blood-tie discovered? Industrial espionage paid well, and there were plenty of women out there who could have been hired for the job for a comparatively small price.
But if Barron really was her grandfather and David Wilson her deceased father…
Ethan shook his head. Ridiculous. Why was he playing “what if” games with bad outcomes? Pointless. She couldn’t possibly be related to the Sterlings. And even if she were, her family didn’t mean a thing compared to what they had. He wouldn’t let it stand in the way of getting what he wanted.
Chapter Seventeen
SINCE HIS RETURN from the honeymoon a week earlier, Alex had resumed most of his day-to-day responsibilities. Kerri was busy prepping for the TLD executive meeting, which had been postponed until Friday afternoon. So Ethan took an entire afternoon off to attend to some personal matters.
He put the final touches on the birthday festivities he’d planned for Kerri. Natalie had promised to keep her occupied all afternoon long, and had been true to her word. Ethan was grateful to have her back.
But he actually felt a bit sorry for Kerri. Natalie’s plans included hours and hours of shopping with Alex’s money. Kerri had wanted to work on some spreadsheets and memos, but given what day it was, Ethan had wanted her to spend time looking at something more interesting than Excel.
“If you’re so cavalier about my hours, you aren’t going to be able to turn TLD around. Everyone’s going to have to work their butts off if they want to salvage the situation.”
“Yes, boss.” He’d kissed her disapproving mouth even as he had been pushing her out the door.
A hundred candles lit the penthouse now, their gentle scent perfuming the air. Ethan had prepared everything except the cake. Never much of a baker, he decided against experimenting on this particular occasion. Natalie was supposed to bring Kerri back by six…which, according to the clock, meant that they should be coming any time.
Right on cue, his phone buzzed with a text from Natalie: Getting in the elevator.
He lit the candles on the cake, his heart full and expectant. He didn’t know why Kerri hadn’t bothered to celebrate her birthdays before. Maybe she’d been too busy, or maybe her parents had been negligent, and it’d become sort of a routine to ignore the day. He’d seen how some of his friends’ ultra-busy parents just forgot about their children’s special days. Though they’d tried to make up for their neglect with lavish gifts, it hadn’t been the same. He’d seen how it hurt his friends until eventually they just stopped caring.
Things were different now. Kerri wasn’t living with her parents; she was with him. He wanted to start a new tradition, where her birthday was a big deal, as it should be. It was the day she’d come into the world.
The woman needed to learn how amazing and special she was.
The door opened, and the two women walked in. Kerri suddenly paused and her arms went slack. The bag she was holding fell next to her sandaled feet. Her eyes wide, she looked around at the candles and food and drinks and cake.
“What’s this?” Her voice was bright. “Is it…your birthday, Ethan?” She shook her head. “Or are we having a guest over for a surprise party that I didn’t know about?”
She didn’t think this was for her? Had she forgotten her birthday altogether?
He put his hands on her arms and kissed her. “Happy birthday, Kerri.”
*
Kerri blinked, her chest suddenly tight. Her pulse throbbed too fast and her insides ached.
God, all this was for her.
She tried to remember all the things she ought to be doing. She should smile—yes, and what else? She should look pleased, maybe happy even, that people noticed and cared enough to bother.
It was obvious Ethan had gone to quite a bit of trouble to prepare everything. The ambiance was lovely—the dining room lit with countless white candles and a stunningly beautiful ivory cake in the center of the table surrounded by a gorgeous home-cooked Italian dinner.
Why are you doing this to me? Why are you going through all this when what we have is temporary?
She couldn’t ask, not when her best friend was watching her expectantly.
Kerri started to go through the motions, opting for the proper response.
“My gosh, you’re right. I totally forgot. It is my birthday.” An unnaturally high-pitched laugh spilled out of her. She’d semi-forgotten about it because she’d spent the entire day not thinking about it. Even forced herself to focus on shopping as though she could save humanity from World War III by pinching every penny of Natalie’s billionaire husband’s money.
“Happy birthday, girl!” Natalie hugged her and put a beautifully wrapped pale blue box on the table.
Ethan and Natalie beamed, and spreading her mouth into a proper smile hurt too much. This was far more than the simple birthday celebrations her coworkers had set up for her at some popular bars to pretend and fake her way through. Her coworkers had never had the time to do anything other than to pay for her whiskey and greasy finger food, which had been exactly at the limit of her comfort level.
So why couldn’t Ethan have done the same? He was busy, and this wasn’t even a weekend. He shouldn’t have bothered. A slice of cake after a plate of spaghetti with simple tomato sauce should’ve been more than enough.