The Grand Pact (The Grand Men #1)(77)

“No.”

He nods, already expecting my answer. Ellis disappears up the stairs and I follow Mason into his home office.

“Nina’s on the phone to Luce.”

I snigger and throw my gaze toward the bay window. Probably telling her everything she didn’t say to me. “Harriet answered my phone last night. Told Luce I was with her.”

Mason looks up at me in confusion. “Who the fuck is Harriet?” He lets Waverly down to play on the carpet as she starts squirming in his arms.

“Nelson’s granddaughter.”

His eyes pinch in at the corners. “You left with Megan and Charles.”

“I did.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

I shrug, although I do know the problem. Last night was the first night in a long time that me and Lucy didn’t talk.

She left London to find her independence, and all I’ve done is get in the way.

“We have something, me and Luce.”

Mason laughs. It’s open and mocking but not meant in a dickish way. “Is this the part where I act shocked?”

“How did you know with Nina? How did you know….”

“How did I know Nina was it for me?”

I nod.

“I didn’t.” He stares back at me. “I thought she was a prostitute.”

I roll my eyes and give up on getting anything useful from him.

“Wait a second. I’m fucking with you.”

A beat passes, and then he steps around his desk and hands me the phone. “She became my obsession. It’s like everything you think you don’t want in life falls in your lap and demands focus until it becomes all you want. All you can focus on.”

I take the phone from him and round the chair to sit down. “But there wasn’t a solid moment when you knew for sure.”

He rubs at his chin, his mind ticking as he leans back on the desk. “I guess there were lots. But I had this gut feeling when you texted me that pixie.”

“That first night?” I ask, surprised.

He shrugs. “I don’t fucking know, Montgomery. It was years ago now. It wasn’t just one moment; it was every moment. Good and bad. More and more pieces.”

I sigh and scrub a hand down my face. “I just don’t know if now’s the time to do this with her. She needs to focus on her job. I feel like I’m holding her back.”

“She’d let you hold her back.” I look up at him, hating that he’s agreeing and isn’t going to bullshit me. “She became dependent on whatever shit the two of you have going on long before she left. She isn’t calling Nina, which makes me wonder who she is calling.” He pops a brow.

“She doesn’t really have anyone in New York,” I admit.

He nods, a strained smile pulling at his mouth. “Which is perfect for you.”

“I’m a prick for wanting that, aren’t I?”

“I’d be the same.”

We sit in silence for a moment.

“Nina said something the other night, and I agreed with her. You’re different now. Not just since Luce left—before that too. You aren’t out like you used to be before we met the girls.”

“Yeah, they spent the last three years cockblocking the fuck out of me, that’s why.”

“True.” He chuckles, standing. “Luce is a smart girl, and she knows how it is between the two of you. I trust you, Montgomery, no matter how stupid that might be.” I snigger and lift my eyes to his. “Just go with it, see what happens.”

Just go with it.

That’s all I ever do, and this time I don’t think it’s going to work out for me.





I get home early evening. Feeling like crap from the night before, I plug the phone Mason gave me into the charger and take a shower.

After weeks of texts and calls, I know I have to be real about what’s happening between Luce and me. She deserves more than I can give her, and with her internship being so new, we can’t keep doing it my way. We have to have a conversation about tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that.

I’ve never lived by a plan, and it feels fucking stupid.

Why would I want to plan something when our lives change with every second?





Lucy





I’m lying on my bed asleep when Elliot calls me. It’s late, which means it’s even later at home. It’s been the longest day, and my emotions have been at an all-time low since I arrived in New York.

When I told my family about the internship, and they were so excited for me, I wanted to do them proud. Elliot wanted this for me, and I’m glad I listened to him, but in the process, we somehow pushed ourselves into this messy area that I don’t want to leave.

It feels impossible.

But I don’t see a way back.

I sit up and let it ring out, choosing to quickly fix my face in the bathroom mirror before speaking to him.

I call him back once I’m sat downstairs in the lounge, choosing to FaceTime like he had. Anticipation stirs inside of me, making my limbs become restless beneath me. I know he will be annoyed that I implied he slept with Harriet, and I need to apologise to him for that.

He answers, and I wait while the screen catches up.