No.
No, no, no.
This wasn’t right.
“Wynter Delaney, will you marry me?”
Lord, please don’t let this be happening right now.
23
MARCUS
“Get up,” Wynter hissed.
Marcus blinked. The room felt deathly still. Wynter didn’t look happy. In fact, she looked utterly livid. She was spitting mad. But why? “Sweetheart?—”
“Don’t call me that. Don’t youdarecall me that.” Her eyes flitted up and scanned the room before the blush in her skin heated further. Then she turned her fiery gaze on him once more. “Now, Marcus. Get up.”
He swallowed hard, unsure if he could do as she asked with the way he suddenly felt weak. He’d never done something this crazy. He’d always worn his heart on his sleeve. People knew how he felt about stuff sometimes before he did. But this? He’d known he wanted Wynter to be his since that first kiss when she’d come back.
“Wynter,” he rasped, his voice shaking. “Please…”
“Can we talk?” Wynter asked the question through gritted teeth.
“Say yes,” he whispered his plea. “Then we can talk. Wherever you want. About whatever you want.”
Wynter scoffed, her eyes narrowing at him. She didn’t look at their stunned audience, but then why would she? Wynter didn’t like to be put on the spot. And all at once, that was when it hit Marcus over the head.
The mistake he’d made because he hadn’t thought this part through.
Wynter had always been the girl who preferred to duck her head when confrontation came around. She didn’t like speaking up in class unless it was in biology. She smiled, but only for those who knew her best.
And he’d royally messed everything up.
Marcus staggered to his feet and glanced around the room, noting the varying degrees of emotion written on everyone’s faces. It was the pity that got him the hardest. Jason, Isabelle, Mateo, and Mathew were the worst. The rest of his siblings and their significant others didn’t know the story all that well. But they were clearly uncomfortable with the situation he’d put them all in.
Slowly, he turned to Wynter, but she was already pushing past him and heading down the hall toward her room. Marcus stared after her helplessly. This hadn’t gone according to plan, but maybe it was salvageable.
Someone in the room turned the music up again, thankfully. And Nora was drawing most of the attention to the kitchen, where she promised what she called the best sugar cookies in town.
Marcus started toward Wynter’s room, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Mathew peered at him with that infuriating pity. He feltbadfor Marcus. Well, this wasn’t good at all. The guy had a failed marriage under his belt. He might say hewas single on purpose, but Marcus had a feeling Mathew wanted to find someone as bad as anyone else.
Before Mathew could impart any of his wisdom on him, Marcus held up a hand. “Not now.” They didn’t even know each other all that well. And if Mateo had been the one to offer advice? Well, Marcus didn’t think he wanted to hear it from him, either. No one was going to be able to make this better.
Marcus made it to her room. The door wasn’t completely shut. It had been left ajar, and he could hear Wynter on the other side muttering to herself as she paced her room. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the ceiling, counting to himself for several moments before he finally nodded and pushed the door open.
Wynter stopped the second she caught sight of him. There were tear streaks on her cheeks and her hair was more disheveled with wayward whisps framing her face. She pointed at him and snarled, “Shut the door.”
He flinched but did as he was told. Leaning against it, he shoved the ring box back into his pocket. She didn’t miss the movement, and it was like she’d turned into some kind of animal, fixating on the pocket where the box was now hidden. Then she blinked and lifted angry eyes toward him.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Marcus stared at her blankly. “I asked you to marry me.”
She released a sharp laugh and threw her hands into the air. “Do you even know me? Do you know what I want?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m in love with you, Wynter.” He thought the confession would at least give her pause, but she didn’t even seem to hear him.
