His first words to me are "I'm disappointed," and I can't stop the sadness welling up in my chest. But then again, when hasn't he been? He's always been disappointed. I could have moved the moon in the sky, and he would've told me I dragged it too far to the left.
"I think that's a general sentiment when it comes to me, so I figured I'd stay consistent," I tell him with a fake smile on my lips.
"Ivette Tatcher," my stepmother says, extending her hand to Damien, and I want to laugh.
Does she really think Damien's going to kiss her hand?
"Pleasure," Damien murmurs, pulling me possessively against his side.
Cora introduces herself too, followed by Aria, Zion, and his family, and finally my father just gives a curt nod.
“So, now that we’ve gotten past Roxy’s big announcement—who, by the way, couldn’t be bothered to invite us to her wedding—Aria and Zion have decided to have theirs at The Windsor Club, the one on the edge of town,” Ivette says.
I force myself to stay quiet, to not say a word because it's not my problem. That venue is half outdoors. Their wedding's in July, next to a pond, so they'll be swarmed by mosquitoes. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
When I turn my eyes to my father, I notice his jaw clench as he stares at Damien.
"Did you manage to launch the new model?" I ask the man I would've rolled over backward a thousand times for just to get a few moments of his attention.
My father wanted to be a surgeon, but when he failed the admission exam for one of the top medical schools in the country, his parents forced him to take over the family business, a factory that makes car parts.
I know they've been working on a new console for hybrid cars for the past year.
"No, but that's not what we're discussing right now, Roxy."
Of course not. We're discussing a wedding that'll fail anyway because the groom won't be able to keep his zipper up long enough.
"What do you do, Damien?"
Damien's hand tenses on my thigh, and looking up, I notice Zion's eyes are on me.
More specifically, on my cleavage. It's subtle, I'll give him that, but every half second, his eyes flicker from Damien's face to my blouse.
"I own a club," the man beside me answers, breathing easier when I place my hand over his.
"You make money doing that?" Zion asks, and I can't help but laugh.
Damien has more money in his account than ten of Zion's family trees combined.
"Obviously, sweetheart. Just look at that engagement ring. Roxy, with her little events, could never afford that," Aria's voice rings out from beside her fiancé, and I know I've accidentally dug my nails into Damien's hand.
I feel his gaze, because I don't give her any reply. I let her insinuate what she wants. I've been in this situation too many times and I'll never come out ahead in an argument with Aria.
Not in front of my father, at least. Because it's enough to raise my eyes and see how he looks at his other daughter.How he'll never look at you, that voice whispers.
"Aria, sweetie, don't be so mean to your sister," Ivette tells her daughter. "After all, Roxy's so busy with herlittleevents that she didn't have time to help you plan yours."
No, the reason I didn't help is because one, she never asked for my help, and two, because I know if something went wrong, she'd say I did it on purpose. And the last thing I need is a bridezilla on my case, which I know Aria will be.
A second passes. Two seconds. The tension at the table is suffocating, pressing down on my chest until I can barely breathe.
Then Damien stands up abruptly. Without excusing himself or addressing anyone, without a single word of explanation, he pulls me after him into the bathroom.
"What the—” But I don't finish because his mouth is there to cover mine, swallowing whatever protest I was about to make.
It's not a slow or gentle kiss. There's nothing tender about it. This is possessive, claiming, a brand that literally steals my breath when a minute passes, then two, without him pulling away from my lips. My lungs burn, but I don't care. I just need this, need him.
When he finally breaks the kiss, we're both panting. His forehead rests against mine, and I can feel the tremor running through his body.
