Page 48 of Finding Lord Landry

I opened my mouth to remind him that there’d only beenoneperson offeringonefavor in this scenario, and Kenji hadn’t had a part in any of it, but Kenji clasped his hands around my forearm. His touch was enough to stop me in my tracks.

His smile stayed calm and genuine. “Why don’t you tell me what you had in mind, and I’ll see what I can do to help? Please, have a seat, and we can all talk for a few moments.”

As we moved to take seats in twin settees opposite each other over a low coffee table, Jamie leaned in and pressed a kiss to Kenji’s cheek. “You sure you’re okay?” he murmured to him as they pulled apart.

Needless to say, I wanted to rip his fucking head off and chuck it in the fire.

“Definitely. Thank you for asking,” Kenji said before taking the seat next to me.

I wasn’t surprised to see Kenji lie to him, but I was secretly chuffed.

Jim rubbed his hands together before leaning forward and placing his elbows on his thighs. “Alright, here’s the plan. Landry agreed to accompany us to several high-profile social events over the next few weeks to help Winthrop & Meyers break into the old-money set. But seeing the media’s reaction to your…” He waved a hand between Kenji and me. “Your love story has made this even more exciting. The two of you are about to be the hot ticket in town, the perfect mix of old and new. What better way to make the case that an old, storied family from the peerage is embracing new ways of doing things than to have both of you accompanying us?”

Once again, I opened my mouth to give this man a piece of my mind, and once again, Kenji stopped me again with a hand on my arm. “The problem is that the media has gotten it wrong. We’re not actually, ah…”

My jaw ached from where I forced my mouth not to stop him. To plead with him. To beg the universe to make it right.

He cleared his throat. “Engaged.”

Jim frowned. “You’re not? But…”

Jamie ignored his father’s confusion. He looked at Kenji strangely for a long moment, then smiled. “You know, I did wonder if there was some misunderstanding, given our conversation the other day. This media circus must be a nightmare for you, then, Kenji.” He wrinkled his nose sympathetically. “But I think I have an idea that will work out well for everyone.”

“You do?” Jim asked.

“You do?” Kenji echoed, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Jamie nudged his father. “We’ll tell the press they got it wrong and it’s actually Everett andIwho are together. ThatI’mhis American fiancé who was being held. It’ll be brilliant.”

Jamie and me?I nearly snorted in surprise. “Sorry, how would that help anyone?”

“Well, if we really sold the bit, it would mean Kenji could go back to his life in America unmolested by the press. And Winthrop & Meyers would get plenty of publicity.” Jamie pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I figure we’ll need to do a few casual appearances together to make the paps believe it. Exchange a few smiles, a few loving glances. Wrap our arms around each other, you know? Oh, and definitely hold hands while we walk down the street.” He glanced at Kenji’s hands on my arm. “There’d probably need to be a few steamy kisses, too, I imagine, to seal the deal… but it wouldn’t besobad, Everett. I promise.” He shot me a cheeky smile. “You might even like it.”

I wouldn’t. Not at all. But I’d agree to the pretense temporarily if it meant giving Kenji the freedom to go back to the States and get away from this mess. Nothing about this media situation was okay, but I’d signed up for it willingly in exchange for Kenji’s safety. I hated that I was bringing Kenji down with me when he hadn’t been the one making up lies.

“That would be—” I began.

Kenji clamped his hands around my arm like an angry bear trap. “Awful,” he said through his teeth. “Utterly terrible. Because… because the reason we aren’tengagedis that… is that…” He forced a laugh. “Is that we’re already married.”

I turned to stare at him, wondering how it was possible to mishear someone from eighteen inches away. “We… what?”

He blinked slowly, as if he’d surprised himself as much as everyone else in the room. “I, ah… I know you didn’t want to tell anyone yet, b-baby, but now the media have gotten a hold of the story, it’s only fair to make it public.”

Sharp sparkles of bright light flicked at the edges of my vision. “What?” I asked again, very stupidly. Because I knew I hadn’t heard it right, but my brain couldn’t figure out what words he’d actually said or meant.

Someone in the back of my brain was doing a swoon about the “baby” he’d dropped. What would I have to do to get him to say that to me and mean it?

Kenji’s eyes met mine, and the force of it, after a morning of him refusing to look in my direction, hit me like a fire hose. The combination of emotions swirling in his gaze was hard to interpret, but there was for sure something fierce in it. “I’m not letting you go to those events with Jamie Winthrop on your arm,” he gritted out before remembering himself and plastering the polite smile on again while turning back to Jim and Jamie. “When I’m happy to take my rightful place there.”

He transferred his double grip to my hand and pulled our joined fists into his lap.

I glanced to the Winthrops, expecting to see them laughing. Instead, Jamie looked almost smug, and Jim looked relieved.

“Even better,” Jim said. “And congratulations. I was almost positive you’d said fiancé when we were at Downing Street?—”

Kenji answered while I continued to stare at Jim in continued shock. “No doubt he did, in an effort to protect me,” Kenji explained, sitting up and taking on an all-business tone. “Right, darling?”

It took me precious seconds and Kenji’s nearly painful squeeze of my hand to realizedarlingwas… me.

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