Page 133 of Fallen Court

“No way.” I snatched my hand from him and cradled it protectively between my breasts. “I’m keeping this one—”

A frown creased his lips. “Speaking of, about your mother’s—”

The bedroom door burst open, cutting him off. “Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Ciara clapped her hands. She sashayed to the windows and drew the curtains back. “Everyone is on their way.”

I bolted upright, clutching the sheet to my chest. “What? Why?”

“Not sure. I was told we were meeting.” She planted a hand on her hip, an impish grin lighting her face. “Maybe it’s to discuss noise complaints. People could probably hear you two all the way in Fontainebleau last night!”

Lach groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow again. “What have I said about boundaries?”

“I can’t recall. Maybe we need to put a soundproof ward around your quarters.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Now get your lazy asses out of bed before we have company.”

She smacked the edge of the mattress on her way out, shutting the door with a blown kiss.

My stomach sank. Company? Discussions? Did it ever stop? After the killer was caught, I thought we might have had a minute to ourselves. But no. It was another day, which meant another crisis. I slid out of bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around me as I hunted for fresh clothes in the armoire.

But Lach didn’t bother to cover up. Not that I was complaining. He swaggered over, bypassing his usual clothes and opting for a black silk robe. I blinked in surprise as he slid it on.

“What?” he asked as he knotted the belt around his lean waist.

“I’ve never seen you so casual when there’s business to be done.” The man put on a suit to go to the bathroom.

“Who said anything about business?”

He was out the door before I could demand to know what was going on. I tugged on leggings and an oversize sweater, finger-combed my sleep-tousled hair, and padded out barefoot after him. Ciara perched on the arm of the leather sofa, sipping a cappuccino. Its scent curled toward me, and I nearly stole it. After last night, I could use the jolt.

Lach was seated nearby, still looking remarkably relaxed. But Roark, Shaw, and Channing were lined up in a row by the door, looking anything but calm.

“Look who decided to join us,” Ciara said in a singsong voice.

Shaw shifted, sharing an uncomfortable look with my brother. “Will someone please tell us what’s going on? Lach, you don’t just send a text in the middle of the night that there’s something urgent to discuss in the morning and then not respond.”

I frowned, swiping the cappuccino from Ciara’s hands. She let out a cry of protest. “Sorry,” I said, stealing a sip before she took it back. “Something tells me that I’m going to want to be caffeinated for this.”

But Lach turned to Roark. “Did you get what I asked?”

“It’s right here,” Roark said, holding up a brown paper bag. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he looked from Lach to me and back again. “Why do we need it?”

The floating euphoria I’d felt since the proposal popped like a soap bubble. One day. We couldn’t have one freaking day without something going terribly wrong. My shoulders sagged under the weight of new dread. What fresh hell awaited us now?

“Might as well get this over with.” He nodded to his penumbra.

Roark reached into the bag and pulled out a dark-green bottle. “As requested.”

I stared in confusion. Champagne?

Lach stood and took the bottle from Roark with a grin. “Thank you.” He turned to face the others, taking my hand and interlacing our fingers. “We have an announcement to make.”

“Oh my gods.” Ciara set her cappuccino on the side table with a dramatic clink. “Out with it already!”

Lach lifted our joined hands, the diamond on my finger catching the light. “Cate and I are engaged.”

For a split second, I might have heard a pin drop in the stunned silence—until Ciara let out an earsplitting shriek.

Lach winced and rubbed an ear. “I’m pretty sure they heard that all the way in Texas.”

She ignored him, leaping up and nearly tackling us. Over her shoulder, Shaw whispered something to Channing, and my brother forced a smile. I wasn’t sure why this was such a surprise to everyone, except maybe that it had happened so fast. Neither of our brothers knew we were mates. I’d drop that bombshell on Channing later. This was enough for him to digest for the time being.