A moment of disappointment flashed through me as I realized it wasn’t Will. The texts were from Eddie Lawson, my ex-fiance. He’d sent text after text after text. I scrolled back, a chill going down my spine. There were so many texts that I hadn’t heard with the music playing.
Eddie: You’re home early.
How did he know? Was he watching me?
Eddie: Did something happen?
Eddie: I could come over if you need someone to make you feel better.
Eddie: You never take baths unless you’re feeling tense.
How did he know that I was taking a bath?
Eddie: I can bring you those chocolates you like.
Eddie: I wish you would wear more blue. I like you in blue.
Eddie: White makes you look like you’re dead.
The wine fell out of my nerveless fingers, staining the white carpet a dark, deep red, like blood.
Eddie: I need you, Birdie. You never should have left me. We belong together.
Eddie: You know I’ll never leave you. You’re mine.
Eddie: Your mother loves me. We belong together.
Eddie: You are your mother’s only daughter. You should remember that. You have to make her happy.
Eddie: We can get back together. You need me. You’re nothing without me.
Eddie: You know she loves it when we drive out to see her. You should always remember that you need to make sure she isn’t hurt.
I jumped up. He was watching me. He was watching me now. Here. Bile rose up in my throat, but I wouldn’t let it come. Never. Never would I let him see.
Eddie: Oh, good. You’re out of the bath now. Pick up the phone.
“No.”
The phone rang. It fell to the floor.
“No.”
I picked it up, fumbling with it, and I rejected the call. I blocked him. This couldn’t be happening. We were done. We had been done for over a year. He would never leave me alone, though. He would never let me go. He would never be done with me. I felt exposed and vulnerable. I felt hunted. I did not like this feeling. I was not the prey. I needed to leave and go somewhere safe, right now. Somewhere I would have protections. Somewhere Eddie could never get to me again.
My eyes fell on William Jeffries’s personal card. It had only been an hour, so he would not have rescinded his offer yet. He said I would live with him in his apartment. Right now, I wanted to be anywhere other than here. If I agreed to be his wife, Eddie would have to accept that he couldn’t have me. I would be married. Not an option. Safe.
It seemed crazy, but it was the sanest of any choices I could imagine right now. I called William.
“Hello?” His voice was deep and curious, and it made me feel reassured.
“It’s Bernadette Macallister.”
“Birdie.” He sounded delighted. I could imagine his broad, wolfish smile. How odd that his presence had made such an impact on me that I could see his face in my mind’s eye. I knew that this was the correct path to take. He would keep me safe.
“I’ve reconsidered your offer. I will become your wife.”
“Excellent,” he said. “We can begin the contracts next week, and—”
“No. We start today. Right now. We begin this crazy partnership as if it actually were a whirlwind romance. I’m coming to your apartment. I’m moving in.”
“What? Now?”
“And I’m bringing my cat.”
“You have a cat?”
“We have a cat. Her name is Ophelia. We can write up the contracts from your place. I’m a lawyer. I know how to write a contract.”
“Uh, Birdie, this is kind of sudden, isn’t it?”
“Wills.” I shortened his name the way he shortened mine without permission. I squared my shoulders. “You asked me to marry you today, and you had no idea who I was. Yes, it’s sudden. Let’s do this. Let’s get it over with.”
“Uhm. Okay, I guess. Yes. Let’s get it all out of the way so that we can get on with the rest of our life goals.”
“Good. What’s your address?”
“I’m still at work. Can we do this tonight.”
“No. You have an hour. Say yes before I change my mind completely.”
“I gave you a week to think about it.”
“Now you have approximately three seconds. Three, two—”
“Okay! Okay. I’ll meet you at my house. Is this the kind of wife you’re going to be?”
“Oh, yes. You won’t walk all over me.”
He laughed. “You know, I kind of like it.” He gave me his address and told me he’d meet me there.
I threw my necessary items into a suitcase and stuffed a squalling Ophelia into a carrier. I called down to the doorman and asked him to call me a cab and to call me when it was waiting at the curb.
Three minutes later, I was in the backseat of the cab, heading downtown. I still couldn’t breathe.
Chapter Four: Will
Perfect. She was perfect.
Birdie, once she had made up her mind, was no-nonsense, just like me. She saw the benefits of our arrangement, and she moved forward without delay.
To be truthful, it had shocked me some that she had been quite as focused as she was. Once she had agreed, she had moved into my apartment and my life so rapidly that I was stunned. It was a good thing I’d told my housekeeper to expect her. Birdie was already upstairs enjoying a cup of tea before I could even meet her there.
She’d easily settled into my life, and I found we were surprisingly compatible. She had a sharp, dry wit that I really enjoyed. She didn’t fuss or demand my attention. She was busy with her work and her own interests—music, working out, and particular attention to some strange diet I still couldn’t figure out. She lived her life while I lived mine, although we took care to be seen arriving together and having lunch. We wanted the word to get around.
Whispers were already starting after only two weeks, which Suzanne had assured me was good. Now, before anything major could be said, Birdie and I were in my private jet on our way to Hawaii. Suzanne had set it all up. The luxury hotel. The cliffside wedding location. She had even provided us with wedding clothes, which were waiting in our hotel room even as we were heading toward the island.
It had all happened so fast, and I wasn’t sure I had really caught up with it all. It was the plan, I’d made the decision, and yet…
And yet…
I took a glance over at Birdie as she sat in the deep leather seat, sipping champagne and nibbling on berries and chocolate. Suzanne had done everything as if it was truly romantic and as if we were truly eloping. She was far more romantic than I was.
Birdie, however, seemed to take the romantic treats as if they were nothing. She nibbled and turned the page of her book as if her life weren’t about to change entirely. And she ignored me completely. I couldn’t help but be slightly annoyed.
“Another glass of champagne, my love?”
She looked up at me then. “My love?”
“You don’t like it? Sweetheart? Darling? My little chihuahua? What endearment would you like me to call you?”
She snorted delicately, put her magazine down, and turned to me. “Is that how it works?” She was wearing white again. I was beginning to get that it was her favorite color. She looked good in it, too. She wore a white wrap dress with a pale turquoise-colored shawl that brought out her eyes. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and it lay over her shoulder as she looked at me. “I think you should be the one to find a name for me. One that fits. My love seems somehow…not right.”