by Luma Rose
“He had an okay weekend. He’s just very tired.”
“Is he still awake?”
She frowns and places a hand on my shoulder. “Sorry, sweetie. He’s already gone to bed for the night.”
I sigh, disappointed that I can’t tell my parents together. Then again, knowing how proud a man my father is, he probably wouldn’t have wanted to meet Garrin from his sick bed. Perhaps it’s better this way. When he’s feeling better, I can introduce them.
“I have something to tell you.” Concern flashes across my mother’s face. “Why don’t we sit?”
“Is everything okay?” Her face shifts between me and Garrin.
Garrin sits next to me while my mom sits on the couch across from us.
“Everything is great. Better than great, really.” I smile over at her and reach for Garrin’s hand.
I don’t really know how to broach the subject, so I opt to just blurt it out. I don’t think the delivery will make any difference; she’s going to be shocked either way.
“Garrin asked me to marry him, and I accepted his proposal.”
My mom’s mouth falls open, and she blinks a few times. “You’re engaged?” she whispers.
I nod and Garrin squeezes my hand.
“Oh my goodness.” My mom pops up off the couch and walks over to me.
I stand and she wraps her arms around me, pulling me in for a tight hug. “Congratulations, honey. I’m so happy for you.”
“Th-thanks.” I hug her back and she releases me and steps over to Garrin.
“Congratulations.” She hugs him, and at first Garrin doesn’t hug her back, but he eventually settles into the embrace.
“Thank you. I couldn’t chance letting this one get away from me.” He smiles at my mom and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.
I rest my hand on his chest and my mom stands there in front of us for a few seconds, taking us in, a huge smile on her face.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I thought maybe you’d say it was too soon.”
She waves me off. “Everyone told your father and me we were rushing into things and look how our marriage turned out. I love him more today than the day we were married.”
“I know it’s soon, but I assure you that I plan to do everything in my power to make your daughter happy.” He leans down and kisses the top of my head.
It’s plain to see that Garrin has won my mother over in the short time we’ve been here, what with the way she’s gazing up at him with stars in her eyes.
“How do you think Dad will react?” I ask.
She tilts her head side to side. “He’ll definitely be surprised, but in the end, he’ll be happy for you. As long as you’re happy, he’s happy. And it’s clear to me that you’re happy.” She gestures to my face. “You’re beaming.”
My mom’s happiness makes my smile grow even bigger.
“I’ll tell him in the morning before I head out to work.”
“Let me see your ring.” Her hands move to prayer pose in front of her, and she shimmies side to side like she can’t wait.
“Oh.” I reach into my pocket, where I stashed the ring so that she wouldn’t notice it before I told her. Then I slip it onto my finger and hold out my hand. “Here it is.”
She gasps and looks at Garrin. “Oh, you did well.” She takes my hand in hers and moves it every which way to inspect the ring. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“Nothing I could find would ever compare to her beauty, but I did the best I could,” Garrin says.
My mom gives him a sly grin. “I see exactly why my daughter has fallen for you.”
He chuckles and my mom releases my hand.
“So, when is the wedding going to be?”
“We haven’t even discussed that, Mom. Things have already happened so fast. We’ll probably wait before we start planning.” I look to Garrin to see if he has an opinion on the topic.
“I’d like us to be married as soon as possible,” he says.
I step back and release myself from his hold so I can look at him. “You do?”
He nods, then shrugs. “Why wait? We’re both committed to one another and know what we want. What’s the point in delaying the inevitable? To appease other people’s idea of what they think is right? Screw them.”
This is not what I expected. I thought for sure Garrin would drag his feet on planning our nuptials, but apparently, I was wrong.
“I agree with Garrin, honey. You’re already engaged, what’s the point in waiting?”
It’s not that I’m against getting married sooner rather than later. This is just all happening so fast I need a minute to digest everything.
“Maybe. We can talk about it after I’ve told Dad.”
“Oh, I’m so excited to help you plan everything!” My mom claps her hands in front of her like an excited child. “I’ve dreamt of this moment your entire life.”
Both Garrin and me chuckle and my mom pulls us each in for another hug.
“Welcome to the family, Garrin.” She squeezes his shoulder.
He looks a little taken aback at her words but manages to thank her before announcing his exit.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he says, bending down to give me a kiss.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to deepen our kiss. When he pulls back, he looks a little embarrassed, glancing over at my mom. It’s all I can do not to laugh out loud at the sight of him chagrined since he normally doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Turns out he cares about what my mom thinks.
“See you tomorrow,” I say, not knowing whether I will or not but fully intending to make it happen.
“Tomorrow.” He nods at me. “Again, it was great meeting you, Amelia.”
“You too, Garrin.” She pulls him in for another hug before he leaves the room.
As soon as he’s gone, my mom turns to me. “I am so happy for you. It’s easy to see just by looking at you two that you love each other.”
