A Groom Worth Waiting For. Sophie Pembroke
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come to my wedding alone, after all.’
He had a comeback for that somewhere, he was sure. But since Flynn arrived at that moment—cool, collected, and always an inch and a half taller than Zeke—he didn’t have to search for it.
‘Zeke! You made it.’ Flynn stepped up and held out a hand, but before Zeke could even take it Thea had latched on to her fiancé’s other arm, smiling up at him in a sickeningly adoring manner.
Keeping the handshake as perfunctory as possible, Zeke moved out of their circle of love and into his own space of scepticism. ‘How could I resist the opportunity to be the best man for once? Might be the only chance I get.’
Flynn’s smile stiffened a little at that, but he soldiered on regardless. Always so keen to play up the family loyalty—to be a part of the family he’d never really thought he belonged in. Zeke would have thought that their father choosing Flynn over him would have gone a long way to convincing his brother that there was only one golden boy in the family, and that blood didn’t matter at all.
‘I wouldn’t want anyone but my brother beside me on such an important day,’ Flynn said.
He didn’t even sound as if he was lying, which Zeke thought was quite an accomplishment.
‘Really? Because I have to admit I was kind of surprised to be asked.’ Zeke glanced at Thea, who gave him an I knew it! look. ‘Not as surprised as Thea was to see me here, of course,’ he added, just because he could. She glared at him, and snuggled closer against Flynn’s arm. There was absolutely no chemistry between them at all. And not a chance in hell they’d ever slept together. What on earth was Thea doing with him?
‘You said he wasn’t coming,’ Thea pointed out—rather accusingly, Zeke thought.
‘I wasn’t sure he would,’ Flynn admitted, glancing down at Thea with an apologetic smile.
Zeke wasn’t sure he liked the idea of them talking about him in his absence. What had she said? How much had she told him?
‘But, Zeke, you were the one who left us, remember? Not the other way round. Of course I asked you. You’re my brother.’
‘And that’s the only reason?’ Zeke asked. An uncomfortable feeling wriggled in his chest at the reminder of his disappearance, but he pushed it aside. He hadn’t had a choice. His father had made his position very clear, and that position had taken any other options Zeke might have had off the table. He’d only hung around long enough to waste his time talking to Thea that same night, then he’d been gone. And nobody looking at Zeke now, at how far he’d come and how much he’d achieved, could say that he’d made a mistake by leaving.
Flynn didn’t answer his question. With a sigh, he said, ‘Dad’s got a dinner planned for tonight, by the way. To welcome you home.’
Zeke appreciated the warning too much to point out that a luxury Tuscan villa belonging to some client or another wasn’t actually ‘home’, no matter how many swimming pools it had. ‘A prodigal son type thing? Hope he’s found a suitably fatted calf.’
‘I’m sure there was some poor animal just begging to be sacrificed on your behalf,’ Thea said. ‘But before then don’t we have a meeting with the wedding planner to get to, darling?’
The endearment sounded unnatural on her tongue, and Flynn actually looked uncomfortable as she said it. Nobody would ever believe these two actually loved each other or wanted to see each other naked. Watching them, Zeke couldn’t even see that they’d ever met before, let alone been childhood friends. He could imagine them on their wedding night—all unnatural politeness and a wall of pillows down the middle of the bed. If it wasn’t Thea doing the marrying, it would be hilarious.
‘She had to leave,’ Flynn said. ‘But I think we sorted out all the last-minute details. I said you’d call her later if there was anything you were concerned about.’
‘I’m sure it’s all fine,’ Thea said, smiling serenely.
Even that seemed false. Shouldn’t a woman getting married in two days be a little bit more involved in the details?
A door opened somewhere, slamming shut again as Hurricane Helena came blowing through.
‘Are you guys still here?’ she asked, waves of blonde hair bobbing past her shoulders. ‘Shouldn’t you all be getting ready for dinner? Thea, I had the maid press your dress for tonight. It’s hanging in your room. Can I borrow your bronze shoes, though?’
‘Of course,’ Thea said, just as she always had to Helena, ever since their mother had died.
Zeke wondered if she even realised she did it.
‘Come on, I’ll find them for you now.’
As the women made their way down the corridor Helena spun round, walking backwards for a moment. ‘Hope you brought your dinner jacket, Zeke. Apparently this welcome home bash is a formal affair.’
So his father had been sure he’d come, even if no one else had. Why else would he have set up a formal dinner for his arrival?
Helena turned back, slipping a hand through her sister’s arm and giggling. Thea, Zeke couldn’t help but notice, didn’t look back at all.
Beside him, Flynn gave him an awkward smile. He’d always hated having to wear a bow tie, Zeke remembered suddenly. At least someone else would be miserable that evening.
‘I’ll see you at dinner,’ Flynn said, setting off down another corridor.
‘Can’t wait.’ Zeke’s words echoed in the empty hallway. ‘Gonna be a blast.’
THEA SHOULD HAVE known this wasn’t just about shoes.
‘So...Zeke coming home. Bit of a shock, huh?’ Helena said, lounging back on Thea’s ridiculously oversized bed.
‘Yep.’ Thea stuck her head in the closet and tried to find her bronze heels. Had she even packed them?
‘Even though old Ezekiel Senior has planned a welcome home dinner?’
‘I told you—Flynn didn’t think he’d come,’ Thea explained. ‘So neither did I.’
‘So Flynn was just as shocked?’ Helena asked, too innocently.
‘Probably,’ Thea said. ‘He just hides it better.’
‘He hides everything better,’ Helena muttered. ‘But, to be honest, he didn’t seem all that surprised when I told him Zeke had arrived.’
Thea bashed her head on the wardrobe door. Rubbing her hand over the bump, she backed out into the room again. ‘Then maybe he just had more faith that his brother would do the right thing than I did. I really don’t think I brought those bronze shoes.’
‘No? What a shame. I’ll just have to wear my pewter ones.’ Helena sat up, folding her legs under her. ‘Why don’t you trust Zeke? I thought you two were pretty close before he left.’
Thea stared at her sister. She’d known all along she didn’t have the stupid shoes, hadn’t she? She’d just wanted an excuse to quiz her about Zeke. Typical.
‘We were friends,’ she allowed. ‘We all were. Hard not to be when they were over at our house all the time.’
‘Or we were there,’ Helena agreed. ‘Especially after Mum...’
‘Yeah.’
Isabella Ashton had quickly taken pity on the poor, motherless Morrison girls. She’d been more than happy to educate fourteen-year-old Thea in the correct way to run her father’s household and play the perfect hostess. At least until Thea had proved she wasn’t up to the task and Isabella had taken over all together. Thea would have been relived,