She held up her hand, unwilling to look him in the eye. She couldn’t hate him any more than he hated himself.
But he wasn’t done.
“At least you can fix that mistake now that I’m official.”
Bronte stumbled beside him. “Official?”
He swallowed, wishing a hole would appear in the ground beneath him to end this torture. “That’s right. I can vote and everything. Brady’s beau isn’t lying about his connections. I had all my paperwork in order a few weeks after I left.”
She was silent as he led her down one sidewalk, then another until the inn came into view. Thankfully, the man he’d been looking for was standing outside, his eyes narrowed on a building across the street, phone in hand.
“Tanaka,” he called sharply, causing the slender man’s gaze to land on him in surprise.
“William. I was about to call you to fill you in on—”
William held up his hand, letting Ken see the rage he’d been hiding. “I got the message, and I appreciate the efforts you’ve made, but I won’t thank you for allowing Bronte to put herself in harm’s way without telling me.”
Ken didn’t flinch. “If you two would stop with all the damn secrets, maybe I wouldn’t get confused about who’s allowed to know what.”
“She knows everything now.”
Ken looked down at her. “Everything?”
William scowled. “Enough. You need to take her home. Today.”
“Now wait just one damn minute, you lying, high-handed son of a bitch.”
He almost smiled as Bronte spit fire at him, reminding him of the first time they’d met. “I brought this to your door, Bronte. I’ll own that. Now you need to let me fix it.” He flicked a glance at Tanaka, who was listening intently. “Mahoney isn’t going to bother anyone connected to the family. Not after our meeting.”
“What meeting?”
“The one I’ll tell you about as soon as you get Brady to take my wife back to her family.”
“Brady’s here?”
Ken sighed. “I can do that. I’ll put her on Tasha’s flight. It leaves in an hour.”
“What? Wait a minute, Ken. I have my own ride and I’ll get myself home as soon as I—”
William pressed one finger to Bronte’s lips, letting his expression soften. “Go with them, Nightingale. Please. When the time comes, I’ll sign whatever papers you need me to sign. You were right and I was wrong. We’re not a good fit.”
She jerked back as if he’d struck her and he stepped away, sending one last look in Tanaka’s direction. “Take care of her. You know how to reach me once she’s gone.”
Ken’s eyes took him in as if he could see everything. He nodded once, moving closer to Bronte’s side.
His last look at his wife’s face would stay with him for as long as he lived. She was mad as hell and so beautiful it made him ache to walk away, letting her believe he didn’t love her.
That might have been the biggest lie he’d ever told.
Chapter Nine
“Bronte? We brought food, so don’t throw anything at us until I set it down.”
She looked up from the pile of yarn on the floor to see Austen and Hugo step through her door carefully, as if wary for potential booby traps. “Mama gave you the spare key, didn’t she?”
Austen set down the pizza on her small kitchen table and slipped off her heels in one graceful motion. “You think our sweet, innocent mother would do that to you? After you expressly forbid it and asked for space and understanding?”
Hugo dropped down on the floor beside her, crossing his legs and flashing his deep dimples in her direction. “That was a yes in case you’re too depressed to get her sarcasm.”
She got it. She just didn’t have the energy or desire to deal with it. “I hope you two aren’t trying your hand at that Kumbaya bullshit Hugo’s new family is so fond of.”
“A Finntervention?” Austen scoffed. “Lord no. Frankly, we’re just a little irritated that you haven’t been around for the last few GPP gatherings or family dinners. You know, the dinners that have been taking place downstairs at your parents’ house?”
“Technically, I’ve only missed two.”
“Two is enough. We’ve even let Robert talk about his trip to Greece again. Anything to distract the folks since your March reveal. That should tell you how desperate we are.”
When she’d gotten back from Baltimore, still reeling from how quickly she’d been dismissed by William and herded home by Brady and Tasha, she’d called the family together to get a few things off her chest.
She told them everything, glossing over a few of the more intimate details. The wedding, William’s citizenship issues and her decision to lie to them about going down to see him.
Everyone but Hugo looked at her like she’d grown another head. A more interesting, mysterious head that they couldn’t stop staring at. Even Shelley had glanced up from her phone in a way that reminded her of Ken Tanaka, studying her with X-ray eyes that seemed to see straight into her heart.