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“I can’t…my mom and dad, Penelope,” she says shakily.
“Will still be there later, and honestly, what difference is a few more hours going to make? You’re coming with us, then I’ll do what I can to smooth things over with your family later.”
“I,” she starts.
“The outfit I picked for you to wear today is too cute not to be used,” Fitzy says, winking at Izzy as he passes her the shorts and yellow top he had her try on first this morning.
“I,” she says again.
“You’re coming,” I snap, sharpening my tone, so she knows I’m not willing to bend on this. “Get changed, I’ll make you a plate.”
Her eyes flash, then that unwilling submission clouds her gaze, and I’m not sure if her doing what I tell her to is what’s making my dick even harder, or if I’m so fucking desperate for her that simply knowing she’ll be with me for the rest of the day is what has my balls aching and begging for release.
19
IZABELLA
Passing the beautiful ball gown back to Fitzy, I dutifully take the pale-yellow lingerie he hands me and pull it on, then dress in the shorts and yellow shirt I tried on first. It’s strange how in such a short amount of time, he’s managed to put together outfits that feel like I picked them myself. Except for the pink dress, everything he’s chosen is my style, and nothing like the Penelope-replica clothes my mom insists I wear when I leave the house.
“You decent?” Fitzy asks, tapping at the side of the changing screen.
“Yes,” I call, sliding my feet into the butter-soft leather boat shoes he paired with this outfit.
His sweet face appears around the screen, and there’s just something so caring and fatherly about him that I throw myself at him, flinging my arms around his shoulders as I hug him tightly. He doesn’t hesitate to pull me close and hug me back, rubbing my back soothingly.
When he pulls away, his brow is furrowed, but his eyes are soft and reassuring. “I don’t know all the details about what’s going on between you and Gulliver, but if you need me to go big bad godfather on that stupid boy out there, you just let me know.”
I laugh softly. “Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I’m hoping he’ll realize how stupid all of this is and tell my family the truth.”
“Where’s your cell?” he asks.
“Err, upstairs, I think.”
“Go grab it and all your hair and makeup things, and I’ll finish styling you while you eat.”
“You don’t need to,” I start, but the words fall away at the look on Fitzy’s face. “Okay, thank you. Why are you being so nice to me?” I blurt.
A sadness fills his expression. “Because you’re engaged to my idiot of a godson, which makes you my goddaughter, and because I think we met for a reason; because you need me.”
My lips snap shut, and I don’t speak because I know that if I open my mouth, I’m going to cry, so I clamp my trembling lips together and nod. His arms pull me back in for another hug, and I realize that maybe something good might have come from all the chaos Gulliver has caused after all.
“Come on then, darling, you need to eat,” he says, guiding me from behind the screen. “Gulliver, I’ll add all of this to your bill. It’s the least you can do for your fiancée,” Fitzy says, smiling at me with a wink.
“Seems fair to me; anything else you think she needs, just organize for her too,” Gulliver says. “But nothing in pink.”
My head snaps up, and I stare at him. “Why no pink?” I ask.
“Because your sister wears pink, and I don’t want you to wear anything that she would like. You’re more beautiful and far more unique than she is. There’s no need to do anything like she would when you’re indescribably more interesting just being yourself,” he replies easily, his stormy eyes locked with mine.
My lips part, and my mouth falls open as I feel tears well in my eyes. He’s openly using me, and I’ve no doubt there will be vicious consequences when I get home, but what he just said to me means more than he could ever possibly understand. For so long, my family has told me that I’m unimportant, that all of our focus should be on Penelope because her future is so much bigger than mine, and he just undermined all of that with one sentence.
Blinking away the stupid tears that are threatening to fall, I flash him a shaky smile and escape the room as quickly as I can.
Following the guys out of the house, I climb into the back of Gulliver’s Range Rover, with Kip on one side and Thorn on the other, squashing me in the middle as we fly down the highway toward Hawthorn’s yacht.
The huge automatic gates slide open when we arrive at the marina, and Gulliver steers us into the parking lot and kills the engine before climbing out. I follow Kip, taking his hand when he offers to help me climb down from the huge SUV, and then wait for the rest of the guys to follow suit.
“There she is,” Thorn says excitedly, pointing to a huge, shiny yacht that’s glistening in the sunny fall morning. The weather is still mild, and I slide the sunglasses Fitzy gave me over my eyes to shield me from the sun reflecting off the water as I take in the rest of the marina.
