Chapter 24
DRED
Connor links his arm with mine as we walk back toward the hotel. “This reception is as much a business meeting as it is a flex,” he explains, his voice low.
“Of course it is.”
“All of my parents’ contacts are attending, and some of them will be exceptionally interested in you.”
“In an unfriendly way?” I ask.
“Mm, exactly.” He rubs the center of my palm with his thumb. “So I might be annoyingly attentive this evening. I apologize in advance.”
“You’re my husband. You’re supposed to be annoyingly attentive,” I remind him.
His nostrils flare, and his gaze darkens. He brings my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it. “I’m glad you feel that way, wife.”
The moment we step into the reception hall, the introductions begin.
Connor keeps a protective, possessive hand on my lower back as his father and mother introduce us to influential person after influential person.
Anytime someone asks when he’s giving up hockey to join the hotel empire—which is often—he deflects and asks them pointed questions about their own children and their career goals. The answer is often the same: They’ve joined the family business, of course.
Connor has spent his entire adult life defending his choice to play professional hockey. Yet they can’t fathom why he would choose this path when the one laid out for him makes so much more sense. Every introduction paints a more vivid picture: He’s a beautiful villain. And he’s mine.
“Now that you’re married, are you planning to quit hockey?” a bigwig in finance named Martin asks.
“Not until the league stops offering me contracts,” Connor replies coolly.
“It’s a rather violent sport,” Martin muses.
“So is the world of finance,” he retorts with an arrogant smile.
Martin chuckles. “Well, you won’t end up with gaps in your smile from running a hotel business.”
“My son might, since he tends to enjoy pushing buttons,” Duncan says with a hint of warning.
“Especially yours, Father,” Connor quips.
“Oh my gosh! Dred, your wedding is amazing! This is so cool! Thank you so much for inviting us!” Everly drapes herself over me like a blanket. Victor stands behind her with his hands in his pockets, wearing an apologetic smile.
“I’m so glad you could make it. Where’s Cordelia?” I glance around for the group home’s primary contact and guardian.
“She had to use the bathroom. They have an attendant in there who hands you a paper towel and cleans the sink after each person uses it. Like whoa.” She makes a mind-blown gesture. “I didn’t even know that was a thing. You look like a princess. Do you like my dress?”
“I love your dress.” It’s very nineties prom and completely suits her personality.
“I got to buy a brand-new one! We didn’t even go to a consignment shop. And Victor got a suit and people pinned it while he was wearing it!” She sucks in a breath.
“Did you have fun picking it out?” I’m halfway to tears at her excitement. I sent money to Cordelia at the group home so they could get something to wear.
“So much fun! And there are people here walking around with appetizers. They keep offering them to us, and we can just take them. They’re so good.” She drops her voice to a whisper. “I kind of wish I’d brought a container and a bigger purse so I could take some home.”
“We can have a box packed up for you, if you’d like,” Connor offers.
His father has moved on to a conversation with a group of businessmen and his sons-in-law.
“Hey! Hi! Oh my God. Wow.” Everly is about ninety percent of the way to a full-on freak-out, and I could not love it more.
“You’re Connor Grace. Full disclosure, I’m not really into hockey, or like, sporty guys, but”—she gives him a double thumbs-up—“I like the suit.” She turns back to me and mouths, he’s hot.
I motion for Victor to join us. “Connor, I’d like you to meet Everly and Victor. They volunteer at the library with me.”
“I’m only helping out because I need forty hours of community service to graduate, and also I got caught doing naughty things with a cute boy in the stacks.” Everly wrinkles her nose and shrugs, like oops.
“Everly!” Victor chastises.
Connor smirks. “Was it my wife who caught you?”
I should not love the way my wife sounds coming out of his mouth.
“Uh-huh.” Everly nods. “Better her than Dorothea, that’s for sure. A library ban would suck.” She flips her hair over her shoulder. “Then where would I get my cookies and juice boxes after school?”
“I do love a good juice box and cookie.” Connor’s amusement is written all over his face.
“But you love a good ham and cheese sandwich more,” I fire back.
