My shoulders shrank. “I can missonedinner, but I can’t miss them in perpetuity. My dad and I need to tackle his broken bathroom faucet. It’s been on the schedule for weeks. If we don’t fix it, we’ll get behind on fixing the drain, and then that’ll put us behind on the next project.”
Everyone exchanged glances. Great. Now I sound like a crazy person with a home-repair obsession.
“My parents’ house has seen better days,” I explained. “That’s why I have to meet with this brand agency. The deal isn’t for me; it’s for my parents. They spent a fortune on lawyers, trying to get appeals.” Before Ryker eventually took over.
Jace looked genuinely shocked. Having inherited a fortune, he’d generously funded the original lawyers for Knox’s trial. But clearly, Knox had never told him about the lawyers that came after. How could he? Mom and Dad had kept most of that from Knox, too, and I could only assume if Ryker knew from court records or something, he kept it to himself on the grounds of attorney-client confidentiality. Besides, by the time Ryker had become my brother’s lawyer, those sharks who’d siphoned thefunds were long gone, so Ryker telling everyone my parents had been taken for a ride would have done nothing but embarrass them.
Axel, on the other hand, was clearly surprised by this. His brows furrowed. “Knox pled guilty. There’d be no need for lawyers after that.”
“I know.” The words tasted like scam artists. “I think my parents were in denial. And unfortunately, when desperate people ask for help, even if that help is doomed, there are still people out there who are willing to take their money. My parents got taken advantage of. People took their savings, but of course there was no shot of getting Knox out of prison. Now their house is falling apart.”And they might lose it.But I kept that fun fact to myself.
Looks were exchanged around the room.
“Let me make some calls,” Jace said, already reaching for his phone. “I know great contractors.”
“Hello? I’m in construction; I can organize a crew,” Axel added.
I held up my palm. “I appreciate it, but my dad is nothing if not stubbornly independent. My parents grew up doing everything themselves, and they will not accept a handout from anyone. A daughter coming over to get her hands dirty is one thing. But some wealthy guy sending an army of contractors?” I shook my head. “He won’t even let them past the front door. But seriously, thank you. It means the world.”
Poor Jace looked like I’d just told him his credit cards had been canceled. This was what he was used to: fixing things with a phone call. And I was crippling his superpower.
“Okay, here’s what I’m going to do,” Jace said, already typing. “I’ve got a bodyguard who can be discreet. He can follow you from a distance. It’s not ideal. I’d rather put you in a suit of armor or lock you in a tower, but it’s better than you guys beingalone. Plus, we need to document everything. Every moment you two are together needs to be photographed and posted. The more viral you become, the safer you are.”
I could have argued. The independent-to-a-fault gene ran strong in our family. But the truth was, those flowers did scare me. Just a little.
And that didn’t make me weak, thank you very much. It made meaware,the same way an animal was aware there was a lion nearby.
“Maybe we should postpone the wedding,” Tessa suggested quietly.
She and Blake were engaged, with their wedding coming up fast.
“You’re absolutely not doing that,” I declared, pointing at her for emphasis.
“Why are you guys getting married so quickly again?” Jace smirked, earning a death glare from Blake.
“Because we’re madly in love and want to start our life together,” Blake said through gritted teeth.
“You’re a wedding planner,” Scarlett said to Tessa. “Don’t you want the wedding of the century?”
“I already have the wedding of the century.” Tessa looked at Blake like he was a hero, walking away from an explosion in slow motion. “Because I’m marryinghim.”
Axel made a gagging sound. “I will never get used to seeing Blake all lovey-dovey. I miss his grumpy, brooding ass. You’re changing him for the worse, Tessa.”
She beamed, and Blake glowered at Jace. “What are you smiling about? You’re turning all goofy too, cowboy.”
“He only goes riding with me occasionally.” Scarlett laced her fingers through Jace’s.
“Still.” Axel shook his head. “Seeing Jace Lockwood on a horse … it’s massively disturbing.”
“You’ll see,” Jace said, making googly eyes at Scarlett. “When you fall in love, it softens you. For the better.”
Both Blake and Jace looked directly at me.Oh, hell no.
Did everyone here think Axel and I were destined to wind up together? Did they miss the memo about our relationship being built on hostility and prank wars?
It made me feel things I didn’t want to, made me feel like I was under a spotlight I wanted no part of. My throat ran dry.
“I’m going to grab some water,” I announced, pushing off the couch before anyone could read too much into my sudden need for hydration.
