Chapter Twenty-Seven

Amber

I couldn’t keep hiding from the world. Harry had called several times and then stopped. The first few texts he had sent explained that he’d lost his phone and how sorry he was he hadn’t called me. Then he stopped texting and calling. I had a feeling he had heard the news and probably spoken with William.

When he texted this morning asking to meet for lunch, I knew I had to do it. I owed him an explanation. Our engagement may have been fake, but the stuff that happened at his place was very real. I felt horrible. William had also been calling and texting. I hadn’t answered him either. I needed time to think and figure out what I wanted.

I knew I looked like hell. There was nothing to be done about it. I hadn’t been able to eat or sleep since William had dropped his bomb on me. My entire world had been turned inside out for the second time in a matter of weeks. I was a mess.

I walked into the restaurant and gave my name. I was escorted to a private corner where Harry was already waiting.

“Hi,” I said when I saw him.

He gave me a stiff smile, stood, kissed me on the cheek, and then sat down. I could already feel the difference in his demeanor. He was polite, but not the warm and friendly man I knew he could be.

“I ordered you a diet Coke,” he said.

“Thank you,” I said, taking a drink of the dark liquid.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. I had no idea what to say. Seeing him had me twisted in even more knots. I was attracted to him in so many different ways than I was to his brother. Both men were gorgeous; there was no denying that. I wasn’t completely shallow, though. I could see beyond the similar blue eyes and dark hair they each had. Harry was so much more than he let on. I hated that he hid behind his bad-boy image and kept that part of himself from his family and the world. I had been privileged to see that softer side.

“So, what’s going on? You kind of fell off the radar,” he said casually. “Something you want to tell me?” he asked sarcastically.

I nodded. “I needed time to think.”

“About William? About how you’re going to tell me to get lost?”

I ignored the last bit. “I assume you know what happened?”

He smirked. “William was kind enough to fill me in. I went by to see you yesterday. When I discovered you had taken the day off, he was all too eager to tell me why you had skipped out on work. He took great pleasure in letting me know why he had broken off his engagement as well. He also told me he told you why. William was a fountain of information yesterday. I guess that makes you one very happy woman.”

I gulped down the lump in my throat. “He did tell me why. I don’t know that it makes me happy. Harry, I wanted to talk to you about this, but I wasn’t sure how.”

“You’re ghosting me because he told you he loved you. I get it.”

It was a statement, not a question. I thought I detected hurt in his voice, but I couldn’t know for sure. Harry was not an emotional guy. He didn’t say what was on his mind. Our whole engagement had been a ruse. It wasn’t like he had real feelings for me. I had to remind myself of that detail. The sex had been amazing, and it was clouding my judgment. I was feeling things that weren’t real. It was just sex. Harry was not the type of man a girl fell in love with. He wasn’t going to be settling down with one woman anytime soon.

“I needed time to think,” I told him, not meeting his eyes. “I wasn’t trying to ghost you. I’m sorry,” I said sincerely.

“Time to think about my brother?” he asked. “Time to think about your future with the great Mr. William Martin?”

“That and us.”

He smirked. “Us? Is there an us, Amber? Aren’t we just pretending to be engaged and fucking around to pass the time?”

“Don’t say it like that. You know it isn’t like that!”

He shrugged. “I don’t think I do. What has you thinking so hard? You know what you want. It’s the same thing you’ve wanted all along. I was a way to pass the time. You need to be satisfied by a real man, and I did that for you.”

“Stop. You know it wasn’t like that. You know, this whole engagement nonsense—I think it’s time to call it off,” I said, barely above a whisper.

He was quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Because you’re going to try to have a relationship with my brother? I’m in the way?”

“I don’t know that. I’m confused right now. I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling,” I said. I groaned, finally looking up at him.

“What are you confused about?”

I took a deep breath and figured I had come this far, I might as well say what was on my mind. I knew he would never say it. Harry had not given me any hints as to how he really felt.

“About you. Him. Me. I don’t know. All of it. This is so unexpected. I need to sort out my feelings,” I said, knowing I wasn’t making any sense.

What I had wanted to say and what had actually come out of my mouth were very different things. I was afraid to say what I really felt. I had made that mistake once, very recently, and it had blown up in my face.

He smirked. “You are out of your fucking mind if you think William is going to put a ring on your finger. He’s playing games. He is never going to marry you.”

