Escorting The Billionaire #2(34)

 

“What do you want to do after next week?” I asked her bluntly. I hadn’t planned on asking it, but there it was.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

I tightened my grip on her hand. “What do you want to do when we get back from the Bahamas? About us.”

 

She looked down, and I could see how flustered she was. “I don’t… I don’t know what to say.”

 

“Do you want to keep seeing me?” I asked. My temples were pounding hard. Fuck. What if she said no? Why the fuck was I doing this to myself?

 

The thing was, women never said no to me. Never. As in not once. But that was for a different reason than the one I was looking for from Audrey.

 

“Of course I do,” she said, the words coming out of her all in a rush.

 

I felt relieved until she looked up at me, her eyes dark and sad. “I just don’t know if we should.”

 

“Because of your mother?” I asked.

 

She nodded miserably. “Yours, too.”

 

“What did she say to you yesterday?”

 

“Honestly, you don’t want to know right now.”

 

Anger flashed through me. “I don’t even care anymore,” I said flatly. I could pay Audrey’s mother off, and I would shield Audrey from mine.

 

If that was what she even wanted.

 

“I’m tired of them both. We’re adults. We can handle them.”

 

The car pulled up at Trinity Church; it was unfortunately close to my apartment. Now that I’d finally started it, I wasn’t ready to let the conversation end. I wanted to know where I stood. But we had to go in. The ceremony was going to start soon, and I had to go out back with my brother.

 

“We’ll finish this later.” I watched her until she nodded her assent.

 

“Audrey.” She looked up at me, her face a mask. “Smile.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I deposited her with Cole and Jenny, who were both looking very fancy and freshly fucked, in a pew toward the front of the church. I headed back toward the rectory, giving curt nods to my mother and father.

 

“There he is,” Todd said when I came around the corner. “I was hoping you weren’t going to jilt me.”

 

“Ha ha,” I said. I pushed all the bullshit in my head to the side and smiled at my brother. “This is your day. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 

“Good,” he said. There were nine of us back here; Evie had wanted an insane number of bridesmaids so Todd had to ask as many cousins and friends as he could, just to match her.

 

“Are you ready?” I asked, slapping him on the back.

 

“I’m past ready,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to marry her since the day I met her. I just want her to be my wife, already. I can’t wait.”

 

“You get to be married forever,” I reminded him.

 

“I know. But when you finally figure out what you want, you’re pretty ready for forever. You know what I mean?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The enormous church was packed with guests. “How many people are here?” I whispered to Todd. We were waiting in the front of the church for Evie and her bridesmaids to come out.

 

“I think Evie said it was close to five hundred.”

 

I let out a low whistle. “Jesus, Todd.”

 

He smiled at me. “That’s another good thing about not being involved in the planning. Just one more thing I didn’t want to know.”

 

I winced a little at that, thinking about what I’d told him about Evie. I’d never apologized to him about it.

 

“Todd, we never talked about that night again—”

 

“Jesus, James. Stop.” He looked at me, incredulous. “Not only is now not a good time, but speaking of timing—look, I’m here, right? I’m obviously over it. You should be, too.”

 

I laughed a little, and then I grinned at him, impressed. “Did you just out-big-brother me?”

 

“Yes,” he said, grinning back at me. “Yes, I did. Now shut up and let me get married, already.”

 

The music started. My parents had gone back and walked down the aisle first, followed by Evie’s mom. Then one after another, Evie’s sinewy cousins and friends came down the aisle. I was relieved and grateful that Todd had spared his groomsmen that tradition; we’d been able to enter through the side door and stand with him at the front. I could see Audrey in her pew. I smiled at her, fighting the overwhelming urge I had to wave.

 

She smiled back at me, making my heart stop. Cole saw us and grinned at me from farther down the bench—I really had to stop being such a little bitch. He was going to be relentless on this trip otherwise.