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“How many people are going to be at this event?” Valen questioned, adjusting the tight metallic blue dress she had on. It was fitted at the top but flowy and free from the waist, where the silky fabric fell beautifully until it just skimmed the floor.
“What event?” I questioned casually, continuing to keep this façade going right up until we walked into the ballroom downstairs.
She glanced over, her eyes narrowed. “Come on, Reed. We’ve been in this hotel room since late last night.”
The corner of my mouth twitched. “We’ve made the most of it, though.”
Her cheeks instantly changed, flooding with heat and turning this soft crimson color I had learned to fucking love.
Yeah, we’d been in this hotel room for almost twenty-four hours, but we’d kept plenty busy.
It’d been like the honeymoon we’d never had for our fake marriage.
There was a soft knock on the door, and her eyes lit up, following me as I strolled over and pulled it open, just enough for me to see Bronson grinning on the other side. “They’re all good downstairs,” he said, pressing his hand to the door and forcing it open to where he could see Valen. “You can’t keep beauty like this all to yourself, man. Time to share.”
I elbowed him in the ribs. “Keep your eyes off my wife, brother.”
Valen hurried over, throwing her arms around his shoulders. “Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you. Well, it’s good to see anyone. But especially you!”
“Hey, I wouldn’t miss this event for the world,” Bronson said as he stepped back, and I had to roll my eyes as Valen snapped her head toward me with a raised eyebrow.
“Event, huh.”
“Come on,” I urged, ignoring the knowing look on her face as I stepped out the door, linking her fingers with mine. “Time to go.”
The hallways were empty. Anything that needed to be covered to disguise what we were doing had been. It’d been an elaborate ruse, and one I hoped was so fucking worth it when she realized just why we were here.
Valen took in everything as we headed for the elevator. It was like a person seeing white walls for the first time, her eyes scanning over them, then over them again like they held the answers to the universe.
In a way, I knew it was a little cruel.
Valen hated surprises.
She hated the unknown, and I hadn’t even let her look out of the hotel room windows, so she had no idea what floor we were even on. I knew even though she trusted me to not do anything that would hurt her, this entire situation was out of her hands, and she was shaking like a leaf at the thought of walking into something she couldn’t prepare for.
But that was the way I wanted this to be.
I wanted to try and change that fear she had developed.
Maybe not tonight, or even the next time I plan something crazy, or the time after that. But my hope was that eventually, surprises would become something she loved. Something she could look forward to and associate with things that have brought her joy instead of fear.
Because she deserved that.
And more.
But I was happy to start here.
When we got downstairs, there were more people—hotel staff and people who’d come to stay, and neither could keep their eyes off Bronson as we breezed by.
And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. “We’re in a Rhodes Hotel, huh,” Valen said, side-eyeing Bronson, who was casually strolling beside us.
He frowned and looked over at her. “How’d you—”
“Everyone is staring at you like they just saw Jesus step inside this place,” she said out the side of her mouth as we passed by another couple staring.
Bronson was about to protest but was cut off by the sound of applause, and suddenly, Valen’s eyes were going crazy, searching for the source of the sound, and as we stepped around the next corner, we were suddenly right in the midst of it.
She gasped as we entered the ballroom of the Rhodes Hotel, with decorations, a stage, and full to the brim with people sitting at large round tables.
