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“Do I look pretty, Dad?” I ask, grinning at him.
“You’re the prettiest girl in this room,” he says, hugging me again. It’s a while before he shifts his attention from me and looks toward Seth, Oliver, and Simon.
“I’m glad you kept your promise,” he says, meeting Seth’s gaze. “My Rory looks happy to be with you and your brothers.”
“She’s our mate,” Seth says in a grim tone. “We’ll always do our best to make her happy.”
The sincerity in his voice tugs at my heart.
Dad stares unblinkingly at him for a moment. When he realizes what he’s doing, he loudly coughs and clears his throat.
“By the way, did you see what’s hanging on the wall over there?” Dad asks, pointing over Seth’s head.
Turning my attention in that direction, I catch a familiar sight. The painting with the twin lilies is mounted proudly on the wall.
“Do you see that man in the black tux?” Dad says, gesturing toward a group of men that are standing by the painting.
“Dad, they’re all wearing black. Who am I supposed to look at?”
He chuckles and playfully knocks the side of my head. “Don’t act smart with me. You know who I’m talking about. That’s Senator Dumas.”
“Who?”
An exaggerated sigh escapes him. “Did you already forget? He’s the guy who was interested in that painting. You’ve got to recognize him from all the news articles.”
“Oh,” I mumble.
“Look at him,” Dad says in a gleeful tone. “Standing by the painting like it’s going to help at all. Even if he pays me a million dollars, I’ll never let him have it.”
My gaze easily finds the man my dad is talking about. Dressed in a luxurious tux, his impressive build as well as confident gait is enough to differentiate him from the crowd. The senator is an alpha.
As I focus on the man, I notice his short-cropped silvery hair as well as hawk-like eyes that have a predatory look in them. He’s a stranger to me but my instincts send a warning against him.
“Just watch him stare everyone down,” Dad sneers. “Like there’s no one on this planet who can be as good as him.”
A chuckle escapes me. “I still don’t understand why you had to invite him.”
“That’s what we call politics,” he says, winking at me.
Shaking my head, I turn my attention away from the senator. “Dad, did you know Oliver bought that twin lily painting for me?” I say, hoping to make him happier.
“Oh, he did?” Dad says, his eyes widening.
“He saw me looking at the painting but also realized I forgot to put a bid on it,” I explain. “He made the bid in my name, paid for it, and had it shipped here. That’s why I had trouble remembering which painting you were talking about.”
Dad beams. “That was sweet of you,” he says, glancing between Oliver and Simon.
“You can’t tell them apart, can you?” I whisper as both Oliver and Simon stand shoulder-to-shoulder, looking like each other’s mirror image.
“And, you can?” Dad asks, still staring between them confusedly.
“This is Oliver,” I say, rising on my tiptoes to kiss Oliver’s cheek.
Oliver grins broadly and gives a quick salute to Dad.
“I’d love to get to know you guys better,” Dad says, patting Seth’s arm. “Why don’t we have dinner sometime?”
Seth nods with a warm look in his eyes. “We’d love that.”
