Kate’s strained voice replayed in my head. The way she’d said telling him the truth would hurt.A lot.
I stopped in the center of the living room, dragging both hands down my face. Emma’s familiar, sharp-witted sense of humor surfaced in my mind next. Everything with her had always been warm and easy, uncomplicated in a way nothing else had ever been for me.
My heart twisted again, torn in those same directions I’d been caught between for the last couple days. Finally, I walked to the kitchen island and stared at my phone for a long moment before I picked it up, typed out a text, and hit send.
It was short and simple, just a time and a place to meet up.
To either put an end to our relationship because I was getting married. Or just to see her. At least I’d finally get to confirm the suspicion that had been building in the quiet corners of mymind for years—that Emma was my soulmate. I was ninety-eight percent certain of it, but I had to know for sure.
Because unlike Kate, who had agreed and was moving forward with this plan, I wasn’t ready to decide yet. If I said no, I’d hurt her, but if I said yes, I’d hurt Emma.
The irony twisted bitterly in my throat. Out of all my brothers, I’d always been the quiet one. The careful one. The one least likely to end up splashed across gossip columns or to get tangled up in scandal.
So why the hell is this happening to me?
CHAPTER 16
KATE
The day after I’d handed Nate my terms, I skipped work. It wasn’t like me at all, but after everything that had happened, I decided I deserved one free pass to process the absolute disaster my life had turned into.
At six thirty that morning, I was still curled under my comforter when I shot off an email to Nate.
Me: Taking a personal day. No, I will not be elaborating. Do not ask.
I hit send, then rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling until the weight pressing against my ribs eased just enough to make breathing feel possible. Yesterday’s conversation with Nate had gone better than I’d thought it might, but we were far from reaching an understanding. I also didn’t know if we would ever get closer.
Everything I’d thought I knew was different now. This week, normal was suddenly in my rearview and I somehow had to find a way to be okay with that.
The ceiling offered no answers, and by eight, I grabbed my laptop and did the only thing that made sense. I searched for a salon nearby with impeccable reviews, looking for the kind ofplace that promised to perform the miracle of emotional triage via professional hair care.
I found one fifteen minutes away that claimed to service high-profile clients and had photos of glossy, flawless blow-outs that looked like therapy in the form of keratin. In other words, it seemed perfect. I booked immediately.
When I arrived, soft music hummed through the space, the gleaming chrome and marble surfaces instantly soothing me. Between that and the scent of quality conditioner wafting through the air, I finally felt like I could breathe again.
Nothing messy or painful could possibly exist inside these walls. Being here might not change the fact that I had to marry a man I barely knew, who couldn’t stand me, and was very possibly in love with someone else, but shit.
At least I could relax for a while and emerge looking prettier than I felt.It’s definitely a just-feed-me-and-tell-me-I’m-pretty kind of day.
An hour later, I sat under a dryer with my hair pinned into neat rollers, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I barely registered the stylist lowering the hood over my head before another chair slid beside mine.
“Kate?”
I turned as much as I could, startled that someone in here other than my stylist knew my name. Jane sat down next to me, a cape already draped around her and her sleek hair pinned back while her stylist sectioned it with efficient precision.
For a second, I just blinked at her, unable to believe that she was really here. Of all the things I hated about my impending marriage, gaining Jane Westwood as a sister-in-law was the one thing I wasn’t sad about.
She was formidable, smart, and friendly, a very successful businesswoman in her own right, and by all accounts, one asdriven as I was. These last few days, I’d often found myself wondering how someone like her had ended up married to Alex.
Right now, I believed that guy deserved to be dragged behind a moving vehicle for recreational purposes. Preferably over rocks and through muddy puddles.But I digress.
“Jane,” I said slowly once I’d decided the hallucination had lasted long enough that she was probably real and I was just being rude right now, staring at her like she was a mirage. “Hi.”
She smiled. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Yeah, I needed a little pick-me-up and found the place online.”
Her gaze met mine in the mirror, her expression soft but concerned. “I heard what’s happening and I meant to reach out anyway, so I’m glad I ran into you.”
