The Next Level: A BWWM Billionaire Marriage And Pregnancy Romance (9 page)

“
Andrew,
what’s going on?” Matthew asked.

“
Well,
mom knew Chelsea’s parents were coming today, so she planned
another night of fun, she calls it,” he looked around nervously
before his eyes settled on Chelsea and her parents behind her. “You
must be Chelsea’s parents, I’m Andrew. Matthew’s
brother.”

They
shook hands. A woman walked up, blond hair, thin, with a dazzling
smile and even more dazzling champagne colored dress. She slipped a
hand around Andrew’s arm.

“
You
must be Matthew’s fiance, Chelsea. I’m Emily, Andrew’s
fiance.”

Chelsea
was beginning to think the world was out to get her. Every time
things started to get a little better, they immediately fell apart
again. She could see from the look on Sangi’s face that she was
pissed off. Matthew on the other hand wouldn’t even acknowledge
the woman. At that moment, Chelsea was seriously considering running
away from the whole situation, but it was too late for that.

Chelsea
sighed before she shook her hand. “Yes, I’m Chelsea. Nice
to meet you.”

Sangi
didn’t say a word. She turned, pushing her way through the
gathering people. Chelsea wanted to talk to her, try to calm her down
at least, but at the moment Emily was looking at her expectantly.
Chelsea caught Matthew’s mother staring in her direction. She
offered a hand to Emily.

“
It’s
nice to meet you.”

Chelsea
tried desperately to get away, but Emily wasn’t having any of
it. The more she tried to slip away from the woman, the more she
seemed to come up with an excuse for her to stay. She could see
Matthew clenching his jaw.

“
How
have you been, Matthew?” Emily asked, a smirk on her face.

Matthew
went to open his mouth, but Chelsea beat him to it. “He’s
fine, thanks to me. We’re going, now.”

She
took Matthew's arm, pulling him away from the woman. Was everyone in
his hometown a little off? They slipped outside where a few
stragglers were puffing on cigarettes. When they were out of earshot
of the guests, Matthew laughed. It wasn’t his usual good
natured chuckle she’d grown used to hearing. It bordered on
scary.

“
I
can’t believe she would even show her face here. I didn’t
think my brother would actually be stupid enough to invite her when I
was coming,” he scoffed. “This is ridiculous. I’m
with you, let’s leave.”

Chelsea
shook her head. “No, daddy needs to at least rest for the
night. He’s not as young as he used to be. Besides,” she
said folding her arms over her chest, “does she really bother
you that much?”

Matthew
must have seen something on her face because he wrapped her up in his
arms. A strong hand ran over her back. He kissed her forehead before
he separated them a little.

“
She
means less than nothing to me. I guess the only reason it still
pisses me off is that it was my brother.”

“
You
still talk to him nice enough.”

“
I
didn’t want to upset my parents. It’s like everyone knows
about it, they just don’t bring it up anymore.” Matthew
shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

Chelsea
took his hand giving it a tight squeeze. A small bit of his smile
returned making her feel that old comfort she’d gotten so used
to. He reached over laying his hand on her cheek. Slowly, as if to
test the waters, he placed his lips on hers. The soft tickle of his
mouth against hers made her feel warm all over. She held onto the
front of his jacket, kissing him back until she was out of breath.
When they pulled away from each other, they were both smiling. Until
Chelsea remembered Sangi.

“
Shit!
I forgot about Sangi. I have to go check on her.”

Matthew
nodded. “I’ll come with you.”

They
slipped back into the house with its soft music playing. The sound of
Frank Sinatra filtered through the speakers making her sleepy. At
first they stuck together sweeping from room to room looking for her.
Once she didn’t pop up downstairs they split up before starting
in on the second floor. Sangi was no where to be found. They walked
outside together, the smell of hydrangeas punctuating the air.
Chelsea finally admitted defeat. Sangi obviously didn’t want to
be found.

When
they entered the house again, everyone was heading to the tables to
eat. Chelsea briefly apologized to her parents for leaving them
alone. Lyle waved her off saying they’d had a lovely chat.
Chelsea sighed in relief. As long as Catherine didn’t say
anything crazy while her parents were there, everything would be
fine. When everyone was seated, Chelsea looked around the table.
Still, no Sangi. She hadn’t picked up her phone either. It
wasn’t like her to do that, but then again, it wasn’t
like her to fall for a guy so quickly.

Dinner
was once more brought in on silver trays. The smells were
intoxicating, even if Chelsea didn’t know the names of half the
dishes. She’d made a name for herself as a lawyer the past few
years. While she could afford some luxuries, she just didn’t
want them. Chelsea liked her simple life, her simple foods and the
lack of complications that seemed to come along with living in a
family like Matthew’s. At dinner, Catherine wouldn’t look
at her or Matthew. She barely shared a glance with her husband. With
her parents however, Catherine chatted, laughed, told stories.
Chelsea rolled her eyes so hard she thought they would disappear
inside of her head.

The
dinner went by slowly for Chelsea, but she didn’t remember
actually tasting anything. She was worried about Sangi. She kept her
eyes on Andrew who was being manhandled by Emily. Once, he looked up,
catching her eyes. She raised an eyebrow, scoffed and went back to
eating dinner. She tried her best to mingle with the people around
her, but she had no experience in trips to Venice or the newest
designer trends. Catherine seemed to know that. It was as if she sat
her next to these people who she would have nothing in common with,
when down the table they were discussing politics. Now that was a
conversation.

Chelsea
watched as halfway through dinner, Andrew pulled out his phone before
disappearing. She slipped her own phone out, but there was still no
reply from her friend. She was getting really worried. As soon as
desert was cleared off of her plate, raspberry creme brulee that she
had to admit tasted like heaven, she decided to check for Sangi one
more time. Matthew offered to go with her, but she told him to
entertain his guests. Besides, she wanted to talk to Sangi alone.

