“It’s lovely to see you too,” I reply.
“I wanted to congratulate you both on your relationship.” Her eyes fix on mine as she smiles. “I’ll need to come and see Sterling too, of course. But I’m happy that I’ve been able to tell you first.”
“Thank you.”
She looks and sounds sincere, and the familiar guilt returns to my gut. She’s in love with him. It’s obvious from the way her eyes soften each time she says his name. And all those looks I saw her give him. All that energy flowing out of her whenever I saw them together.
“I know he values your friendship,” I say.
She looks away and purses her lips.
“We’ve been friends a long time. In a way, I’ve grown closer to him than I ever was to Elaina. He’s a good man. And I could see the way he looked at you. Even before last week when he had his arm around you like he did, I knew. A part of me always knew the day would come when he met someone.”
My mouth dries as I wonder what to say. Apologizing for the fact he loves me and not her would be wrong. And I’m not sorry. I’m sorry she’s hurting. But I’m not sorry for me loving him and him loving me. I never could be.
“You knew about the affair?” I ask instead, because it’s been bothering me since she defended Sterling that night. He seemed surprised that she knew.
“Yes, I knew.” An empty laugh tinkles out of her perfectly lined lips. “He didn’t deserve that. Elaina was so selfish. That’s not a nice thing to say about a friend, especially one that’s gone. But it’s true.”
“You’re one of the few people who know.”
She sighs. “Sterling’s a gentleman. Elaina was a very loving mother. That’s how he’d want people to remember her. He didn’t keep it a secret out of embarrassment or a desire to hide it. He kept it secret because it’s no one else’s business. His family is the most important thing in the world to him.”
“They are,” I agree.
“And lucky you, you’re part of that now.”
I return her smile, hoping it doesn’t portray the unease swirling in my stomach. I assumed it was Rory who tipped the press off about our relationship. He’s the one who kept threatening to do it. But something about the way Lavinia’s smile seems forced and doesn’t meet her eyes sets off alarm bells.
It doesn’t make sense, though. Lavinia has no reason to do it unless she aimed to cause us unnecessary stress, perhaps even force us apart. And like she said, they’ve been friends for years. She wouldn’t do that to him.
“Yes, you’re so lucky,” she repeats, giving me another brittle smile.
32
STERLING
“How amI supposed to sit through the rest of this dinner with you next to me in that dress?”
“What do you mean?” Hallie teases.
We’ve come out with Sinclair, Sullivan, Trudy, and Mal for dinner. I gave Denver and the boys the night off. Press interest is dying down, and I’m not going to let Hallie out of my sight, so I figured it was time they got to blow off some steam. They’ve been working hard for months.
I lean closer and inhale oranges and honey, which I now know is from the brand of shampoo she uses. The shampoo that’s now sitting on a shelf in my shower.
In our shower. In our home.
“You know exactly what I mean. You look incredible. The most beautiful sight in here.”
She smiles and darts her eyes around the room.
The restaurant is famous for being amongst the best in the city to dine. And its buzzing atmosphere and rooftop bar with views over the harbor make it a place my family has enjoyed many times. But tonight I don’t notice any of that. The only time my eyes have left Hallie for any length of time is when she wanted to take a walk onto the roof terrace to look at the Statue of Liberty all lit up.
She places her cheek against mine, so her lips brush my ear. “How about we cut dinner short by not ordering dessert? You can have it when we get home.”
“Baby girl,” I rumble, heat firing in my groin instantly. “You know it’s a chart day.”
“You actually put it in your diary?” She pulls back, her eyes bright with surprise.
