When he’d turned eighteen, he’d gotten his trust fund, and while I didn’t know how much that was, I knew he never had to work again if he didn’t want to. But he still worked for Seller Security, and he and Barrick had big plans for the company when Barrick finally took over from his stepfather. The cousins were going to become business partners, and I had faith the two of them would make a formidable duo in the world of security.
While he was getting our drinks and food, I walked over to an empty table and sat to wait. I didn’t check my social media feed often, but I’d ignored it for over five days, so I opened the app to see if there was anything going on with Arella or one of my many cousins. I didn’t expect them to keep me constantly up-to-date with what was going on in their lives, so I just let their social media tell me what was happening with them.
I wasn’t surprised to see the first picture in my feed was of my sister. It was who she was with that gave me pause. That along with the moon eyes she was giving Jordan Moreitti, who had his arm around her, grinning at the camera as they took a selfie on the beach.
Arella wasn’t boy crazy, which I had to give her credit for. Boys were the ones who got crazy over her. As beautiful and talented as she was, I didn’t blame them. But Jordan was older than her and, more to the point, a total player. Given that my sister was only sixteen and I knew Moreitti didn’t go for jailbait, Arella was only going to break her heart if she thought she had a future with Mia’s best friend.
Next in my feed, I saw the twins. I knew which one was Lyric from the way he grinned—it was more easygoing, whereas Luca’s was always full of mischief. Luca was sweaty, his hair plastered to his skull and forehead, obviously having just finished football practice.
He was on the defense; that was all I understood of his position on the team, and I really didn’t care to learn more about it. But he’d been offered a full ride to some college in Texas and several in the SEC. He hadn’t picked which one he was going to attend yet, but no matter what he chose, it was going to cause issues for him.
Lyric, however, wasn’t into sports. He was more artistic, and given his obsession with ink lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a tattoo artist and opened his own shop one day.
In the background, I saw a group of cheerleaders eyeballing my twin cousins like they were pieces of meat, and I nearly rolled my eyes. It was Lyric’s post, and the caption was short: Feeling cute, might bang the whole cheer squad later. IDK.
Seeing the reactions below it, I wasn’t surprised at the eye-roll emoji my cousin Violet had commented with. Sighing, I kept scrolling until something caught my attention. My eyes scanned over the post, reading everything—twice—before it all clicked in my head.
It wasn’t Braxton’s post, but because he was tagged in it, I was seeing it in my feed. There was a picture of him in a tux, standing on some grand staircase with an older couple—his parents, from what I’d read. And beside them stood a beautiful blonde in a dress that would have rivaled any celebrity on the red carpet at the Grammys, diamonds dripping down her neck like melting ice.
She had dark blond hair that was pulled to the side in an elegant twist, her makeup expertly applied and showcasing her bone structure. Her brown eyes looked up at Braxton like he hung the moon, and I had to read the post again to make sure I hadn’t read it wrong.
Collins and Hamilton wedding scheduled for the post-Christmas season as the two families prepare for their new grandchild.
With the birth of Braxton Collins and Darcy Hamilton’s first child, the two dynastical families will become one formidable business empire. Braxton and Darcy are both only children and met in high school. The two have been engaged since their graduation four years ago, but plans were put on hold due to Braxton’s injury while serving in the Marines. Belinda Hamilton has hinted that her son’s upcoming nuptials will rival any royal wedding in history.
Heart pounding, I skimmed my eyes over the picture again. The ring on Darcy Hamilton’s finger was huge and flashy, something that made a statement and screamed for attention. I thought it was ugly and made her fingers look pudgy, but she didn’t seem to care as she gazed adoringly at her fiancé. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were beaming proudly at their son and future daughter-in-law.
I stood so quickly, my chair fell back with a loud crash, tears blinding me. Grabbing my backpack, I hurried toward the door.
“Kitten?” Braxton was still standing at the counter, waiting for our drinks.
