33. Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-Annabella-
A s I was getting dressed for the engagement party for my sister and Zac, I felt a tight knot in my stomach, almost choking me. I had not eaten much the whole day because of it.
I knew this party shouldn’t get to me. I had my own marriage to focus on, and the week that had passed—since we were invited—had gone quite well.
We were getting comfortable with each other. Some nights I slept with Kace, and some nights I slept on my own, shifting a little depending on my mood.
Knock. Knock.
I smiled and walked over to my bedroom door, seeing Kace there, waiting for me.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes, though I wish we didn’t have to go,” I told him.
“Yes, but we need to face this. You need to show your sister and her fiancé you aren’t at home crying over the fact he will never be yours,” he reminded me.
“Trust me, I'm not doing that anymore,” I assured him.
“But you need to show them that too. You need to step into that party with your back straight and not let them see they have broken you.”
“Am I broken?”
“No, but that is what they want to believe you are, so let’s go.”
“Yes, sir,” I chuckled.
We began leaving the house, getting in the car that would take us to the party, but I felt so nervous when we arrived. It was held at my parents’ place, which was much bigger than the house my sister lived in with Zac.
So many cars were arriving and driving away, dropping off the guests. But as we stopped in front of the house, I realized something. There was a small staircase we had to ascend to get inside. I turned to Kace, who saw the same thing as me, and I grew even more worried.
“Maybe we should tell them something came up?” I suggested.
He turned to me, looking annoyed, before telling me we were not backing out of this.
“Kace, they haven’t made it easy for us,” I pointed out.
“So, let’s not make it easy for them. You think I would ever let anyone scare me away?” he asked.
“But…” Kace interrupted me by telling the driver to let him out, and so he did.
Kace then drove toward the staircase, and I saw people watching us. I didn’t know what he was planning. That chair was not easy to carry. After all, it was an electric one, and I had a long dress and heels on, but then Kace was handed a cane he could lean on.
Despite the violent tremors, he was able to stand. I knew he wasn’t completely paralyzed, but it was strongly advised that he didn’t walk, and now he was standing up, ready to challenge this staircase.
I hurried to his side, hearing people whisper, but I knew he impressed them. I grabbed his arm, and he smiled as we went up the stairs at a snail’s pace.
I didn’t want him to push himself too hard, and his driver had another chair prepared for the evening, a standard wheelchair, which was easy to carry up the stairs.
Everything went much smoother than I expected, and I felt so proud when we were at the top and Kace sat in front of me in his wheelchair, smiling.
“Wow…” I whispered.
“I told you I wasn’t going to let something like that stop me. Shall we?” he asked, turning the chair and smoothly rolling inside.
I was so stunned for a moment that I just stood there, not sure what to say. But then I smiled and shook my head, following him inside and walking toward the big room where most people were gathered. Many looked at us as we moved through the room, headed for the bar to get something to drink.
“Oh, I never told you how stunning you look tonight,” he said, gesturing to the dark red, long dress I was wearing.
I smiled, enjoying the compliment, and told him he looked very good tonight. We got our drinks, clinked them together, and I began surveying my surroundings as I sipped my drink.
“Stop looking around,” he told me.
“What? Why?” I inquired.
“You make it seem like we are out on a mission.”
“Aren’t we sort of?” I asked.
“Just relax. It’s a party,” he reminded me. “You’re supposed to have fun.”
“I never felt very relaxed at these parties.”
“Well, you’re not alone anymore,” he assured me, reaching out and grabbing my hand, squeezing it in his. It made me focus on him, and I smiled, feeling glad he was with me. We weren’t alone for long, though. Then my parents found me.
“Oh, there you two are. No problems?” my mother asked after giving me a stiff hug.
“You knew who was coming,” I told her, not enjoying the fact that she had not even tried to make it easier for Kace to come inside the house.
It was a cruel and intentional move she had made, but Kace grabbed my wrist gently. I turned to him, seeing him shake his head, but I couldn’t accept what she had done.
“It’s not okay,” I insisted.
“Let it go,” he told me.
My parents were clearly feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I turned to them, wanting them to know I was not at all happy with them. I had let them walk all over me, but I was not going to let them walk all over the husband they insisted I marry.
“If you do it again, we are never coming to visit, and we will never allow you into our house. If you can’t treat my husband with respect, don’t expect the same in return. Now we will go find my sister and Zac and wish them congratulations,” I hissed.
My parents were obviously stunned by the confidence I showed, but I did feel stronger. Kace had built me up, and when I gestured for him to roll away from there, he did. I followed behind him. He smiled at me proudly as we began searching for my sister and Zac.
“Well done,” he praised.
“I'm shaking,” I whispered, making him chuckle.
I smiled, and we located my sister and Zac. He stood with his arm wrapped around her as they greeted more guests and received presents.
We had a present for them as well, and Kace held onto that one, but I also had a small extra one for Zac that I was going to give him tonight. We stopped in front of my sister and Zac, who seemed surprised that we even made it.
I hugged my sister before we handed over the present to them, but I also pulled the little extra package from my purse and held it out to Zac, who looked at me, shocked, as I gave it directly to him. My sister didn’t like that and grabbed it.
“We are both getting married,” she reminded me.
“I know, but this one is more personal,” I explained.
“Personal? Let’s see, shall we?” she asked, but I didn’t care who opened it. I knew it would convey the same message.
I watched as my sister tore open the little package with a slight smile on my lips. I watched her grow almost excited, thinking it would be something embarrassing about me and that I was still longing for Zac, but there was nothing embarrassing about it.
I had made my choice, and when my sister finally got through the wrapping and lid, she reached in. She held up the little gold ring, not seeing anything special about it except that it looked a little like a wedding ring.
“Are you proposing to my fiancé?” she chuckled.
“Far from. I’m already married. He gave me that ring,” I explained, seeing my sister turn to Zac, who had grown pale as he watched my sister hold the gold band.
I knew he understood what it meant, and he quickly grabbed it, studying it to make sure it truly was his ring I had handed back. When he confirmed its origin, he stared at me, shocked, and my smile widened.
Zac turned to me, yet my sister still studied him, not understanding why I even had that gold ring.
“Have a nice evening,” I told them before Kace and I turned away from them, leaving the pair.
“And so how did that feel?” he asked.
“Amazing,” I replied.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, sounding impressed.
I chuckled, feeling almost high.
“So what should we do for the rest of the evening?” I inquired.
“You’re already ready to leave?” he asked.
“I gave them what I needed to give them,” I stated proudly.
“Yes, I saw. How long have you wanted to do that?” he inquired.
“The idea just popped into my head before we left.”
“Well, I enjoyed that a lot,” he admitted.
“Me too,” I said.
“Let’s mingle then.”
“I'm not sure about that,” I groaned.
“Why not?” Kace looked at me, confused.
“Well… it’s not like any of them were ever my friends,” I confessed.
“So? Show them what they have been missing.”
My heart skipped a small beat as he said that. Was he truly the same cold and scary Kace people had been talking about for years? It was hard to see him as such when he was being so sweet to me.
“I'm not even sure where to start,” I said, studying the many guests.
Kace looked around as well, but then he found some people that I didn’t recognize. He began moving, so I followed him. They seemed shocked that we approached them, but I quickly learned why.
They were Kace’s old friends, and it was clear I was not the only one who had something to prove.