“Same!” Everly exclaims, apparently thrilled to have this in common. “But don’t ruin it with lettuce, am I right?”
“Definitely no lettuce,” Connor agrees.
The emcee makes an announcement that dinner will be served soon.
“We should find Cordelia.” Victor takes his sister by the elbow. “It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Grace. Thanks for inviting us, Dred. It’s been amazing.”
“We’ll dance later, okay?”
“I love dancing!” Everly exclaims.
Victor smiles and nods, then guides her across the room, stopping to grab an hors d’oeuvre from a passing server on the way.
“They’re siblings?” Connor asks.
“Twins.”
“She’s the one you were talking about to the kitchen staff.” His palm settles on my low back as he guides me to the head table.
“She is.” I smile fondly.
“And they live in a group home?”
“They do.”
“She’s a little wild, but Victor seems easy,” he observes.
“She is, and he is, but he won’t be separated from her, and she has a hard time staying out of trouble.” Last year I started the paperwork to become a foster parent, but as a single woman under thirty, with a modest income, and living in a small two-bedroom apartment, the odds were against me.
“So they’re stuck in the system,” Connor says.
“Until they age out, unfortunately.”
Connor helps me into my seat, adjusting my dress so it doesn’t get caught under the chair’s legs.
He presses a gentle kiss to my shoulder, whether for my benefit, or that of the guests we’re on display for, I’m unsure. Cameras flash and click as I tip my chin up and touch my husband’s cheek.
“There are an awful lot of photographers here,” I murmur.
His eyes search mine, fingers skimming under my chin. “My father allowed media access just until dinner. They’ll be gone soon.”
I’m sure it looks like we’re having a moment. And maybe we are. Because part of me wants this fairy tale to be real—to step into the roles we’ve agreed to and forget who we are outside them.
“You should kiss me,” I whisper.
He narrows his eyes, expression pensive. “For them or for you?”
I go with honesty. “For me.”
He presses his lips tenderly to mine. Neither of us tries to deepen it, to turn it into a spectacle.
So it’s over far too soon. But Connor takes his place beside me.
At least we’re not alone up here, sitting on thrones like royalty.
We’re insulated by our friends with Lexi on my right, and Kodiak on Connor’s left.
Dinner is extravagant and exceptional. The servers keep topping up my champagne, and for once I indulge. Connor’s parents are seated with Meems and Connor’s brothers-in-law. My work friends and Everly and Victor are tucked into a corner, the rest of the Terror surrounding them.
I’m nervous when we get to the speeches, but Connor’s parents keep it short and sweet, welcoming me to the Grace family and openly intimating their expectation that their only son will join the Grace empire in the near future.
Meems is next, and Connor meets her at the stairs, helping her to the podium. My heart stutters as he adjusts the mic for her before he returns to his spot beside me.
“She looks tired,” I murmur.
“She is, but she’s happy, so thank you for that.” He kisses my temple.
I squeeze his hand as Meems talks about Connor growing up, how he did things his own way and when he discovered his passion for hockey.
“You’ve been in love with the sport since you picked up a stick, and for a long time nothing mattered more.
You lived and breathed it. You took your dream, and against all odds, you made it yours.
And then Mildred, Dred”—she smiles—“came into your life, into our lives, and I saw the change in you. I see it now.” She motions to us, Connor sitting with his arm slung casually over the back of my chair, legs crossed.
“Dred brings out that soft side of you that I’ve had the privilege of seeing my entire life.
She brings so much joy and light and love into our lives and our home.
” Meems blinks back tears. “Dred, thank you for coming to us when we needed you the most. Thank you for seeing what I see, for loving my grandson the way he deserves to be loved. I’m so proud to call you my granddaughter. ”
I blink tears from my eyes, feeling horrible and wonderful at the same time. I adore her, and the whole point of this is to make her happy, which she is, but what if this act Connor and I have been putting on isn’t one anymore—at least not for me? What if I’m really in love with him?
I don’t have time to dive into a panic spiral, though, because Connor is helping me to my feet. We meet Meems at the podium.
“I love you so much.” I hug her.
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” She kisses my cheek.
