chapter Eighteen
AUBREY FLEW INTO her suite in a fit of rage, eyes stinging, heart racing, as Landon’s words blazed in her mind. You’ve known I wouldn’t allow it since you showed up with Aubrey two weeks ago, and just because you’re sleeping with her will not change my mind. Knox had known the entire time that she couldn’t use the inn. If that hadn’t crushed her, then Landon’s accusation would have.
The door to the suite opened and Knox barreled in. “Aubrey—”
“Don’t even come near me,” she seethed.
He stepped closer. “Let me explain. Please, baby.”
She held up her hands, shaking her head. “You knew this whole time he wouldn’t let me use the inn. You lied to me! You cost me two weeks when I could have been looking at other inns!”
“I never lied,” he said anxiously. “I told you it would take finesse and that was true. There’s a lot more to all of this than you know.”
She crossed her arms, so angry and hurt she could barely breathe. “I know that never in my entire professional career have I used my body to gain a single thing, and in two weeks’ time you managed to make it look as if I were trying to do just that. To use sleeping with you to get the inn.”
“Goddamn it, Aubrey.” His voice escalated. “You know I’d never do anything like that on purpose.”
“I’m mortified! And what’s worse is that I trusted you, Knox. I trusted you with my business, and more importantly, with my heart.”
“Baby, please…”
He took another step closer, and she turned her back to him, needing the distance because she hurt so much she couldn’t stand it.
“Aubrey, Landon said what he did because I pushed him to the limit, not because he thought it was true. When he realized you heard him, he apologized. I could see the shame in his eyes for saying it.”
“He should be ashamed.” She turned around, breathing hard, and said, “But you’re good at pushing until you get what you want, aren’t you? I told you I didn’t want drama in my life and you’re fighting with your family? Lying to me?”
“Not lying.”
She glowered.
“Please just let me explain. It’s true that Landon told me he wouldn’t let you use the inn, but I really thought I could change his mind, and not just because I’m pushy. Aubrey, Landon had a relationship with Carlos Ruiz. All that media hype you heard about was because the press got wind of their relationship.”
“Nice try, but Carlos isn’t gay. Please don’t try to make this okay by telling more lies.”
“I’d never do that! Just let me finish. Hear me out.” He told her everything—how Landon had broken down in his office, about the pictures and Carlos paying off the media, and how he’d known Landon was still in love with Carlos.
“Great.” She threw her hands up in the air and leaned back against the wall. “Your brother’s life was falling apart and you pushed him to the edge. No wonder he was so upset.”
“I wanted to help him, and yes, I wanted to get this inn for your movie. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I never pull favors from my family, but don’t you see? For you I’d risk everything. I want to give you the world, and you can hate me for the way I tried to show that, but at least hear what I’m telling you. Know that I never outright lied to you.
I fully believed with all my heart that Landon would come around. And this week? When I went to California? I went to talk to Carlos.”
Her brows knitted, and she shook her head. “Did Landon know?”
“No. I was so torn, wanting the inn for you but not wanting to screw him over. He loves Carlos. That much was clear. And when I realized he’d been ignoring all those calls at dinner, I put two and two together and knew Carlos was still reaching out. So I took a risk. I headed to California to see if I could make some sense of things. It turns out that Carlos had not only reached out, but he’d been leaving Landon messages pleading for a reconciliation for weeks. Carlos confirmed everything Landon had told me, but he said he’d been calling Landon ever since the engagement article was published. He knew he’d done the wrong thing. He’s here. Downstairs. He’s ready to come out to the world for Landon, if Landon will take him back.”
“That’s great for them, but it doesn’t help me trust you.”
“I know. I fucked up, Aubrey. I didn’t lie, but I should have told you what we were up against. At the time I didn’t think it was my story to tell. Landon said he didn’t want anyone to know about him and Carlos. I didn’t know how to handle it, except that I wanted him to stop hurting. I love you, Aubrey, and I want a life with you. I know now that my allegiance should have been to you. I should have protected you by telling you the truth, and instead I was protecting my brother, who will probably never appreciate that I tried to help. I wanted to tell you the inn wasn’t an option before the party. When we were in the bathroom getting ready and you were looking at me like I was everything you ever wanted…”
His apologetic eyes tore at her heart. “You were,” she said shakily.
“I am, Wattsy. I still am.”
“I have to be able to trust you.”
“You can, baby. Everyone messes up sometimes. When you were looking at me like that, I realized I had to let you down and let go of the hope of securing the inn for the movie. I wanted to tell you right that second, to explain everything that had gone on, but then you rushed out, and I didn’t have a chance.”
“That’s why you offered to come with me and said you wanted to talk to me before the party.” She’d been in such a hurry, she hadn’t even given a thought to what he wanted to talk about.
He nodded. “I went looking for you so I could explain all of this, but Paige said she hadn’t seen you. Then I thought you went to see Landon, so I found him, and it all came to a head.”
She looked down, remembering the little white lie she’d told, and felt herself softening toward him. “I went to the kitchen, not to find Paige.”
“I saw a shattered dish…?”
She pressed her lips together, struggling as she processed all that he’d said. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked up at the ceiling, blinking them away, and said, “I made you cookies.”
“Cook—” His lips curved up in a tentative smile. “Love cookies?”
She rolled her eyes and then swiped at them.
He stepped closer again, and she said, “I’m still mad.”
“I know,” he said, taking her hands in his. “You have every right to be. I’m new at all of this, but I’ll never do something stupid like that again.”
“Yes, you will. You can’t help it.”
“I can help it,” he said too quickly.
She shook her head. “You can’t. You’re a fixer, and you don’t care about drama. You just follow your stupid heart.”
