Been Loving You Too Long (11 page)

“Because he’s never allowed himself to care enough to find out,” Kaitlyn protested.
 

“So, was our dad being an asshole the reason you’re so bitchy?”

Kaitlyn smiled.
 
“No, honey.
 
I’m a bitch cause I like to be one.
 
Now get back over there before they come in and realize we’ve been spying.”

Quickly moving back to their seats, everyone in the room waited with baited breath for the announcement of their intentions.
 

Stanley rose to greet them.

Claude openly smirked.
 

“What have you decided?” Stanley demanded.
 

“We’ll come into your office tomorrow to discuss the particulars of a prenup, and then we’ll go to Vegas over the weekend.”

“No!” The exclamation came from Kaitlyn, surprising everyone.

Vincent stared at her. “Do you have some objection to this?”

“No.
 
I have no objection to you getting a prenup or getting married, but I do object to Vegas.
 
That’s tacky,” she explained.
 
“You can’t just go to some cheap ass chapel on the strip and get married in jeans and an ‘I’m with stupid’ t-shirt!
 
You are the CEO of DuChamps Hotels.
 
How would that look?
 
We sell luxury, Vincent.
 
We’re about wealth, prestige and living the good life!”

“We don’t have time to plan an elaborate wedding,” Ophelia protested.
 
“We only have two months.”

“The wedding will be here, a week from Saturday.
 
It will be a small, private affair and I will handle the details,” Kaitlyn added.
 
“This has to look good.
 
The last thing we need is for this to hit the tabloids...Stanley, I want you to draw up a nondisclosure statement, that we are all going to sign before we leave this room today.
 
It is to include everything contained in the will and anything that was said, discussed or decided here today, particularly the circumstances surrounding this wedding—or do you have a problem with that, Claude?”

Vincent had renewed respect for Kaitlyn in that moment.
 
He’d forgotten just how smart she was when she wanted to be.
 
Leveling a cold stare at his cousin, he said, “Claude does not have a problem with it.
 
He would never do anything to jeopardize DuChamps Hotels.”

Claude spluttered a response, “Of course.
 
The business has to be the priority right now.”

“I’ve already done that,” Stanley said, producing a sheaf of paperwork from his briefcase. “I anticipated that these details would require discretion, and tomorrow for the prenup will be fine.
 
We’ll go over particulars and get it set up.”

Ophelia felt overwhelmed and out of her depth.
 
She’d been a part of the DuChamps’ household but she’d never been party to the inner workings of the family. The very idea that Kaitlyn would plan a wedding for them was counterintuitive. “Kaitlyn, I think we need to talk about the service.” She was determined to find out what the other woman was up to.

“We’ll do that when we go shopping for your dress...and that will happen as soon as Stanley gets us out of here.
 
We’re in a bit of a hurry,” Kaitlyn responded.
 
“It’s not every day you marry into the DuChamps’ family, and even though this service will be subdued by most standards, it should still be reflective of the family’s standards.”

The next few minutes passed in a flurry of activity as Stanley had each of them sign nondisclosure agreements.
 
Before he left, he gave Vincent a sealed letter.
 
“It’s from Thomas,” Stanley explained.
 
“I wasn’t to give it to you unless you agreed to marry Ophelia.”

Ophelia wanted to stay, to ask what was in the letter and why in the world Thomas had thought to do such a thing.
 
But Kaitlyn was ushering her out the door and into a waiting car.
 
Grumbling, she went along.
 
It was doubtful that Vincent would share it with her anyway.
 
It wasn’t as if they were a real couple, she reminded herself.
 

~~****~~

Alone in the study, Vincent stared at the letter for a long moment, feeling the weight of the paper in his hand.
 
He didn’t want to open it, he realized.
 
Holding it, unopened, allowed some small piece of Thomas to remain with him.
 
There was a finality to reading those last words that he simply didn’t want to feel.
 
At the same time, he had to know, felt compelled to know.
 

Tearing the paper, he scanned the page and the words recorded there by a trembling hand.
 

Vincent,

I’d say right now you’ve just about run out of patience with all of my theatrics.
 
You’ll have to indulge me, my boy.
 
I had to restrain most of my flamboyant tendencies in life.
  
Everything I’ve done in life, since the moment the three of you came to me, was to insure you that you all would be healthy, happy and whole.
 
But you aren’t.
 
None of you are.
 
Each of you is haunted by the circumstances that brought you to me.
 
You remember too much of your father and those dark times.
 
So does, Kaitlyn.
 
Justin is haunted because he remembers nothing, and feels the lack.
 

The tasks I’ve set for each of you are going to prompt you to go your separate ways for a while.
 
It’s important.
 
They need to find their way without you, and you need to have a life of your own for once.
 
You also need to face your fears.
 
You are not your father.
 
