Aurelia I’d never seen anything like the Westwood estate in person before. I’d driven past the gates countless times, heard the whispers about their sprawling acres outside the city, and seen pictures in lifestyle magazines over the years, but it was a completely surreal experience, actually being here. The house was larger than life, even to me, and it wasn’t like my own family’s homes were anything to scoff at. There was also the fact that I was walking up the st eps with Harrison at my side, his hand tucked firmly into mine, and that made it something else entirely. It drove home the reality of what we were doing in a very clear way. Harlan Westwood, a legend of our time, was retiring and I was here to celebrate it with his family. As someone who was about to become part of it. Before we reached the doors, I stopped moving and glanced up at Harrison. “This is your last chance to back out. They know you’re getting married, but they don’t know yet to whom. We can ke ep it that way for now. I promise, I won’t be offended if you’ve changed your mind.” He took a st ep closer to me, his thumb brushing over the ring on my finger as his gaze hooked on mine, the expression in those bluish hazel eyes so intense that I almost couldn’t breathe. “I’m sure about this, Aurelia. I’m sure about you. Honestly, this isn’t about them. It’s about us. We tried lessening the blow to our mothers by finding out what happened between them first, but that didn’t work out and I’m not ashamed of us. I want them to know.” My heart hammered a staccato rhythm in my chest, but I nodded, my tongue peeking out to wet my lips. “Okay, then. Here goes nothing.” “Here goes nothing.” To my surprise, he bent over to press a soft kiss to my forehead. Then he adjusted his grip on my hand, holding it tight as he guided me to the front doors. They swung open as we reached them, an elderly butler with an impassive expression on his face simply st epping aside to let us in. Harrison grinned at him, all confidence and spoiled-brat energy as he clapped the butler on the shoulder. I knew it was a front. He was nervous, on edge after everything that had happened this week, and aware that he was about to drop a major bomb right into the middle of his family at a very special occasion. But looking at him now, I never would have said it. Honestly, I admired his ability to just ke ep moving, no matter what. At the same time, I was genuinely touched that, with me, he’d stopped putting up that front. This week, I’d seen him at his worst. I’d seen him vulnerable, hurting, uncertain, and he hadn’t done a damn thing to hide any of it from me. Even if I had only found out on the way here about the fight he’d had with his parents about us. About our plans. “We’re going to need another place at the table, Garve. This is Aurelia. Aurelia, Garvey.” “Delighted to meet you,” Garvey said, but his gaze was suddenly a little shiny with shock. “I’ll see to another place being set.”
He shut the door behind us, bowed, and hurried across the cavernous foyer. Harrison took a de ep breath, the mask fading again as he glanced at me. “Are you ready for this?” “No,” I said honestly. Like him, I tended to mask my uncertainty or vulnerability with faux confidence, but not with him. Somehow, we’d gone way past that. “Let’s do it anyway.” A slow grin broke out across his face. He nodded and led me to their dining room. The long mahogany table in the center was already full, the Westwoods laughing and chatting around it. A glittering chandelier bathed the room in soft light, flickering against the crystal glasses and fine china. The second we st epped in, the lively conversation around the table died an instant death. I felt the silence ripple like a physical force pressing against my chest. Every head turned. Every pair of eyes landed not just on me, but on my hand—more specifically, on the giant rock on my finger Harrison must’ve chosen for the specific purpose of making sure no one could ever miss it. I’d never met most of these people. Only Sterling on occasion at industry events, but even then, I’d mostly only seen him in passing. But thanks to how much the tabloids loved this family, I knew who every single one of them was as I watched their reactions. Callum’s eyebrows shot up, Sterling’s mouth actually dropped open, and Jameson’s sharp eyes narrowed in something between curiosity and disbelief. Their wives, Laney, Sadie, and Maisie exchanged quick, surprised glances, but I saw the smiles they were trying to smother. Something told me I was going to like—and need—these women. Especially as my gaze landed on the two faces that mattered most, CC and Harlan Westwood. Harrison st epped forward, his hand still firmly in mine as he spoke to them. “Mom, Dad. This is Aurelia Van Alen, my fiancée.” Instantly, Harrison’s mother looked like she’d seen a ghost. Her face went utterly pale, her spine rigid, and her lips pressing into a thin, bloodless line. For a second, I thought she might actually faint. Harlan rose immediately though, all old-world charm and a warm grin. “Well, this is quite a surprise.” He crossed the space between us with surprising ease for a man his age, taking my hand as if I’d always belonged there. “Welcome, my dear. It’s a pleasure to finally have you at our table.” “Thank you,” I said, feeling like a deer in headlights as he guided me to a chair and pulled it out himself, seating me between Harrison and CC. His hand lingered warmly on my shoulder before he took his place at the head of the table, the smile never leaving his face. “I have heard so much about you, Aurelia. I simply had no idea you and Harrison even knew each other, let alone that you’re who he’s been seeing.” I risked a glance at Harrison beside me. He was calm and collected, as if this had always been the plan, but when my eyes darted back to his mother, the sight of her pale, rigid expression made a chill run down my spine. Harrison leaned forward a little, matching his father’s warmth with easy charm. I could see the relief in his eyes, though. This was going better than he’d expected.