“I do. You’re right. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try harder.”
“If this is going to work, we need ground rules,” she said as firmly as she could.
“You name them. I’ll try to follow them.”
“No more mixing business and pleasure.”
“No more mixing business and pleasure.” He pulled her close, his lips a whisper from hers, and said, “Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed mixing the two in your dressing room yesterday.”
She felt herself smiling and tried unsuccessfully to school her expression. “Okay, that kind of pleasure is fine.”
“What else?”
“Up-front honesty, all the time, even if you think you can finesse something to change it. And I don’t want to argue about what constitutes a lie. Just be straight with me.”
“Done. What if I want to surprise you with something?”
“Obviously that’s fine, but, Knox, we have to be careful not to hurt each other. Relationships are new for both of us.”
“Speak for yourself. I’ve been in a monogamous relationship with you for two years. That’s not new.”
She laughed softly. “You know what I mean. Things like this will come up, and we have to be able to navigate them together. To count on each other to do the right thing.”
“I agree. Starting now.” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “Aubrey, my love, I can’t lie, I won’t omit, so I have to say what’s on my mind. I love you with all my heart, Aubrey Stewart, and I’m not perfect. I’m stubborn, and Landon isn’t wrong when he says I bully my way through life, even though I see it differently. If you give me a chance, I give you my word that I will try to do everything I can to be the man you deserve.”
“Do you need a deadline?” she teased, feeling the knots in her chest loosen.
He kissed her smiling lips and said, “Not this time. It’s going to be my goal every day for the rest of my life.”
“You really hurt me,” she said again. “If I were a guy, I would have decked you.”
“If you were a guy, you’d probably be dating Landon, not me.”
She laughed.
“Can we talk about the cookies that are spread all over the hallway downstairs?” He kissed the edge of her mouth and whispered, “The love cookies?” He pressed a kiss to the other side of her mouth and said, “The ones you said you’d only make for your one true love?” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “You love me, Wattsy.”
“God…” she said in one long breath, her love for him filling her up inside. “I must be crazy…”
“I can’t hear you.” He cupped his hand around his ear.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she said, “I wanted this moment to be perfect.”
He gazed into her eyes and whispered, “This is perfect, sweetheart. We just survived our first real fight, and it was a doozy. It took us two years to get to this point. The way I figure it, we’ve got another two years to learn how to deal with things better. Who knows, hundreds of cookies and lots of effort and maybe we can avoid another one of these heart-wrenching blowouts.”
“For a minute there I thought you were building up to something about makeup sex.”
He waggled his brows, and she shook her head.
“We have to attend the ball. I promised your family.” She put her arms around his neck, searching the eyes of the man she couldn’t help but love, and said, “Thank you for trying to get the inn for me and for trying to help Landon. I appreciate you explaining what happened even though I was so upset. But most of all, I’m really glad you’re willing to work together to learn how to keep these misunderstandings from happening, because I don’t want anyone but you, Knox, and I haven’t for a very long time.”
“That’s good, because you already gave me the key to your heart. Finders keepers.”
“God, I love you,” she said. “I really do, so kiss me like you have all the time in the world and you never want to let me go.”
As he lowered his lips to hers, he said, “I will, and I won’t, and we’re definitely going to be late for the ball.”
Epilogue
THERE WAS NO place quite as beautiful as the Colorado Mountains in June, and with the recent renovations Beau had done, the Sterling House had never looked prettier. Standing regally against the backdrop of mountain peaks, flowering meadows, and tall, stately trees, Charlotte’s family inn was the perfect setting for her fairy-tale wedding. Beau had gone all out, hanging hundreds of fancy candle lanterns from trees and build
ing a wedding tent that brought the enchanted forest indoors for his beautiful bride. Miles of white silk were draped over an artfully built frame of tangled branches and decorated with tiny white lights and strings of faux pearls. In the center, hanging from an ornate iron tree, was a crystal chandelier with pink lights. It was an intimate setting for a large, close-knit crowd, with tables draped in white, flowers spilling out of lush centerpieces, and their family and friends arriving to celebrate their big day.
If only Charlotte would stop crying.
“You’re my maid of honor,” Charlotte cried to Aubrey. She sat in the dressing tent, her knees together, the skirt of her gorgeous gown puffing up around her. Her dark hair was loose and wavy, the way Beau loved it, with a simple headpiece made of flowers around the crown. She looked tiny surrounded by so much tulle, her big wet eyes blinking away tears. “Shouldn’t you have told me to have a fake wedding first, so I could get all these tears out?” Before Aubrey could respond, she looked at Libby, Presley, and Beau’s sister, Jillian, who was one of her bridesmaids, and said, “Couldn’t anyone have warned me how I’d feel today?”
The girls all answered at once.
“These are happy tears, Char,” Aubrey reminded her. “It’s totally fine to be happy!”
Libby knelt beside her. “Every bride cries. It’s to be expected.”
Presley handed her a homemade candy bar from a silver tray. “Eat this. It’ll help.”
One of Beau and Charlotte’s friends who owned a chocolate shop in Allure, Colorado, had made an array of chocolates for the wedding, including homemade Twix bars, Charlotte’s favorites.
“I love you!” Charlotte tore open the candy and chomped into it. “I can’t stumble down the aisle with a red nose.”
“You won’t,” Jillian reassured her. “We’ll fix your makeup, and you’ll look like a princess. The truth is, even if your nose was red and your eyes were puffy, Beau is so head over heels in love with you, he’d still lose his mind. But if you get chocolate on that gown, I might give you a black eye.”
Making You Mine – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls) Page 20