31. She Doesnt Believe Us

She Doesn't Believe Us

Benjamin

I paced the loft that overlooked the main area of the cabin nervously. I couldn’t see the drive from where we were, so I didn’t know when Nova would arrive. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed a picturesque view of the snow-covered mountain and Sunflower Falls in the valley below. It was one of my favorite views, and the reason for the large windows, but I couldn’t enjoy it now. Not when I still didn’t know if Nova would show, or even worse if she would hear us out. People arrived and mingled below as waiters with hors d’oeuvres and champagne trays moved through the small crowd.

“How are you so calm?” I snapped at Lincoln, who was lounging on the couch as if he didn’t have a care in the world. As if his entire future with the woman he loved didn’t hang in the balance.

“Simple,” he replied, “I refuse to accept any possible outcome other than Nova agreeing to be ours.”

“Do you think she will come?” I asked. I didn’t. Sure, the contract was still in effect, but she had to know that we wouldn’t pursue legal action if she didn’t come.

“She fucking better,” Grant growled. At least he was feeling as anxious as I was.

“She said she would be here, so she’ll be here,” Lincoln replied confidently. I wish I had an ounce of his confidence right now.

“Did the driver pick her up?” I asked.

Linc rolled his eyes but pulled out his phone to make the call. He murmurs into the phone and then hangs up. “They’re pulling up now.”

The three of us move to the railing to watch the door. It felt like an eternity had passed when the door finally swung open. Nova stepped through, and an attendant took her coat.

“Fuck,” we said in unison.

She looked like she had been dipped in liquid gold. Two delicate straps held up the dress with a deep plunge, showing off plenty of cleavage. Hugging her curves, the glittering fabric flowed down her body, splitting mid-thigh to showcase one sexy leg and the stiletto she wore. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever anticipated her wearing this dress of her own volition. It was bold, daring, and sexy as fuck.

Nova turned to accept her coat check ticket, and I groaned when I saw the swooping fabric that left her back bare to the top of her ass. “This better fucking work,” I growled, gripping the railing until my knuckles turned white. Not touching her was going to be difficult.

“It will,” Grant assured me, sounding far calmer than he had earlier. We watched as she accepted a glass of champagne and looked around the room. She was looking for us. I see her stiffen slightly, and then her eyes lift as if she had felt our hungry eyes on her.

Grant crooks a finger at her, and she rolls her eyes at him but heads toward the stairs. We move, too, and are waiting for her at the top.

“You look fucking ravishing, Sugar,” Lincoln said, his voice strained from the effort it was taking to hold himself back.

“Thank you,” she replied softly as a blush spread across her cheeks.

“We need to talk,” I said. The sooner we got this out of the way, the sooner I would have her in my arms again.

Nova opens her mouth to say something, but Grant cuts her off before she can. “No,” he said sharply. “We let you talk the other day. Now it’s our turn.”

“We aren’t letting you go, Nova,” Lincoln began as we rehearsed. “We started making plans for the company the morning of the competition. Because not having you in our life wasn’t an option.”

“Unfortunately,” I continued, “we had a crisis with the launch. We didn’t have a choice but to handle it. And honestly, we can’t promise that emergencies like that won’t crop up occasionally. Fires that we have to put out ourselves.”

“What we can promise,” Grant said, “is that due to the restructuring of the company, we will have people to take on a large part of the burden and handle the smaller issues that don’t need us to solve.”

Nova’s face was guarded, but if I had to guess, she looked skeptical. “She doesn’t believe us,” I sighed.

“She will,” Lincoln replied, smirking at her. “We love you and can’t imagine our lives without you.”

Joel came up the stairs behind Nova. “Everyone is here,” he announced.

“Thanks, Joel,” I replied as we returned to the railing.

Grant looks back at Nova. “Make sure you pay attention, Little Star.”