Marigold gives a squeal as I reach her and drags me upstairs. She’ll have been here for hours already; that’s the gift and curse of her parents owning this fine establishment.
“Where’s Gabriel?” I ask, but Marigold’s already thinking ahead and points across to where he stands with his mother. He looks so good in his black suit and bowtie that my heart gives an ecstatic jump.
Darkly handsome. Check. Passionate. Check. Hungry for a status upgrade. Check.
I cross my fingers, sending the same plea to the heavens as always. Please.Please, let my father pick him.
Even pushed down the line of succession, I’m a good marriage prospect for him. Our families might be part of the same organisation, but that’s where the similarities end.
Gabriel’s father Thaddius is a good earner but also has addictions up the wazoo. No matter how hard his colleagues push work his way, the money flows from his hands just as readily. Meanwhile, my dad is rich enough to be embarrassing.
Maybe not a billionaire, but if they measured those in quarters, he’d qualify. With my father’s backing, Gabriel can make something of himself.
In return, I get to marry the only applicant for the position of husband who stirs anything in me. We’ve been friends for ages, since primary school, and always got along. With his brooding good looks coming into their own, he stirs a lot.
“Oh, you’re making me so jelly,” Marigold declares. “Have you seen the ring?”
Her eyes are wide with excitement as I shake my head, hoping our discussion doesn’t jinx things. “He told me he’ll use a family heirloom and if I don’t like it, he’ll take me shopping for a new one and pass it to his elder brother to use instead.”
“An heirloom?”
“It belonged to his grandmother and I’m sure it’ll be fabulous. Besides, I’m not marrying for the jewellery.”
“No, you’re doing it for the right reasons. The hot sex.”
I burst out laughing, holding a hand over my mouth to damp down some of the noise. The declaration causes so much amusement because she’s one hundred percent right. Our friendship is important to me—will be the cornerstone of our marriage—but having his gorgeous body introduce me to everything a woman can experience…?
Yes.
Please.
Marigold tries to catch my eye again as our laughter subsides, but I avoid the attempt. Our corner of the room is drawing enough attention as it is without parading our excitement in front of everyone.
“Wine for my lady,” Gabriel says, appearing at my right elbow with two champagne flutes. He hands one to me and our fingers briefly touch, something I wouldn’t even notice with another man, but with him, it sets off a volley of fireworks somewhere deep in my belly.
“Thanks, Gabe,” Marigold says pointedly when he continues to hold on to the second glass.
“Uh. Yeah. Sorry.” He passes it across, then goes back to what he was doing, staring longingly into my eyes.
I know the expression well since it’s plastered across my face every time I look at him. Happiness is picking a spouse who’ll still look hot in the middle of any argument. I’m not sure where I got that nugget of wisdom, but, staring at Gabriel, it seems appropriate.
“Hey, you” I whisper to him, and he takes my hand, grazing the knuckles with a kiss.
The gesture takes my breath away at the same time it reminds me that despite the forced circumstances, the feelings we have for each other are genuine.
Emotion grips my throat and pulls the muscles tight. Overwhelming. My father handed me an expensive platinum and diamond necklace this morning, but this engagement,this man,will be the real present.
Tears bloom in my eyes and I sniffle them back, pretending to take a sip of my drink to hide the gesture.
“Ugh. You two.” Marigold takes an aggressive sip of her wine, wrinkling her nose at the sting of bubbles. “You realise that every other celebration this year is going to be a downer after this? You’ve set an impossibly high standard that no one else could hope to reach.”
“Don’t be such a grump,” I tell her with a smile. “Besides, your family isn’t in any hurry to marry you off, so you’re not competing.We’renot competing.”
She rolls her eyes, but it’s with such obvious good cheer that I hook an arm around her waist and giggle before turning my attention back to Gabriel. “You look incredible in that suit. I hope you wear something similar to our wedding.”
“Given how much it cost, that’s practically guaranteed.”
There’s an undercurrent beneath his words, but I push it aside. There are enough other things for me to worry about tonight that discussing the disparity in our family fortunes isn’t top of the list.
