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Quinn shook her head, looking disappointed. “You can do better than that.”
They both grabbed their husbands and took off.
Jude clapped me on the back and left as well. I definitely could have handled that better. But everyone knew this was an arranged marriage. Why pretend otherwise?
Knowing I had to mingle, I joined the chaos, going from person to person, answering stupid questions and ignoring surprised gasps when I told them there was no honeymoon.
But what was the point? All it would accomplish was me missing out on at least a week of work.
I was doing my duty to my family. Nothing more.
“There you are, darling.” My mom’s familiar perfume engulfed me before her arms did. “You look so handsome.” She fiddled with my bow tie. “I never thought I’d see you get married. I’m proud of you.”
She sniffled, and I hugged her, patting her back. I wasn’t a total monster. The woman had birthed me, after all. “I hope those are happy tears.”
Chuckling, she nodded against my chest. “Of course they are. I know a lot has changed for you, but you’ve handled it without missing a beat.”
I met my father’s eyes over her head. We’d had many conversations about my new role as head of the family. He knew of my struggles. But he also supported me. Guided me. Encouraged me. If it weren’t for him and Liam, I’d never have made it.
He clapped me on the back—a little too hard, but I was intent on ignoring his silent disapproval of me avoiding my wife—and took my mother’s hand. “So, you’re a married man now. How do you feel?”
I blinked at him, not sure where he was going with this. My father was calculating and smarter than anyone I knew, and he never made idle conversation. “Great,” I said while craning my neck to find an excuse to leave. It came in the form of my wife, who was looking in my direction at the same time I was looking at her.
Mom didn’t miss where my attention had strayed and squealed in delight. “There’s your beautiful bride.” She untangled herself from my father and tugged on my arm. “Come on, introduce me.”
Since there was no way to avoid the inevitable, I let out a long-suffering sigh, making sure it was loud enough to be heard over the music, and led my parents over to the gaggle of tittering females. They must have been talking about the wedding dress, gesturing at the lace. What a perfectly idiotic way to waste precious time.
When we made it close enough for them to notice us, they scattered like squawking geese, making at least as much noise in the process.
I stiffly stood next to Vanna, trying—and failing—not to notice the gentle slope of her waist, or the generous display of her creamy breasts. “Vanna, this is my mother, Althea, and my father, Constantine.”
Mother broke into tears and pulled a stunned Vanna into a tight embrace. “Welcome to the family.”
Rolling my eyes at this point would only give me a headache, so I signaled for a drink instead. I wasn’t nearly drunk enough to put up with another two hours of this. Which was how long I had to stay, according to Dad. He may not be the boss anymore, but he still ruled over the family.
Vanna didn’t seem to know how to act around my family, her posture stiff, her smile fake. But I couldn’t really blame her. I’d been around them my whole life and still didn’t know what was going on half the time.
Buoyed by gaining another daughter-in-law and, in turn, another chance for a grandchild, my mom took hold of Vanna’s hands, ignoring my bride’s wide-eyed look. “Since this brute”—she raised a finely sculpted brow in my direction—“won’t take you on a honeymoon, we’ll catch up this week. And we’ll make sure to fit in some shopping. I’ll ask Freya and Quinn if they’re free as well.”
She didn’t notice Vanna’s increasingly brittle smile, too busy planning their outing. Since I wasn’t aiming to win Husband of the Year any time soon, I didn’t cut in. The less time she was at home, the less I had to interact with her. An outing sounded great.
A chime sounded, cutting off whatever else Mom wanted to say. It was time to take our seats.
After we sat down, the food came out, and I forced bites of the perfectly cooked steak into my mouth. My bow tie was getting tighter and tighter as the night wore on. And did someone turn up the heat? Not even shedding my jacket helped.
I wiped my brow with the napkin, my eyes straying to my watch again. Only an hour to go. But that hour included our first dance. Mom had forced us boys into dance lessons when we were younger, and for the first time in my life, I was thankful for it. At least I wouldn’t make a total fool of myself.
A piece of cake appeared in front of me, and I sighed in relief. I’d refused to cut the cake, finding the tradition as pointless as the first dance. But when it came to the dance, Mom wouldn’t budge. Giving in on the cake was her way to get me to do what she really wanted: take my bride for a whirl on the dance floor.
A glass clinking indicated the start of the speeches. Only my dad, Jude, and Aleksándr would be talking. I was surprised Vanna didn’t want anyone else from her side to speak. But since it meant the speeches wouldn’t go on forever, I hadn’t dared bring it up.
Dad gave his usual charming speech about how much he valued family and was proud of his children. Aleksándr talked about the two families merging and what it would mean for our bottom lines. It was clear his daughter’s marriage was another business transaction for him, nothing more.
Seemed to me his daughter was as expendable to him as everyone else in his business. She was there to serve a purpose. And if I cared at all, I’d have almost felt bad for her having such an unfeeling bastard as a father.
But she didn’t seem to mind, a serene smile aimed at her father throughout his speech. She showed no other reaction.
Jude had already had a few too many drinks, and his speech went accordingly. But to me, the night was going well as long as nobody died. And so far, nobody had felt the need to pull out a gun—or a knife, in Jude’s case.
