My eyes dropped back to the paper, scanning it until my gaze landed on the signature line. On it, scribbled neatly in exactly the right place, wasnotmy careless attempt at signing Jesse’s name. Instead, there it was, clear as day, my own name.
William Westwood.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, my mind racing. I remembered the night we signed this and I definitely hadn’t meant to sign my own name. “What the hell?”
We’d been in James’s study. Eliza had been inthatdress, the one that had clung to every curve and brought out her eyes so much that she’d looked like a real princess.Shit, that must’ve been what happened. I was so distracted by her that I signed the wrong fucking name.
“Legally, this is very much a problem.” I groaned again, swiping a palm across my face. “Shit. What do we do now?”
He shrugged. “Unlessyoumarry Eliza, the contract is void anyway, so yeah. Like I said, I’m not marrying her and I don’t think she’ll mind, but this is a sign, Will.”
I snorted. “A sign of what? That we need better legal representation?”
“Thatyou’rethe one who’s supposed to be there,” he countered. “That’s where you were going anyway, right?”
I didn’t answer. For the past few days, I hadn’t been right in the head. I really hadn’t had a plan so much as an overwhelming need to get to her. To apologize. Explain. Fight for her like I should’ve since the beginning, but now, I was holding a contract withmyname on it, being told that the entire foundation of this arrangement had shifted the second I’d signed it.
There were a thousand things I could say. A thousand arguments I could make, questions I could ask, and accusations aimed at the legal team who’d reviewed this contract at least a dozen times, but none of that was what came out.
“She hates her engagement ring.”
Jesse didn’t skip a beat. A slow grin spread on his lips as he reached for his safety belt. “Then tell the pilot to give us a couple hours and let’s go pick out a new one.”
“That’syour solution?”
“It’s as good a place as any to start.”
“Why? Because nothing saysI deeply regret deceiving youlike upgraded jewelry?”
“You got a better idea?”
I opened my mouth but almost immediately closed it again. Annoyingly, I didn’t have a better suggestion. “No. I guess I don’t.”
He smirked. “Picking out a new ring it is, then.”
I folded the contract carefully and slid it into the seat pocket beside me. “Yeah, okay, but let’s do it in London.”
Jesse grinned and settled back in his chair, clearly intending on seeing this through. “Aw, the twins are going to England!”
I rolled my eyes, but as the pilot started taxiing, a plan was finally coming together in my mind, and we were already executing step one—get to the same continent she was on.
Twenty-four hours later, I walked through the castle while rain tapped steadily against the stone. The sky was a dull, overcast gray that matched the knot sitting firmly in my stomach. It was already Friday.
The wedding was this coming Sunday. It was meant to be a small ceremony in the morning, followed by lunch, and then a formal reception later in the evening. Evidence of the upcoming festivities was all around me, staff carrying flower arrangements, adjusting linens, and setting up an elaborate seating chart near the front doors.
It was all happening with an energy that had become familiar to me during the few days I’d spent here. The organization and level of efficiency of her people never failed to impress me. I moved through it like a ghost, with my hands in my pockets and my shoulders tight, taking it all in without really seeing any of it at all. Eliza had to be around here somewhere, but so far, I hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of her.
“Will?” a voice rang out behind me. “Is that you, or is it Jesse?” I turned to see Miriam hurrying toward me, her expression a confusing mix between relief, joy, and disbelief. “Well?”
“It’s me,” I said. “Will, I mean. Nice to see you too, Miriam.”
When she reached me, she took my hands, her eyes intent on mine. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see Eliza.”
Her eyelids fluttered shut, a relieved breath leaving her with an audible whoosh. “Thank goodness, and not a minute too soon.”
My stomach flipped. “What does that mean?”
