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My eyes flick to Eddie’s over her shoulder, and I see him roll his eyes. Tennyson is already at the bar, getting another drink, so there’s no chance of him coming back over now. He and my mother are hardly on speaking terms and haven’t been for years. Harrison and Beth are chatting with some people across the room, constant attention following them wherever they go, which means he’s also no use to me at this instant.
“Likewise, Diane,” Emily says politely with a smile, and I squeeze her hand in mine.
“I haven’t seen you around before, Emily. Tell me, what is it that you do?” my mother prods, taking a smaller step forward to the point that I feel suffocated. My shoulders rise higher and higher toward my ears. The stress builds in my neck as my mother very obviously looks her up and down.
“Oh, I don’t live in the city. I am a special needs teacher in William Heights.” I like the way Em is proud of what she does and where she is from. She doesn’t hide away from it, and her voice doesn’t waver. She isn’t trying to cover it up because people here think it is beneath them. My mother, on the other hand, clearly doesn't like the answer. Her whole demeanor changes, and I even see her take a small step back like she will catch a disease if she gets any closer.
“Oh, well. Benjamin. Really?” She looks at me accusingly, ignoring Em completely now. Like I purposely dragged a girl from the wrong side of town here with me tonight just to toy with her. My teeth are grinding, and the anger swirls deep in my gut.
“Really what, Mother?” I challenge her, squaring my shoulders with her like I am getting ready for a fight. I saw what Harrison had to endure. It is not something that she will get a chance to pull on me.
“A teacher? William Heights?” she questions, shocked. “I swear, you boys do this on purpose. Where is Sasha? She is who you need on your arm, not…” she says as her hand waves up and down toward Emily, and I feel my hand gripping hers so tightly that I might break her bones.
“Mother, I—” I start, but Eddie saves us all.
“Mom, I see Lilly over at the front of the room. She looks like she is looking for you,” Eddie pipes up, pointing out our old family friend, who is now Mom’s sidekick. Mom never had a daughter, and now she is turning Lilly into a mini-me. Lilly is picking up all Mom’s bad traits and none of her good ones—although I am not sure there are any good ones left.
“Oh, of course,” she says, walking away without another word. Her work as a socialite tonight is more important. It is always more important.
The drink waiter comes past, so I grab us drinks and pass a champagne to Emily. She is already a little buzzed from the one glass at home. I don’t say anything but gulp the whiskey immediately before placing the glass back on the tray, now empty.
“I know you don’t really drink, but you might need that,” I say, nodding toward the glass in her hand.
Emily leans over and whispers in my ear, her soft voice skirting my collar, immediately relaxing me. “I now understand why she won't teach you how to use Siri.” I smirk at her, huffing a laugh as I lean down to her ear.
“You are the only person I ever want to talk to anyway.” I get a genuine smile in return, and I peck her on the lips. Our gazes hold each other’s for a beat. The whole world around us pauses, and my heart feels like it stops in my chest.
“Excuse me, we need to steal this one for a moment,” Eddie says, pulling on my arm.
“Eddie, I want to stay with Em,” I say sternly, really not wanting her on her own.
“She is fine; the other girls are here.” Eddie gestures to his date.” Why don’t you girls go over to our table, number two at the front?” he says to Em and his date as he pulls me away.
“It’s fine. Go. I’ll be at the table when you come back.” She smiles, and I grin at her like a stupid teenager. Shaking her head at the probably goofy look on my face, she laughs and waves me off.
I am so fucked.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE - EMILY
I watch Ben as his brother drags him over to the far side of the room, and I melt from the way he just looked at me. I am not sure when it happened, but I have fallen for him. Hard. He is everything I want in a man. Everything I want for Rosie. I feel almost whimsical and terrified at the same time, because I have no idea what is going to happen. Yet, for the first time in years, I really want to try.
Taking another sip of champagne, I try to steady my thoughts. It’s my second and last glass, because I already feel light-headed. My body has enough nervous energy strumming through it, my flight-or-fight one hundred percent turned on now that Ben is not near me. Eddie’s date slinks off to talk to someone she knows over near the bar, and I stand solo, watching the crowd. An event such as this is exactly Jeremy’s thing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I see him tonight. That thought has me almost dry heaving. But I am here with Ben, his brothers, and about five hundred other people, so I feel safety in numbers is on my side tonight.
“Hi, Emily?” a female says from next to me, and I turn to face her.
“Yes, hi?” I offer her a smile.
“I’m Beth, Harrison’s partner. I wanted to come and say hello,” she says, and I smile wide. I knew she looked familiar, her face one that was plastered on many TVs during the elections a little while ago. She’s just as young and beautiful in real life.
“Oh, so nice to meet you!”
“Likewise. We are sitting at the same table, but I saw you being introduced to Mrs. Rothschild, so I wanted to ensure you are okay…” I laugh at first, thinking she is joking, but I realize that she is dead serious.
“Oh, yeah, I’m okay. She seems… nice?” Even though she was a little rude to me, I figured it was just the stress of meeting me, her son’s fiancée, for the first time.
“She really isn’t. But don’t worry, she is like that with everyone. So you and Ben?” Her brow raises, and she takes a drink of her water.
“Yes, well, he is a really nice guy,” I say simply, not really sure if she knows we are fake, thinks we are real, or if she even knows what is going on.