I smile at her, tears filling my eyes. I’ve never been so happy. Still, I’m working hard to keep the doubts from taking over because my biggest fear is that this is going to end in disaster.
36
Chapter Thirty-six
Garrin
I pour the coffee into my mug in the Titans’ Den and attempt to blink the blur from my eyes. I slept like shit last night, and I hate to admit that it’s because Isla wasn’t beside me in bed. When the fuck did I become that guy?
There’s no sense denying the truth, though, at least to myself.
The elevator dings behind me and Ford and Ryker step off.
“Morning, sunshine,” Ryker says. “How was your romantic getaway?”
“The skiing was great. Lots of fresh powder.” I bring the mug to my lips and take a generous sip.
“And the woman?” Ryker raises a brow.
“Fuck off.” I sit on the couch while Ryker prepares a coffee and Ford, being the pansy he is, makes himself a frappuccino.
The elevator dings again, and Asher and Lincoln join us. Asher looks like he went on a bender this weekend, with black bags under his eyes and his hair in every direction.
“How’s it going?” Lincoln asks, sitting beside me on the couch.
Asher grabs a beer and cracks it open. We all look at one another but say nothing.
“What’s his deal?” I ask Linc, nodding toward Asher.
“I can hear you,” Asher says. “For your information, Lincoln took me to his little club this weekend and I found myself in the midst of a foursome. It takes a lot out of a man to fuck three girls at once.”
I look at Lincoln. “You took him to Allure?”
He shrugs. “He asked if he could come.”
I shake my head at the both of them.
“So…” Ford sits in the chair to my right. “Should I expect Isla to come in with a permasmile or a scowl on her face this morning?”
“You should expect her to come in with a ring on her finger.” Y
eah, I’m not really a beat-around-the-bush kind of guy.
All movement stops and all their eyes are glued to me. I casually lift my coffee to my lips and take a sip.
“You did it? You proposed?” Ryker asks.
“Yes, Einstein.”
“And she said yes?” Ford sounds surprised.
“Of course she did. Hello. Garrin Stone.” I point to myself.
Lincoln lets out a low whistle. “Congratulations… I guess.”
“Thanks. We still have to work out the details, but the wedding will be sooner rather than later.” I set my mug on the coffee table.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” Asher asks, coming over to stand in front of the couch.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t you insist on a long engagement so you can drag your feet and see if we can come up with anything to use against your dad?” Ryker asks.
I say nothing, but Asher’s eyes widen as he stares at me. “Holy shit. You actually love this girl.”
“Is that true?” Lincoln asks, serious as always.
I stand from the couch and smooth out my tie. “I’d be marrying Isla with or without my father’s influence. And I want that to happen sooner rather than later because I’ll protect her from the old man. That’ll be easier to do if she’s my wife and we’re living together. And, yes, to answer your question.” I eye them all. “I love her.”
God, to anyone else besides my buddies, I’d feel like a pussy.
“Just make sure you get the prenup signed first.” Ryker laughs at his stupid joke and I meet his gaze.
“There’s not going to be any prenup.”
All four of them stand, holding their hands out, shouting arguments. I stand there with a bland expression until they’re done.
“If she leaves me, it’ll be because I did something fucking stupid, and she’ll deserve the money. It’s not like I don’t have more than enough to live off if she did take half. I’ve already done so much to hurt her, I’m not asking her to sign a prenup like I don’t trust her.”
“You’ve lost it, man.” Ryker shakes his head. “Fucking lost it.”
“Stone is pussy whipped. Unbelievable,” Asher says.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Ford asks me, his hand clasped on my shoulder.
“I’m sure.” I nod. “Anything on my father?” I ask Lincoln.
“I’m working on it in between shit I got going on at the office. I’m digging into one thing, but it’s most likely nothing, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“Let me know if it pans out.” I turn without saying goodbye to leave them all to their little hen party that I’m sure will consist of gossiping about me. I face them before I step onto the elevator. “I’ll let you know when the groomsmen tux fittings are.”
If they’re lucky, one day, they’ll find their own Isla and my decision will make sense to them. For now, they can think I’ve lost my fucking mind.
I summon my father to my office that afternoon because word will make it back to him about my engagement and I’d prefer to head him off at the pass rather than being at his beck and call.
The door to my office opens, and my dad stands in the doorway, once again without Roslin buzzing him through.
“What the hell is this about? I have a meeting in ten minutes.” He slams the door and walks over to sit on the couch.
For once I stand and join him, sitting directly across from him.
“Isla and I are engaged.”
Though it’s what he’s been pressuring me to do for months, he’s speechless. Once it settles in for a second, his creepy wolflike grin wraps around his face.
“And to think I was beginning to doubt your ability to control a woman.” He chuckles.
I’m not going to let on to him that what Isla and I have is real—that would only give him more power and ammunition over me.
