“I’m taking over your role as COO so you can get your fairy tale ending,” he said simply.
I stared at him for a long beat, trying to figure out if this was some kind of elaborate joke, but it didn’t look like one. “You hate operations.”
“I hate a lot of things, but I’ll manage.” He took another sip of his drink before bringing his gaze back to mine. “I owe you this. Both of you. After everything you’ve done for me, I want to do this for you.”
“And for me,” Alex chimed in.
Jesse scoffed. “Sure, why not?”
He looked back at me. “The point is that you left a giant hole in W&S when you quit, and it’s either this or dragging your ass back until we’ve managed to train someone to take your place.”
I huffed out a breath. “You don’t have to do that. I can?—”
“No, I know I don’t have to, but I’m choosing to. Plus, Alex has already okayed it, so we’re all set.”
I looked back at Alex like he’d just told me he was taking up interpretive dance. “Are you really going to let me retire?”
He didn’t even flinch. “I’m notlettingyou do anything. I’m acknowledging that you’re an adult who can make his own decisions and if your decision is to live there with Eliza, then that’s what you should do.”
I looked at Jesse then, because this suddenly felt like a setup. “What did you tell him?”
He shrugged, that devilish glint I knew so well lighting his eyes. “We talked about it on the flight, remember? You said that was the plan. That you wanted to move here and take over some of her duties so she can just enjoy her life for once. I told Alex about it and we’re going to make it happen for you.”
“I was spiraling.”
He cocked his head, eyes locked on mine. “Are you telling me you’ve changed your mind?”
“No, but I can’t actually believe you’re doing this based on the ramblings of a guy who was in the middle of a breakdown.”
Something changed in Jesse’s gaze then. A steady kind of certainty I’d never seen from him stared back at me. “Contrary to what you might think sometimes, I do know you pretty well, Will. This is what you want, so I’m going to be doing the stepping up for a change, if that’s okay?”
My eyes slammed shut. The disbelief tearing through me was so intense that I felt a little dizzy. “I honestly can’t believe you guys are actually okay with this.”
Alex chuckled softly. “You’ve spent years doing what was expected of you. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been holding things together even when you didn’t break them. Fixing problems that weren’t yours to fix. It’s about time we return the favor, isn’t it?”
I finally opened my eyes again and focused on him. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”
He smiled at me the way he used to before he was my CEO. Before Dad dumped the responsibility of arranging everyone’s marriages in his lap. The way he used to back when he was just my big brother.
“I’m sure, Will. There’s no catch here. Congratulations, okay? I really wish we could be there, but Zach is going to livestream the wedding for me and Jane, and Dad will be getting in tomorrow morning with Harlan and the others.”
“They’reallcoming?”
Jesse smirked. “Well, I don’t know aboutallof them, but I really fucking hope Sterling shows. I’ve still got a bone to pick with him.”
I groaned. “You’re not doing it at my wedding.”
“Fine. I’ll do it after.” He pumped his eyebrows at me, then took his phone back and said bye to Alex.
After that, he dragged me to the sitting room where Aaron had taken the others, and the five of us had the world’s calmest ever bachelor party. We spent the night talking, joking around, and having a few drinks until Miriam finally came to tell us that the girls were done, but that I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near Eliza’s room tonight.
It was a bummer, but by the time I woke up the next morning, everything felt somehow different. Aaron still brought my breakfast, but Jesse and Nate crashed it. We got ready together after, and for the first time in a really long time, it felt like we were all actually on the same side.
When the time came, I stood at the end of the aisle in the small church in the village by the castle. My hands were clasped loosely in front of me as I looked out at the people who’d shown up for us. Not only family and some friends, but the entire village had come out for the occasion.
Every seat was filled, more people standing along the walls, the sound of quiet chatter and soft laughter weaving through the air. It was magic. There was no other word for it.
A few seconds later, the music suddenly shifted and I drew in a deep breath, realizing that this was it. The doors at the end of the aisle opened and Eliza appeared on James’s arm. Everything else faded into the background.
