“It’s why I showed it to your sister Gwen when we first met,” Fillpot said.
“You mean when you set a trap for my sister?” I asked.
A smile splayed on Fillpot’s face. “If there was another way, I would have taken it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t. And your grandmother did get all of her money back with interest. No harm, no foul.”
I sipped my champagne before I spoke. “If you believe that, then you don’t know us Bennetts at all.”
“Clara, if I can a word in private,” Fillpot said and gestured toward the double doors that led to the hallway.
“You don’t have to.” I said to Clara before giving a pained smile to Fillpot. “He isn’t your keeper.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt like it was a lie.
“It’s fine,” she said, rising to her feet. Her black silk dress shimmied down her body. “We’ve played this song and dance for years.”
Before she walked off, she leaned down and whispered, “Don’t be too hard on him. He was fighting himself on whether he was betraying his brother because he wants you too.”
I looked up to find Hugh crossing the room, his gaze glued on me. The suit was made for him. He looked debonair and scrumptious and everything I shouldn’t want.
Clara rested her hand on my shoulder. “Have fun.”
My stomach flipped and flopped and did all of those girly things I didn’t want it to do. It had been three weeks since he’d left with few words. Three weeks since I couldn’t even find him in the astral state.
He sat down, holding my gaze.
“I looked for you in my astral state. I changed my sleeping pattern for you…” The words slipped free before I could rein them in. “Only you weren’t there.”
“Honor, I’m sorry.”
I shook my head and rose from my chair. “You missed your window.”
I walked across the dance floor to the doors and the garden beyond. My sisters each watched as if reading the situation to intervene.
I didn’t need to look back to know he’d followed me.
The night was quiet. The sky was full of stars, and I could feel Hugh’s heat gaze at my back. His soft words against my ear. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be a good brother to Teddy and date you.”
I dropped my gaze to the stone beneath my feet. I couldn’t tell him that I’d seen Teddy. He wouldn’t believe me. I also wasn’t going to hold his hand while he figured things out. I wanted him to know without a shadow of a doubt that I was the girl for him. Second-guessing would only break my already fragile heart.
“It’s fine,” I said, turning in place and taking a step back to put more distance between us. “I get it.”
“I don’t think you do,” Hugh said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer, holding me firmly against his body. “I didn’t expect to fall for my brother’s girl, but I did, and I’m not ready to let you go.”
I dropped my gaze to his chest. He crooked his finger and gently eased my chin up to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, but as for your astral state, I don’t know why we didn’t connect. I changed my sleeping habits so that we’d be asleep at the same time.”
I shook my head as I grinned. “So did I. I reverted mine back to a normal time.”
“So, you were sleeping when I was awake.” He chuckled. “That’s us, always doing things backward.”
The whip-whipping noise of a helicopter approaching drew my attention. The familiar helicopter was descending and blowing my hair. “Looks like your ride’s here.”
“Our ride.” He corrected. “I think you owe me a date.”
“I can’t leave my sister’s reception.” I gawked.
Hugh made a line across his throat, and the helicopter powered down. “You’re right. I should at least meet the rest of my future sisters-in-law.”
He lowered his lips to mine in a kiss that was decades in the making. Tender and sweet with just enough heat that the kiss alone told the story that he was mine and mine alone.
