The town car came to a stop, and I told the driver I’d get Paisley. He nodded and waited by the car to open the door for us when we returned.

The steps to the grand, elegant stone building seemed a little longer, a little steeper than normal. I had more dread inside me than I’d expected – actually, I hadn’t expected to have any dread. My parents expected this of me, and I'd resigned myself to the fact years ago that I'd eventually marry someone like the woman on the other side of this door.

The Hedges were wealthy, moved in the right social circles. They had a home in one of the most prestigious sections of Philadelphia as well as a place in the Hamptons. This house in New York had been a more recent purchase, and Paisley's parents had hinted more than once that they planned to make it a wedding present. They were friends of the family so there wouldn't be any animosity between the in-laws.

It was a good match.

We suited.

Suited.

Allie’s words echoed in the back of my mind as the door was answered, and I was ushered inside. The butler led me to a sitting room, and again, I waited.

It was pretty much a rule with Paisley. She liked to keep people waiting because that was the best way to make an impressive entrance. And Paisley definitely liked to be impressive.

“Jal, my boy. Good to see you.” Kendrick Hedges was younger than my father, his sandy hair still free of gray. He poured me a drink without asking what I wanted.

While I sipped the scotch, Kendrick droned on about how wonderful it was to see me again, and how much he’d enjoyed getting to know me over the past few years.

It was a bunch of bullshit.

Kendrick had known me since I was a kid, and he hadn’t exactly spent any time getting to know me over the past few years. He always had his head locked up in his business. I saw his wife more than I saw him. Not that I liked her much better. They were typical of the people who were friends with my parents. They chatted at charity events, occasionally had fancy dinners out together. Before Paisley and I started dating, our families had never been to each other's homes. Since then, we'd only had family get-togethers twice. I doubted much of that would change, even after the wedding.

“Ah, there’s my girl,” Kendrick said, his light green eyes lighting up.

Rising, I turned.

Paisley stood framed in the doorway, a faint smile on her mouth. Her light gray eyes met mine. She didn't look much like her father at all. With her short mahogany hair and delicate features, she resembled her mother the most. Only Paisley's height came from Kendrick.

“Hello, Paisley.”

She came toward me then, that smile widening ever so slightly. “Jal, darling.”

She turned her head for me to kiss her cheek – no kissing the mouth until later. Couldn’t mess up the makeup before the important date. Her skin was cool under my lips as I grazed it for a moment.

When I lifted my head, I murmured softly, “You look lovely, Paisley.”

“Thank you.” She edged around me to go to her father while I turned to the next person who'd come into the sitting room.

“Hello, Diamond,” I said politely. Russet-colored curls, ash gray eyes, Diamond's coloring clearly marked her as Paisley's mother. Despite the fact that Diamond was barely over five feet tall, she always carried herself like she was the biggest person in the room.

“Jal. Wonderful to see you. I take it your business dealings have been successful?” She held out her hand, and I accepted, squeezing it lightly before letting it go. One didn’t shake Diamond Hedge’s hand.

She patted my cheek before moving to join Kendrick on the couch, smiling at her daughter with what looked like complete satisfaction. Paisley slid me a look, and I had the uncomfortable feeling of being sized up by some sort of predator. A mother-daughter pair intent on eating me alive.

I was starting to regret having watched that nature documentary the night before.

Although we still had time yet to get to the restaurant, I put my scotch down and held a hand out to Paisley. “Are you ready?”

“Somebody is eager,” Diamond murmured to Kendrick as Paisley came to me.

Eager?

I wasn’t sure if that was the word. I just wanted to get this done so I could move on with my life.

* * *

It looked like something out of one of those tear-jerker romances that Paisley always made me watch. The ones where the couple always had huge obstacles to get over, usually when they learned something important about themselves, but no matter how much they grew, they generally lost each other in the end.

Music played softly in the background. Across from me, light danced on Paisley's delicate ivory skin. She sipped from a glass of sparkling water while I enjoyed two fingers of forty-year scotch.

No expenses spared tonight. She'd be telling this story over and over, and I knew I needed to make it a good one.

“What have you been up to this week?”

Paisley smiled at me over the rim of her glass. “Well. I went shopping with your mother last weekend. This dreadful cold kept it from being as much fun as I’d have liked, but I picked up some of the cutest shoes, so it wasn't a total loss.”

Shoes. I offered a smile because something was expected in response, but I found myself thinking of the sly smile Allie had given me when I’d asked her what she liked to do for fun.

It hadn’t included shopping for shoes.

The servers had already cleared dinner and dessert. Paisley had taken exactly two bites of her insanely expensive chocolate torte. Again, I found myself thinking of Allie. She’d laughed when I offered to buy her some chocolates from a store we’d passed.

“I don’t think so. For what they charge, you could feed a hungry family for a day. Why don’t you spend the money on that instead?”

Her words had lingered, and I couldn’t put them out of my head, especially since I knew that dessert here had cost double what the chocolates would have been. It would have fed a hungry family for two days. This meal? Probably for a month. And Paisley hadn't finished any of it or asked to have it wrapped up to take home.

