Then, finally, he says, “Call Dale and plan it.”
I blink at him, shocked that he remembered how important Dale has become to me. “You’re letting me plan it?”
I should know better; he knows every single detail about me.
He looks at me like I just said something ridiculous. “I married you, didn’t I?”
The smile that spreads across my face feels instinctive, smug, a little breathless. I toss the covers back and climb out of bed, already halfway in motion. The marble is cool beneath my feet, but it feels like a challenge, not a discomfort. My mind is racing, already combing through details. Color schemes. Guest lists. Who we want to impress and who we want to humiliate.
I pull open the closet and grab a cream cashmere sweater set, similar to my favorite that was left behind at Eulogia—the one that’s as soft as air and always makes me feel just polishedenough. Now that I consider his stalking tendencies, there’s a chance it actually is my set from Eulogia. It didn’t escape me that my closet here at our home is practically a replica of what I had back at Eulogia. I tug on a pair of fitted jeans and my white Keds, just like a pair I took to Italy with me two summers ago.
Like it’s the best idea in the world, I grab a wide-brimmed straw sun hat from the shelf and drop it onto my head. I slide on my round tortoiseshell sunglasses and turn toward the mirror. Effortless, ready to be sun-drenched to perfection.
I catch Hayden watching me through the reflection. He’s already putting on his jacket, amused at my flurry of movement.
I press a kiss to his mouth. It’s quick but lingering, like punctuation on a shared secret. “I’ll be on the terrace.”
Before he can respond, I’m halfway out the door.
“Hello,” I call to the footmen in the hallway, not breaking stride. “More coffee, please. Bring it to the terrace. I’ve got arrangements to make for this weekend, and I’ll need your help.”
The glass doors are already open by the time I reach the terrace. Morning light spills across the stone, golden and warm, and I settle into one of the tufted lounge chairs. I have the bedroom's corded phone pulled out of the double doors in my lap as I fall back, crossing my feet. I dial Dale and listen to it ring, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
Dale answers on the second ring, her voice clipped and amused like always.
“Martine, I was just about to call you to check in about Friday night. You remember? My flat. Bring wine, wear nothing, leave your guilt at home.”
I laugh, adjusting my sunglasses and sipping the coffee the footman just placed on the table next to me. The sunlight hits just right, casting a warm glow over the terrace. The scent of gardenia floats in from the hedges below.
“I can’t make it, and you won’t be attending your own party either.”
I’m a brat to ask her to cancel her soiree, but my party will be worth it.
There’s a pause. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. I’m throwing a party Saturday night, and I need your help.”
Another pause. Longer this time.
“For Hayden?”
“No, for the Herrons, you know, Hayden and I?” I say, grinning now. “At our estate, to celebrate our marriage.”
At first, she’s silent.
Then, “Oh my God.”
“I know.”
“You’re throwing a wedding party at the estate? Like an actual, real party? Not tea for two in the conservatory with a bodyguard watching us from behind a curtain?”
I laugh. “An actual, real party. Guest list, catering, and champagne towers if we feel it’s appropriate. Whateveryouand I can come up with. You’re up to helping me, aren't you?”
Dale lets out a stunned little breath. “Of course! So does this mean your house arrest is over? While I did think the control was a bit sexy, there was a part of me that was worried you were being kept prisoner.” She says as a joke, though I know there's some truth to her tone.
I glance back toward the double doors leading into the bedroom, still cracked open, sunlight spilling through the sliver. The bed is empty. The space is quiet. It doesn’t feel like freedom, but it doesn’t feel like confinement anymore either.
“I’m not so sure,” I admit. “But something’s changed, and Hayden and I are closer than ever.”