“You’ve always underestimated me.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees and steepling my fingers.
He harrumphs. “If only that were true.”
I grit my teeth and harness the will to keep the blank expression on my face, unwilling to give him a reaction.
“Make sure the wedding happens quickly.” He stands, giving me his back as he makes his way to the door. “The sooner the better.”
I’m going to do what he says, but not for the reasons he thinks.
“I’ve already discussed it with her, and she’s on board with putting our wedding plans on the fast track. That said, there are certain arrangements that will need to be made to make it seem real. A wedding of this caliber can’t be thrown together in a few weeks.”
With his hand on the doorknob, he turns to face me. “I don’t care what you do for the wedding, just make sure it’s within months, not years.”
He turns the knob and leaves my office.
Good riddance.
I could care less about hosting the event of the year for our nuptials, but the wedding better be Isla’s dream. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that she becomes my wife so I can protect her from people like my father for the rest of our lives.
“What the hell, Garrin!”
I glance up from my computer to see my office door slam against the wall as Harper stomps in like a petulant child.
Christ, can no one in my family wait until Roslin announces their presence?
With a sigh, I stand from my desk and walk over to the door. “To what do I owe the unannounced visit, dear sister?” I close the door, pinning Roslin with a look before I do.
She can tackle the next person who tries to barge into my office to the ground for all I care.
“You got engaged and you didn’t even call me? What the hell?”
I suppose I should have expected this, but between being balls deep in Isla, worrying over my father, and work pressures, my sister didn’t cross my mind. Shitty for sure.
“How did you find out?” I ask, turning to sit at my desk once again.
“Seriously?” She plunks down into her seat and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Well?” I raise an eyebrow.
She drops her arms to her side. “Fine, I heard it from Asher.”
I lean forward in my chair. “What the hell are you doing hanging around Asher?”
Harper rolls her hazel eyes. “Please, I’m not hanging around Asher. I ran into him at a coffee place downtown and stopped to say hi. Imagine my surprise when he told me that my only brother had gotten engaged and I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone seriously enough to consider marrying them.”
“Things happened quickly.” I lean back and smooth my tie down my chest.
“No shit, Sherlock.” She waves her hands in the air. “Who is it?”
“Isla Flores. I went to Forest View Academy with her. She just recently returned to Cherry Creek.”
“Hmm, I don’t know her, but the name sounds familiar.” She tilts her head.
“Like I said, she just returned to town. She hasn’t lived here since high school.”
She nods absentmindedly. She’s trying to make the connection in her head like she’s scanning through yearbooks in her mind. Then the moment happens, and her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “Isn’t that the girl who was in the sex tape with Asher?” Her face screws up in disgust
I fist my hands on my chair. “Yes, but that was a long time ago. And it’s not like she knew she was being filmed.”
“I guess…” Harper looks across the desk at me with uncertainly. “So… you love her?”
I raise an eyebrow. “I’m marrying her, aren’t I?”
She shakes her head. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, I love her.”
A huge smile transforms her face, and she brings her hands together, clapping. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day.”
“You figured I wasn’t capable of love?”
Does she see me how I see my father?
“Please.
That’s not it at all. You looked out for me after Mom died. Who knows how messed up I’d be from Dad if it weren’t for you? I just didn’t think you’d ever let anyone else see that side of you. She must be pretty special.”
I smile, thinking of Isla. “She is.”
Harper sits up ramrod straight in her seat. “When do I get to meet her?”
“I don’t know. I’ll arrange something.”
She frowns and her eyebrows draw together. “Garrin,” she says, in a tone like I’m going to call Isla right now and schedule a dinner.
“If that’s everything, I still have a lot of work to do.”
“Fine.” She stands and arranges her purse. “When you guys start having babies, I’d better not hear about it from someone else, though.”
Her comment causes my heart to stutter in my chest. Isla and I haven’t discussed kids. Does she want them? I didn’t after my own experience growing up, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that Isla would make an extraordinary mother.
“Whatever.”
My sister gives me a cheeky grin and heads to my office door.
“Have you given any more thought to what you want to do with your life?” I ask when her hand wraps around the door handle.
“Ugh, I knew I should’ve just called you.”
She leaves, closing the door behind her while I grin.
Maybe I need to talk to Isla about putting our engagement announcement out in the paper so I can cut down on the number of people showing up here wanting to know about my lucky bride-to-be.
37
Chapter Thirty-seven
Isla
I meet Everly at Haven, a restaurant that specializes in “California cuisine with a twist.” She’s already seated when I arrive, and I do a good job of hiding my engagement ring below the table until after our drinks have arrived—red wine for me, gin and tonic for her. I asked her here so I can tell her about my engagement, but I’d rather lead into it myself than have her discover the ring on my finger, because the truth is, I have no idea how she’ll react.