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Nevaeh
I didn’t have a Monday class, so I slept in the next morning and then vegged out around the house all day. Having traveled so much my entire life, my body was used to it, so jet lag wasn’t something I suffered from. But after the weekend I’d just had, I was slow-moving and just wanted to curl up into a ball on the couch while eating comfort food.
Braxton stayed with me the whole time, and while it didn’t make the heartache I felt over my dad go away, it did make it easier to handle. I didn’t cry, but when it seemed like I was going to, he would distract me in ways that left me mewling like the kitten he called me.
By the time I left for my first class on Tuesday, I no longer felt like I was going to crumble at every single thought of Daddy and his illness. Like always, Braxton walked me to campus, and we stopped for coffee at the café. In the beginning, Braxton walking me to class had annoyed the hell out of me. It was as if he thought I was a little kid who needed a big, strong man to hold my hand and fight all my battles. But over time, I’d gotten used to it, and if I was honest, I’d grown to like it. Now that we were together, I was all too happy to let him be his normal alpha self and hold my hand while we walked to my classes.
With his hand at the small of my back, we approached the counter. “You want a muffin, baby?” he asked as he gave the guy behind the register our drink orders. Braxton knew my favorite, and I hadn’t even had to tell him what I wanted.
“Do they have any double chocolate?” I asked hopefully. I felt like I’d gained a good ten pounds from all the carbs I’d gorged on the day before, but I didn’t even care.
“There are two left,” the barista told him.
“We’ll take both to go,” Braxton told him and handed over his card.
I’d given up trying to pay for my own things a long time ago. In the past two years, I’d rarely had to use the cards my parents had given me because no matter what it was or how much it cost, Braxton always paid for my stuff. I’d felt bad about him spending money on me until he told me to just let him take care of me.
When he’d turned eighteen, he’d gotten his trust fund, and while I didn’t know how much that was, I knew he never had to work again if he didn’t want to. But he still worked for Seller Security, and he and Barrick had big plans for the company when Barrick finally took over from his stepfather. The cousins were going to become business partners, and I had faith the two of them would make a formidable duo in the world of security.
While he was getting our drinks and food, I walked over to an empty table and sat to wait. I didn’t check my social media feed often, but I’d ignored it for over five days, so I opened the app to see if there was anything going on with Arella or one of my many cousins. I didn’t expect them to keep me constantly up-to-date with what was going on in their lives, so I just let their social media tell me what was happening with them.
I wasn’t surprised to see the first picture in my feed was of my sister. It was who she was with that gave me pause. That along with the moon eyes she was giving Jordan Moreitti, who had his arm around her, grinning at the camera as they took a selfie on the beach.
Arella wasn’t boy crazy, which I had to give her credit for. Boys were the ones who got crazy over her. As beautiful and talented as she was, I didn’t blame them. But Jordan was older than her and, more to the point, a total player. Given that my sister was only sixteen and I knew Moreitti didn’t go for jailbait, Arella was only going to break her heart if she thought she had a future with Mia’s best friend.
Next in my feed, I saw the twins. I knew which one was Lyric from the way he grinned—it was more easygoing, whereas Luca’s was always full of mischief. Luca was sweaty, his hair plastered to his skull and forehead, obviously having just finished football practice.
He was on the defense; that was all I understood of his position on the team, and I really didn’t care to learn more about it. But he’d been offered a full ride to some college in Texas and several in the SEC. He hadn’t picked which one he was going to attend yet, but no matter what he chose, it was going to cause issues for him.
Lyric, however, wasn’t into sports. He was more artistic, and given his obsession with ink lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a tattoo artist and opened his own shop one day.
In the background, I saw a group of cheerleaders eyeballing my twin cousins like they were pieces of meat, and I nearly rolled my eyes. It was Lyric’s post, and the caption was short: Feeling cute, might bang the whole cheer
squad later. IDK.
Seeing the reactions below it, I wasn’t surprised at the eye-roll emoji my cousin Violet had commented with. Sighing, I kept scrolling until something caught my attention. My eyes scanned over the post, reading everything—twice—before it all clicked in my head.
It wasn’t Braxton’s post, but because he was tagged in it, I was seeing it in my feed. There was a picture of him in a tux, standing on some grand staircase with an older couple—his parents, from what I’d read. And beside them stood a beautiful blonde in a dress that would have rivaled any celebrity on the red carpet at the Grammys, diamonds dripping down her neck like melting ice.
She had dark blond hair that was pulled to the side in an elegant twist, her makeup expertly applied and showcasing her bone structure. Her brown eyes looked up at Braxton like he hung the moon, and I had to read the post again to make sure I hadn’t read it wrong.
Collins and Hamilton wedding scheduled for the post-Christmas season as the two families prepare for their new grandchild.
With the birth of Braxton Collins and Darcy Hamilton’s first child, the two dynastical families will become one formidable business empire. Braxton and Darcy are both only children and met in high school. The two have been engaged since their graduation four years ago, but plans were put on hold due to Braxton’s injury while serving in the Marines. Belinda Hamilton has hinted that her son’s upcoming nuptials will rival any royal wedding in history.
Heart pounding, I skimmed my eyes over the picture again. The ring on Darcy Hamilton’s finger was huge and flashy, something that made a statement and screamed for attention. I thought it was ugly and made her fingers look pudgy, but she didn’t seem to care as she gazed adoringly at her fiancé. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were beaming proudly at their son and future daughter-in-law.
I stood so quickly, my chair fell back with a loud crash, tears blinding me. Grabbing my backpack, I hurried toward the door.
“Kitten?” Braxton was still standing at the counter, waiting for our drinks.
I shot him a glare through my tears and continued toward the exit. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Shaking my head, I pushed open the door without looking back. I couldn’t believe what I’d just read. There was no way Braxton was engaged to someone else. No, he just wouldn’t do that. He fucking wouldn’t. No way he would ask someone to marry him and then fly across the country to celebrate my birthday with me. Any more than he would cheat by making love to me.
Yet the picture spoke volumes. He looked remarkably like his father, but he had his mother’s eyes. And there was that ring and the blonde who couldn’t keep the stars out of her eyes. All of it posted by a legitimate news channel.
My heart was breaking. I couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath.