I shot him a glare through my tears and continued toward the exit. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Shaking my head, I pushed open the door without looking back. I couldn’t believe what I’d just read. There was no way Braxton was engaged to someone else. No, he just wouldn’t do that. He fucking wouldn’t. No way he would ask someone to marry him and then fly across the country to celebrate my birthday with me. Any more than he would cheat by making love to me.
Yet the picture spoke volumes. He looked remarkably like his father, but he had his mother’s eyes. And there was that ring and the blonde who couldn’t keep the stars out of her eyes. All of it posted by a legitimate news channel.
My heart was breaking. I couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath.
It couldn’t be true. Braxton wouldn’t do that to me. He knew how much I cared about him, how much I loved him, and how long I’d waited for us to be together. He would not break my heart like that.
Would he?
The fact that I even had to question it pissed me off. This on top of getting the news about my dad was too much, damn it. My heart couldn’t take any more of this shit.
Strong hands caught me around the waist from behind, stopping me in my tracks. Keeping one hand on my side, Braxton walked in front of me, his face tense as he met my gaze. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you storm out like that?”
Lifting my phone, I shoved the picture of him with his parents and fiancée in his face. “What the fuck is this?” I demanded, going on the offensive and watching his face as he looked at the screen.
His jaw clenched as he took my phone from me and groaned. “Fuck. I should have known it would get out like that. My parents don’t have social media, though, so I didn’t consider it.”
“Is it true?” I cringed when I heard the catch in my voice, hating that I didn’t sound stronger. My anger was already dying down, and the heartbreak was winning.
He cupped each side of my face in his hands. “No, baby. No. Of course it’s not true.”
“Then why is this a big story on a reputable news site? This isn’t fake news, Brax. It’s a legit site.”
Muttering a curse, he touched his lips to the corner of my mouth before pulling back so our eyes locked. “Because my parents want it to be true. They’re delusional if they actually think I’m going to marry Darcy, though.”
“Just who is Darcy to you anyway?”
His lips twisted in a pained grimace. “She was my high school girlfriend. And before you ask, yes, I did ask her to marry me back then. But I regretted it almost as soon as I did.”
“You loved her?” He shrugged, and jealousy twisted in my gut. “Do you still?”
“Fuck no!” he exclaimed, his hands dropping to my waist and pulling me closer. “I love you, Nevaeh. Listen to me. I don’t even think I ever loved Darcy back then. It was more infatuation and the fact that she was good in bed.”
My jealousy wasn’t getting any better with his explanation. If anything, I only wanted to rip Darcy’s hair out more and more with every word out of his mouth.
“When I lost my leg, she didn’t want anything to do with me, and I was relieved to be finished with her without having to break it off myself. I swear to you, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—going on between the two of us.”
His vehement denial calmed some of my doubts, but I was still hurt he hadn’t told me this had gone on at the party his parents had forced him to attend. Yet I understood why he hadn’t. I’d been a mess all weekend, so of course, he wasn’t going to unload all of that on me when I was dealing with Daddy’s illness.
“No secrets,” I told him, forcing myself to relax against him. “Promise me we won’t keep anything from each other. No matter how big or small.”
“No secrets,” he vowed, brushing his lips softly over mine. “I’ll tell you everything. Now, let’s go get our stuff so I can walk your fine ass to your math class.”
“Only if you tell me you love me again,” I murmured.
He brushed my hair back from my face, his dark eyes full of need and adoration. “I love you, Kitten. Always.”
Chapter 15
Braxton
A fter leaving Nevaeh at the door to her class, I met Lyla on the edge of campus. She was helping me shop for Christmas because I sucked so royally at it.
She sat in the back of the town car, the driver one of the many guards her brother had hired from Seller’s after one of his other men had kidnapped Lyla and her stepdaughter, Josie. Getting in beside her, I tossed her the list of names I needed to buy for and leaned my head back against the seat with a groan.
“Saw the picture of you and that slore Darcy with Aunt Belinda and Uncle Miles,” she commented casually. “What kind of acid were those three on over the weekend? I mean, shit, do they actually think they can play with your life like that?”