Page 20 of Forever King

I turn back to face the therapist and sigh. “It was Ronan’s idea for me to see you. He wants me to overcome what’s scaring me so I can go into the city again and not be terrified.”

“He’s got the right idea. It’s okay to be frightened, Kate. You just don’t want to be ruled by fear, and it sounds like that’s what’s been happening. Our goal here is to help you see you don’t have to be scared.”

Ronan squeezes my hand, and I feel myself get stronger by the moment. I might not be ready to go back into the city alone yet, but with Dr. Santorelli’s help and my soon-to-be husband’s love, I know I will soon.

8

Ronan

My brothers millaround my old bedroom joking about things from our childhood as I try to calm my nerves. Kate and I have hundreds of guests downstairs waiting for us to get married in ten minutes, and between my cottonmouth and stomach that won’t stop doing flips, I’m a nervous wreck.

“Do you remember the time we hung you and Kellen out this window to force you to promise not to tell Mom and Dad that we were sneaking out every night?” Marius asks with a hearty laugh.

I smile and turn back to look at him and Matthias. Kellen rolls his eyes like it wasn’t a big deal, but I know he remembers as well as I do how terrified we were that night.

“You guys were dicks,” Kellen says with a grimace. “We just wanted to hang out with you, and you nearly killed us.”

Their conversation breaks through my nerves, and I walk over to look out the window. “You know they would have killed you right then and there if either Mom or Dad saw you hanging me upside down twenty-five feet off the ground, right? I think ifMom heard about it later, she would have retroactively punished you guys when she found out.”

All three of my brothers chuckle, even though they know I’m right. “She would have hung us out the attic window,” Matthias says with a smile. “You were her baby. Dad would have just screamed and then walked around mumbling why he had to have sons who think doing stupid things is a good idea.”

“And now the baby is getting married,” Marius says, slapping me on the back. “Who would have thought you’d be the first of us?”

We all stare at him, wondering what he’s talking about. “I’m not the first. Remember? You and Eden got married already,” I say, correcting him.

He opens his mouth and then closes it, realizing he has no good answer for forgetting. Never one to miss an opportunity to joke around, he laughs and says, “Sure, but that wasn’t a real wedding. At least that’s what Eden’s mother seems to think.” Turning toward Matthias, he adds, “By the way, she’s got around a hundred people to add to the guest list that’s already sitting at nearly three hundred. Tell the gardener he needs to clean up the back half of the estate because Eden’s family is going to descend on this place like a swarm.”

I sense either fear or disgust in his words, so I ask, “Everything okay with you guys? You sound like you’re having second thoughts.”

Like usual, Marius waves off any concern. “I’ll be fine. I like the idea of a small get-together with you guys, your girlfriends and kids, and some friends. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law thinks that her daughter getting married is something along the lines of a coronation.”

“How does Eden feel about it?” Kellen asks.

“She’s like a different person when it comes to her family, so she seems fine with it. I guess it’s just a matter of being used to the circus.”

I definitely get the feeling Marius isn’t thrilled with his in-laws and what they want for his and Eden’s official wedding, which is what he told me they’re calling it now. Thank God he’s in love with her, or I know my brother. He’d run as fast as he could at the first chance he got.

Matthias clearly has the same feeling, so he quickly changes the subject. “Well, you may not be the first, but you’re still the first one to have their wedding here. Hey, I’ve got a surprise for you. Hang on.”

He hurries out of the room while the three of us look around at each other to find out if anyone knows what Matthias is referring to. None of us have a clue, though.

As we wait, Marius fusses with his bowtie. “The next time one of us has a wedding, can I suggest a beach ceremony with no tuxes? These things drive me nuts!”

Kellen walks over to where he’s standing and adjusts the tie so it’s correct. “I’d agree, but I’ve actually gotten used to this get-up now that I have to attend so many functions for the company. It just takes some patience.”

I stare at Kellen in disbelief and mutter, “Yeah, since you’re the king of patience. Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?”

He looks back at me and laughs. “I had to grow up sometime, right? Not that I’m in an all-fire hurry to do what you’re doing today. That’s going to take a level of maturity I may never reach.”

Matthias walks back into the room and hands me a white envelope with my name written on it. It’s been a long time, but I instantly recognize the handwriting. It’s my mother’s.

“What’s this?” I ask.

He smiles and says, “Eleanor gave me a bunch of things Mom asked her to hold. I found that envelope in the pile. I don’t know what it says, though.”

From across the room, Kellen asks, “Are you going to open it?”

I shrug, unsure what could be inside. “I guess. It can’t be anything important. We already each got a letter from Mom when she died.”