“YOU DON’T FIT into my world...”
“I need the people in my world to have my back.”
“Someone who will let me love them and love me back.”
“Goddammit, Radd, sit still!”
Seated in the back row, Radd ignored his brother’s hiss and watched Naledi flash a practiced smile at the professional cameraman as Johnathan slid his ring onto her finger and murmured “I do.”
Shouldn’t she be looking at her groom, immersed in the moment of tying herself to another person, reveling in their love and good fortune? Shouldn’t she be paying more attention to Johnathan than she did to the camera?
“Six months,” Digby murmured.
Radd turned his head to look at his brother. “What?”
“I give them six months before they start talking divorce. They’ll be single in, mmm, maybe nine.” Digby shrugged at his surprised look. “I’ve seen so many brides stroll through the doors of The Vane, but I’ve never seen one so into herself as Naledi Radebe. There’s only space in that relationship for one person and she’s it.”
“Brin said something similar.” God, even murmuring her name hurt. Why? She was never going to be part of his life. No one was.
And if that was true then why did he spend the last thirty-six hours talking himself out of going to her, calling her? Radd rubbed his chest somewhere in the region of his heart and wondered if it would ever stop aching.
Maybe he was having a heart attack or something. Or maybe he was just missing Brin.
“I need trust and comfort and support...”
He wasn’t capable of giving her what she needed.
“Did you see the letter we received from our parent’s lawyer?” Digby asked out of the side of his mouth. “The beneficiary of their trust wants to meet us, on certain conditions.”
Right now, he really didn’t care. And he wasn’t even remotely curious who Gil and Zia had left their money to. How to heal the crater-sized hole Brin had left in his life was taking up all his mental energy.
“Brin is Kerry Riddell’s sister,” Radd whispered the words in Digby’s ear.
“Did you hear what I said? About meeting whomever they left their assets to?”
“Mmm. Brin told me I’m living in the past and that the PR campaign is just a way to convince myself I am better than them.”
Digby released an under-his-breath curse and closed his eyes. Then he pushed his way to his feet and, when Radd looked up at him, jerked his head. Radd got the message and slowly climbed to his feet, thankful they were in the back of many, many rows and could slip away without disturbing the wedding.
The brothers walked in silence to the open-air bar set up on the magnificent veranda a good distance from the wedding gazebo. Digby walked behind the counter and reached for a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. After pouring a healthy amount into both glasses, he handed Radd his tumbler before speaking again. “Your florist is Kerry’s sister? BS.”
“Do you know Kerry Riddell?” Radd asked, after taking a healthy belt of his drink. He welcomed the burn, and then the warmth, hitting his stomach. It was the first time he’d felt anything but ice cold since Brin left him on the plane.
“Yeah, we’ve met. She’s a piece of work.”
Needing to talk, a surprising development in itself, Radd rolled the tumbler between the palms of his hands. “I only found out Brin’s connection to her when Johnathan told Naledi she was Kerry’s sister at Kagiso. Naledi did not take the news well.”
“Bet she lost her rag and accused Brin of trying to spoil her wedding.”
Radd placed his glass on the bar and started pacing the area in front of Digby. Six steps, turn. Ten steps, turn again. “Good guess.”
Digby grinned. “Not that good, because Mari told me. She also told me that you are into Brin.”
Radd snorted, stopped and took another sip of his whisky. “We had a brief fling and it’s over.” He started to pace again. “It was...inconsequential.”
Radd looked up at the clear sky, watching for a stray lightning bolt to punish him for that enormous lie.
“Sure it was,” Digby mocked him. “That’s why you barely reacted when I told you about the heir to the trust, why you brushed that news off to focus on a florist. Face it, Radd, she is your person.”
Radd stopped abruptly, whirled around and scowled at his brother. “Are you looking to get thumped? You know how I feel about settling down, about marrying!”
“I do,” Digby replied, obviously amused.
“Then why would you make such an asinine comment?” Radd demanded, resuming his pacing.
