Page 55 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
That’s not going to happen anytime soon, judging by the look on Penny’s face, but I keep the thought to myself as I watch my mother, sister, and her best friend walk away from us.
“Phoebe,” Dominic says as he turns to face me. “You need to understand that this was just a tactic. They’re determined to bring you down, but they don’t have the truth working in their favor, so they use insults.”
“I know.”
But it doesn’t stop their hurtful words from cutting deep. I guess I’m not as healed as I thought I was.
Theo tightens his grip on my hip, beckoning me to look up at him. “Phoebe, we’re here with you. Proud and loud. They hate seeing you happy because they are miserable. That’s all this is.”
“And you are, by far, the prettiest girl in this place,” August whispers in my ear. “I mean, look at us, baby. The three of us, hooked on you, unable to pull away. And I can’t wait to get you out of this dress later tonight.”
I can’t help but smile, surrounded by their charm, by their genuine adoration and kindness. I feel every word with the clarity and the sincerity with which it was intended, and slowly, the tension begins to dissipate.
“So, you hate this dress so much that you want to take it off me,” I jokingly reply. August plants a kiss on my temple, and I breathe in his peppery cologne. I close my eyes as my whole body shudders in response.
“I hate any garment that covers this gorgeous body of yours.”
Arousal burns through me as liquid heat pools between my legs. I clench my core tightly as I lean into Theo, trying to keep my composure in the middle of a public event.
16
AUGUST
“Where’s Theo?” Dominic asks.
We’re in my car, parked across the street from the main building of Baldwin Enterprises, doing the one thing we never thought we’d actually have to do—a hands-on approach to keep Phoebe safe and secure her inheritance.
I always thought coming up with a unique and mind-blowing marriage proposal would be our biggest challenge, yet here we are.
“He’s working on a project of his own,” I tell my brother. “He wouldn’t give me too many details, though.”
“Typical Theo.”
“In his defense, he always delivers.”
“True, but under the current circumstances, I’m kind of worried about what he’s going to deliver. I’m hoping it’s not Crystal or Georgina’s head on a plate.”
I chuckle dryly. “Maybe he’ll do us all a solid and deliver both.”
“We need to approach this from a different angle. Whatever Helen is pulling, I doubt it’s based solely on her so-called desire to preserve the Baldwins’ integrity.”
I glance at my brother. Every time our eyes meet, it’s like looking into a mirror. We came into this world together, and we are rarely ever apart. There’s an unbreakable connection between us. Then Theo came along and fit right in, much like a missing piece to a puzzle, and suddenly, life made a hell of a lot more sense.
All we needed was a good woman to join us and we’ve found one. There isn’t a chance in hell that we’ll allow anyone to strip her of what she rightfully deserves. She’s as much a Baldwin as the rest of them. Hell, she’s more qualified to run the family business than her mother and sister combined.
“We need to figure out Helen’s day-to-day movements,” I say to Dominic. “There’s a pattern, but she’ll have to go off script somewhere eventually.”
“A woman like her has to have skeletons hidden somewhere. Nobody goes after their own child’s money with Helen’s tenacity unless she’s got something to lose. Something big,” my brother says. “I’ll bet Phoebe could figure it out just by looking through their financial records.”
“They’re not even letting her into the building these days.” I shake my head. “They’re steering the ship away from Phoebe altogether.”
“Which means they’re hiding something.”
Helen comes out of the building. She’s not easy to miss. From afar, she is particularly striking, often wearing vibrant colors and always leaving her blonde hair loose—a cascading wave of silverand gold flowing over her shoulder. Today, she chose a bright clash of turquoise and coral, which will make her easy to keep track of.
“There she goes,” I tell Dominic, then turn the engine on.
“Don’t tail her too closely,” he reminds me as he takes out his camera and starts snapping photos. We agreed to document everything in case we need to provide our lawyers with evidence in court.
