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“Ever thought of sailing the Caribbean? I’ve heard there’s a few great spots that yachts sink in all the time over there. Let me recommend a few,” he smiles coldly. “Girls, it’s time,” he says, turning Tally away from our parents and placing a hand on my arm to guide me away from them too.
Marching us across the room, we don’t stop till we’re at the side of the stage where a furious looking Carson is waiting with Olly and Watson.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
“Come here,” he orders.
Stepping closer, he grabs me, dragging me into his tense body the moment I’m close enough. “You’re mine,” he growls, claiming my lips in a punishing kiss.
His kiss is rough and filled with a possessive energy that seems to be pouring from him in waves. “Come on, I need every fucking asshole in the room to know you belong to me,” he snarls, pulling away from my mouth and hauling me up the steps as the others silently follow behind us.
We step out onto the raised platform that’s acting as a stage for the jazz band that’s playing soft background music, and I step to the side to allow the others to follow us. Olly moves behind us and opens a bottle of champagne, quickly filling six glasses and handing them out to each us, as Arlo moves to where the singer is crooning into a microphone.
The music slowly ends and the singer steps out of the way to allow Arlo to approach the mic. Stepping forward he lifts a knife and taps it against his glass to garner everyone’s attention. We’ve already discussed how this is going to play out, so the five of us move to our places, Olly on Arlo’s right, Tally next to her fiancé, me next to her, Carson on my left, and Watson on his left.
United, a team.
“Ladies and gentlemen, firstly we’d like to thank you all for being here tonight,” Arlo says. “We actually have a few reasons for throwing this little party, but firstly it’s to celebrate,” he says. “As I’m sure you’re all aware by now I’ve been lucky enough to have met the love of my life, my beautiful fiancé, Tallulah Archibald,” he says, pulling Tally into his arms and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
He pauses when a smattering of polite applause fills the air. “Thank you, he smiles. But tonight, we’re here to celebrate the other person Tally has brought into our lives. Carrigan,” he says, gesturing to me.
I smile genuinely and step forward to take my sister’s outstretched hand.
“Carrigan has become the sister I never knew I wanted, and so tonight we’re here to celebrate you officially becoming one of us,” he announces happily.
The guys all move in closer, Carson at my elbow, as we allow the crowd of people we invited to see us together. Arlo steps aside and I move to the microphone, smiling at the sea of face’s in front of the stage.
“I’m so glad you could all be here to help us celebrate,” I say. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, when my great-grandfather died he left his estate solely to me, and that choice forced a wedge between me and my twin sister. Money and power are wonderful things, but family and friends are equally—if not more—important. I made the choice to walk away from my inheritance, I chose me and my own happiness and that of my sister over money, and I don’t regret a thing. My sister has found love and I have been lucky enough to have found a family in Arlo, Carson, Watson, and Oliver. Tallulah, Arlo, I’m so incredibly happy for you.” Lifting my glass, I smile at the crowd. “To family,” I say.
“To family,” the room echoes, as I toast my sister and my new family.
Stepping back from the microphone I search out my parents’ angry faces in the crowd and tip my glass to them, smiling when they just glower at me. I wait for Carson to wrap his arm around my shoulder, to publicly claim me and for the guys to move toward the side of the stage but no one moves except Carson who steps to the microphone without touching me.
“Tonight, is all about family,” he says, tension radiating from him. “I found my brothers in elementary school, Arlo, Olly, Wats and I have been inseparable ever since. We’ve grown up together, knowing that we plan to unite our families in a business empire that can only be forged on the bonds of brotherhood. When Arlo found Tally, I gained a sister,” he says, smiling at her, before turning his attention back to the crowd. “When her sister joined our group, I got so much more.”
A ripple of apprehension bounds through me as I wait for whatever he’s going to say next. Glancing at the others faces I expect to find them equally panicked, but they all look calm, Wats even winks at me playfully before turning his attention back to Carson.
“Priss, baby, come here,” Carson calls, holding his hand out for me.
Tilting my head to the side in silent question I step toward him, placing my hand in his and letting him pull me in closer.
“Carrigan Prudence Archibald, you are worth more to me than any amount of money in the world. I love you, every real, imperfect inch of you. You’re mine and I’m yours in every way,” he says, as he drops to one knee in front of me. Still holding my hand tightly, he slides a small, black velvet box from inside his jacket and flips it open to reveal a flawless diamond ring. “I won’t ever let you go, Priss, so will you marry me?” he asks.
Inhaling a sharp, shocked gasp, I stare down at him on the floor in front of me, the rest of the room disappears, and all I can see is him, and all I can hear is the pounding of my own heart. “Why?” I whisper, needing to understand.
“Because I stopped falling. I love you, Priss, and all that matters now is you. Good or bad, bitchy or smiling, all of you is mine and I just want to be yours, so say you’ll take me. Say yes.”
“Yes,” I say, nodding as tears well in my eyes.
His smile is blinding as he stands, lifting me into the air and kissing me like I’m everything. My feet touch the ground as I feel Carson take my hand and slide the beautiful ring onto my finger. Suddenly the room pulses back into existence and my ears are filled with the applause of the people around us.
I should be smug, I should be searching out my parents to gloat in their faces, but right now no one else but us matters. I don’t care what they think, I don’t care what they do, all that matters is him and the rest of the people on this stage. My new family.
Suddenly getting revenge doesn’t seem that important anymore, because walking away from them was the best thing I ever did. Breaking that will was the best thing, because it led me to him and he’s my world.
“I love you,” he whispers against my lips.
“I love you too,” I whisper back a moment before he kisses me.