“You’re shouting. And you are pacing.”
Radd threw his hands up in frustration at Digby’s observation. There was no one around, no guests to be disturbed, so what was his problem?
Digby chuckled at his question, and Radd’s hands curled into tight fists. No hitting your younger brother, even if he deserves it. “What the hell is so damn funny?”
“You! Look at you, all pissed off and pacing. I haven’t seen you this worked up in...well, forever. You are the most impassive, nonreactive person I know, yet here you are, all tied up in a knot over a woman.”
Radd wanted to argue but couldn’t because, from the first moment he’d met her, Brin had the ability to shove her hand into his soul and pull all his dormant emotions to the surface. Radd scrubbed his hands over his face, his anger fading. He sent Digby a rueful look. “She drives me nuts.”
“And that’s a very good thing,” Digby replied.
“Not from my perspective,” Radd grumbled.
Digby smiled, picked up his drink and swirled it around before speaking again. “Since Jack’s death, you have tended to be a little...”
“A little what?” Radd prompted him when Digby hesitated.
“Robotic.” Digby shrugged. “Look, when Jack died, we had to grow up, and we did, fast. We had to deal with the parents, the gossip around them and the loss of our legacy. In our drive to regain what was lost, we also, to an extent, lost ourselves.”
“Explain,” Radd commanded, his throat dry. This conversation wouldn’t be easy, but it was long overdue. The path they were on, which had seemed so clear a week or so ago, was now shrouded in fog.
“We both changed after Jack died, in fundamental ways. We worshipped Jack, he was our hero, our anchor point. And the parent’s betrayal knocked us sideways, and them returning to their hedonistic lifestyle so soon after his death was another blow.”
“Maybe that was the way they coped with his death,” Radd suggested, shocked by this new insight.
“Maybe. Or maybe you are giving them too much credit,” Digby said, his eyes stormy. “Anyway, as I was saying, Jack’s death changed everything. You became an adult overnight and I became a rebel. God, it was a miracle I managed to finish school without being kicked out.”
Only because he’d gone to the headmaster and begged him to let Digby stay in school. But Radd didn’t tell Dig that, he didn’t need to know.
“I acted out, looking for a way to ease the pain, but you internalized everything and cultivated this nothing-can-hurt-me persona.” Digby jammed his hands into the pockets of his suit pants, his eyes sober. “I, mostly, grew out of my rebellious stage, but you kept your hard-as-nails facade. I’m not going to lie, it worries me. That’s why I am so damn happy that you’ve found someone to make you feel.”
Brin did. Make him feel, that is. He still didn’t like it.
But he couldn’t deny it. Around Brin, he felt both relaxed and energized, calm and excited. He felt normal...
“Brin seems to think that I’m using the PR campaign to make me feel better about myself,” Radd admitted. Digby was the only person he could discuss this with, he’d walked this path with him. And until he figured out whether she was right or wrong, or a mixture of both, he was paralyzed.
He wanted to move on. How and where to, he had no idea, but he wasn’t the type to stand still and do nothing.
Digby stared at a point past Radd’s shoulder, and Radd knew he was looking at the superb view of Table Mountain. Digby’s opinion on Brin’s accusation was important, and he was very willing to wait.
Dig’s eyes eventually met his. “She’s right, Radd, you and I both know it. I don’t blame us for trying to restore the company to what it was, it gave two very messed-up kids a goal, a direction we so badly needed. But I’m not, as I’ve mentioned, a fan of the PR campaign, I feel we’d be beating a dead horse. People will think what they think and we know the truth. And maybe we should move forward without thinking about how the world perceives us.”
Digby didn’t, and never had, cared what people thought about him. He marched to the beat of his own drum and people could either like it or lump it.
Radd felt like the world was shifting below his feet. Everything that seemed so stable a week ago was now shaky, everything he firmly believed in felt less substantial.
All because a silver-eyed siren flipped his life upside down and inside out.
