Page 18 of Heavenleigh

“Jake, you haven’t even given me a hug yet,” Marsha whined from the doorway.“It’s been months since we’ve seen each other, and I’ve missed you so much.Things haven’t been the same since you moved to LA.”

“Did either of you see Ven?”I brushed by Marsha, searching the suite for any sign of her.Other than those panties and the dress she’d worn Thursday night that was still on the back of the sofa, it was as if she hadn’t been there.

“Wait, do you mean Yara’s friend?”Jude asked, watching me fold the dress over my arm.My fingers caressed the soft material, wishing it were my little bunny instead.

“The scholarship girl that Yara went to college with?I think she had a different name.Something more bohemian,” Marsha sneered.“Feather or Moon.”

“Heaven,” I corrected without offering more details.Neither of them cared, and even if they did, they didn’t deserve to know anything about the woman whom I was going to make my wife.

Marsha’s lips twisted in disgust.“No wonder she prefers Ven.We haven’t seen her.Where is my brother?We need drinks ASAP to celebrate.”Marsha held out her left hand, practically simpering as she flashed the ring on her finger at me.“J asked me to marry him.It’s perfect timing.Yara and I can have a double wedding.Our moms are going to die.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely perfect for you,” I agreed.“Just one problem.”

Marsha licked her lips, excitement flashing across her face.“Oh?”

If I were a gambling man, I would have put every penny to my name on Marsha thinking I was going to object to her marrying my brother and spontaneously confessing my undying love for her.She was playing him, trying to make me jealous.For years, she’d thought I was as competitive as Jude was in all things.Not once had she realized he was the only one competing.I hadn’t wanted her before she was with Jude, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t have wanted her after.

They couldn’t have made a better couple.Now they could fight for our parents’ attention together.Maybe they could keep it on themselves long enough for Yara and me to live our own lives in peace.

“Yara and Warren got married last night.”

The room went silent, disappointment flickering in Marsha’s eyes before her face drained in a satisfying way.I almost wished I’d recorded it to show Yara; she would have enjoyed the moment so much more than I did.

Jude was the first to react.“I thought they were getting married tonight.Warren said sunset.”

“I’m sure Warren said a lot of things before he discovered you were dating Bitchzilla.When he found out, he expressly told you not to show up here.And look how well you listened.”

My brother’s jaw clenched, the sound of his teeth grinding amusing for all of a half second.

“Wait, they eloped?”Marsha exclaimed, turning to her fiancé.“And you knew about it?I thought this weekend was about the newest deal Wil-Kline signed.”

“It was never about the deal, and Jude knew it.Warren told him, emphatically, that he wasn’t welcome the moment he learned the two of you were dating.They made their vows by moonlight last night.Yara was so beautiful.There will never be a more beautiful bride than her.”

Except for my future bride.Soon.I just had to find her and get the ring on her finger first.

I turned to my future sister-in-law, my skin crawling at the idea of this woman becoming a member of our family.Mother was going to be overjoyed, though.Her loyal minion would be her daughter-in-law, just as she’d always wanted—except not in the capacity she’d hoped.“But just think, Marsha.You can finish planning the extravagant wedding all on your own.There won’t be anyone to steal the spotlight from since it will be focused solely on you.It’s what you wanted all along, wasn’t it?”

Heavenleigh

By the timeI’d gotten to the hospital, everyone but my dad had left for the night since visiting hours were over.But there was no way I was going home without seeing Mom first.

I’d spent so many years worrying about my dad, it was hard to wrap my head around the thought of something happening to Mom.Lana Stevenson was the person no one expected to get sick, the one who took care of all of us without thought or complaint.Walking into the hospital room to see the woman I loved most in the world looking so pale and tiny, I lost it.

As much as I adored my best friend, if I’d known something would happen to my mom, I never would have gone to her wedding.

Then I saw my dad, his long hair pulled back in a man bun, face gray with worry, and I turned into a wreck.

“Heavenleigh.”Mom grabbed my hand, jerking me down onto the bed beside her and folding me into a hug.Mere hours out of surgery, yet she was strong as an ox.“Baby, don’t cry.I’m okay.Truly.”

“I shouldn’t have gone.You’re way more important than some wedding.”Even if it had been beautiful and I’d met the guy I was always meant for.It could have waited.The universe should have been more patient, damn it.

“Sweetheart, you couldn’t have known.No one is upset that you were away.We were simply worried because we couldn’t reach you.”She tightened her arms around me.“Although I distinctly remember calling you yesterday, and you never once mentioned that you weren’t home.”

Sniffling, I lifted my head from her neck, smiling sheepishly.“I didn’t say I was home either.Just that I was with a friend.”

“A friend with a very deep voice.”Mom looked over at Dad, who crossed his arms over his chest, trying to appear intimidating.We were the wrong audience for that, though.He’d never been anything more than a teddy bear to my siblings and me.

“Where is this deep-voiced friend?”