He could tell her. He could say he was from money too. That his dad was related to a laird. That he could trace his family tree back to the sixth century, but no sooner had the idea occurred to him, he dismissed it. He wasn’t here to one-up Eden. Now wasn’t the right time.

“It doesn’t change anything,” he told her. “You said you were English, so I already assumed you were fancy as fuck.”

Eden pulled on her vape, looking miserable. “Everything’s going to be even fancier than usual. My parents’ll have pushed the boat out for Sienna.”

“Your sister?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I should have driven the Lambo. Make sure everyone knows I’m on your level.”

She smiled. “You still might be out of your depth, Doctor Williams. I have five brothers and sisters and all of them married money. My brother Augustine is with a Sainsbury heiress.”

“Augustine?”

“Yeah, I got off easy with Eden.” She fumbled for her flask. “What about you? Do you have brothers and sisters?”

Willow shook his head. He’d wanted a baby sister with all his heart, but his mother died before that could become a reality. Everyone and their dog had told his dad to remarry but he’d never done it. He was as devoted to Elizabeth McColl now as he’d been when she was alive.

As they travelled down a spacious street, Eden asked to put on a song. She chose a trance number so hard it set his teeth on edge but looking at her, smoking and drinking in his passenger seat, he’d have stopped the car before he told her to change it.

And he understood. He suddenly knew why his dad had refused to move on. There were girls everywhere, beautiful, funny, gifted, and smart, but there was only one Eden Jade Cartwright. One smoking hot blonde who could lecture on the difference between jungle and acid house and brought up Carl Cox like other people brought up the weather. One restless, often careless person whose smile lit him up inside, whose body felt like it had been made for him. Life made sense with her in his passenger seat and if she was gone… just the idea filled him with bone-deep terror.

“… and Sienna’s the second youngest, above me,” Eden was saying. “She’s twenty-eight and works for Waterbridge Finance and she used to model.”

Willow shook his head, trying to focus. “Right, your sister’s an ex-model and in finance. What’s your brother-in-law like?”

Eden’s flask slipped through her fingers and onto the floor. She bent to pick it up. “He’s fine.”

“Asshole?”

She nodded, straightening up. He saw her eyes were glassy. She must have really hated this guy. “That sucks, baby.”

“Yeah, I was hoping we’d get rid of him, but here he is, joining our family forever.”

“I’m sorry.”

Eden drank more rum.