gallery containing historical items from different presidencies. She stops in front of the Kennedy portion and lets out a long sigh. “Poor family.”
“Did you know them?”
She glances over at me with her pale, old blue eyes twinkling. “Close friends, actually. But I swear, they’re cursed. Much the way the Warrens are.”
The Warrens…cursed?
I turn to look at her again. “What do you mean?”
Her lips press into a thin line, and she pats my arm. “I overheard a little bit of your disagreement with Archie tonight.”
Shit.
I wince and look around for avenues of escape.
She just pats my arm again. “Don’t be so worried, Blaire.”
“I’m so sorry that happened at the party in public.”
Her bony, frail hand waves dismissively. “Oh, honey. That’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”
“Then, why did you?”
She points to a picture of Jackie O, and a soft smile curls her lips. “She was a beautiful and wonderful woman. And she loved John fiercely. Much the way you do Archie.”
Apparently, she overheard one very important part of my conversation with him.
“I know it’s inappropriate, ma’am. I’m his assistant…”
She holds up a hand to stop me. “Bearing the Warren name means bearing all the weight that comes with it. That was too much for Artemis, and he caved under the pressure. I saw it coming long before he reconnected with Penelope, and he’s recently confirmed for me that he had planned to resign from his position as CEO and open his own law firm before he found out he was a father.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that. I just assumed it was all because of Penelope and Max.”
She smiles softly and shakes her head. “The thing is, Archie has always been more driven than Artemis. Artemis excelled at everything easily, but he didn’t have a passion for it. It was always easy for him to do what was expected. On the other hand, Archimedes had to fight and claw his way to the top of his class and the top of Warren Enterprises. And now that it’s within his reach, he’s afraid to do anything that might jeopardize it. Like giving in to his true feelings for you.”
It isn’t anything I don’t already know. Archimedes has always been very clear about his priorities, and I’ve witnessed how hard he works—coming in early and staying late.
His life isn’t mine.
I blink away the impending tears and offer Mrs. Warren a sad smile. “I understand why it can’t happen. I’m not meant to be with Archie. I am not Warren material.”
She jerks back and turns, finally releasing my arm and stepping in front of me. The wrinkles around her eyes and lips pucker as she stares me down. “You just confronted him and called him out on his bullshit at our annual party surrounded by ‘Warren people.’ If anyone is strong enough to be a Warren, it’s you.”
Her words tug at my already broken heart, threatening to make me fall apart completely.
I squeeze my eyes closed and shake my head. When I reopen my eyes, a single tear escapes. “I’m not. But Jessica Sims is. Look at her tonight, the way she’s on Archie’s arm talking to these people.”
Mrs. Warren releases a sigh. “She’s a very sweet girl. I’ll give her that much. But there’s no spark between them. Not like with you. I can feel the tension when you and Archie are in the same room. Like two magnets trying to fight against the pull.” She places a gentle hand on my arm. “You did the right thing by confronting him tonight. I just hope that my damn grandson comes to his senses and chooses the right woman.”
“It’s too late for that.”
She shakes her head, her white hair bouncing. “It’s not. And know that you have Athena and me in your corner.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “Really?”
She grins and places a hand against my lower back to lead me farther into the exhibit. “Warren women can recognize one of their own. At least, the smart ones of us. Sometimes, it’s the men who have trouble.”
Chapter 20
BLAIRE
A fairy-tale wedding at a castle. Today is the day every girl dreams about and waits for. Only…this one is for someone else. I have to watch someone else walk down the aisle to Archie standing, waiting to commit the rest of his life to her.
And I have to do it knowing it’s not what he wants. That he’s doing it out of some misguided desire to protect me from the Warrens.
It’s all such bullshit.
I suck