“Noted.” Radd made himself ask the question. “Should we still go ahead with acquiring the mine?”
“Absolutely.” Digby nodded. “You survived the pre-wedding week at Kagiso and by now the bride and groom should be hitched and stitched, so why not? Get Vincent to sign the sale agreement and let’s get it done. Once the mine is in our hands, we can decide on the PR campaign and where we want to take the company without any pressure from the past. Though I think you should be working out how to get Brin back in your life. It’s obvious that you are head-over-ass in love with her.”
No, he wasn’t! Radd sent Digby a hot look and noticed Dig’s eyebrows rising, as if daring him to disagree. He wanted to... He should.
He liked Brin, and adored her body. Sex with her was magical and he loved spending time with her, but that didn’t mean he loved her...
Digby flashed him an evil grin. “If you aren’t in love with her, then I might track her down and ask her out.”
A red mist formed behind Radd’s eyes and it took all his willpower not to put his hands around Digby’s throat and squeeze. Brin was his.
“Do it and die.”
Digby’s expression turned mocking, then amused. “Just get over yourself and admit it already, brother.”
Aargh!
Okay, yes, maybe he was in love with her. But who fell in love in under a week? Could he trust his feelings, as new and strange as they were? Radd, with considerable effort, pushed aside his fears and, after taking a deep breath, examined his feelings for Brin.
She made him feel whole, complete, the best version of himself. He loved her dirty laugh, her sexy smile, the sway of her hips and the way she crinkled her nose when she was deep in thought.
Nothing else, not the mine, not the business, not even Digby, mattered as much as she did; he was now second in his own life. Brin was all that was important.
He couldn’t live his life, didn’t want to, without her. Melodramatic much, Tempest-Vane? It was hard to admit, but having Brin in his life would enrich it exponentially, far more than the money in his bank accounts had ever been able to do.
She was all that mattered, all that was important.
“Ah, and the penny has dropped,” Digby commented, his tone smug.
Radd managed a small smile. Then he winced. “It’s all very well me having a come-to-Jesus moment, but that doesn’t mean that she’ll have me.”
“Nope, she’d be mad to take you on. I’m a far better bet,” Digby teased.
Radd’s “screw you” held no heat. Digby laughed and then his expression turned guarded. Radd turned to see who’d caught his attention and saw Vincent Radebe strolling across the vibrant, immaculate lawn toward them. That meant that the wedding was over.
Radd remembered that the wedding party was supposed to gather by the whimsical fountain for photographs and wondered why Vincent had left the wedding party. Naledi would not be pleased.
The guests wouldn’t be far behind him so if Radd wanted to slip away—he couldn’t wait to track Brin down—he needed to leave soon. Vincent held up his hand in a “wait, please” gesture and Radd frowned, not bothering to hide his impatience.
“I’m having second thoughts about selling the mine,” Vincent said, folding his arms across his chest.
Now why didn’t that surprise him? Radd waited for the wave of anger, the crashing waves of disappointment. Neither arrived. Interesting...
Before he could respond, Digby, looking cool, urbane but very, very determined, met Vincent’s gaze. “That’s your prerogative, of course. Now, if you’d be so kind as to accompany me to the accounts office, I will need your credit card to pay for this wedding at our usual rate. ” He turned to Radd. “Shall I add the cost of the wedding party’s stay at Kagiso, as well?”
If he was backpedaling on their agreement then they’d make him pay. Nobody pushed the Tempest-Vane brothers around. Not anymore and not ever again.
“Absolutely. Vincent’s guests enjoyed the full package at Kagiso.”
Vincent’s deep brown skin paled. “Uh...”
“Thank you for allowing us to host one of the most iconic, and expensive weddings of the past ten years at The Vane,” Digby said, still using that smooth voice. “We are honored and grateful. I’m afraid the bill might sting, but that’s the price for lifelong memories.”
