Page 63 of I Choose You

“What did you say you needed to find?” I asked her.

“Sitting-down shoes.”

I grinned. “Why not stick with sandals?” She’d be on the beach.

“Oh, I’ll be taking those too. Come on. We’re not done yet.”

And we weren’t. I bought the dress, and then she purchased several “sedentary-appropriate” shoes, though I still didn’t understand the difference between those from her other footwear. I also took a chance to try on more clothes for myself. Casual stuff, not just the things Kaden had told me I’d need for these dates. Fake. They’re fake dates, remember?

Reading, hearing, and seeing the evidence of how much Kaden liked that dress boosted my enthusiasm. He put me in such a good mood that it spiraled. I wanted to cling to that high, and as Rena and I shopped away, I chose more things that showed off my favorite and most intricate tattoos. It wasn’t only Rena’s positive influence and encouragement. It wasn’t just Kaden’s appreciative replies. It was me. I felt good, and as we wrapped up the night and carried our bags out of the last store, I hoped I would feel this good and confident when I was at the engagement party this weekend.

Knowing I’d be on Kaden’s arm was an allure I couldn’t stop thinking about.

21

KADEN

Ever since Brooke showed me that dress, my excitement for the engagement party shot up higher. I was about to wear a permanent groove on my phone’s screen for how often I checked the messages. I did it again, smirking as I waited.

Any second now, I should receive a text from the driver I’d hired to pick up Brooke. We’d all grown up outside the city, but it was within the hub of so many people that we’d reunited. The distance between our hometown and the city made for challenging transportation though. I hadn’t wanted her to go through the trouble of securing a ride.

It would have been nice to drive her myself, but like Kody, I’d come here hours ago. Dad and Margaux weren’t to do a thing. Mercedes handled the entire thing, and I appreciated that gesture. I hadn’t talked with the lovely woman much. I definitely wouldn’t claim to “know” her at any level that might count as her being a sister. It had always been just me and Kody. Then without Mom, it was just us with Dad.

I never thought I was lacking from not having a sister, but when I was young, I dreamed about it. What it would be like to have someone else in the household to balance out the craziness two twin boys got up to.

Dad and Margaux would be marrying so late in their lives, and their wedding still felt sudden. I wasn’t sure how to incorporate a sibling into my life, but what I saw of Mercedes was all right. It was up to her to plan this party, and in a three-way text we’d set up, it became a two-person front. Kody hadn’t understood who that unidentified number was, and he admitted at the gym that he thought it was a planner they’d hired. Typical Kody.

Mercedes had done an admirable job of getting the event arranged. My role was in securing everything and seeing that it was set up at the family estate as she wanted. She sure had an eye for the details, and I couldn’t help but think of Brooke. She had that same characteristic, and I knew it had to have served her well at work.

Kody was expected to be a host, and I was glad he’d shown up to do that minimal task.

He’d come home around the same time I had, and he promised me with a roll of his eyes that he’d be at the party.

My phone buzzed.

Finally. This message wasn’t late but it seemed like I’d been waiting for so long.

Brooke’s driver alerted me that he was pulling in, informing me just as I’d requested.

I no longer cared where the hell Kody was. He should have been greeting the guests, but knowing him as I did, I wasn’t shocked when he wasn’t near the front door as expected. Guests were arriving, and I had to have faith that my twin was somewhere around here. But his absence near the entrance couldn’t have been timed better.

In fact, this was the very reason why I’d thought ahead to have the driver alert me when he pulled up.

Brooke and Kody’s reunion would be tense. At least I hoped it would only be tense and not ugly or catastrophic. I had been telling the truth when I told her that she wasn’t likely to cause a scene. She was too chill to do that, but this would be the ultimate test of that assumption.

I tuned out the details as I wove through the mingling guests from where I’d been checking something before the party was in full swing.

Mercedes had asked for my opinion about if the wires from the live band’s equipment would be a hazard to anyone walking through the grounds. They had been positioned so far back, I couldn’t see any danger. If anyone were to traipse toward the gardens or around the side of the house, sure, they might come upon the wires. But they were covered in a thick rubber strip designed for the purpose of preventing trips.

I didn’t linger, aiming for the front to meet Brooke and ensure I could intercept her before she saw my brother. I ignored the twinkling fairy lights strung from the poles. I didn’t glance at the glamorous décor my future stepsister had sourced and arranged throughout the outdoor area. The music didn’t faze me as I strode over the glass floor that had been set over the pool. I’d suggested lights floating within the water. When night fell, it would look great.

Dad and Margaux would have a hell of a party.

As I reached the front and watched the driver open the door for Brooke, I knew I would have one hell of a hard time keeping my hands to myself.

She stepped out in that long green dress. The shitty lighting in that fitting room hadn’t shown the beauty of the gown. Under the gentle glow of the sunshine just before sunset, it shimmered and slid. The fabric clung to her curves and muscles before it would sway and ease aside with her slow, swaying approach.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and stared at her, looking my fill. I felt her stare on me, but I refused to miss a chance to truly get a good look at her.