His bluntness surprised me. “You can’t know that.”

He leaned forward, his presence suddenly filling the entire space. “I do know that. I also know you are too good for him. You deserve more than William and his stupid games. He is doing this because he doesn’t want you with me. He’s always hated me and been jealous. You’re falling for his bullshit.”

I could feel his anger. I knew this side of Harry very well. It was his alpha male that came out quite often when we were alone in his bedroom. This was the Harry that wasn’t afraid to say exactly what was on his mind.

“Don’t get angry,” I whispered.

He shook his head. “I’m not angry at all. You’re acting like a silly schoolgirl. This is me telling you how wrong you are.”

Now he was pissing me off. “I’m not acting childish. Why are you so upset by any of this, Harry?” I seethed. “It isn’t like we were anything more than a quick lay in your bed. We weren’t exclusive, right? You made that very clear from the beginning. Do you actually think I believed you when you said you lost your phone the other night? You don’t have to lie to me. You hooked up with some floozy in New York. I’m not surprised, but don’t lie to me.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not lying at all. I guess it doesn’t really matter what I was or wasn’t doing. You were kissing my brother. And for the record, it was never a quick lay.”

My mouth fell open. “He told you?”

“Yep, he told me. He took great pleasure in telling me. He also told me he knew our engagement was a joke. I suppose you told him that? Was it before or after you two were kissing?”

“It wasn’t like that,” I said. I knew it was a weak defense. I had kissed William. I hadn’t stopped him. I had kissed him back like an idiot.

“Whatever. It doesn’t really matter, does it? This is what you wanted. You wanted William. You’ve always wanted William. I thought I would help you out by helping you get over him. You never wanted to get over him. You were always going to be pining for him. He is going to use you and treat you like his dirty little secret, and you’re going to let him. I thought you were different than that. I thought you had more self-respect.”

“Don’t you dare,” I whisper-shouted. “I’m not some stupid little girl. I know what I’m doing. You never wanted me. You were using me to keep your inheritance. You get to look good for your family and keep your money while keeping up with your playboy ways. Please don’t try to act like any of this actually bothers you. Now you won’t have to worry about a fake fiancée cramping your style.”

“You’re right. This whole thing was a mistake. I shouldn’t have wasted my time. I thought I was doing us both a favor. Now I see I was wrong. We’ll end it and never look back.”

“Thank god. I can’t believe I ever let you talk me into this stupid idea,” I shot back.

He nodded his head, took a drink of the soda in front of him, and then looked at me. I could see that quiet calm in his eyes.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to wait a couple days before we announce the end of our engagement. I don’t want to give my mother a stroke.”

I reached for the ring on my finger. I didn’t want to wear the damn thing another second. “Here,” I said, handing it to him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, looking down at the thing as if it were a snake.

“I’m giving you your ring. I’m certainly not going to keep it. I know it literally cost a fortune.”

“Keep it for now. Everyone needs to think we’re still engaged.”

“I’ll tell them it’s getting cleaned,” I reasoned.

He smirked. “I get it. You don’t want to wear it around William.”

“It isn’t that at all. I don’t need your ring. We don’t need to sell the story.”

“Of course you don’t need my ring. William will give you one twice as big. You don’t need the lesser brother’s baubles adorning your finger. Fine, give it to me,” he said, taking the ring and plopping it his jeans pocket.

I stared in horror as he casually tossed around the expensive piece of jewelry. “Be careful. You don’t want to lose it. I’m sure the store will let you return it. I only had it a week.”

“Doubtful. It’s a custom piece,” he said, waving the waiter over.

“What?” I asked. “I didn’t know.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He gave the waiter a hundred-dollar bill and told him he had decided not to eat lunch but to get the lady whatever she wanted.

“What are you doing?” I hissed when the waiter walked away.

“I’m leaving. I’ve got things to do, and I’m not in the mood to sit here and listen to you moon over my brother. I’ve done enough of that.” He stood and walked away.

I sat there staring at his back as he walked out of the restaurant. I couldn’t fight the feeling that I had just made a big mistake. I felt horrible. The waiter came back and asked if I was ready to order. I shook my head and raced out of the restaurant, hoping to catch Harry. He was long gone.

I looked down at my empty hand and immediately regretted giving him his ring back. I had liked wearing it. It had made me feel connected to him, even if it was all a game.