Radd almost snorted. Naledi and Johnathan wouldn’t last the year, never mind a lifetime. “How much are we looking at?” Vincent asked, sounding a little choked up.
“More than a million,” Digby suavely replied. “Maybe a million and a half.”
“And that’s including the stay at Kagiso?”
Radd shook his head. “No, that’s just the cost of the wedding. Your cost to stay at Kagiso will probably be another million.”
Vincent swore and he rubbed his hand over his bald head. Yeah, you tight-fisted bastard, Radd thought, we don’t play.
Radd was over playing games with him, was tired of being the puppet dancing as Vincent pulled the strings. It wasn’t who he was; he didn’t like it and it was time to end this farce. He was tired of paying for his parent’s mistakes.
“Look Vincent, we all know you want to sell the mine, it’s no secret that you are focusing on telecommunications. You’ve held on to the mine, probably because it is so damn profitable. We’ve made you a solid offer and we threw in hosting this wedding, and your stay at Kagiso, at cost. You want to sell the mine, but you’re hoping you can squeeze some more cash out of us. It’s been fun making Gil’s sons dance, you’ve enjoyed a little payback.”
He saw the flash of agreement in the older man’s eyes.
“It’s not going to work,” Radd informed him. “The game stops, here. Today.”
“But everyone knows that the mine is the missing piece of the Tempest-Vane empire.” Vincent threw his argument back in his face.
Radd caught Digby’s eye and his brother nodded, handing him his full support. They could live without the mine, and they would. Brin was right, this was about stuff, other people’s perceptions and, at the end of the day, not that important. The world wouldn’t stop turning if the mine wasn’t added to the group and, since he knew he wasn’t like his father—or his mother—did the rehabilitation of their name matter?
If he took a wife, she might care, but Brin was the only person he could imagine in that role. And she definitely didn’t care.
God, he loved her. Radd hauled in a deep breath and realized that the boulder that usually lived on his chest was gone. So this was what freedom felt like. He rather liked it.
“It’s a business, Vincent, not a lifesaving organ transplant. Sell us the mine, as per our original agreement, or don’t. Either way, we’ll be fine,” Radd told him. He nodded to the wave of guests heading their way, led by the harassed-looking wedding planner.
“You need to join your family, Vincent,” Radd told him.
Vincent glanced at the wedding planner and sighed. “Don’t you want to know what I’ve decided?”
“I don’t care,” he told Vincent, knowing it was the truth. “Frankly, I’ve got something bigger to worry about.”
Digby jerked his head toward the building. “Go get her, Radd.”
“Thanks, Dig.”
“And if she says no, I’ll pick up where you left off. I’m younger, more charming and more handsome than you.”
Funny, Radd thought as he strode into the hotel. Not.
Abby held her hand as they walked up the steps leading from the beach to the parking lot, and Brin appreciated her support.
So much has happened between the last time I saw these steps last Saturday and now, Brin thought. She’d flown across the country, visited the most amazing game reserve, met Mari, fought with Naledi and, worst of all, handed her heart over to Radd.
Who didn’t want it.
“Brin!” Abby snapped her fingers in front of her face. She’d been doing that a lot since Brin had arrived back home yesterday afternoon. She’d been a wreck, and Abby had taken her in her arms, pulled her into their house and let her cry. Then she poured them huge glasses of wine and pulled every excruciating detail out of Brin.
And today, on finding Brin still in bed at noon, she’d pushed her into the shower and then bundled her into her car, telling her that an afternoon in the sun, swimming in the sea, would make her feel so much better.
Brin was still waiting for that to happen.
She still felt utterly exhausted. She’d hardly slept last night—her brain insisted on reliving every interaction with Radd over and over again, always ending with the vision of Radd’s hard face on their trip home, and his scathing words “This can’t go anywhere.”
The crack in her heart widened.
“I sent you a number for my cousin, he’s a real estate agent and he’s trying to find a florist shop owner who might sell. He’s also looking for vacant shops for you to consider.”