As much as you may see his face in yours, you are your own man.
 
I like to think I had a hand in shaping the man you’ve become, a man I’m proud of, but damned if I don’t think you’d have turned out just fine without me.
 
You’re a good man, but not a happy one.
 

The hoop I’ve selected for you to jump through, Vincent, is the one you swore off.
 
You have to marry.
 
I’ve made it easy for you.
 
I even selected the woman of your dreams.
  
All those long, lingering looks you thought were so discreet, well, they weren’t. You have two months from the day you read this letter to make Ophelia Broulliard your wife, or forfeit your inheritance, including my controlling interest in DuChamp Hotels to your cousin, Claude DuChamps.
 
I know you and Claude don’t see eye to eye on running the business, and I know that if he takes over right now, all the hard work and all the money you’ve sunk into salvaging the Marquis Royale will be lost.
 

I don’t need to tell you that Claude will destroy the company.
 
He’ll make it turn a hefty profit, but the cost will be great.
 
Long time employees will be let go.
 
Quality will go down.
 
Our reputation will be tarnished.
 
The company you love will morph into something else and that grand hotel you’ve been trying to save will once again fall into ruin. But that’s your decision to make.
 

I’ve taken the liberty of stacking the deck in your favor.
 
Ophelia will have her own incentive to say yes.
 
She’ll hate me for it, but I’m not there to suffer it, am I?

Good luck.
 
And remember that I’m doing all of this for your own damned good.
 

Thomas.

Vincent read the letter again.
 
He waited for the anger to come, but he simply couldn’t pull it to the surface.
 
Thomas had always been a managing bastard, and somehow he’d always been right.
 
He could only pray that would hold true for Thomas’ grand finale.
 

~~****~~

Less than an hour later, Ophelia stood in front a full length trifold mirror, surveying her reflection.
 
Absently, she traced the lace pattern on her thigh, though her thoughts were a million miles away.
 

The dress was beautiful, but more modern and more expensive than anything she would have chosen for herself.
 
Kaitlyn had argued with her until she’d finally relented and agreed to try it on.
 
The mermaid style hugged her curves and the strapless, sweetheart neckline displayed more of her than she was comfortable with.
 
Still, there were vintage touches with the lace and the birdcage veil.
 
It all felt surreal to her.

Marrying Vincent had been the optimal outcome of every girlhood dream she’d possessed.
 
In her limited vision, prince charming had always worn Vincent’s handsome face.
 
Now it was, simply put—the last thing in the world she wanted to do.
 
The very idea of it filled her with dread for one reason and one reason alone.
 
He didn’t want to marry her.
 
He’d been left with no other option.
 
It stung her pride and left her tender ego feeling too raw for words.
 

“Well, you look gorgeous but if you don’t figure out how to fake a smile, this is going to be one sad ass wedding,” Kaitlyn scolded.
 

“My God, you are
so
bossy.”

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes.
 
“If you’re just figuring that out, you really are slow. I think this is the one, really.
 
It does things for your body that are just sinful.”

“It’s a wedding dress.
 
Is sinful the look we’re going for?” Ophelia demanded.
 

“That depends,” Kaitlyn answered nonchalantly.
 
“Do you want to continue being the good little girl?
 
Or do you want to be the woman who makes his jaw drop and his brain seize?”

The answer was shameful to her.
 
Even after everything that had happened between them, she wanted to make his chin hit the floor.
 
She wanted him to look at her and not be able to think of anyone else.
 
And then just for spite, she wanted to tell him…
no
.
 
“You think this is the dress that will make him trip over his own tongue?”

“Yes.
 
I do.
 
I think that when Vincent sees you and that ridiculously pornographic figure in something other than one of your ladylike dresses, he’s going to want you, and it’s going to piss him off to no end that other men are getting to enjoy that same view...Jealousy, in moderation, is a good thing.”

“Okay,” Ophelia replied.
 
“Then, let’s start making him miserable with it.”

Kaitlyn laughed.
 
“That sounded almost like something I’d say, if you threw in a few choice curse words.
 
We need shoes and we need lingerie.
 
I’ll book a caterer and we’ll get the florist.
 
We’ll keep it simple, but expensive.
 
That way, they won’t balk at the short notice.”

“I still don’t know why you’re doing all this,” Ophelia wondered aloud, struggling to piece together whatever ulterior motives Kaitlyn might have.
 
For the life of her, she couldn’t find one.
 

Kaitlyn appeared to consider her answer for a moment.
 
“I don’t like you, Ophelia, but I don’t hate you.
 
You’re just too goody- goody by far and frankly, having you held up by Thomas and Ruby as a sterling example just set my teeth on edge...But I love my brother, and whether he’s willing to admit it or not, you’re what he wants.
 
So, I’m helping you to help him.”