As
she walked outside once more, she could hear the chirping of
crickets. A warm breeze passed over her neck, making her shiver. As
she stopped to look around, she heard muted voices. Slowly, she
followed the sound. She realized it was coming from the little house
beside the main one, the guest house. The windows stood dark, the
building slightly in need of repair. Chelsea walked along the side of
it until she heard voices again.

“
I
didn’t know she was going to show up.”

“
You
knew you were engaged.”

Chelsea
recognized Andrew’s voice. “I meant what I said earlier.
I do want a chance to get to know you. I’m breaking it off with
Emily.”

She
heard Sangi give a derisive laugh. “Oh right, I’m sure.
No thanks, I’m not going to be your little side thing. I don’t
know who you think you are!”

Chelsea
didn’t hear anything after that. Slowly, she stuck her head
around the corner. Andrew was holding Sangi’s face in his
hands, kissing her deeply. Chelsea covered her mouth before backing
away. She briskly walked back to the house. Well, at least that
problem had been cleared up fast.

Matthew
was waiting for her outside, rubbing his hands together and looking
very nervous. When he spotted her, his eyes lit up. He jogged up to
meet her, his eyes full of questions.

“
Yes,
I found her. Did everyone leave?” Chelsea asked.

Matthew
shook his head. “Some of them. Most are still hanging around.
Was she okay?”

She
smiled, nodding. “I think she’s going to be okay.”

They
walked back into the house where her mother and father were waiting
for them. Together, they all said their goodnights before heading
upstairs. Chelsea was more than exhausted from pretending everything
was perfect. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Catherine would
ever change.

Matthew
tried to follow her into her room, but she threw him out. There was
no way she was going to let anything happen when her parents were so
close. They kissed at the door. Chelsea found herself not wanting to
let go. After the long day she’d had, she really just wanted to
curl up with him, lay her head on his chest and get some rest. Their
lips lingered before they finally separated saying goodnight.

*****

The
next morning, Chelsea woke up to someone knocking repeatedly on the
door. At first she thought it was Sangi, but her friend wasn’t
exactly the knocking type. Besides, they’d known each other too
long to knock. Chelsea glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside
table. The red numbers flash 6:00 am. She groaned. Pushing herself up
on one elbow, she ran fingers through her hair before she called out
sleepily to come in.

The
door slid open soundlessly as Catherine stepped into the room.
Chelsea’s hazy eyes quickly cleared as she rubbed them. She
began to wonder if she was really awake or having a really expressive
dream. Catherine was dressed in a white pant suit, her golden hair
spilling over her shoulders in soft little waves.

After
a moment of staring, Chelsea seemed to find her voice. “What
are you doing here?”

Catherine
closed the door behind her. In her mind, Chelsea could see the woman
murdering her then making her disappear. She knew she watched too
many crime shows. The woman crossed her arms over her chest. She
sighed, glanced around the room. Chelsea raised an eyebrow, but she
let her gather her thoughts.

“
Chelsea,
I’ve been kind of unfair. I wanted to apologize to you and help
you plan your wedding.”

Chelsea’s
fingers rolled over the blanket on top of her lap. “What made
you change your mind?”

“
I
just want my son to be happy,” she said after a long moment of
silence. Her long fingers adjusted her collar. “So, are we
alright?”

Chelsea
thought it over before sighing. “Fine, we’re alright,”
she mumbled.

“
Wonderful!
I know Matthew’s going to be so pleased. Don’t worry,
I’ll call my planner today and have her work some wedding magic
for you two.”

Chelsea
tried to protest as the door was pulled closed by Catherine, but the
woman either didn’t hear her or didn’t care. She settled
on didn’t care. Groaning, Catherine threw herself back on the
bed. She stared up at the ceiling. As she began to drift off again,
she realized that Catherine hadn’t actually said sorry. She’d
come to apologize then skipped right over it. She scoffed, shaking
her head. That woman was a pain in the ass.

She
dozed off again, this time her dreams traded in for nightmares of
Catherine. The woman kept making her wedding more and more
ridiculous. In the end, it was a big circus of overly done
everything. It was so embarrassing that Matthew even left her.
Chelsea woke up cranky as someone knocked on the door again. She
called for them to come in. Her mom was at the door telling her it
was time for breakfast. Once she was gone again, Chelsea spent a
while mumbling into her pillow before she forced herself to get up
and start her day.

She
slipped from the bed, eyes still half closed as she headed for the
bathroom. The warm water woke her up. When she stepped out, she
wrapped herself up in a towel before heading back into the room.
Sangi was perched on her bed. She had gone back to her normal self
apparently, now wearing jeans and a blue tank top. She also had a
huge grin on her face.

“
It’s
too early to be that happy,” Chelsea said as she rifled through
the drawers.

“
Not
after the best sex you’ve ever had it’s not.”

Chelsea
turned around, eyes wide. “Andrew? Well of course with Andrew,
who else is here? But with Andrew? You barely know him.”

Sangi
shrugged. “What can I say? You just know if it’s right,”
she said as she laid back on Chelsea’s bed.

Chelsea
turned back to the drawer she was digging in deep in thought. She
slipped out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and some underwear before she
headed back into the bathroom to change. It was hard for her to hold
her tongue. While she was glad to see that Sangi was putting herself
out there again, she still didn’t know how she felt about
Andrew. Last night she’d thought maybe they’d just start
dating, take it slow. Now, she could see Sangi really cared for him.
Dressing quickly, she tossed her hair into a ponytail before walking
back into the room. Sangi still wore a spaced out, happy look on her
face. The lopsided, goofy grin making Chelsea sigh.