Chapter 7
DRED
“Thank you for making this presentable.” I motion to my face as Essie dusts my cheeks with setting powder.
“You don’t need makeup to be pretty, Dred,” Flip notes from his spot on my couch.
I glance over at him. Dewey walks across his shoulder and sticks his nose in his ear. Flip doesn’t even flinch. He may not love who I’m marrying, but he’s determined to be involved in every part of the process.
“What he said.” Essie hugs me. “You’re stunning. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
The fact that she and Nate live two floors down makes it convenient for her to jump in as my makeup artist. When she’s gathered her things, I close the door behind her and turn back to Lexi and Flip. “This whole engagement party/meet-the-family thing is intense.”
“We’ll be there to support you the whole time,” Flip assures me, gently scratching Dewey’s head.
“I know. Thank you.”
Lexi glances at the clock over the stove. “We should get you into your dress. Your car will be here soon.”
“You’re right. Let’s do this.”
The engagement party is being held at Connor’s parents’ house. I assume it’s also a mansion. I wish it was being held at Lucy’s. At least then it would be a little familiar. And Lucy already likes me.
I leave Lexi and Flip in the living room and walk down the hall to my bedroom. The dress is laid out on my bed. It was delivered yesterday, along with shoes, a clutch, and undergarments. How Connor knows my size in everything is a question mark, but it’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.
I strip out of my joggers and T-shirt and step into the buttery soft fabric. I zip it as far as I can, running my hands over my hips. I tried it on yesterday and was surprised at how perfectly it fits. It hugs my curves in all the right places and is my favorite color.
I tug at the hair tie on my wrist out of habit and wince as it snaps back into place.
My skin is bruised and raw from the incessant snapping over the past few days.
When I was a teen, the habit became a replacement for more dangerous methods of dealing with my anxiety.
Normally I have it under control. But this situation is far from normal.
I’m engaged—to a man who “doesn’t dislike” me and has agreed to pay me a quarter of a million dollars for every month we’re together.
Yeah, it’s pretty fucked up. I quickly slide several mismatched bracelets over my wrist to cover the damage. Then I return to the living room.
Flip’s eyes widen. “Wow, that dress is… You look great.”
Lexi nods her approval. “It looked good on the hanger, but on you it’s…” She makes a chef’s-kiss gesture.
“I can’t fathom what it cost,” I admit.
“Just remember that his family are billionaires, so dropping ten grand on a dress isn’t something they think twice about,” Lexi says.
“Do you really think it cost that much?” I’m sure my horror is written all over my face. “Betty is worth half that.”
“Your car is a trooper.” Flip deposits Dewey back in his enclosure.
“She is,” I agree. “God, I’m nervous.” When I signed the contract, I was in full panic mode, terrified to lose everything.
And now I’m terrified by what’s ahead of me.
I know Connor loves his Meems and has a soft spot for Callie.
But he’s antagonistic and used to being hated.
I really don’t know who I’m committing myself to for the next year. I’ve survived so much worse, though.
“It’s in Connor’s best interest to take care of you and make sure you’re comfortable and happy,” Flip says.
He doesn’t know the half of it, but in terms of the health of his team, he has a point.
“He’s obviously trying with the dress.” I just wish I was better prepared. In the week leading up to the party, Connor has texted updates, but we haven’t spent any time together because our schedules didn’t allow either of us to make Callie’s practices or games.
My phone pings with a message.
Connor
The car is there to pick you up. It’s a Rolls-Royce. Cedrick is the driver, you met him when you brought over the books. He’ll alert me when you arrive, and I will come to collect you. See you soon.
I send back a thumbs-up and slide my phone into my clutch. “It’s go time.”
“Let’s get you to your engagement party.” Lexi and Flip take the elevator to the lobby with me. Lexi snaps a couple of photos in front of the garden before they walk me to the waiting car.
“Connor isn’t picking you up himself?” Flip’s brow furrows with disapproval. “I would have driven you if I’d known that.”
“Ms. Reformer, it’s lovely to see you again,” Cedrick says jovially.
“Hi, Cedrick. It’s nice to see you, too.” I introduce him to Flip and Lexi.
“Mr. Grace’s coach and teammate.” He nods. “It’s wonderful to meet you both. Will you be joining Ms. Reformer?” He holds open the door for me.
“We’re just her escorts to the car,” Lexi explains.
“I’ll see you soon.” I hug them both, then climb into the back seat.
Flip is still frowning as we drive away.
We haven’t been on the road for more than a minute before my phone pings with a new message in my Babe Brigade chat.
I open it to find a photo of me, shared by Lexi.
Lexi
Check out the hot librarian.
Tally
Oooh!!!! You are so pretty in that dress! Cannot wait to see you!
Hemi
So this is happening! You are stunning! See you soon, you
Rix
You are smokin’ hot!
Shilpa
You look incredible.
Hammer
That dress is Ah-mazing!
Essie
I need to know who the designer is!
Dred
It’s not a belated April fool’s prank. I’m glad I don’t look as nervous as I feel.
