It’s all his fault.
The kiss. The slip of his tongue against mine.
All of it.
“I’m going to have to do that again tonight,” he says, the both of us focused on each other and not the partygoers who are still shouting their congratulations.
I nod. “Yes.”
“You’re going to have to pretend you like it,” he demands, his brows drawing together. “As if you actually like me.”
“I’m supposed to be in love with you.” My voice is light, much like my head.
It’s spinning. Thank God he’s holding on to me.
“Right.” He removes his arm from my waist and grabs my hand, tugging me off that last step. “Let’s do this.”
We make the rounds as a united couple. He never leaves my side as we smile and murmur our thank-yous for the well-wishes from complete strangers. I barely recognize any of the people we’re talking to, figuring most of them to be from the Constantine side, but from the way Perry talks to them, I get the sense he doesn’t know who they are either.
A tall, imposing man with a scowl on his face and features that strongly resemble Perry’s approaches us, a beautiful woman on his arm. She looks to be about my age, or even a few years older, and she gazes up at this angry-looking man as if the sun rises and sets on his golden head.
“This is my oldest brother,” Perry says to me when they stop in front of us. “Winston, this is Charlotte.”
I hate him on sight. This is the man who pushed for this arrangement to happen. “Charmed.”
I somehow make the word sound more like asshole.
Winston bursts out laughing, as does the woman with him. “You’re in for it,” he tells Perry before turning his blue-eyed gaze on me. “Watch it. The ruder you are, the more I might like you.”
“Stop it, Win,” the woman tells him with a laugh before turning her attention on me. Her expression is friendly, which makes me wary. “I’m Ash. It’s so nice to meet you.”
I shake her hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“Congratulations.” Ash’s smile is wide as she removes her arm from Winston’s and goes to Perry, giving him a long hug. “I can’t believe you’re getting married.”
Something dark sparks within me, making me sort of hate Ash on sight, too. I don’t like how familiar Perry is with her. Or how familiar she is with my fiancé.
Glancing down, I blink rapidly, my head spinning. Oh God, am I…
Jealous?
No. Impossible. I don’t care about this man. I barely know him.
“I’m going to introduce you to the rest of my family,” Perry says to me once he’s released his hold on Ash. She watches him fondly, and I tamp my jealousy down, telling myself they’re just good friends. She’s like a sister to him.
That’s it.
“Good luck,” Winston drawls as he grabs Ash’s hand and leads her away. She glances over her shoulder, waving at us and I glare at her in return.
I forget all about my jealousy over Ash as Perry introduces me to a long list of Constantines. His other brother, his sisters, a few cousins. They’re all perfectly polite but I get the sense they know what’s really going on.
And I’m sure they don’t approve.
There’s a woman watching us, her hair dark as midnight, her eyes a golden brown. She’s wearing a slinky deep-purple dress that accentuates her curves, and the moment we make eye contact, she approaches us, her smile broad as she greets Perry, pulling him in for a long hug.
I watch, dumbfounded. Who is this woman? And why is she so familiar with my future husband?
“Congratulations on your engagement,” she says as she pulls away from Perry, turning her attention to me. “You finally nabbed him.”
Huh? “Um, yeah. Thanks?”
“Charlotte, this is Lindy. We used to—”
“Date,” Lindy finishes for him, flashing a brilliant smile. “For a brief moment in time. Until he unceremoniously dumped me and I never heard from him again.”
Unease slithers down my spine, icy cold. Her words are achingly familiar.
Perry appears uncomfortable. I suppose I don’t blame him. “It wasn’t as bad as all that. You felt the same way.”
“That’s what you tell yourself.” Lindy laughs, like it’s no big deal, what Perry did to her. “But that was a long time ago, and I found someone else. Someone who actually sticks around.”
Her words fill me with rising alarm. Red flags everywhere, dropping from her lips.
“Congratulations again.” Lindy pulls me in for a hug, whispering, “Good luck.”
Just before she turns and walks away, getting swallowed up by the crowd.
Her words stick with me as we make our way through our guests, the both of us smiling and nodding so much my face is starting to hurt.
Everything Lindy said about Perry reminds me of my own experience in Paris, making me uneasy.
What am I really getting myself into with Perry? Will he ditch me too?
Probably. I should prepare myself for it. I’m getting quite used to rejection, which is the most pitiful thing ever.
When it’s finally Perry’s turn to meet my family, I throw him straight to the wolves.
AKA my brothers.
I find all three of them standing near one of the makeshift bars set up just for the party, each of them clutching a drink in their hand, even Crew, who’s barely eighteen. They are a sight to see, three handsome Lancaster men in dark suits, all of them watching the mingling guests as if they’re each kings sitting on a throne, lazy and bored. The disdain in my oldest brother Grant’s eyes when he sees us approach tells me he knows what a farce this is.
So why are we going through with it again?
“Grant.” I shift away from Perry’s arm to offer my cheek for my brother to kiss, which he dutifully does before pulling me in for a brief hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” His narrowed gaze finds Perry and he practically snarls. “You’re actually marrying this dipshit?”
Perry’s friendly expression disappears in an instant, replaced with a scowl. “What the fuck, bro?”
“Let’s get some things straight.” Finn takes a step toward Perry, getting in his face. From far away, it could almost appear friendly, but I can feel the tension radiating between them. There’s nothing remotely friendly about this conversation. “We’re not your bros, and we never will be, despite the fact that you’re marrying our sister.”
I clear my throat. “Finn, back off. Perry, this is Grant. My eldest brother. That’s Finn.” I nod toward him and he bares his teeth at us in an attempt at a smile. “And this is Crew.”
Perry indicates all of them with a flick of his chin but otherwise doesn’t say a word, not that I can blame him.
“You hurt her, you make her cry once, you answer to us.” Grant’s voice drips with hostility. “You got that?”
Oh good Lord. These three barely acknowledge my existence and now they’re going all alpha male on Perry. The only one who I think halfway means it is Crew, and that’s only because we were so close growing up.
But my fiancé’s expression is stoic as he says, “Not that it’s any of your damn business what goes on between me and my fiancée, but sure. I appreciate the concern.”