“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Drew asks, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“Kai and I got married three days before Christmas,” I confirm, gently placing my hand on my husband’s chest.
“What?” Drew splutters. and I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother more surprised. “How?”
I look up at Kai with fresh tears in my eyes. “Kai proposed to me the night before you all returned from Parkhurst.”
I’m not getting into the ins and outs of that conversation because it took some time before Kai was able to convince me his motives were the right kind. We’d been in bed at Lauder’s place, and he’d suggested escaping. When I threw that out as an option, he brought up marriage. I turned him down flat at first, until he convinced me he wanted to get married for all the right reasons.
Not just to protect me from my father and to safeguard my shares in Manning Motors.
But because he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me.
My heart swells as I recall that part of the conversation. I never thought he could be so romantic, but he swept me off my feet with his beautiful words. “Lauder’s father sent his helicopter to bring us to New York early the following morning, and Hunt’s father called in a favor. We got a license minutes before we were married at city hall.”
Kai presses a kiss to the top of my head, pulling me in closer to his side. “We didn’t even get a chance to celebrate. We knew you were due to return home from Parkhurst the same day, so we flew straight back, and we had literally only just arrived here when you called.”
It broke my heart leaving him behind that day, and I sobbed all the way back to Charlie’s house in the Uber. I should’ve known something was wrong when he didn’t call me Christmas Eve night, but I’d assumed he hadn’t had time during the party at Lauder’s family home. I was an idiot not to suspect something. If I’d been smarter, I could’ve gotten Drew on the case, and he might have been able to discover the bastard had kidnapped Kai.
I stretch up and kiss him softly. “I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too,” he whispers back, claiming my mouth in a passionate kiss. Heat builds in my core, and a familiar ache throbs between my thighs.
I need him. Want him. We haven’t even had time to consummate our marriage. But Kai is injured, and we’ve a room full of witnesses, so I reluctantly tear my mouth away from his.
“Were you there?” Drew asks, leveling a look in Xavier’s direction.
“I was.” He shoots me a tender look. “I’m glad I’d been staying here, or I probably would’ve missed out.”
Drew averts his eyes.
“I’m sorry, D.” I chew on the inside of my mouth, understanding why he’s upset. If Jane and Drew had eloped and gotten married, without telling me or giving me an opportunity to attend, I’d be pissed. But our circumstances were different. If Drew had been in Rydeville, there’s no question he’d have been there. But if hehadbeen in Rydeville, there’s no way I could’ve snuck off and married Kai. So, it was inevitable either way.
“When we end all this, we’ll have a proper wedding, and you can give Abby away,” Kai says, and I remember the conversation we had in the helicopter on the way back from New York.
I want to return to Alabama, where we met, and say our vows on the beach. It’s on his Uncle Wes’s estate, so there will be no issue in making it happen. We can hold the reception in the house or erect a marquee on the grounds.
It might seem weird to some to want to return to a place where I almost ended things.
But that’s half the reason.
It’s a reminder that life is precious, and I came very close to throwing mine away.
I also want to spend my wedding night in the cabin, having Kai make love to me sweetly and tenderly like he did that first night we met.
Drew lifts his chin. “I would love that.” We share a look, and my heart is full. “And there’s no need to apologize,” he continues. “I understand. I wasn’t here, and you couldn’t wait.” A surprised laugh bursts free of his mouth. “Now, I get it.” He grins at us. “Charlie thinks you’re married, but that wedding isn’t legal.”
“Exactly. And neither is the worthless contract Father made him sign,” I admit, offering him a matching grin. “Because Kai already signed a legal document, right after we married, transferring the shares in Manning Motors back to me. Once I turn eighteen, those shares aremine. Not father’s.”
“And,” Kai adds. “We put other provisions in place so that if anything happens to Abby or me, he doesn’t get his hands on them either.”
“Nicely played.” Drew bobs his head. “But if Father finds out, your life will be in serious danger. Who else knows?”
“Only the people in this room and my dad,” Sawyer says. “And he won’t say a word. He knows how important it is to keep this quiet.”
“Good, because both their lives are at stake. He will go ballistic if he finds out. This doesn’t just affect his control in Manning Motors. It will impact his running for president at Parkhurst.” He pins Kai with a somber look. “He won’t just go after you. He’ll go after Abby too.”
“Then we just have to make sure he doesn’t find out before we choose to reveal it,” I say. I shuck out of Kai’s embrace, sitting upright. “I have a plan of action, but it’s complex, and it’s going to take all of us working together to pull it off.” I eye each man in the room one at a time. “Can I count on you?”
