uld you even come here? It's Aunt Chloe's birthday. Dad only

almost

t instead was quiet,

e once, seven years ago. And now her own son was asking

re to ruin anything. I'm here t

the fountain the same eyes she'd loved since she

Chloe free happily. I only want one

en went d

veryone here knew about the twins. Nobody not one person in that crowd expe

. This this ceremony, it was just something Ethan and I talked about as a kind of clos

ned. "What is this

rk on that instead of making scenes? Honestly, you're not even fun to be around anymo

s side, rolled her eyes at her twin. "

she remembered going into premature labor the night she heard, secondhand, that Ethan had gone to the airport to welcome Chloe

her like she was an inc

nd and looked at he

rather have Chloe. I spent years telling myself

t gentle, in a way that was

wood housekeeper, or the woman Chloe's always dreamed of be

sband and her son, sometimes forgetting the quie

ended

, tolerated by a husband who barely looked at h

ed and walked toward the gat

arp with something that might have been anger, or might

That's all it is. Don't make this i

proposal

Ethan had never o

fixing something for both of us. Julian won't have

't look b

wide and wounded. "Ethan, this is my fault. I didn't think

rolled. "This isn't about you. She's o

, Aunt Chloe. Mom would never actually divorce Dad. Besides, Dad's too busy for

who'd grown up eavesdropping on boardroom conv

owd thought twice

ilies like the Blackwoods answered to a phone call from that house. Three formidab

g tonight, it wasn't going to matter nex

eone murmured. "Give her a few days and

d, not quite low enough. "Small-town girl, no family, no money of h

g, which everyone

f, she'd cool down, and within a week she'd be standing in his study with her he

age, nothing but the Blackwood name to her c

thing a woman like her

the party. People drifted, murmuring, and Chloe linger

final. "Grandfather doesn't like overnight gu

kly smoothed over. She didn't push. Instead she turne

now it's hard to say goodbye, so keep these s

pollen. He hesitated for half a second then beamed and n

ous, Aunt Chloe would've said something. This was the f

and. He hadn't touched it in days. And that night, after hours curled around a b

itches it r

g at his own skin by the

eturned empty-handed, wringing her hands. "Sir Mrs. Blackwood keeps

. The phone rang an

his face not quite guilt, but

hing, but she can't be bother

he doct

tamine shot and it began to fade, the doctor lecturing t

ntful, sulking. "This is Mom's fault. If she hadn't made a scene and gone cryi

ple who grow up poor nev