“We met a while ago,” he said vaguely, obviously not intending on giving them too much detail about our relationship or our engagement. “It was still new, though. We didn’t want to say anything until we were sure.” Callum snorted, but he tried to hide it behind his bourbon. He raised the glass at me with a slight pump of his eyebrows when he caught me glancing at him. Sterling looked me over, his gaze filled with polite, surprised interest. I would never admit this to anyone, but Sterling Westwood was my idol. He’d gotten into the game straight after college, just as young as I had been, but by the time he’d been my age, he’d proven himself as a force of nature in our industry. At first, people assumed he’d ridden his dad’s coattails to reach the level of success he had. In response, he’d simply worked his ass off, and before long, everyone had known that he was a contender to be reckoned with all on his own. “I’ve heard about you,” he said after clearing his throat. “The Sutton merger last year. That was you, right?” I nodded, surprised he’d even heard about it. “I wasn’t aware W&S had any interest in the Sutton deal.” “Oh, we didn’t.” Sterling flashed me a smile that seemed strangely proud. “You had the whole town buzzing when it happened, though. I nearly fell out of my chair when I was told the person who closed it had been a twenty-three-year-old girl. Sutton and Adams were so far apart, none of us thought they’d go through with the merger, and then you walked in.” “Sutton was you?” Harlan blinked hard. A huge grin broke out across his face. “I’m impressed, to say the least. You also worked on the Andrews Airways acquisition, didn’t you? I think your father mentioned it to me some time ago.” Jameson laughed, sending a teasing grin at Sterling. “This is who you lost Andrews to?” He turned to me and dipped into a joking bow right there at the table. “Aurelia, welcome to the family. I love you already. I can’t believe you swiped that deal right out from underneath our Ice King’s nose. He was so pissed. I want to hear every single detail. Embarrassing ones about him too, if you’ve got them. He’s not living this down anytime soon.” Harlan, Sterling, and Jameson chatted to me easily, with Jameson cracking jokes and Callum teasing Harrison or Sterling every once in a while. Somewhere between the roast lamb and the wine being poured, I forgot how intimidated I’d been about coming here, finding myself genuinely enjoying talking shop with them. No one in my own family had ever spoken to me like this before, like I was a colleague worth a damn who’d actually made an impression in the industry. Harrison finally defrosted too. “You know, Aurelia’s the reason we landed the Kingsley portfolio. I couldn’t have done it without her.” Harlan’s eyebrows arched, his interest sharpening. “You were the silent investor?” Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Well, yes, I was the investor, but Harrison and I worked on it together.”