“I don’t think I can take Radd’s money, Abby,” Brin quietly stated.
How could she explain that it all meant nothing without Radd? That if she was feeling like this, like the shell of the person she once was, she had no interest in establishing a business, and that she might as well go back to Johannesburg and work for Kerry. Her hell-on-wheels sister couldn’t make her feel any worse than she currently did.
“I know that this is difficult but you have to think with your head, not your heart,” Abby replied, squeezing her hand. “Give it a few weeks before you make any radical decisions about returning his money. You’re hurt and upset and you don’t want to make a huge decision when you are feeling emotional.”
It was a solid piece of advice, but Brin knew she wouldn’t take it. As soon as the money hit her account—it was still looking as empty as ever—she’d ask Abby for his bank account number; she was his employee after all. If Abby didn’t know it or couldn’t get it, she would contact Radd.
Going back to Johannesburg wouldn’t be that bad—it was, after all, what she knew. She’d have a good salary, a decent car to drive, financial security. And after having her heart broken by Radd—her fault for thinking that she could capture his attention and his love—her sister’s and mother’s snubs, criticism and demands wouldn’t have the power to wound her.
They would be like the gentle flick of a whip compared to being eviscerated by a blunt teaspoon.
Stupid girl for allowing this to happen, for not guarding your heart. For falling into the arms of a man who she knew was so very far out of her league. Never again, Brin vowed.
She was done with men and love.
Permanently.
“Brin...”
Brin lifted her head to look at her friend as she stepped onto the pavement at the top of the steps. She knew that Abby meant well, but she just wanted a little peace, some time to nurse her broken heart, her bruised spirit. She needed time to recover, to mourn what could’ve been.
“Can you just leave me be, Abs? I’m tired and sad—” Abby’s hand shot out and her fingernails dug into the bare skin on her arm. Abby was looking to her right, and Brin followed her gaze.
Radd.
Brin drank him in, all six-foot-something of him, dressed in a lightweight grey suit, his tie pulled down from his collar, leaning against the hood of his fancy car. He’d been to Naledi’s wedding, Brin dimly remembered, but he must’ve left shortly after the ceremony was done. Why wasn’t he at the reception and, more importantly, why was he here?
Radd straightened, sliding his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. Aviator sunglasses covered his eyes and he looked as he always did, implacable and remote.
Nothing has changed, Brin thought. So, instead of walking over to him, she turned and walked in the direction of Abby’s car. She heard Abby behind her, hurrying to keep up with her long-legged stride.
“Talk to him, Brin!” Abby pleaded.
“There’s nothing to say,” Brin replied, tugging on the handle to the passenger door. “I’m begging you, Abby, take me home.”
“I’ll just follow you there,” Radd said from behind her. “We need to talk, Brin.”
Brin spun around, anger temporarily drowning her sadness. “I think we covered all the bases yesterday, Mr. Tempest-Vane.”
Radd winced. “Yesterday I was being a bloody idiot. Today, hopefully, I’m less of one.”
“Doubtful,” Brin snapped.
“Come home with me, Brin. Let’s try and sort this out!”
“There’s nothing to sort out,” Brin told him, her voice rising.
“Now, that’s a lie,” Radd replied. “We have a lot to discuss and you know it.” Radd turned his attention to Abby and gave her a small smile. “Go on home, Abby, I’ll drive Brin to wherever she wants to go later.”
Brin narrowed her eyes at Abby. “Don’t you dare leave me, Abigail.”
Abby shrugged. “He’s my boss, Brin. And he’ll fire me if I don’t do as he says.” She raised her eyebrows at Radd. “Won’t you?”
“Damn straight.” Radd soberly answered.
Did they think she was stupid? Radd wouldn’t fire Abby for such a trivial reason, and they both knew it. No, she was being maneuvered into having a conversation with Radd and she didn’t like it. Frustrated with both of them, she threw up her hands and pulled out her phone.
“Fine, I’ll call for a taxi or an Uber.”
