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My parents just stare at me like I’ve grown a second head, but Lydia shakes her head. “She left a few minutes ago.”

“Thanks.”

I leave Lydia to whatever pointed lecture she seems to be giving our parents and go to find Maeve, Gabriel and Hayden following close behind. We check the downstairs rooms and peek outside at the gardens and the gazebo before heading upstairs. As soon as we reach the second floor, I make a beeline for our bedroom. It’s the only other place she’s likely to be, unless she decided to flee the house—which honestly wouldn’t surprise me at this point.

Sure enough, there on the bed, curled up like she’s trying to make herself small, is Maeve.

She sits up quickly as we enter, her movements sharp. Her eyes are red-rimmed but she’s not crying, her shoulders squared and her back straight. You’d think she was bracing herself to face a firing squad.

“What’s happening?” she asks immediately. “Is Silver Start still on board?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Gabriel admits.

“George is posturing, trying to take some kind of moral high-ground in the face of the accusations. But we don’t know yet what he’s going to do,” I say honestly. I want to protect her from this mess, but she’s smart enough not to buy some vaguely placating answer from us. She deserves to know what we’re dealing with. “He’s gotten spooked by Liam’s bullshit.”

“It’s complete bullshit,” Hayden says vehemently. “He should know better than to listen to rumors or care what happens in our personal lives. This whole charade about a fake engagement was bullshit and we never should’ve had to go through it.”

Maeve looks hurt at that comment. “We don’t regret you being here,” I say quickly, shooting Hayden a warning look.

Hayden catches his mistake and looks over at her, his expression softening. “None of this is your fault, baby,” he says gently. He sits down next to her on the bed. “That old bastard shouldn’t have put you in this position in the first place.”

“We’ll have to contact the others at the company and prepare for him to pull out,” Gabriel says, running a hand through his hair.

“No,” Maeve says sharply, surprising all of us. “Why are you three giving up so easily?”

I stare at her. “Because it sure seems like George isn’t going to believe us no matter what we say.”

“The man was going to come over for the party your parents are hosting, right?” Maeve asks.

All the different families around here take their turns hosting Christmas parties during this time of year, and of course my mom would never let anyone else outdo her hospitality. I had invited George and anyone else from the board he thought might enjoy it to come and attend the party, where they could meet my family and my fiancée, and see for themselves the kind of family men the three of us were.

“That was the plan,” I say slowly, wondering where she’s going with this.

“He believes Liam, or might,” Maeve points out. “So call his bluff. Have him come over and meet Liam, and the rest of the family. Have him see exactly what kind of man Liam really is, and how much he’s disliked compared to the three of you. This whole neighborhood could be a character witness.”

“It’s true,” Gabriel says slowly, his eyes lighting up with understanding. “People don’t really like Liam. I’ve noticed that the last few years during the holidays.”

“We handed him a way to sabotage us on a silver platter,” Maeve admits. “But if you ask me, this didn’t come out of nowhere. He’s probably been wanting to think of a way to hurt you for a while.”

“That does sound exactly like Liam,” Hayden agrees grimly.

“Part of why I wanted to take the job with you was that it was obvious Liam was jealous of you,” Maeve admits. “I knew it was petty of me. And I did desperately need the job. I couldn’t afford to turn it down. But it was nice to know I was going to work for the brother Liam didn’t like.”

I sigh heavily. “I won’t subject you to rumors and gossip,” I tell her firmly. “I’m not going to have some old asshole interrogating you about your sex life.”

Maeve juts her chin up stubbornly. “I can handle myself. This was what I signed up for, remember? I’ll play the role until you get the deal signed. And⁠—”

Her voice falters for a moment and her eyes look genuinely sad, but then she gathers herself with visible effort.

“Maybe it’s actually a good thing,” she adds. “I would never want to hurt your family, Ford, and I’m so sorry this happened. But at least now maybe they can learn the truth? If they know that I was never your real fiancée and this was all just for the deal, then maybe that will make it better for them. I’m sure your parents and Lydia won’t tell anyone.”

It’s a logical suggestion. My mother and father both looked more scandalized than I’d ever seen them. They were clearly upset and confused. To tell them that Maeve had never been engaged to me for real and this was just to secure the business deal might hurt initially, but it would mean Maeve could get a clean break like we had always planned, and it could soften the blow of what Liam had told them.

But the idea gives my stomach an awful, twisting feeling. It makes me feel almost physically sick.

“It will also help us when we say that everything Liam said was a lie,” Maeve continues. “If I’m not really engaged to you then it adds weight to the idea that I’m not involved with any of you at all.”

Hayden looks angry at that suggestion. Gabriel opens his mouth briefly, then closes it without saying anything.