Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers and walked out the door, leaving her with more to think about than she was ready to deal with at the moment.
* * *
Sebastian let himself into his apartment and slammed the door behind him, the scene with Ashley tormenting him, making him wonder and second-guess himself. He hadn’t said I love you because Ashley hadn’t been ready to hear it. Instead the words still ran around in his head, begging to come out. But he knew mere sentiment wouldn’t change her mind about returning to London. He didn’t know what would.
He barely slept that night and dragged himself into the office the next morning, coming in early to talk to Parker and Sierra, to make sure they were all on the same page. Ashley was there, as well, once again dressed for the office in New York, wearing a fitted lavender dress and off-white heels, her hair pulled back in a bun.
Her walls were firmly in place.
He had every intention of burning them the fuck down.
One week. That was all the time he had to win the girl. The girl who’d used the entirety of the flight from San Francisco to pull away from him and last night to patch any holes in her defenses.
Well, look out, he thought. He wasn’t letting her go without a fight. But right now he had important family business to take care of, and his brother and sister had walked into the room.
After he hugged both of his siblings, they talked about what Sebastian had already told Parker of the situation with Mandy.
“I think you should be the one to tell him, Sebastian.” Parker studied him, his gaze intense. “You went to California and got the news firsthand. He’ll respect the fact that you came to him directly.”
Sebastian’s stomach twisted at the thought, but at the same time, he acknowledged that his brother was handing him the reins. Trusting him with something huge to the family.
Sierra nodded in agreement with Parker. “But we’ll all be there to help him pick up the pieces.”
“Ashley?” he asked, looking to her for confirmation and agreement with his siblings. After all, she knew Ethan as well, if not better, than they did.
“I agree. He should hear it from someone he trusts, and in this case, the best person is you.” Her eyes met his, her gaze softening as she spoke.
She understood why he was asking her, knew he wanted her support in this. And despite their conflict at the moment, she was there for him, the way he’d known she would be.
A few minutes later, the family had gathered in Ethan’s office. Big brother sat behind his desk, wearing a dark gray suit and tie, his expression serious. He was still mourning, Sebastian thought. Mourning the wife he thought he knew, and Sebastian was about to blow his world apart.
“Welcome back,” he said, glancing at Ashley, then Sebastian. “I understand you had a productive trip.” He sounded pleased with them.
Sebastian nodded. “Now that we know what’s not working and why, new components will be ordered today. Romano’s calmer. He’s giving us breathing time. But you need to know what happened and why. How we ended up in this position in the first place.”
“I assume it had something to do with Mandy.” Ethan picked up a round paperweight from his desk and passed it back and forth between his hands.
He glanced not at his siblings but at Ashley. She gave him a subtle nod and it helped. “Ethan,” he began, then decided to give it to him straight. “Mandy was buying inferior products from an unknown distributor at an inflated price. She and the head of the company were pocketing the difference.”
A muscle ticked in Ethan’s jaw. “Go on.”
“And she was having an affair with him.” Sebastian forced the words past the lump in his throat. “The bastard told me himself.” Sebastian didn’t mention that they had a photo from the man’s social media. There was no good in showing Ethan his wife on another man’s lap.
Ethan’s gaze hardened. “Thank you for not sugarcoating the truth,” he said. “You can all go now.”
“Ethan, I know this is a shock,” Sierra said, as Ashley came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“It is what it is. I appreciate hearing it and I don’t want a pity party. So do me a favor, everyone. And go.”
Sierra glanced from Parker to Sebastian, obviously at a loss. She strode over to Ethan, kissed his cheek, and walked out. Parker slapped him on the shoulder and did the same. Sebastian took his cue from his middle sibling.
He walked up to Ethan. “I’m here for you,” he said, then turned and left the room, leaving Ethan alone with Ashley.
* * *
Ashley stood in Ethan’s office after his siblings had gone and bit down on the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should leave or force Ethan to talk to her. His family had left, so maybe they knew better. Turning, she started for the door.