“Do you think you’re the only one feeling it?” he asked, his voice level and slightly teasing. “Sterling’s probably having apanic attack somewhere right now. Jameson’s trying to figure out how to be a CFO while keeping his own sanity. Trust me, we’re all adjusting.”
“Yeah, but…” I took a deep breath as I trailed off, my eyes sliding shut for a moment. “You’ve all had a lot more time to prepare for this. What if I’m not ready?”
If I stuck around at W&S, I knew I was a shoo-in to take over the Acquisitions department. Sterling’s department. It was what I’d always wanted—until I’d met Aurelia.
Callum reached out to give my shoulder a squeeze. “No one is dying, Harry. Dad and Sterling will be around if you need help. Jamie and I are here too.”
I nodded slowly, but my mind had already wandered. The corner office, the department, my future, it all felt different now. The plans I’d had less important.
Suddenly, the path I’d always imagined for myself didn’t seem quite right. All I could think about was working with Aurelia, the fiery, brilliant, maddening woman who somehow had me thinking about building more than just a business empire.
What if… what if I hire her? Would she even want to work at W&S? Or would she laugh at the idea and tell me to mind my own empire-building?
I glanced at Callum, leaning back like nothing could ruffle him, and I ran a hand over my face, leaning back in my chair to mimic him.
“Do you remember me telling you that I’ve met someone?” I asked, deciding it was time to talk to him about it. Once the words started coming, they wouldn’t stop, pouring out of me like a waterfall in a flood. “I think I want her in my life in a real way, but when I told Mom and Dad about it, they flipped out. They don’t think I’m serious about her, or about settling down, or that I’m ready for any of it at all.”
Callum raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he didn’t smirk or tease me. He just gave me that calm, unwavering look that always made me feel like he could see straight through me. “Doyouthink you’re ready for any of that?”
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate. “I know I’m the youngest and that they’ll always think of me as their baby, but I’m not, and it’s not because this girl has put any ideas in my head. We just click. She gets me in a way no one else ever has and she makes me feel like someone out there actually believes in me.”
“That’s good, bro,” he said, but his eyes narrowed in thought. “It doesn’t mean you need to settle down with her, though. You could take it slow. You’ve got?—”
“I swear, if you tell me that I have time, I’m going to throw my coffee on you.”
He chuckled. “Fine. Just make sure that you’re making this decision for you and not only because Mom and Dad still think of you as a baby. Not because you’re trying to prove anything to them. If you decide to marry her, it has to be because you actually want to be married to her, because you want to start a life with her.”
I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of his words sink in. He was right, but even while I could acknowledge it, my mind was already elsewhere. It was at that ball that was taking place in a few days, on seeing Aurelia in that red gown again.
Shit, the way she looked in that thing drove me absolutely crazy, but I also just couldn’t wait to hear her laugh again. I was obsessed with the way she teased me and how she supported me. As Callum stood to go call Maisie, I knew that the only person I wanted to talk to about any of this was Aurelia.
This had started as a business arrangement. A way to prove something to everyone, just like Callum had guessed, but now? It wasn’t only about that anymore. At least, I didn’t think it was.
I pushed back my chair, knowing it was time to figure it out.
CHAPTER 22
AURELIA
My parents’ house had always loomed over Pacific Heights like it had been plucked from a gilded age. A different time. A different place.
With its limestone façade, wrought-iron balconies dripping with ivy, and tall windows that caught the morning light, it was less of a home and more of a statement. Old money at its most ostentatious.
When I’d been in elementary school, I used to hear kids whispering about it being haunted. Since I didn’t do ghosts, I’d spent nights lying awake, wondering if they were right. Eventually, I’d realized that the only thing haunting these halls were my own family’s traditions and expectations.
I used to feel small every time I came back here. Now, as I walked up the stone steps, I just felt removed. Like a guest arriving at a museum. It was Saturday morning and an icy breeze swept down the street, but I would have rather kept walking than to actually go inside.
Unfortunately, my mother was expecting me. I’d been summoned to help her put the final touches on the arrangements for the Christmas Ball, and if I didn’t show up, she’d never forgive me.
Resigned to spending the morning finalizing the seating chart and whatever else she still needed done, I reached the landing, but I hadn’t even knocked yet when the double doors swung opened. Stephanie, my parents’ house manager, smiled when she saw me.
“Aurelia, you’re home. It’s wonderful to see you, darling.”
I returned her smile, pulling her into a hug that made her laugh and try to pry me off. “I’ve missed you, Steph. Have we figured out why they need a house manager yet?”
She fussed and let out another burst of laughter. “This is not proper, Aura. Let go of me.”
I hugged her tighter, fighting a smile before I finally let go. “I don’t care if it’s proper. You’re the one thing around here I actually miss. Are my brothers home?”
