“I do. I went to the London School of Economics, Milly. Eventually, I want to own more pubs than just my own.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess talking about my career never really seems important.”
Her arms are crossed and she’s scowling. “Unbelievable.”
She starts to walk away but I scramble after her, grabbing her arm and spinning her to face me. “I’m sorry. Truly. But I have to go back to London and deal with this.”
“What about eloping?”
“We’ll apply for the license tomorrow. We have to wait three days anyway, so what’s a few more?”
Her eyes narrow again. “You said your brother wasn’t a threat.”
Fuck me, Milly’s memory is insane. I feel like I’m constantly apologizing to her. “I know. I didn’t want you to worry. I can handle Alistair.”
She gnaws on her bottom lip. “It seems like he’s pretty desperate to expand. Why?”
“I have the exact same question but I don’t want you to worry about Alistair. I want to focus on going to city hall tomorrow and applying for our license. Let me handle my brother, okay?”
“I hate that you have to go back to London.”
“So do I.” It’s not an ideal situation but I’m glad Alistair made a move, saves me from waiting. “Now, let’s forget about all of this and go back to bed.”
* * *
BeingBritish doesn’t cause any problems when we head to city hall to apply for our marriage license. Seamus advised me on the necessary items I would need to bring with me, so I showed up prepared. The only issue was the clerk who kept batting her eyelashes at me. I thought she was being rude but Milly found it hilarious.
“She thought you were totally smexy, dude,” Milly laughs as we head out for a celebratory lunch.
“Your American is showing,” I tease her. I love the blush that creeps up her neck and blooms on her cheeks.
“It’s gonna do that from time to time.”
I place a smacking kiss on her cheek. “I love it.”
Hand-in-hand, we enter the restaurant I picked. It’s quite upscale and specializes in fresh farm-to-table cuisine. We’re seated at a table facing the harbor and the natural light spilling in through the windows illuminates Milly perfectly. Slowly, I remove my mobile from my pocket and capture a quick picture when she’s not looking.
She turns her attention on me, a warm smile on her lips and a content look in her eye. “I didn’t realize how much I missed Boston.”
“It’s a lovely city but not as lovely as London.”
She sticks her tongue out but her expression quickly sours. “How long do you think it’ll take to deal with Alistair?”
“I’m hoping only a few days. I have a really good group of investors who I think are loyal. Alistair can be pretty convincing.”
“What time is your flight?”
“Bloody early. I’ll take the rental car back when I leave for the airport.”
“What? You don’t want me to go with you?” She looks absolutely stricken. I reach across the table to take one of her hands in mine. It’s the left hand and I can’t help but admire the way my ring looks on her finger, the way the diamond glitters in the sunlight. This is absolutely meant to be and I’ve no doubt things with Alistair will be wrapped up quickly. Hopefully I won’t have to sacrifice too much of my pride to make it happen.
“It’s only a quick trip. I’ll be back before you know it.”
But things with Alistair take longer than expected and I feel like a fucking liar. Not to mention, I convinced Milly she didn’t need to go the airport so I also feel like a total prick.
When I land in London, I race to Seamus’s office. “Have any investors jumped ship yet?” It’s the first thing I ask him.
