King looked over at Rook. “After tonight, Rook, you are on thin fucking ice with me. I want you to understand that,” King said.
“Can we have the room?” Rook countered.
My head snapped in his direction.
“What?” Xavia’s mouth fell open.
“Can we have the room?” he repeated.
Knight didn’t hesitate. He walked over and hit me on the shoulder and I cast a confused look at Rook before the two of us headed toward the door. Xavia followed us out soon after.
Flora and Winnie looked shocked to see us.
“What’s going on?”
“Rook and King are discussing the situation,” Knight said simply.
I walked across the hall to the opposite wall and crossed my arms over my chest. The fact that the two of them were alone had me on edge. There was no telling what was going on and Rookwas the one who’d called a private meeting while his fucking head was on the chopping block.
I knew he was his own man but that shit had me on edge anyway.
It took forever and no time at all simultaneously for the door to slowly open and Rook didn’t speak to any of us. He just gestured for all of us to enter the room again and we all trailed to where we’d been before.
I kept my eyes on Rook trying to get a read on him while everyone settled back in.
“We’ll cover our mistake,” King said after a while.
“Seriously?” Winnie looked from King to each of us and back.
“If you’ll have Rook as a husband, he’s willing to marry you and stay married to you until your money is given to you.”
A shock I didn’t think was possible flew through me and I looked over at my brother who had his eyes locked on his new bride to be. I didn’t know what the fuck King had told him in private but it had to be something serious for him to be willing to give up his freedom on a whim like this, the man who had just hours ago made it clear how little he wanted to get married.
“Since I’m the one that fucked up your original arrangement, it’s only fair that I take his place in all this,” Rook said.
The tension in Winnie’s body visibly left it as she seemingly deflated. She melted into the couch, her shoulders falling. She closed her eyes and wiped at them before nodding and forcing them back open.
“Thank you,” Winnie sniffed.
“You realize the deadline to get married is tonight, right?” Flora looked from King to Rook and back.
“We can get married right now,” he offered.
Flora’s mouth fell open. “I— It— Everyone has left already,” she stuttered.
“You really think I can’t get someone to marry the two of them and push through a marriage certificate legally in less than twenty-four hours?” King asked seriously and a smile took over his face. “Let's head to the Barron estate and we’ll get this taken care of there.”
“You’re serious?” Winnie asked.
“Unless you don’t want to marry Rook.”
“No. I do.”
“Then, let's go. We have a deadline to meet.”
We shuffled our way to the front door and out of it. Flora and Winnie stated they would follow us and we all climbed back into our designated vehicles to head back to the house.
The car ride was silent for the first half, all of our minds racing with the events of the night. What was supposed to just be a diplomatic trip out had turned into a makeshift wedding for the youngest Barron son.
