The Bride Goes Rogue (The Fifth Avenue Rebels #3)(65)

“Then why wouldn’t you pull over at Eighty-Second Street when I begged to be let out?”

“Stop being so dramatic.” To be fair, Preston had basically kidnapped Kit to come on this journey. He wanted a second opinion on the land he was thinking about buying.

I don’t need anyone else’s opinion. I’ve never been wrong before.

True, but this was different. This wasn’t land for him; this was for her. He’d never picked a piece of property for someone else. Would she like it?

His forger was nearly finished with the Twenty-Third Street deed of transfer, and soon a judge would rule in Preston’s favor. He’d made certain of it. This meant Katherine was out of a spot for her museum.

However, there were plenty of other viable plots of land on the island for a museum—and while it might seem far now, this area was home to many large mansions, the wealthy residents who wanted out of the hustle and bustle of Fifth Avenue. Exactly the type who would both fund and attend a modern art museum.

One day the whole island would be packed with people and buildings, crisscrossed with subway trains, electricity and streetcar lines. Soon no one would think twice about coming this far north, and Kat’s museum would attract every New Yorker, regardless of socioeconomic status. The problem was most developers didn’t care to think about the future, only the city as it stood now. Preston wasn’t so shortsighted.

“Other than some fancy homes, there’s nothing up here, Pres.” Kit stepped around some dog leavings on the walk. “Why would you waste your time and money developing this far north?”

“You have to have vision. Think about the future. It’s not about what’s here now, but what could be here in one or two generations.”

“I’ll stick to the here and now, thank you. Some of us like our lives the way they are.”

I like my life, Preston wanted to say.

But did he?

For years he’d buried himself in work and women, and it had satisfied him.

Until Katherine.

She wormed her way under his skin with her smiles and kindness. She was easy to talk to, understanding. A sensible head on her shoulders, not to mention incredibly beautiful. He’d never had such a compatible lover, a woman he longed for even when they were apart. If he were the romantic sort, he might even say he pined for her.

But that was ridiculous.

Even if he didn’t care about her father, Katherine didn’t want to marry him—and he couldn’t blame her. Too much had been said and done at this point. He’d been a bastard not to put an end to that betrothal agreement the instant he learned of it.

If he could go back in time and undo everything, he would. But that wasn’t how time worked, and she was better off with someone else. A man worthy of her, who was capable of softness and tenderness and all the things women needed to feel happy and secure in a relationship. All of that had been wrung out of him ages ago.

They turned the corner and the lot came into view on the east side of the street. A house recently burned down here, and the owners had decided not to rebuild. The subway was close, and there was enough space to properly build a good-sized structure. The surrounding properties were modest, nothing to obscure her footprint. It could work.

“Odd place for an office tower,” Kit said, glancing around. “What businesses would rent space this far north?”

“It’s not for an office tower. It’s for an art museum.”

Kit chuckled until he realized Preston wasn’t kidding. “Wait, an art museum? That’s a bit highbrow for you, isn’t it?”

“It won’t be mine. I’m gifting the land to Miss Delafield.”

His friend’s jaw fell open. “You are purchasing land for Katherine Delafield. The woman you refuse to marry but are having an affair with? Do I have that right?”

“Final judgment on the Twenty-Third Street property should come in any day now. She’ll lose that block, as it’s rightfully mine. I thought to lessen the sting by buying her land somewhere else.”

“Lessen the sting? In a business dealing?” Kit flopped his hands helplessly as if completely baffled. “Who even are you?”

“Fuck off. It’s the right thing to do.”

“No, the right thing to do would be to let her have the original property, seeing as how you were supposed to marry her a year ago. Let the woman at least have one victory. Now you’re denying her the dream she’s been working toward, and giving her something less desirable in exchange.” He shook his head. “This is a bad idea, Pres.”

“You’re wrong. Katherine is very levelheaded and reasonable.” The most reasonable he’d ever encountered, in fact. “She understands the Twenty-Third Street property was mine to begin with. Her father had no right to gift it to her. Even more, I’m giving her something better. This is twice the size of the plot downtown.”

“Not sure she’ll see it that way, my friend.”

Preston frowned and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. The land was huge. The museum could have a large footprint that would help develop the neighborhood. While it might not be downtown, this spot was the best available on the island. And it wasn’t cheap. He wanted to do this for her. “Come on, let’s go look at it.”

They crossed the empty street. Preston liked to walk the perimeter of every piece of land he bought. That way, he could see the views, the angles. The possibilities. It gave him a sense of what the building might look like in the end. Then he’d go home and sketch out a rough design. His architects would use that sketch to draft the initial plans.