“William, Hannah.” He nodded at each of them respectively. “How fortuitous that you are both here. I have a few things to discuss with you.”
Hannah straightened next to him, but when he looked over, her face was placid, even expectant. After a moment, she turned away from Jonathan altogether, taking care to pack up the food.
“Shall we go to my office?”
“Of course, we’ll be right in,” Will said.
Jonathan turned and left the room, though his presence still hung heavily. Hannah hadn’t said a word, but her jaw was tight, her eyes practically slits.
“I have to tell you something,” she said after a few excruciatingly long moments. She sat down, head in her hands. A jumbled mess of words came out of her, but they were muffled by her hands.
Will drew them from her face, tucking them into his own. “Tell me, Abbott.”
“He gave me annulment papers when we were in the Hamptons,” she said, her eyes trained on their hands. “He thinks we’re going to have an heir and I’m going to take the Thorne fortune.”
“Oh.” A mixture of emotions went through him. It wasn’t surprising. What had been surprising was that his father hadn’t made a move yet. And annulment papers were far from the worst thing he’d done to a girl Will had brought home. He’d most definitely paid off two of Will’s prospects in his early twenties. “So that’s why you said we needed to act more like husband and wife?”
She nodded and gave him a wry smile. “That, and I really wanted to kiss you again.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “It didn’t matter. I gave him the papers back, told him I loved you, and said he could go screw himself. Okay, I implied that last part, but still.”
He was impressed—not many people took on Jonathan Thorne. “You went toe-to-toe with my father over me?”
She flushed. “The thing is, I kind of like you.”
He kissed her because he wanted to and because he could—she was his girlfriend and his wife. “You just like having someone to keep your feet warm at night.”
There was a sheen in her eyes he’d never seen before. She shook her head, showing a bashful, adorable smile. “Let’s go see what he wants.”
Will had walked the halls of Wellington Thorne his entire life—running through them as an unruly kid, handing out mail as a petulant teenager, and following around the project managers as an ambitious college student. Aloof employees became invested coworkers. Their attention wandered. Will wasn’t the heir—that was Jon, destined by a chance of birth order and a penchant for business and finance. The younger Thorne would be general counsel and would fix their mistakes, but he could also be one of them. Will had been one of them for years. Walking down the hall with Hannah, her hand wrapped in his and her punk-chic style clashing with everything Wellington Thorne stood for, he had their attention again. Not a single eye stayed on its screen. Phone calls and conversations paused as they passed. The prodigal son had returned with a wife.
Sarah, Jonathan’s secretary for as long as Will could remember, sat at her desk outside his office. She glanced briefly between the two of them, her expression warming. Sarah had always had a sweet spot for Will. “He’s ready for you.”
Hannah kissed his cheek. “Here goes.”
Jonathan sat at his desk, flipping through papers. “Good, you’re here. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, as I’m sure you both have to get back to work.”
“Of course,” Hannah said, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite Jonathan.
“Well then, I would like to host a small gathering honoring your nuptials.” He folded his hands in front of him. “And I understand you two don’t want anything big, but there are certain customs we should still try and honor. We’ll need to run an announcement in the Times, and then a dinner at the house—I was thinking Thanksgiving weekend. A few of our closest friends.”
Will knew that “closest friends” meant at least a hundred people and expected that the Times announcement was already in the hands of the social editor, awaiting approval. The Thorne name demanded action in those circles. The only problem with all of this was that Hannah hadn’t told her parents yet. Did they read the Times? And if they did, would they check out the social section?
“Would that work for your parents, Hannah? I know all families have their holiday traditions, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“I think the date would be fine,” she said with hesitation. “But it’s probably over three hours one way.”
“I see. Well, they are more than welcome to stay at the house. Your sister too. Whoever has need.”
That was generous. The same offer had never been extended to Madison’s family. Though perhaps Jonathan, knowing everything he did, had realized about Jon and Madison all along. Maybe he had given everyone an out by not offering to host her family that fateful weekend. Still, inviting Hannah’s parents felt like a trap.
He knew Hannah felt the same way. Her affirmation that she would ask her parents about the party had held obvious wariness. She hadn’t even planned on telling them until Thanksgiving. A houseful of guests would have her parents on, if not their best, at least good behavior, she’d said. Will had asked for clarification, but she’d shaken her head and moved onto the next topic. He’d thought their biggest hurdle would be Jonathan. He hadn’t considered that Hannah’s parents might be anything other than supportive. They seemed like sitcom parents from all the stories Hannah told him over the years—loving, open, and progressive. But Hannah’s whole body shrank any time the topic came up, and each time her sister called, Will watched her visibly exhale whenever it wasn’t Stephanie saying she’d spoiled their secret. Now, the fierce woman, who had moments ago stared down the man who had tried to push her out, retreated into shadow.
“This all sounds great, Dad.” He took Hannah’s hand securely in his own. Her palm was sweaty against his. “We were planning on visiting Hannah’s parents this weekend. We haven’t had a chance to share the news with them yet with Hannah’s work schedule, so can you hold the announcement?”
He hadn’t wanted to give his father that information, but there was no other way out of the situation. Jonathan had laid down his conditions for his acceptance—or possibly the first phase of his war plan—and they couldn’t be circumvented. But Will would fight to get them on his own terms.
“Certainly. Let me know when it’s taken care of.” Jonathan’s eyes alighted in the knowledge he’d received. Already, Will saw the wheels turning on how he could use this to his advantage.
Will hated that he knew that about his father. He despised the chess game his life had become and that he was still only average at it despite years of experience. Jonathan had checked them into a corner.
Chapter 26Hannah
Hannah poured another round of wine—rosé, in memory of summer. Kate and Madison had come over for an evening cocktail since Will had a business dinner on her first Friday off in two weeks. They sat on the balcony, the sights and sounds of the city washing over them. Madison clinked her glass against Hannah’s and Kate’s.
“What are we toasting?” Kate asked, though she didn’t wait to take a sip.
Madison waved her glass toward the view. “Global warming, for giving us this fabulously warm day in November?”
“But the polar bears,” Hannah said with a giggle. There’d been too much wine and not enough food or sleep.
“We’ll make a donation,” Madison said. “In lieu of wedding favors, we’ll donate to the polar bears. I’m texting Jon right now.”
Hannah snatched the phone from her hand. “They are at an important dinner.”