“You look so grim, baby…”

Paisley’s fingers stroked down my hand, and I looked up, offering a smile that I didn’t feel. I didn’t know where this mood had come from, but I couldn’t push it aside, so I needed to change how Paisley was seeing it. I couldn't ruin tonight. My mother would never forgive me.

“I’m not grim.” I took her hand in mine and lifted it to my lips. “I’m intent. Have I told you how beautiful you look?”

“Not recently.” Her lashes fell low, a demure smile curling her lips as she made it clear she’d be happy to hear it. Again. Not just now, but in five minutes, and then another five minutes after that. As far as Paisley was concerned, she could hear it from multiple people, multiple times a day, and she still wasn’t getting her due.

“You look…magnificent. Ethereal.” I kissed the tips of her fingers, then turned her hand upward and brushed another kiss on her palm. It was nothing less than the truth, and I had no problem giving her the words she needed to hear. “You’re lovely, Paisley.”

“Thank you.” She looked satisfied, like she was simply accepting my words as fact.

She did look lovely. The dress she wore was all smoke and ice, a dark gray that highlighted her skin, and small stones set in the fabric reflected the light back, drawing the eye her way. More than a few people had looked at us when we came in, were even still looking now. Not that Paisley would ever point such a thing out, but for her, it was all about being noticed.

And of course she noticed others. Not in the nicest way most of the time either, I had to admit. She’d made a cutting remark earlier as we came inside about how one of the ladies was wearing a pair of shoes that had been last year’s design. Another was shamefully sporting a knock-off designer dress. How déclassé. None of it was said loud enough for anybody but me to overhear, save for the few times she’d made a disappointing noise under her breath about how a certain family was so coming down in the world, or how that woman was going to have to marry up if she wanted to keep moving in the same social circles.

She tugged her hand back, and her eyes slid past me, a cat’s smile curling her lips. “I do believe that’s Rebecca Stirling. Rumor has it that her little affair with Benjamin Westmore, Jr. completely destroyed his marriage, but she's already moved on to another man.”

“Paisley.” I took her hand once more, cradling it between mine. “Believe it or not, I didn’t come here to chat about Rebecca's affairs or who is or isn't wearing the latest fashions.”

“Oh?” Something cool flickered in Paisley’s eyes.

I saw the warning but ignored it. She knew what was coming tonight, even though I knew she'd act surprised. Lifting her hand to my lips, I pressed a kiss to the inside of it. “We’re here on a date. A special one.”

“How silly of me,” Paisley murmured, leaning closer. “I’m rambling on and on. I must be boring you terribly.”

I doubted she’d appreciate it if I told her yes. Not that I’d ever do that, but it was an entertaining thought.

“Boring isn’t the word for you, Paisley.” Nuzzling her palm, I looked into her eyes. “We’ve been leading up to this point for a long while, don’t you think?”

The scent of her filled my head, and it was enough to keep my mind on the task at hand.

“More than.” She leaned closer, but rather than sound excited, she came off as…predatory.

Thinking about my soon-to-be fiancée as a predator twice in the same night didn't exactly bode well for the relationship, but I wasn't going to back down now.

I reached into my pocket with my free hand and pulled out the ring. As I slid it onto her finger, I asked, “Paisley, will you marry me?”

“Oh…” She batted her lashes, the look on her face that of a stunned, dewy eyed girl startled by the proposal. She was a great actress. Slowly, she tugged her hand away and stared at the ring as she held her hand up high enough for any interested parties in the restaurant to see. “Jal, I don’t know what to say.”

That was my cue to beg her to say yes, but I waited instead. I already knew her answer.

I knew she wanted things to play out like a script to one of her favorite movies, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the coldness of it. Then again, this was Paisley. She was staring at the ring, and I knew the lowered lashes and speechlessness were part of her character. She was examining the ring far more clinically than emotionally. I had no doubt that if the ring didn't pass muster, she'd take it off, and claim she needed time to think. But I wasn’t the sort of man who’d buy a less than flawless ring, so I knew I didn't have to worry about that.

Seconds passed – seconds of silence that were weighted, ticking away.

I waited.

She waited.

I'd be damned if she was going to get a plea out of me. We both knew this was going to happen, and while I was prepared to be her husband, no way in hell would I play the fool for her. People in love did that, and I didn't believe in love.

“Jal, I’d love to marry you.” She came to me then, wrapping her arms around my neck as she sat on my lap.

From the corner of my eye, I saw somebody moving, kneeling in front of us. I supposed it was possible the photographer's presence was a coincidence, but I knew it was more likely that one of our parents had set it up. Hell, I wouldn't have put it past Paisley herself. I didn't care though. That's what this was all about anyway. Appearances. How it all looked.

Paisley snuggled closer and kissed my neck. A moment later, she whispered something that would have made me instantly hard just a few days ago. Now, it just made me tired.

Something had changed.