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His mom came up behind him.
“I need to talk to Ada,” he said sternly.
“Nonsense. You’ll have plenty of time to chat after you’re married. It’s bad luck.”
The door clicked open a sliver. Joseline, their stylist, peeked out.
“Is Ada in there?” Arlo asked.
“She is.” Joseline looked to Francisca for approval to open the door.
She shook her head. “No.”
Ada’s voice came through the door. “Francisca, could Arlo and I have a moment?”
Francisca sighed. “Very well. Everyone out.” Then she looked back. “But, only a moment.”
Arlo covered his eyes as he carefully stepped into the room.
Ada spoke first. “I don’t believe in luck… And really, in this case… it doesn’t matter, right? Since… you know… this is all an arrangement. You can open your eyes.”
Arlo’s heart sank at her words.It does matter, not the luck part… but us…
He slowly dropped his hands and turned to face her.
Breath caught in his throat while a grin spread across his face. “You… look…”
“Like royalty?” Ada laughed and did a small spin. Her dress was white silk, with thin straps giving way to a V-neckline. The fabric hugged her body until it spread out at the bottom.
“Maggie and Liza both agreed that this was the one.”
“Incredible,” was all he could manage to say. Half of her hair was pulled back, while the other half cascaded onto her shoulders—a waterfall of unmatched beauty.
Arlo turned his attention to her face, roaming her features and trying to soak them in.
“Ada…”
“Oh no, are you getting cold feet?”
He reached out and took a lock of her blonde hair between his fingers. Then lifted her chin so he could see into her eyes. She blinked up at him.
“I don’t want to marry you with an expiration date.” He traced her jaw with his finger. “I’m terrified that if we jump into this, you’re going to resent me.” He took a step back and nervously ran his hand through his hair. “I like you… likereallylike you. I don’t want to mess this up. You’re too important to me. I can’t just marry you for some PR campaign if that means it’d ruin an actual future with you.”
“Arlo…”
“I don’t want you to have to do this for the money… I’ll figure out a way to help you pay for your grandma’s care.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“I want to.”
“What about the island?” Ada asked. “The people need this. Your parents need this.”
He reached out and took her hand. “We can find another way.”
Ada looked out the window facing the sea. “What if I told you… Iwantto do this.” She turned her gaze back to him. “Not for the money… but because… I love you.”
Arlo tilted his head and a closed-mouth smile appeared. He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You do?”