Radd moved quickly, and she caught a hint of his cologne as her phone was yanked from her hand. Radd tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket and folded his arms.
“You and I are going to talk,” Radd told her before shoving his sunglasses into the inside pocket of his jacket. “Go, Abby.”
Brin heard Abby’s car door opening, followed by her engine starting, but she couldn’t pull her eyes off Radd’s. With dark stripes under his red eyes, he looked like he’d had even less sleep than her. His olive complexion was pale in the late afternoon light.
But his eyes, God, his eyes...
She could see a hundred emotions in those inky eyes: fear, regret, pain. It was as if he’d stripped every layer of protection away and allowed her to step into his mind and it was, like hers, in turmoil.
Radd gestured to an empty bench that faced the sea. “I have some things I need to say and, afterwards, if nothing resonates with you, I’ll take you home, no questions asked.”
Brin looked around and saw Abby’s car exiting the parking lot. What choice did she have? Abby was gone and, since Radd had her phone, she was out of options.
“How did you know I was here?” Brin demanded as they walked over to the bench.
“I texted Abby, she told me.”
What a traitor! Her best friend had known she was about to be ambushed and she’d said nothing. They would, Brin decided, be having words later. Whose side was she on?
Radd waited until she was seated before sitting down next to her. He shed his jacket and placed it on top of her beach bag sitting on the bench between them. Rolling up the cuffs of his sleeves, he stared out to sea.
“The sea looks so inviting. Was the water warm?”
Brin rolled her eyes. He wanted to talk about the temperature of the sea? Really? “Is the water ever warm in Cape Town?” she asked, sounding acerbic.
“I can’t remember when last I spent any time on a beach.”
“That happens when you spend all your time at work,” Brin snapped, folding her arms across her chest. She couldn’t do this, it was too hard. She couldn’t sit here and pretend everything was fine when she loved him so much. It was like having a blowtorch blistering her body, one painful inch at a time.
“I paid you your money this morning. It should be in your account soon,” Radd told her.
“I don’t want it.”
Radd released an impatient snort. “Brin, we made a deal. You worked through the night to fulfill your end of the bargain. Mine was to pay you and that’s done.”
“I don’t want your money,” Brin replied, sounding stubborn.
“I don’t care. Our business arrangement is over,” Radd replied.
Yeah, she got that message loud and clear. Why had he come all this way to tell her he’d paid her? He could’ve texted her or sent her an email.
God, she was exhausted and her brain felt like it was on the point of exploding.
“Please take me home, Radd,” Brin begged, not caring if he heard the hint of tears in her voice.
Radd pushed his hands through his hair before turning to face her. He lifted his hand, and his thumb swiped away the one tear she hadn’t managed to blink away. “Please don’t cry, Brin.”
“Then stop making me cry and leave me alone!” Brin cried, placing her face in her hands.
“I can’t, sweetheart,” Radd’s reply sounded tortured, but the hand he placed on her back was strangely reassuring. “I can’t walk away from you, I don’t want to walk away.”
Brin dropped her hands, but she wasn’t brave enough to look at him, so she looked at the dune grass growing in the beach sand a couple of feet away from their shoes. “That’s not what you said yesterday.”
“Yesterday wasn’t one of my better days.” Radd released a heavy sigh. His hand moved up her back to the back of her neck, which he gently held. “Won’t you sit up and look at me, Brin?”
Brin reluctantly straightened, and it took quite a bit of courage to meet his eyes. This was the stripped-down version of Radd, and all his feelings were reflected in his eyes. And he was feeling quite a lot, which was odd for her implacable, once-in-a-lifetime lover.
“I treated you badly yesterday, Brinley, and for that, I beg your forgiveness,” Radd quietly stated. “I should’ve, yet again, stood up for what was right instead of what was convenient, and I disappointed and hurt you.”
He had and he did. She couldn’t argue with that.