“What can I say? I recognize talent when I see it,” Harrison joked smoothly, his hand brushing against mine under the table. “I knew then that I couldn’t let her go. We had such a blast working together and we were a great team, too.” Harlan let out a booming laugh so genuine that it startled me. “Remarkable. Simply remarkable. Who knew you had such a good eye, Harry?” He cocked his head as his laughter subsided, his gaze returning to mine. “Is it true you’ve left Van Alen & Associates?” I nodded. “Yes, sir. It felt like it was time for me to move on. Our offices were becoming pretty crowded.” A glimmer of understanding sparked in his eyes before he smiled. “Well, their loss could be our gain. I don’t know what you’ve moved on to, but if you’re interested, we’d love for you to join us at W&S. Clearly, you’re brilliant and resourceful. None of these deals we’ve spoken about tonight were easy ones to close, but you did it. We’d love to have you on our team.” From the corner of my eye, I saw CC nearly drop her fork, but she still didn’t speak. I blinked rapidly, certain I’d either misheard or misunderstood. “You’re offering me a job?” “I’m begging you to take it,” he said without hesitation, like this was the most natural thing in the world. “Start as soon as you’re able to. I’m always on the lookout for sharp minds, and as Harrison just said, he obviously has a real good eye for talent. If I’d known you were available, I would’ve extended this offer before you’d even walked out of Richard’s building.” He winked at Harrison, pride rolling off him in waves. Harrison seemed surprised but pleased. Relieved, even. I doubted he’d spoken to his family about it before he’d asked me earlier if I would consider moving to W&S. I glanced at Sterling next, but he nodded his agreement and offered me a polite smile. “Yeah, sure. The best of the best are at W&S. I’m sure you know that. If everything I’ve heard about you the last few years is true, you belong there.” My chest tightened and I glanced down at my plate, but I was suddenly unable to eat another bite. The table blurred a little with the weight of so many eyes on me. Sterling’s surprised scrutiny, Jameson’s calculating gaze, Callum’s curious grin, the women’s polite interest. Through it all, CC sat with her spine rigid, completely silent, her stare burning into me like she knew every secret even I didn’t know I was hiding. I forced a small smile when I looked up again. “Thank you. I’ll certainly think about it.” Harlan leaned back, clearly satisfied, but I could feel my pulse racing in my throat. This was more than I ever could’ve imagined, not only being welcomed in by most of the family, but being offered a job as well. I needed to breathe, but it felt like it was impossible to fill my lungs with CC staring at me as relentlessly as she was. Laney rose suddenly then, her chair scraping softly against the polished floor. As I looked up, I noticed how pale she’d gotten, her hand braced against the curve of her stomach. She muttered an apology, excusing herself, and padded quietly toward the hall. The room stilled for a beat, but then brothers carried on as if nothing had happened. I caught the quick exchange of glances between the women, though. Sadie’s lips pressed into a thin line and Maisie’s brow
furrowed, her gaze following Laney out of the room. When Sadie pushed back her chair next, her movement wasn’t nearly as quiet. “Sterling, come on. Let’s go.” He blinked at her, confused, but she was already tugging at his sleeve. “I said, let’s go.” He frowned but rose anyway, clearly too well trained or too in love to argue. Maisie stood as well, offering a tight smile and murmuring to her son before slipping after them. “Brody, stay put, okay? Mommy’s just going to check on Aunt Laney.” The little boy glanced at Callum but nodded. For his part, Callum frowned hard, then shrugged at Brody and mouthed, “No idea.” As Maisie disappeared, I suddenly felt that same tug in my chest, an almost magnetic pull, as though I should follow, too. Real things were happening out there. I didn’t know what yet, but something about the way they’d all left made me desperate to help if I could. I stood quietly, figuring this would give CC a minute with her family anyway, and stole out into the softly lit hallway. I hovered near the door just in time to hear Laney’s voice, gruff and strained. “Go back to dinner,” she ordered, her hand on the small of her back. “All of you. I’m fine. Just uncomfortable.” “I’m not leaving.” Sterling’s voice rumbled in low protest. “Not while you’re out here.” Sadie’s voice overlapped his. “None of us are. This doesn’t just look like Braxton-Hicks, Lane. I think—” Laney waved them all off. “Oh, stop. It’s probably just some gas. Leave me alone. I’ll be fine.” I hung back, unsure whether to insert myself or return to my seat but feeling that invisible tether pulling tighter with every word. Sterling hovered at Laney’s side even though she k ept brushing him off, saying she was fine. Laney’s gaze flicked up to mine. For a second, I thought she was going to snap at me, tell me to stop lurking, and to go, but instead, her lips curved into a soft, understanding grin. “It gets better,” she said, as though she’d read my mind. “You’ll find your place with us, and after that, the noise won’t feel like so much.” Something loosened in my chest. The words felt like an olive branch, like she’d extended the invisible circle of this family and made space for me inside it. I found myself smiling back, tentative but real. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know I probably shouldn’t say this since I just met you, but you really don’t look so good. You’re so pale, you’ve become almost transparent.” She let out a sharp laugh, then winced. “Yeah, I felt that happening. I really do think I’m fine. I probably just need to lie down.” “Let’s just say goodbye, then we’ll go home.” Sterling was still trying to coax her back toward the dining room when she froze, her breath catching and eyes widening. A moment later, I heard the unmistakable sound of water spilling onto the polished floor.
“Oh my God,” Sterling muttered, his hand darting to her elbow and his own face now draining of color. “Laney, I think your water just broke.” Laney closed her eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a curse, and I realized with a jolt that Harlan’s celebration dinner was officially over. This evening was about to turn into something else entirely.