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“Yes, girl,” came from up front, Shakira. “Everybody’s here tonight. I mean, everybody.”
She wasn’t lying, people already dancing in the streets as they walked up to the white palace ahead. I’d been there before, but I swear to God, Ramses’ house battled the Windsor House castle in its size. There were no other houses surrounding it. There couldn’t be, not enough space with the football-sized lawn and expansive landscape. The white, column-adorned house in the center only acted as a focal piece, and Shakira pulled right up front.
“We’ll use valet,” Shakira proclaimed. “Ramses said it’s more for the city officials and stuff, but he got us the hookup.”
A man in a white jacket and bow tie sprinted out of a house constantly moving
in and out with people. Shakira parked, and he came right up to our ride, letting us out. He gave hands to the girls and nodded to the boys, the girls and their escorts leaving while he took the car. I didn’t have my own escort, but that was all good and well. I wasn’t the only girl traveling solo tonight. From what I understood, Birdie and Shakira didn’t have anyone either. We headed up to the door and started to knock before it opened right up.
“Welcome to the House of Mallick,” Ramses exclaimed, his expansive arms wide. He wore an actual suit tonight, his tie a garnet red and on theme. It matched the pocket square near his lapel, the boy grinning like a man servant. “Come on in. My parents’ home is your home.”
God, he was such an idiot, and I told him as much as I passed him. I handed him the cookies. “From Rosanna.”
He knew all about her, as did most of our friends as I mentioned where I was staying in the past. After I’d handed him the cookies, he looked up.
His grin widened. “You look very nice, ’Zona,” he said, making me suddenly very aware of how I looked compared to him. He looked very nice too, shiny and like a brand-new penny. He looked like money, and since I never came from that, I almost felt awkward at the compliment. He saved me from having to respond when he analyzed the cookies. “And thanks for these. I’ll give them to Lara.”
I smacked him, my jaw dropped. Lara was definitely his yippie French poodle he had inside there and he grinned again.
“I meant Francisca, our housekeeper,” he corrected, waggling those busy dark eyebrows. He had his curls pretty managed tonight, a moussed halo on the top of his head. He widened the door for me and the group. “Come in. We’ll see if we can find you all some floor space.”
Our group descended onto the foyer, which was clustered the fuck up with people. Ramses hadn’t been bluffing, people packed in the circular room. His family had a large Christmas tree, which greeted guests with its twinkling lights, presents lining around the whole presentation. I thought that might have been his family Christmas tree, but when he guided our group into the main event, aka his family’s ballroom (because yes, he had one of those), that’s where the biggest tree resided. It was seriously huge, suspended from the ceiling like a T-Rex’s bones in a museum. Behind it was a small orchestra, a quartet with a conductor and everything.
And did I mention the snow? Yes, there was actual snow coming down from somewhere in the rafters. Not real snow mind you, just paper, but it softly coated the glistening stars in this very room. These people were stars, everyone in the room shimmering bright like diamonds in their luxury gowns and with their champagne flutes.
“Shit, Mallick,” I stated, but I seemed to be the only one with a dropped jaw here. Everyone else laughed at what I said.
Ramses leaned in. “Can you tell my parents get pretty into this thing?”
Uh, “pretty into” was definitely an understatement. I idly wondered if Santa and his sleigh were going to come cruising in and asking me what I wanted for Christmas.
Ramses chuckled. “I’m going to go give these to Francisca. I’d put them on the food tables myself, but she’s touchy about how she wants things.”
At the mention of food, about half the guys went with him, the food tables on the far side of the room, and I saw them well. There was enough catering in this place to feed half the city, and I guess that was appropriate.
Half the city was literally here, and I immediately got dragged into a slow dance with my girlfriends. We danced in a bumbling circle, pretending we knew how to do the waltz or some shit. We weren’t the only ones goofing and having a good time, though; other people from our school were doing the same. I was really starting to get into it before I saw some familiar faces.
“I guess everyone’s here,” I said, noticing Royal and Mira. He strode into the room with her, his suit fine and his blond hair pushed pristinely back. He still looked good. Still looked hot and was just as aware of it as Mira beside him. She did look good too, her dress a deeper shade of red than mine. Behind them both were other people from the Court, Jax, LJ, and Knight amongst them with their own dates. They all looked like a large pack of royals, extremely fitting.
“Nothing’s going on with you and him, is there?” Birdie asked, pulling me in. “I know you guys had that hookup and everything.”
I shrugged, twirling her. “Believe me, whatever that was is history.” And gratefully so. I was done with the games and giving my heart to someone who clearly didn’t want me. I wouldn’t lie. All that with him still stung, but it wouldn’t get any better if I continued to let myself constantly think about him.
Birdie’s gaze lingered in that direction before facing me. “Probably for the best,” she said, her smile a little stiff. I didn’t know why, but in the next moment Shakira and Kiki came between us. They wanted to know if we’d like to join them for drinks, but since I didn’t want one, I stayed put.
The three left me on the floor, and I did all I could not to watch as Royal and party mingled their way onto the floor too. I didn’t have to stay there, so I ventured off, finding real estate by the big-ass Christmas tree.
Holy fuck. It’s Dad.
My father had a drink cup in his hands, by himself and lingering toward the side of the dance floor. He looked a little lonely, and I forced myself from feeling anything about that as I watched him. He took another sip of whatever he had before a surprising guest came up to him.
Sheriff Ashford approached him, my dad stiffening. The sheriff must have surprised him or something, and looking around, Dad faced the man, the sheriff speaking to him. He let him for the most part, that was until the man placed a hand on his shoulder. Dad rubbed it off, looking put off, and before I knew it, he was falling back into the crowd. I almost felt compelled to follow him, but I didn’t, of course. I didn’t care.
“December, right?”
I turned, a beautiful woman before me, stunning. She had a spool of dark hair wound on top of her head, her dress a glistening gold on her curvy figure. She looked like a trophy wife and sparkled just as ethereal in the place. I also recognized her, quickly aware of what place I’d last seen her.
It’d been during the darkest day of my life.