“I should’ve told Naledi to get lost when she demanded to see your phone, I should never have invaded your privacy like that. I should’ve trusted you.”
Brin nodded, not quite ready to let him off the hook. “Yes, you should have.”
When Radd didn’t say anything for the next few minutes, Brin stood up, her heart smothered by disappointment. What had she expected? For him to tell her he loved her? Silly, silly girl.
“Now that you’ve got that off your chest, will you take me home? Or better yet, allow me to call for a taxi. Or a lift.”
Radd took her hand and tugged her back down, his hand sending sparks over her skin, up her arm. She was still as attracted to him as ever, damn it. Why was life torturing her like this?
“I’m not done,” Radd told her.
“Well, get done,” Brin retorted. She couldn’t take much more.
He turned to look at her, and Brin’s lungs contracted at the look on his face. It was part insecurity, part hope, all fear. “I’ve never told someone I loved them before, so I’m bound to botch this up. Give me a sec, okay?”
What? Wait! Did he just say something about love or were her ears playing tricks on her? It was highly possible. Brin laid her hand on her chest. “What did you say?”
Radd sat up, his eyes connecting with hers. “I wanted to say this with finesse, with some sort of eloquence, but nothing, despite practicing all the way here, is coming out right. So...sod it.”
He clasped her face in his hands before swiping his mouth across hers. “I’m a fool and an idiot, but I’m the fool and idiot who loves you to distraction. Oh, God, you’re crying again.”
Brin allowed a little laugh to escape and waved her hands in front of her face before gripping Radd’s strong wrists with her shaking hands. “Can you say that again?”
Radd kissed her nose, her cheekbones and then her temple. “I love you, Brinley. So much.”
Her tears started to fall in earnest. “But, yesterday, you told me you didn’t see me in your future.”
Radd sighed, his breath warm against her temple. “I was scared and confused and being a jerk. I thought that the mine and my work were all that was important and I wanted to keep the status quo. Loving you is new, scary territory, a place where I have no control, and I don’t like giving up control.”
“So what changed between then and now?” Brin asked, leaning back so she could see his face.
Radd dropped his hands from her face but placed one hand on her bare thigh, as if he needed to anchor himself to her. He looked away briefly before facing her again. “I had a conversation with Digby. He said that I was acting like a cat on a hot tin roof and wanted to know why I wasn’t being my calm, distant self.
“Since I met you, I’ve felt more than ever before, certainly more since Jack died. The world seems a little brighter, a lot more colorful.” Radd winced, looking embarrassed. “God, that sounds too cheesy for words. As I said, this is all coming out wrong.”
Brin shook her head, her heart slowly defrosting. “No, every word is perfect. Carry on.”
“You want more?” Radd pulled a face at her.
“No, I want everything,” Brin softly told him. “Don’t hold back, Radd. I’ve never had anyone tell me they love me before, so feel free to go overboard.”
Radd’s thumb stroked her cheekbone. “Oh, sweetheart, I intend to make you feel ridiculously loved every day for the rest of your life. You, not the mine, not my work, not my brother, are now my priority, and making sure you are happy is my biggest goal. I want you to have the money, not only because that was the deal, but also because I want you to have your dream. You are so talented, and I want you to open your florist-and-coffee shop.”
Brin’s nose wrinkled, her expression doubtful. “You’d support me in that?”
“Sure. You’re far too bright and talented to sit at home, waiting for me to finish work. No, chase your dreams, Brin and I’ll support you as you do that.” Radd’s thumb traced the soft skin of her bottom lip. “I am so sorry I made you feel unimportant when you are everything that’s important to me.”
Brin bit her lip, looking up at him through her lashes. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Brin stared at him, trying to compute his words, struggling to make sense of the bright, sparkly, glitter-tinged feelings coursing through her. Radd loved her.
Radd. Loved. Her.
Holy cupcakes. With sprinkles on them.
“Will you please say something?” Radd growled.
Brin saw the impatience in his eyes and decided to tease him, just a little. “What do you want me to say?”
