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“My daughter wants real love, Lex. The kind her mother and I share. Can you give her that?”
I hesitate and look away. “I’ll give her everything she could ever want, but I’m not sure I have it in me to love her.” I take adeep breath and look at him, making him an informal promise. “I would try, though. For my wife, I’d try.”
Fifteen
Lex
My heart is racing as I walk into my grandmothers’ dining room, where we’ve all been ordered to gather. I try my hardest to come across as relaxed, when deep down, I’m starting to panic. My conversation with Raya’s father weighs heavy on my mind, and the decision he made when he walked out of my lab will impact the rest of my life.
I force a smile when I spot my sisters-in-law. I walk over and muss up Celeste’s hair, before resting my elbow on Faye’s shoulder, my playfulness a facade to hide my nerves behind.
“You know she hates it when you do that,” Raven chastises me, while Sierra stomps on my foot, making me stumble away from Faye, who giggles at my expense. Val rolls her eyes, and I grin, happy to see them all smiling. Seeing joy on their faces makes it easier to live with the lack thereof in mine.
We all fall silent when Grandma walks into the room, and instantly, Raven walks over the Ares, Val joins Luca, Dion wraps his arm around Faye’s shoulder, and Celeste grabs Zane’s hand, leaving Sierra and me to stand side by side. They’re unitedfronts, all four couples, and something akin to envy settles deep in my chest.
What would it be like to trust someone to that extent? To have a real partner in life? The mere idea of putting myself in such a vulnerable position ever again puts me off, but I can’t deny that I envy the happiness I see on their faces. For a moment, I wonder what it’d be like to have Raya standing next to me, and longing lodges in my chest.
“Kids,” Grandma says, her pink suit entirely in contrast with her stern expression. Anyone who looks at her would think she’s a sweet old grandmother, when she’s the most cunning of us all. “I’m sure you can guess why I’ve gathered you all here.”
Her eyes settle on me, and I stand rooted in place when she throws a deceptively sweet smile my way. “Lexington, all four of your brothers are happily married, and all four have committed to unions that have greatly benefited our family. We are exceptionally lucky to have Raven, Val, Faye, and Celeste, and I know I speak for all of us when I say that with each addition, the love between us just grows.”
I nod in agreement, my stomach tight with nerves. “Now it’s your turn, Lexington. Your engagement has been decided upon.”
I bite back a smile, beyond relieved she isn’t springing this on me. “Enlighten me. Who am I marrying?” I ask, praying Bob made the decision I hope he made. Raya may have been grandma’s first choice, but I know she wasn’t the only woman under consideration.
She looks thrown off by my relatively relaxed response. Each of my siblings has reacted adversely to the news of their engagement, and I know she expected the same or worse from me.
“Raya Lewis.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, the widest grin splitting my face. “Interesting,” I say, nodding. “The Lewises are tech giants, soit’s an excellent choice.” It’s true — Raya’s family specializes in mid-range cars, which isn’t at all what Windsor Motors does, but they’re a fantastic company. Their current financial woes are a reflection of the economy more than anything else. In thirty years, Bob Lewis has accomplished more than most companies do in three hundred, and based on what Pippy learned about his research and vision, the company will go much further still. Raya is a perfect fit in every single way, and I can’t help but smile to myself, my unease finally melting away. The uncertainly took its toll on me, but it’s official now — Raya Lewis is mine.
Murmurs cascade through the room as my siblings begin to speculate, all of them eyeing me warily. I suppose I’m not fooling them. They know I’m not in the least surprised.
Grandma raises a brow, equally confused by my mild response. “Raya is currently an engineering student at Astor College. Her family is not opposed to her getting married prior to graduating, but Raya has requested that her marriage be kept a secret from the press, so she’s able to complete her education in peace. They have an interesting set of requirements that we’ll discuss at length soon.”
I cross my arms and nod. “What a coincidence,” I tell her. “I just agreed to teach an engineering class at Astor College.”
Grandma looks completely thrown off, unused to not being ten steps ahead of us, and the look on her face makes it hard to keep from smiling. “We’ve set the wedding date one month from now. Since we agreed to their request for secrecy, we felt there was no need to delay the paperwork. The two of you can simply have your ceremony once Raya graduates.”
I nod, realization dawning. If I’m officially being informed of our engagement, then Raya must have found out by now, too.
By now, she’ll have found out that I approached her under false pretenses.
Sixteen
Raya
My steps are measured as I walk through the Windsor Residences lobby, my heart in my throat. I’d been just as nervous the last time I walked into this building, but for vastly different reasons. Unease makes my stomach twist as I head toward the elevator Lex and I took up to his penthouse last time, only for a uniformed member of staff to stop me.
“Unfortunately, we can’t allow anyone access beyond this point,” the same security guard from last time says, his tone firm.
I stand rooted in place, uncertain what to do. Before I can even explain that I’m here because I was invited, a familiar voice sounds from behind me.
“It’s fine. She’s my future wife.”
My eyes widen, and I look over my shoulder to find Lex standing a few paces away, his expression unreadable. The three-piece charcoal suit he’s wearing makes him look unapproachable, unattainable, yet here he stands, proclaiming me to be his.
Lex studies me for a moment, his eyes roaming over my face, countless unspoken words hanging in the air between us. He lowers his gaze and walks up to me, his hand settling on my lower back. The security guard nods politely and steps back to press the elevator button for us, and I wordlessly let Lex guide me forward.
