One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [54]
“Colby, please sit down and relax. They’ll be out in a minute,” Cynthia said.
No sooner had the words left Cynthia’s mouth than the study door opened and both men walked out. Colby couldn’t help but notice that James and Sterling equaled one another in size and height. They were also equally handsome. “Is everything all right?” she asked immediately.
Sterling raised a brow. “Of course. James and I just had to reach an understanding.”
Colby tossed a questioning glance at them. Neither of their expressions revealed anything. “What sort of an understanding?”
The two men glanced at each other before glancing back at her. It was James who spoke. “An understanding regarding you.”
“What about me?”
This time it was Sterling who spoke. “James thought we should wait for at least six months to marry, to get to know each other better, and I told him that was out of the question. The wedding will take place in three weeks. I prefer getting married next week, however, since you prefer waiting until this school term ends, I’ll agree to three weeks.”
Colby’s cheeks became warm when she remembered what Sterling had whispered to her earlier that day about just what he intended to do once they were married.
“James also felt that until the wedding took place, you were his responsibility,” Sterling continued. “I convinced him since your life will be turned upside down because of our engagement, I had every right to share in that responsibility. And after much discussion, we both agreed.”
“Agreed on what?”
“That we’re both responsible for you.”
Colby slanted a very readable look at both men. “Excuse me, but I’m old enough to be responsible for myself.”
“Under normal circumstances that would be true, Colby,” Sterling said smoothly. “But not with this. End of discussion.”
Colby looked at him as her anger flared. “It’s not the end of discussion. I don’t need you or James being responsible for me.”
Sterling cast James a questioning look. “Was she this difficult as a kid?”
James shook his head. “No. She was an easygoing child who did what she was told. Personally, I get the impression she likes giving you a hard time, Hamilton.”
Colby didn’t miss the grin the two men exchanged. Somehow, during the time they had been behind closed doors, they had done more than come to an understanding about her. It appeared they had also gained respect for one another.
“The key word is ‘child,’ which I am not anymore,” she said. Then she turned and walked out of the room, confident she had set both men straight. She would not be told what to do. The thought of James and Sterling working together and being responsible for her was enough to give her a headache. Dealing with James at times was bad enough. She refused to add Sterling to the equation. Things would never add up. It was time they realized that she could handle things on her own.
She hadn’t set them straight at all, Colby discovered later. She glanced across the dinner table at James. “I’m not moving in here with you and Cynthia. I have my own place, thank you very much,” she said.
“Colby, be reasonable,” James said, helping himself to more of his wife’s candied yams. “You heard what Hamilton said. Your apartment building is probably swarming with reporters.”
“I am being reasonable, James. Reporters or no reporters, I see no reason why I can’t stay in my own apartment.”
“I do,” Sterling said when he saw that James wasn’t getting anywhere with his sister. “Until the frenzy of our engagement wears off, you’ll receive a lot of attention. You saw the reporters at the airport, Colby. The decent ones will probably leave you alone after a while, but the others, the relentless ones, will be ill-mannered and lacking any kind of scruples. At least living here will provide you with the security of a gated community.”
Colby frowned. She was used to coming