Page 31

Grayson cleared his throat. “Stefania, this is my sister, Caitlyn.”
Oh. His sister. The hot, tight ball in my gut loosened. I castigated myself for feeling it in the first place.
“Stef Moretti, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s me.”
Caitlyn stepped forward with her hand out, a smile replacing the tears. “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
Oh, well, that was a nice thing to say. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
She stepped back, her smile fading when she turned back to Grayson. “I guess I better go see Dad.”
“I can come with you.”
Okay, that was strange. She needed her older brother with her to go see their dad?
Caitlyn shook her head. “No, it’s fine, you…” she trailed off, gesturing to me. “I’ll come and find you later.” Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him on the cheek and then she was gone, leaving me and Grayson in a taut, awkward silence.
“She hasn’t been home in three years. It’s a big deal.”
“Right.” Why was he telling me this? “She seems really nice.”
“She is.”
“And you guys seem really close.”
“We were.”
Okay, so this was the most civil we’d been to each other since…You figured you’d just grab some extra credit to try to closethe deal.The memory had my head swimming. I reached for the balustrade for support, throwing my hand up as Grayson took a step toward me.
He stopped instantly. “Are you okay?”
“Of course. I’m fine.”
With a searching look, his eyes roved over my face. Knowing I looked like absolute shit with bags under my eyes, and super pale skin, I lifted my chin, daring him to push the issue. He opened his mouth, about to speak, when a loud, “Stef!” cut through the foyer and Belle came running, throwing her arms around me.
Huffing out a breath of relief, I scooped her up. “Hello, my little blueberry muffin! I’ve missed you!”
“Me too!”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Grayson said, stepping back. There was a moment where our eyes met–things unsaid hanging in the air between us–before he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing against the marble.
There was nothing like a cuddle with a six-year-old to soothe your frayed nerves. “Where’s Esme?”
“I’m here.” Esme stepped out from a side door, looking amazingly relaxed for someone who was marrying the love of her life tomorrow, in the society wedding of the year.
“Wow, you look so good!”
She grabbed me in a tight hug, holding on for a long moment. “I’m so freaking excited!”
“I can tell!” Laughing, I hugged her back. Her happiness was contagious, even if I was too worn out to fully show it. “You’re glowing, girl.”
She beamed, grabbing my hand. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. I’ve got so much to show you!”
Climbing the stairs felt like scaling a mountain, but Esme’s chatter kept me moving.
Esme’s room was straight out of a magazine, with a giant bed that looked too pretty to sleep in. Her wedding dress hung in the corner, looking all mysterious in its bag. “Wow, Esme, this place is unreal.”