Chapter 2

Nina was worried I'd be mistreated. The second she heard, she came in right behind them.

She planted herself in front of my bed. "Cade, the ceremony's already off. And you're still bringing this woman who's been milking a favor for years to my sister's face? What's that supposed to mean?"

I struggled to sit up and pulled Nina behind me.

"Nina, Leah saved Cade's life. You can't talk about her like that."

Nina has a temper. Any other day, she wouldn't have backed down.

But the doctors had warned her. With how sick I was, the last thing I needed was stress.

No matter how furious she was, she swallowed it. For me.

I patted Nina's shoulder, then turned to Cade. "Cade, I woke up with a bit of a fever this morning. Not feeling great."

"Let's push the ceremony back a few days."

"Leah's wedding just got set. She's probably nervous. Spend the next few days with her."

"I've got Dad and Mom and Nina. Don't worry about me."

Cade's eyes went red. He turned to Leah, almost proud. "See, Leah? Told you. Celine's the most understanding person you'll ever meet. You didn't believe me. Had to come apologize yourself."

Leah fidgeted with her sleeve, looking guilty. "The more understanding Celine is, the worse I feel."

"Don't blame me. I was the one who asked Cade not to say anything. I was scared you'd think I was using the favor to control him."

"I never thought it would cause problems between you two."

"I feel awful about it."

"Actually, the reason I asked Cade to bring me today... there's one more thing I wanted to ask. I know it's a lot."

I paused.

So he wasn't here to do our ceremony. He was here to help Leah ask for something.

I'd been reading too much into it.

Nina caught on and let out a cold laugh. "If you know you're asking a lot, why all the buildup?"

Cade jumped in. "Celine, it's really not a big deal. Leah's hoping the Winston family can show up at her pre-wedding dinner and the ceremony itself. Basically vouch for her with the Carter family."

"You know the guy I set her up with, right? Daniel Carter. He's got the name but no inheritance, and the Carters care about nothing more than pedigree and social standing."

"Leah's father has never publicly acknowledged her. She's worried that once she's officially in the Carter circle, she'll always be seen as someone who married up."

"Think of it as doing me a favor. Just show up as friends at the dinner. That's all."

Nina laughed, the angry kind.

"Oh, so a girl whose own father won't even claim her publicly wants the Winston family to back her up? And you call that not a big deal?"

Leah's father came from an old-money family in another state that had long since faded. But he'd never publicly claimed her.

In social circles, everyone was polite to her face. But they all knew. She and her mother had never been written into the family trust. Never formally used that last name.

That background had always been Leah's sore spot.

Nina dragged it into the light without blinking, and Leah looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her.

Cade watched her squirm, his eyes soft with pity.

"Nina, you don't have to be so harsh."

"Leah's background is complicated, sure. But that's not something she chose. Having the Winstons show up once isn't going to hurt your reputation."

Nina was ready to explode.

"Cade, if you care about her that much, why don't you have your own family back her up?"

"You, the CEO of the Russell Group, personally escorting her to the Carter dinner? That's way more weight than anything we could offer!"

Cade smiled awkwardly. "Nina, you know how things are at my house."

"I just took over as CEO. The board is watching everything. The family trust trustees are against me publicly backing a woman I've been linked to in the tabloids for years. It would only make things worse."

Cade grabbed my ice-cold hand, pleading. "Celine, I'm begging you."

"I've spent years keeping my promise to her. I can't have it end with people calling me ungrateful."

"Your family just needs to show up as personal friends. I'll cover everything for Leah's ceremony. You won't spend a cent."

I gently shook my head.

"You don't need to bother with that."

"I have a few pieces of formal jewelry that would work perfectly. I can lend them to Leah."

"Officially vouching for her would be too far, but I can go to the Carter dinner with her as a longtime friend of the Winston family."

Cade relaxed. Then it hit him.

"Celine, hold on. That jewelry set is your favorite. You can't just hand it over for someone else's event."

"And the engagement ring. If you return that along with everything else, everyone's going to know you're canceling the engagement..."