Isabelle helps Meems back to her chair while Connor pulls out his pocket square and dabs at my eyes. “We’re in this together, okay?”
I nod.
“You want me to do the talking?”
“Please.”
He keeps his arm around me, tucking me into his side while he adjusts the microphone so it’s at his height. “Mildred and I want to thank all of you for being here to celebrate this special day with us.”
A round of polite applause follows, accompanied by raucous cheers from his teammates.
“Mom and Dad, thank you for so generously hosting this event. It’s fairy-tale worthy, which is what my beautiful wife deserves.” He gazes down at me. “Thank you, Mildred, for making my life so much fuller and for agreeing to be mine. I owe you the world.”
My chin wobbles. I don’t know what’s true and what’s not anymore. But he looks so earnest and handsome, and regardless, he’s given me so much more than I ever expected. He tucks a finger under my chin and presses his lips softly to mine. Maybe for appearances. Maybe because he wants to.
The hall erupts in applause.
The bar opens back up, and the emcee announces the first dance.
Connor leads me to the dance floor and takes my hand in his.
“There are so many eyes on us,” I whisper.
“Just follow my lead.” His palm splays against my back, the heat soaking into my skin, grounding me. “Keep your eyes on mine, okay, darling? It’s you and me against the world.”
I finally understand what it must be like for Flip and the rest of the team—people always watching, always commenting, always having an opinion. And it’s so much worse for Connor, because it’s not just the hockey-watching nation that picks him apart. It’s everyone else, too.
Connor pulls me close as the music begins, and I rest my palm on his thick shoulder. He’s poised and elegant, just like his last name implies. I don’t look anywhere but at him as he spins me around the dance floor, focusing on his gorgeous face.
When the song is over, our friends surround us in a bubble of protection. I loop my arms over Connor’s shoulders, while he links his at my low back, improper and casually affectionate.
“This reminds me of high school dances,” I muse.
“Did you go to many?” Connor sweeps a lock of hair off my cheek.
“Enough to know they were fun, but awkward. How about you?”
He shakes his head. “I usually had my privileges revoked for those kinds of things.”
I can picture him as a sullen teen, angry at the world, lashing out and putting up a fight every step of the way, his arrogance a shield for the acceptance he couldn’t find.
“For creating trouble so other people could stay out of it?” I arch a brow.
“You make me sound altruistic.”
“Aren’t you, though? The hero disguised as the villain,” I muse.
“I’m not sure that’s true, but I like that you think so.”
The song changes, ending the moment, and Flip steps in to dance with me. Connor grabs Callie and spins her around the dance floor.
“That was some speech Connor gave,” Flip says, eyes on mine, assessing, questioning.
“It was,” I agree.
“His Meems loves you, eh?”
“Yeah, and I love her.”
“Kodiak might have mentioned that her health isn’t the best.”
“She’s doing okay.”
“Connor’s close to her though, yeah?”
“Stop fishing and just enjoy my wedding, Flip.”
He laughs. “Okay. I’ll leave it alone. At least until you get back from your honeymoon.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Tally and Fee twirl past us, giggling and smiling.
Flip’s gaze follows them for a moment before he returns his attention to me. “Tally wants me to save her a dance.”
I smile. “I’m sure she does.”
His brow furrows. “You don’t seem surprised.”
I pat his chest. “I’m not. I don’t think anyone in our friend group would be, to be honest.”
“What do you mean?” His gaze darts over my shoulder for a moment, before returning to me.
I arch a brow.
“It’s just a crush.”
“A few years ago it was a crush, Flip. She’s not a teenager anymore. She’s an adult. She’s in university, and before long, she’ll be graduating and living life.”
He shakes his head, unnerved. “That can’t… I can’t… I’m not a good choice for her.”
“Maybe in the past—”
“The shit I’ve done.” He squeezes the bridge of his nose. “I can’t erase it, and she’s too good for me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Vander Zee would bury me.”
I glance over at the Terror’s head coach, sitting at a table, watching his daughter having a good time while wearing a serious expression. He’s an intense guy at the best of times.
“Promise you won’t let me make that mistake, Dred.”
I sigh. What am I supposed to say? “I won’t let you make a mistake.”