While they don’t know the actual truth, at least it’s not a complete charade. I didn’t envy Rix when the whole thing with Tristan finally blew up. Flip was beside himself when he found out, but so much of it had to do with his own issues and how his past actions made him feel.
It was just as challenging for Hollis and Hammer, and then Lexi and Roman last season. They tried so hard to stay on the right side of the line, but it’s clear they were meant for each other. At least it’s only Connor’s family and Meems that we have to convince that we’re madly in love.
Lexi sends me a private message.
Lexi
You’ve got this. Just be yourself, and if they can’t see how amazing you are, fuck them.
I hug my phone.
It buzzes against my chest.
I look back at the screen.
Flip
I hope Connor knows how lucky he is.
I’ve got your back, forever and always, okay?
Dred
I know. And I’ll always have yours.
Flip
Family for life.
How many times did I wish for a foster brother like him? There were so many new families. I remember every last one, even though there should be too many to count. Twenty-six times I moved into a new place.
The fear had nearly eaten me alive the first two times I was dropped off at another unfamiliar house. All I knew was hunger, loneliness, and parents who loved their drugs more than me.
I’d been so certain it would be a repeat of the home they’d taken me out of—that these people would end up as blue-tinged mannequins, silent, staring into the endless forever, and the cycle would repeat.
It would be years before I had a true sense of what stability meant. Too many years. By then I was irreparably broken. Pieces missing, holes carved in my heart and my soul.
Every kid that comes into foster care has endured some horrible trauma. They don’t take kids away unless the situation is dire, or in my case, unless both parents OD’d and there were no relatives to take me.
I shut down those memories. They’re unhelpful and the last thing I should focus on. I wonder how different Connor really is from me. Sure, he grew up in a home with two parents and endless money, but it doesn’t mean he was loved or cared for by the people who brought him into this world.
On the drive over, I review the photos Connor sent me this week with details about his family members.
His parents are Duncan and Courtney. Duncan is Lucy’s only son.
Connor also has two younger sisters, Portia and Isabelle.
Portia’s husband, Bryson, and Isabelle’s husband, Julian, both work for Connor’s father at Grace Hotels, as do his sisters, although in less prominent positions.
Half an hour later, I arrive at the Bridle Path, a very exclusive neighborhood in Toronto full of mansions. Every yard is manicured, with beautiful flowers blooming in picture-perfect gardens and driveways full of flashy cars. Interestingly, his parents’ house isn’t far from Lucy’s.
Cedrick pulls down the long, winding driveway. It’s nothing like Lucy’s house, which feels like it belongs to every princess ever born. This mansion is modern and sterile, with straight lines and little personality.
With each glimpse into Connor’s life, I peel back another layer.
A picture starts to form. The fighter on the ice, the enforcer, the man who needles people until they crack and end up in the penalty box along with him.
He’s good at pushing buttons and garnering reactions.
Then there was the determined man who presented me with an offer, a way out of my situation.
But as soon as I accepted it—gratefully!
—he began apologizing for what I was about to endure.
What new things will I learn today?
Cedrick announces our arrival and exits the vehicle as Connor comes down the front steps. The tension in his shoulders seems to melt as Cedrick opens the passenger door, unveiling me.
Was he worried I wouldn’t come? That I would change my mind? My heart skips a couple of beats as I take him in.
He’s ungodly gorgeous, which is infuriatingly typical, and impeccably dressed.
His suit isn’t black, or navy, or gray. It’s the same deep teal as his hockey jersey, and it matches my jeweled clutch and my shoes.
Of course he would color coordinate us.
Connor steps in and extends his hand. I take it because it feels rude not to. And I’m increasingly intrigued by the way it feels when he touches me. Heat shoots through my fingers and up my arm, spinning through my body as I carefully step out of the car.
His gaze moves over me on a slow sweep. “I wasn’t sure if I could make you look less like a librarian.” He nods his approval. “This was the right dress for you.”
I look up at his irksomely handsome face. “Was that an insult decorated with a compliment?”
“I’m used to your cardigans.” A hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Can you see without the glasses?”
I bat my lashes. “Fuck you, Connor.”
“I don’t believe you want that from me.” He gazes down, untouchably aloof. “But I’d be happy to amend our contract and add that to our arrangement. Sort of like a bonus?”
I smile up at him. “Please fuck yourself.”
“Why, when everyone else is so much better at it?” he quips darkly.
I reach up and press my palm to his cheek. His eyes flare in surprise. “Stand down, Connor. Just because you’re everyone else’s villain doesn’t mean you need to be mine, too.”
His expression shifts and almost softens, if just for a moment. “I thought you’d change your mind and run.”
“I considered it.”
“Smart woman. But that contract is thorough, so you’re mine now, for better and definitely for worse.” He holds out his arm, and I link mine with his.
“What’s the story we’re telling your parents?”
“That I fell for you at Callie’s hockey games,” he says smoothly, fingers brushing the line of bracelets on my wrist. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them eat you alive.”
“That’s your job, then?” I press.
“Again, not part of the contract, but I’m happy to make amendments to suit your needs, darling.”
With that, he guides me up the steps and into the lion’s den.