Scandal and the Runaway Bride (Heirs to an Empire 1)

So much for loyalty.

He put the phone aside, regret weighing heavily.

“From Stephen?”

He nodded.

“I’m sorry. Maybe this is a mistake, Will. It isn’t fair to put you through this. I’d rather walk away than see you lose your family. I can’t imagine if this were my papa and mama and Giulia.”

He thought back to the day she’d confessed the “plan” to her parents at the villa. There had been instant forgiveness and acceptance. Why did his family not trust him the same way? He understood they were trying to protect him, but why could they not give him the benefit of the doubt?

Was it because despite all the hard work of the last four years, he was still the screw up who’d fought an addiction and nearly tossed his life away?

For the briefest of moments he let those feelings in. Feelings of being a disappointment and a failure. Feelings of being a burden. And then he sniffed, sat up a little taller. He’d changed, grown, and had worked so hard to make up for the worry he’d caused. That was the man his family needed to see. Not the troubled boy.

“Will?”

He turned to her. “Stay. Forget about my family for twenty-four hours and stay with me. Love me. They can wait. We get to decide what we want, so let’s do that.”

“If you’re sure...”

“I’m sure.” In fact, he’d never been surer of anything. “Let’s get out of here, get a hotel and hide away.”

“That sounds a lot like running away.”

He shook his head. “No, darling. It’s a tactical retreat. Sometimes you concede the battle to win the war, and we’re going to win them over, you’ll see.”

* * *

Gabi sighed, tucked her hair behind her ears and, for the first time in her adult life, considered day drinking.

Corsetti had not renewed their contract. When word got out, two smaller clients pulled their agreements as well. Massimo was home after his second round of chemotherapy and going through the full gamut of side effects. Her job was to save the company, not chase all their clients away.

And she didn’t even have Will here for moral support. He’d visited the weekend before last, spending two days at the villa with her and her parents. He hadn’t minded sleeping in his own room, he’d assured her. So they’d kept to separate rooms, but swam in the pool and walked the grounds and spent time together free of criticism or pressure.

Basically she’d spent forty-eight hours in denial about the mess of her life.

She looked at the financial projections again and sighed, then called the head of sales and set up a meeting for the following Tuesday. Tomorrow would have been preferable, but this time she was flying to London. Will was meeting her there and they were going to Chatsworth Hall together, for Aurora’s birthday.

Gabi was so nervous about it she’d barely eaten in three days and was constantly nauseated. It was her first time back at Chatsworth, first time seeing the family again, and it was the matriarch’s fifty-sixth birthday. No pressure at all.

At the end of the workday, she made her way home to her flat and packed her bag for the weekend. She would have to dress smartly, even when she wasn’t at the party. She had her favorite standby little black dress for that occasion, and fine heels that would put her closer to Will’s lovely height.

And then she sat on her bed and wondered if she could get on the plane, after all. If she was strong enough.

Her phone dinged twice, indicating a text message. She lifted it and laughed. How could he know? One short sentence was all it took to give her a smidge of courage.

Don’t even think about canceling.

She typed back.

How did you know?

The reply came across the screen and she laughed when she saw it.

LOL. I would.

But she wouldn’t. For all her insecurities, she trusted that Will wanted to be with her. He was the master at making things right, wasn’t he? And so he would again, somehow. If he was brave enough to stand up to his family, she would match his courage by being by his side.