“I was in danger and didn’t have anywhere else to go… I know it sounds crazy, but when I was with Aidan… even though he kidnapped me, when I was with him, I feltsafe—protected. He and his brothers went to war for me, and I—” she trails off.
“You married him?” I finish, studying her face.
“I married him.” There’s a warm light in her eyes when she smiles. “Listen, I know how they seem… they’re good men, intense, overprotective, and a littlepossessive—but good men at the end of the day.” She looks me in the eyes. “All of them.”
I nod, thinking over what she’s told me.
“Do you need a drink?” she asks, shooting me a conspiratorial smile. “I think we’re going to need a drink if we’re going to survive that table tonight.”
“Yes, please,” I laugh, following her out of the bathroom.
It’s a short wait at the bar before we’re both holding full glasses of champagne. We’re just about to go back into the ballroom, when Rory’s eyes drift to something over my shoulder, and her smile softens. “I’ll, uh, leave you to it.” She winks at me, taking her glass of champagne and heading back to the table alone.
I immediately glance back over my shoulder, and my breath catches at the sight I see there.
It’shim.He came.
Koen is crossing the ballroom, his eyes locked on me. He’s moving through the room as if he owns it. Power radiates off of him in waves—it’s impossible to ignore. People notice him, recognition flashing on far too many faces, those patrons quickly finding somewhere—anywhere else to be.
He’s ditched his usual black hoodie, or rough leather jacket, for a sleek charcoal gray suit. The crisp white shirt is a stark contrast to the dark ink you can still see climbing up his neck. Notie, top buttons undone, a subtlefuck youto the formality of the gala.
“I thought you might have changed your mind,” I half joke when he reaches me, hoping he can’t see the sweeping relief I feel now that he’s actually here.
The corner of his mouth twitches up, the ghost of a smile. He leans in, his hand grazing the exposed skin on my lower back as he deposits a kiss on my cheek. “About you?” he murmurs, sending shockwaves of electricity down my spine. “Never.”
I shiver.
“Cold?” He smirks knowingly, and I give him a playful shove. But as I do, I see something over his shoulder, and my smile quickly falls.
“Shit,” I curse, grabbing hold of the lapels on his suit jacket and pulling him closer. “Come here.”
“What’s wrong?” Koen asks, instantly on high-alert. He allows me to drag him halfway into the little alcove next to us. I’m doing my best to use his body to shield mine, but I’m afraid it’s too late. When I don’t answer him, he looks back over his shoulder to scan the crowd for the threat.
“Who are you hiding from?” His hand moves for the gun I know he has hidden in his suit, but I slap it away.
“Jesus, no—we don’t need that! We should—” My eyes dart for the nearest exit, but it’s too late.
“Briar?” The familiar, sickeningly sweet voice sets my teeth on edge.
“Fuck,” I whisper, just loud enough for Koen to hear, I feel his stare burning through me. I close my eyes, count to three, and release one slow, controlled breath, before stepping back from Koen, wearing my best stage smile.
“Mother.”
61
TALK TO ME
BRIAR
“Oh, Briar sweetheart, itisyou!”I pale even further when I see my father is with her. They come closer, my father outright refusing to look at me, while my mother does the opposite. Her cold blue eyes take me in, scanning the length of me, while I fight the urge to fidget under the weight of her perusal.
I am all too aware of Koen at my side, feeling his hand move to my lower back protectively.
“I almost didn’t recognize you; you look so… healthy.” Her smile is polite, but the disapproval in her eyes is glaring.
I inhale sharply.Healthyis just my mother’s polite way of saying,You’ve gained weight. It’s a trigger for me, bringing me back to the days when she used to obsess over my every calorie, every pound, all in her pursuit to have the picture-perfect daughter.
She’s watching me with pursed lips, looking as prim and perfect as ever, in Chanel of course, standing at my father’s side. Her dark hair is in an elegant chignon, and while she’s definitely been overdoing the Botox, she still isthe perfect wife.
