in our future. If I hadn’t already agreed to go with him tonight, we’d be discussing it right away.
On the way home, I think about the check registry, and the timeline of when they were written matches when I first saw the SUV parked outside of the garage.
I park in my driveway and allow myself a few minutes. My paranoia is in overdrive, wondering what they must’ve seen. Did they see Tyler come to my house the night they were there? Does Robert have pictures of him leaving? Is he following me because he thinks I’m cheating? A million thoughts and questions hit me, but I won’t get answers until after dinner.
Though I technically crossed a line with Tyler, I stopped it before it went too far and have felt guilty about it ever since. Regardless, it doesn’t justify Robert hiring someone to follow me and invade my privacy.
As I enter the cottage, while losing my goddamn mind, I get a text from Robert. I’ve already agreed to join him tonight, and I’ll have to make sure I play the perfect part so he doesn’t get suspicious. Afterward, when we go back to his house, I’ll confront him. I guess he didn’t remember what evidence he left in the drawer when he asked me to write Winnie a check. Or maybe he thought I was too stupid to find it.
Robert: I’ll be at your house around seven. Don’t forget to pack a bag :)
I feel sick.
This gives me an hour to shower, get ready, and settle down. I don’t want to do this, any of this. But I’ll do it tonight, so I get ready anyway. I slip on a black form-fitting dress and apply some makeup, but my stomach is in tight knots. Right on time, a knock taps on my door, and I open to see him. He’s all smiles as he looks at me from head to toe, then leans forward and kisses me. It feels dirty and wrong, and I try not to tense. There’s bound to be an explanation for this, right?
“You look gorgeous, Gemma. Are you ready?”
“Mm-hmm. Let me grab my duffel.” I force out a smile and grab my bag.
Robert takes it from me, and we walk to his car hand in hand. He presses a soft kiss on my knuckles before opening the door and ushering me inside.
On the way to the restaurant, he talks about how huge this contract will be. His client wants to buy a hundred acres of land on the outskirts of town to fund a new upscale subdivision. He talks about her idea of million-dollar mansions built around a large pond. She also wants to get into other business ventures and possibly have a strip mall built close to downtown, which would give his company consistent business for years. It’d be his biggest contract to date, and he reminds me how great this would be for us. I try to act excited, but I’m not feeling anything but dread. Too many questions are soaring through my head about the wedding and our relationship.
Regardless that I’m dying inside, I try to keep the conversation moving. “How does she have so much money?”
“Her family is extremely rich, like generations of wealth, and she wants to expand her investments to small towns where she can capitalize. Getting her to sign with me would be a game changer for my company.” He turns and looks at me, grabbing my hand. “It’s why I brought my lucky charm.”
With everything I have, I hold back a groan and the urge to throw up. After parking, we walk inside with our fingers interlocked. The lights are dim, and the waiters are all wearing black ties and slacks. It’s a five-star restaurant where all the drinks are served in crystal glasses, and every table has an expensive bottle of wine on it. This is the type of place you’d take someone to propose.
A smile fills his face, and I swear I see dollar signs in his eyes as he looks across the room. He waves to someone and then pulls me close before walking toward her. Even from a distance, the woman is gorgeous with her platinum blond hair and smoky eyes. She stands to greet us once we’re within arm’s length. I notice her skintight pearl-colored dress that probably costs thousands, and her designer heels are at least five inches tall. With her perfectly plump lips, high cheekbones, and contoured face, she could easily be a Kardashian cousin. This woman oozes elitism, and I know Robert is drooling over that fact.
She looks me up and down and smirks.
“Hey, so glad you could make it,” Robert says, taking her hand in his. “I managed to bring my beautiful fiancée with me after all,” he tells her, sliding his arm around my waist.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Gemma,” she says kindly, shaking my hand next.
“You too,” I reply, then we all take our seats.
“Robert has told me so much about his future wife, I feel like I already know you.” She chuckles as she taps her long nails on the table. “He talks nonstop about the two of you and how you’re getting married before the end of the year at the little white church on the hill. Congrats! It sounds like it’ll be a beautiful wedding.”
I look over at Robert, narrowing my eyes in confusion. Nothing has been set in stone yet. What the hell is she talking about?
He leans over and kisses my cheek with a bright smile. “Surprise, sweetie! I finalized everything over the weekend.”
“What?” I wish we didn’t have company. Why would he spring this on me? No wonder Winnie needed to be paid right away, and she was all over my ass to pick out all the details. All the pieces are finally clicking together, which has me fuming inside.
He flashes me a wink. “Can’t wait to make you my wife, darling. We’ll talk about it later. Tonight, we have some serious business to discuss.” He gives me a smile and another kiss. “Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you two.”
My blood boils, and I can’t focus as Robert speaks.
“Gemma. This is Ms. O’Leary.”
A devilish smile meets her lips. She holds out her dainty hand, and that’s when I notice the gigantic diamond on her left ring finger. “It’s really nice to officially meet you. I’m Victoria.”
Thank you for reading Keeping You Away! Tyler & Gemma’s story continues in Needing You Close here! We hope you enjoyed!
If you’re interested in Liam and Maddie’s story that takes place before Keeping You Away, you can start their duet here.
Continue Tyler & Gemma’s story in Needing You Close here!
EX-CON DUET SERIES READING ORDER
Tyler & Gemma duet
Keeping You Away
Needing You Close
Noah & Katie duet
Pushing You Away
Holding You Close
Archer & Everleigh duet
Forcing You Away
Wanting You Close
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Keeping You Away Playlist
Here are some songs from our playlist, but if you’d like to listen to the whole thing on Spotify, you can find it here!
Sinning With You | Sam Hunt
Next To Me | Imagine Dragons
Goodbyes| Post Malone, Young Thug
Memories | Shawn Mendes
Bruises | Lewis Capaldi
I Can’t Fall in Love Without You | Zara Larsson
You Said You’d Grow Old With Me | Michael Schulte
Unsteady | X Ambassadors
You Are The Reason | Calum Scott
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of Hallmark movies & overpriced coffee. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make you blush and your heart melt. If you enjoy romance stories with sexy, tattooed alpha males and smart, quirky, independent women, then a Kennedy Fox book is for you! They’re looking forward to bringing you many more stories to fall in love with!
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CHECKMATE DUET SERIES
BISHOP BROTHERS SERIES
BEDTIME READS SERIES
ROOMMATE DUET SERIES
CIRCLE B RANCH SERIES
EX-CON DUET SERIES
LOVE IN ISOLATION SERIES
Click here for the full Kennedy Fox reading order
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