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“I don’t know yet,” she says, and a sigh of relief hits me. “But I’m getting married anyway. So, it doesn’t matter what I want.”
“It does, Evangeline. It does fucking matter, no matter what Frederic has told you.” My tone comes out strong. A smile paints on her lips before she jumps from the wall. I raise our hands to let mine fall on her shoulder while I tug her to my side. I bow down a little before whispering in her ear, her silver blonde hair touching my face.
“What do you want in life, princess?” She stares my way, and slowly, those eyes start to dream. They sparkle and come alive.
“I want to go to university and study psychology.” There’s so much longing in her voice. It almost makes me want to drag her to the nearest university and enrol her then and there.
“Psychology. Impressive,” I praise, nodding my head.
“Yeah, well, it’s never going to happen.”
“Never say never,” I whisper, hoping I’m right. She squeezes my hand softly while a hopeful smile is on her face. I tug her even closer, and for once, I breathe in that intense vanilla scent, which suits her perfectly.
“What about you? Do you want to get married?”
“No. Never,” I say quickly, and she chuckles.
“Really, never?”
“God, no.”
“And why’s that, Chester Boyd?” she pries, and normally I’m not one to share. That’s why I like my one-night stands. I know I’m not going to date or marry them, and they won’t ask about it either.
But this is Evangeline, and one way or another, she lowers my defences the second her bright brown eyes stare my way.
“My parents showed me how messed-up marriage can be.”
“They got divorced?”
“No.” I sigh. “I wish they did. They’re still married, but they can’t stand each other. They fought constantly and still do. Once, I was hidden under the kitchen table. My hands covered my ears to stop hearing them scream at each other. But nothing helped. I remember crying, begging them to stop. Not once did either of them turn my way. Always too occupied with dragging the other person down.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Chester. You shouldn’t have been in the middle of that,” Evangeline whispers, squeezing my hand in solidarity. I smile her way and shrug my shoulders.
“It took me so long to realise it wasn’t going to get better. They weren’t going to love each other suddenly. I spent my childhood staring at two people who hated each other so much, they forgot they had a son.” I swallow, feeling the same pain my younger self felt tugging at my heart.
“But don’t you believe in love? Two people who can laugh with each other, take care of one another and feel at home when they are together.”
“I believe it’s possible, and I’ll wait for it to hit me straight in the chest,” I say honestly, before staring at the woman next to me. When I look at Evangeline, something does hit me straight in the chest. But I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. I just know I like her company. More than I probably should.
“So, are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” I chuckle before tugging us to a stop.
“We’re here,” I say, staring at one of the most modern buildings in London. All glass and terribly high. Evangeline stares up before turning her head to me.
“Who lives here?”
“Another couple that proves marriage is a trap.”
***
Evangeline
The guests present sing happy birthday, while Moreen carries a large chocolate cake to her four-year-old daughter, Livia. Livia’s eyes are wide because of how large the cake is. Pure excitement is on her face as her hands cover her red cheeks. Her legs kick against her chair before a loud squeal leaves her mouth.
Moreen carefully places the cake in front of Livia, who couldn’t wait until the end of the song to blow out her candles. Moreen’s face lights up and a laugh rolls over her lips before she drops a kiss on her daughter’s hair.
Sebastian is filming the whole ordeal, and even the stoic, cold man has a large smile on his face. When the song comes to an end, Sebastian walks towards Livia and kisses her head once.
“Look, Daddy,” Livia says enthusiastically before pointing at her cake.