“Well, an ‘I love you’ would be nice. And a ‘Yes, I’ll marry you, as soon as you like,’ would be better.”
He wants to marry me? Whoa! Really? Brin felt her heart leave her chest and take flight. Well, okay then.
“You haven’t asked me to marry you,” Brin pointed out, just managing to hold back her huge grin and her bubbling laughter.
“I will, as soon as you tell me that you love me too,” Radd replied, sounding a little cross.
“Who falls in love in a week?” Brin mused. “It’s crazy.”
“I do, and I hope you have too or else I’m going to feel like an even bigger fool,” Radd muttered. Brin heard the note of anxiety in his voice and knew that it wasn’t fair to push him any further. Because, like her, he’d lived without love for a long time and didn’t deserve to wait any longer.
“Of course I love you, Radd,” Brin quietly told him, her eyes begging him to believe her. “So much.”
Radd rested her forehead on hers and closed his eyes. “Thank God.”
“And I am sorry about not telling you about my connection to Naledi,” Brin said, resting her fingertips on his jaw, rough with stubble. “I didn’t want to go back to my family with my tail between my legs. I’m sorry if being related to Kerry caused you any problems with Vincent. I don’t want you to lose the mine because of something so silly.”
Radd sat back but he kept her hand in his. “Vincent will either sell us the mine or he won’t. Either way, I can live with it.”
“But it’s the company you need to restore the Tempest-Vane holdings to what they once were.”
Radd shrugged. “While it would be nice, Digby and I agreed that it’s not something we’ll lose sleep over. In a few weeks, my brother and I will meet and we’ll decide on what we want to do, without reference to the past and our parents.”
Brin rested her forehead on the ball of his shoulder. “Are you sure?”
Radd’s hand stroked her hair. “Very. It’s time for a new chapter, Brinley. Will you help me write it?”
Brin nodded and squeezed his hand. “I will. Ask me again.”
Radd tipped his head to the side, his expression puzzled. But it took just a few seconds for her words to register. And then her once hard-eyed, implacable man dropped to one knee in front of her, the late afternoon sun glinting off his dark hair.
“Brinley Riddell, will you marry me?”
Brin nodded once, then grinned. “On one condition.”
Radd groaned theatrically and gently banged his head against her kneecap. “You’re going to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?”
Brin’s laughter gurgled and bubbled as she ran her hands through his hair. “I want to get married at Kagiso and spend part of our honeymoon at The Treehouse.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged. I happen to know the owner. Is that a yes?”
Brin nodded, her eyes shimmering with emotion. “Yes, that’s a yes.”
“I’m going to kiss the hell out of you in a second, but I should tell you that I have a condition, too,” Radd murmured.
She was so happy she’d agree to anything. Brin grinned at him. “What’s your condition?”
“That I buy you a new car. I refuse to allow you to drive that rust bucket anywhere,” Radd told her, frowning. “It’s not safe, Brin. I can’t bear the thought of you not being safe.”
“I was going to buy a car out of the money you paid me,” Brin told him. There were different ways to say I love you and this was one of them.
“Let me do it,” Radd said, looking serious.
Brin lifted a finger and pushed it into his chest. “I’ll agree to something sensible and reasonable. I do not need fancy. Or expensive.”
Radd bracketed her face with his hands. “Are we doing this? Getting married?” he asked, sounding a little bemused.
Brin laughed. “We are.”
“Thank God. I can’t wait to make you mine,” Radd muttered before surging to his feet and yanking her up and into his arms. His mouth covered hers and Brin sank into his embrace, knowing that he would hold her, that she’d found her person.
She was, finally, home and standing in a bright, golden spotlight all of her own.
If you found How to Undo the Proud Billionaire exhilarating look out for the next installment in Joss Wood’s South Africa’s Scandalous Billionaires duet
How to Win the Wild Billionaire
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Cost of Claiming His Heir by Michelle Smart.