Lance found Asher’s spelling of the word and tallied the score. “Asher is winning by two points.” He looked over at Emily and Kenzi. “You know you can’t combine your points, right? And the goal is to have the most.” He ducked when Kenzi swatted at him. “Just making sure you understand the way this is played.”
Emily put her hand on her stomach even though it was still flat. “I can’t believe you would make fun of a pregnant woman. Don’t you know our emotions are all over the place?”
Lance’s mouth dropped open. He looked at Asher who nodded. Ian and Grant congratulated both Asher and Emily. Andrew made them promise to wait until he was back before birthing anything. Asher moved over to sit beside Emily, smiling with pride.
Kenzi winked at Emily. “Well played, Emily. Well played.”
Emily smiled, looking around the table. “I guess now would also be a good time to tell you that we’re moving our wedding date up.”
“Really?” Sophie asked, raising her voice as if she were surprised.
Kenzi coughed.
Asher put an arm around Emily’s waist. “We’ve decided to keep it simple. We’d like to have it at our place in Nantucket in September. Nothing big. Just family and close friends.”
Dale asked, “Are we inviting the Andrades? I feel like we should since they came out and supported Emily’s museum.”
Asher looked from his mother to Emily. “I’m leaving the wedding planning in Emily’s hands.”
“Smart man,” Lance said dryly.
Emily took a moment to think about it then said, “They’ve been so kind to me. Sophie, they’re your family. If you want them there, I think we should invite them.”
Ian shook his head. “There goes your small wedding.”
Dale put his hand on Sophie’s. “The wedding itself doesn’t matter. Who you choose to spend the rest of your life with does.”
Had anyone else said it, one of the men in the room might have made a joke, but Dale spoke with such deep sincerity that his words were followed by a quiet moment of reflection. He was the first one to break the silence. “Your mother and I went to lunch with Brice Henderson. He said Dean is definitely taking over his family’s company, and it looks like things might go well with that because Dax is helping him.”
Kenzi’s jaw dropped open. “Dax is helping Dean?”
“I don’t know the details of it, but Dax sent Dean a proposal on how they could work together to save it.” Dale nodded at his oldest son. “Asher, did you know about this?”
Asher nodded. “I didn’t know what to think when I first heard, but it seems straightforward enough.” He cleared his throat. “Marshall is willing to invest in Poly-Shyn and work with Dean to turn it around. I’ve known Dax for a long time, and I’ve never seen him help anyone.”
Kenzi’s heart started beating wildly in her chest. “He knows what Dean did for me.”
Ian reached over and held Kenzi’s hand. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we might have been wrong about him.”
Asher shook his head slowly. “No, we’ve seen Marshall in action for a long time. People like that don’t change.”
Emily laid a hand on his cheek. “Unless they have a reason to. I remember a certain, let’s say . . . arrogant man, who told me that winning was all that mattered to him. That’s not what you say today. Is it impossible to imagine that meeting someone as amazing as your sister might change Dax’s priorities, too?”
Kenzi waited and hid a smile. You go Emily. You really are good for my brother.
Asher looked across at his sister. “No, it’s not impossible to imagine. I just don’t want to be wrong about him. Have you even heard from him?”
Kenzi clasped her hands on her lap. “I haven’t.” She looked at her father. Her mind was racing. Dax was helping Dean? That had to be proof that he loved her. But, as Asher had pointed out, it wasn’t enough for him to call her. “Dad, what do you think?”
Dale rubbed one of his temples in thought then said, “The night you were hurt, I had a conversation with Dax. I told him if he loved you he would always be welcome here, but if he couldn’t he needed to stay away from you before you became even more attached to him.”
“Dad,” Kenzi said in horror, “that’s why he didn’t call.”
Dale nodded. “Which I took as his answer, but if he’s helping Dean because he knows you care about him, I don’t know what I think anymore.”
“I do,” Sophie said softly. “Dax loves you. You need to let him know you’re not angry with him. Everything else will work itself out.”
Kenzi jumped to her feet. “I’m going to call him. Right now.”
As she walked out of the room with her phone she heard Asher ask, “Does this mean the game is over and I won?”
His question was quickly followed by the sound of laughter and tiles being thrown at him.
Dax was nursing his first drink an hour into a party he wished he’d said he wouldn’t attend. One of Clay’s friends had invited both of them to the opening of her restaurant. The place was loud and wall to wall with London’s elite crowd. There was a time when Dax would have used the opportunity to network or hook up with one of the women who came to events such as this to meet men like him. He wasn’t interested in either that night. He’d come because Clay had asked him to.
Clay came to stand beside him. “Do you know what’s not going to help you get laid tonight—looking like you want to kill whatever is at the bottom of your glass. Lighten up.”
Dax handed his drink to a passing server. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind lately.”
Clay sighed. “No, you have one thing on your mind. One person. What I don’t understand is why you don’t do something about it.”
“This isn’t about Kenzi.”
Clay winked at a woman across the room then said, “Listen, when you first got all moony over her, I’ll admit I found some amusement in it, but now you need to get over her. Look at all the beautiful women here tonight. Half of them would go home with you if you gave them the least bit of encouragement. You want to get Kenzi out of your head? Get one of them in your bed. Works every time.”
Dax frowned at his friend. “I’ve got to go. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow.”
Clay shrugged. “Suit yourself. Hey, did I tell you I received an inquiry about the Atlantia. You may sell that thing yet.”
“Thanks for keeping feelers out there, but I’m considering keeping it. Forward me the information though. I’ll follow up on it.” Dax hadn’t done much with it since he’d returned to London, but there was no reason to hold onto it. No reason that made sense anyway.
Dax’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. He checked it and rocked back on his heels in surprise. “It’s Kenzi.”
Clay gave Dax a pat on the shoulder. “And the universe chimes in with its vote. You should see your face. Oh, my God, please make me your best man so I can give a long, painfully embarrassing speech that no one feels they can interr
upt.”
Dax waved Clay away and stepped out of the restaurant. By the time he made it through the crowd he’d missed the call. He didn’t give himself time to think about it, he simply called her back.
“Kenzi?”
“Yes.”
“Did something happen? Are you okay?”
“I miss you.”
Nothing could have prepared him for the wave of emotion that swept through him at those words. “I miss you, too,” he said in a husky voice.
He heard her expel a shaky breath. “I’m not angry with you, Dax. I understand why you haven’t called.”
“You do?”
“My father told me what he said to you.”
Which meant she knew he’d left because he didn’t love her. “He shouldn’t have—”
She cut him off. “It’s okay. Don’t feel badly about being honest. Being with you taught me that honesty can hurt, but it’s the only way to heal. So, I need to be honest with you, Dax. I love you. There has never been anyone in my life who has made me feel as good about myself as you have. You’re a good friend, an amazing lover, and I don’t care if you can’t ever say you love me. The way you listen to me, the way you care about what I care about, is more loving than any man I’ve ever known.”
Dax paced back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. He wanted to tell Kenzi he loved her, he wanted to so badly he felt sick when he couldn’t. She deserved so much better than he was giving her. “I’ve been a miserable bastard without you.”
“Then come here. Or I’ll go there.”
Dax was angry with himself, angry with a past that held him back. A man walked in front of Dax then skittered out of his way after looking at the expression on his face. “You want marriage, kids, the whole happily ever after. I’m not that man, Kenzi. My father went through marriages like some people go through cars. As soon as it wasn’t shiny and new he traded it in for a new one. What if I am just like him?”
“Then don’t marry me,” Kenzi said in a soft tone that took his breath away.
