Chapter 22
Cillian
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Oh my God, when do I get to meet her?” Olivia clasps her hands and squeals with joy.
We’re at family dinner again at her house and I just broke the news of my engagement.
“I’ll bring her with me to dinner next Sunday,” I answer with a genuine smile.
When I thought of this upcoming marriage it was always with dread, until Chloe agreed to be mine. Since she has, everything has felt different to me. Life is still chaos while I’m on my search for Lance and Harlan, but because I have her, things feel less bad.
Olivia should like Chloe. They have similar personalities. Virgo will like her, too, because I like her. Seamus is the only one I’m worried about.
“Perfect. I can’t wait. This is absolutely fantastic news.” Olivia’s face brightens.
“We look forward to meeting her,” Virgo agrees, slipping his arm around Olivia.
The two of them smile back at me, looking excited. Seamus, on the other hand, hasn’t said a word. He’s not happy about what I’ve done.
I held off telling anybody until today. I had a feeling Seamus would react exactly like this, so I thought our usual dinner at Virgo and Olivia’s would be the best place to break the news.
When we’re eating together like this around the dinner table, there’s a mellowness that makes certain things appropriate to share.
“Uncle?” I give him a questioning stare.
“Congratulations, nephew. I’m sure you and I will talk after.”
“We will.”
Virgo and Olivia exchange glances.
“Well, I’m happy. I think this will be good for Cillian, and I’m glad he got to choose.” Olivia doesn’t speak out much, but she will for me.
I knew she would be supportive. She and Virgo went through hell to be together.
Virgo lifts his glass of wine to me and bows his head. “Congratulations. When’s the wedding?”
“Three and a half weeks.”
“That’s a bit close to your deadline, isn’t it?” Seamus cuts in with furrowed brows and slices through his steak with a little too much force.
“It will be fine. I have well over a week before my timeframe expires.” I give him a reassuring look. I know him so well. He’s going to think of everything under the sun to complain about. “Chloe’s mother just had quite an intensive surgery. She should be well enough by then to attend the wedding.”
The surgery was four days ago. It was a success and Rosaline is doing well, but she has a minimum of three weeks recovery stay in the hospital. If it’s any longer, Dr. Chase said she could get a day release to attend the wedding.
“I’m glad we can work things out for her to attend,” Virgo says. He’s the only person in the room who knows all the details about Chloe. I couldn’t keep it from him. And like the good friend he is, he’s been supportive.
“We’re also having a small wedding.”
“Small?” Seamus raises his brows and pauses cutting another slice of steak. “I have nearly two hundred people on the list to invite.”
“Seamus, in light of the current situation with Lance, I need to keep things small. And discreet. Nothing screams come and attack me more than a wedding with hundreds of guests.”
He’s about to argue but stops himself.
“I know you understand.” I intensify my stare on him. “The risk of attack is greater the more people we invite. I’d love nothing more than to be able to wrap everything up with Lance before the wedding but that’s not how these things work.”
As of now, I have two plans to get to him running side by side. I’m still smoking him out and I have eyes on the hotel in New Jersey. No one has used the hotel room and Lance hasn’t hit back with any counter attacks. I know something will happen eventually, though, because we can’t keep on like this.
“I get it. And keeping the numbers small is sensible. What about the location? Where will you hold it?”
“Oheka Castle.” My answer calms him. I know he wanted me to get married there. The venue is special to our family. My parents were married there, Seamus got married there, and so did Virgo and Olivia. “They’re best equipped to keep everyone safe.”
“That sounds good.”
“As for guests, I think we’ll keep it to a minimum of ten to twelve people. That should include everyone I need to be there and their plus ones.”
“Very well.”
“I’m excited.” Olivia smiles. “This is going to be a memorable year for all of us. New baby on the way and my big brother’s getting married.”
“Hear, hear.” Virgo raises his glass again and gives her a kiss on her forehead.
“Hear, hear.” I raise my glass of wine, too.
We manage to get through dinner but as soon as we finish Seamus and I are outside on the terrace.
He walks up to the balustrade and rests his hands on the stone. I stop a few paces away and gear myself up for the lecture.
He’s the only person I allow to believe they have any control over me, and that’s because I value his advice. And I value him. He’s stood by my side all my life. When I couldn’t go to my father, I’d go to Seamus. He was much older than Athair but seemed so much more liberal and understanding.
He was so understanding that Olivia even went to him with her secrets when she and Virgo were seeing each other during the feud between our families.
“Let’s hear it then, Uncle.” I breathe out a ragged sigh. “There’s no way you’re going to tell me that Chloe and I haven’t known each other long.”
He turns to face me, his face contorted in that disapproving way. “How can I tell you that when I married my wife a week after meeting her? We were together for forty-five beautiful years.”
“Exactly.”
“I just wish you could have gone with someone from our world.”
“The marriage is only for six months.”
“I understand that, but I wasn’t hoping for six months for you, Cillian. That’s supposed to be a fallback clause in case things don’t work out. Not the actual plan.”
“It’s the plan for me, and Chloe is perfect for the plan.”
“Yes, I imagine so. You got someone you knew you could part ways with in six months’ time.”
His words grip me because that’s not how I feel about Chloe. “It wasn’t about that.”
“Yes, it is. All those women we interviewed spoke about the important things in a marriage. Love, family, children. But you’re treating this like a business deal. You haven’t even given yourself a chance to see it any other way. Now you’ve picked someone who isn’t from our world, so when you’re done with her you can put her back where she belongs.”
I hate when people call me out and I’m not ready to face off with them. “I’m not marriage material, Seamus. I am just doing this for business.”
“If you say so, lad.”
“I do, and I did what you asked me to do.”
“You did. I guess that’s all I can ask.”
I’m glad he doesn’t continue his argument, but his words stay with me.
I think about them all night, and I hardly sleep. They’re still in my head the next night as I walk into Ricci’s to see Chloe. She’s working tonight.
I haven’t been back here since that first night I went to see her. The place is packed and there’s an energetic vibe about it that I can feel among the people.
Roxanne is sitting with her boyfriend, Adrian, at the table in the far corner. They’re having dinner.
Roxanne spots me and waves. Adrian dips his head. I do the same to acknowledge them both, then Roxanne points toward the kitchen.
As if on cue, Chloe comes out carrying a tray of drinks. She serves it to a group of girls who look like they’re in a rock band. When she turns to head back into the kitchen, she notices me.
The smile that lights up her face is the kind a man keeps locked away in his heart.
I move toward her and kiss her right there in front of everyone, then I take her hand and lead her out back into the hallway so we can have some privacy.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight.” She giggles against my lips.
“I’ve come to get you.”
“I’m working.”
“Now you’re leaving early. I need you.” I pull the engagement ring from my pocket, hold her hand up, and slip it on her finger.
She gasps when she sees it. “Oh my gosh. I’m wearing a ring.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful. I love it. Thanks so much.” She holds it out, and the light glistens off the oval-cut diamond in the center of the band. It suits her, and I realize just how much she suits me, too. “We’re official now.”
“I guess we are. Come home with me.”
“Yes.” She kisses me on the edge of my cheek and the simple gesture feels good. It feels natural and soothing on my dark soul.
When I realize I could get used to kisses like that from her for longer than six months, I know my heart is already in trouble.
I think I was in trouble from the moment I met her.