44. The Family I Chose
Chapter 44
The Family I Chose
MEGAN
T he afternoon air is warm but crisp, the kind of rare, perfect Los Angeles day where the sun isn’t oppressive but gently filters through the palm trees that line the park’s pathway.
I push Deuce’s stroller at an easy pace, his tiny body snug beneath the light muslin blanket I tucked around him before we left. The faint sound of his soft breathing assures me that he’s still fast asleep, completely oblivious to the world beyond his dreams.
Lena walks beside me, hands tucked into the pockets of her cropped hoodie, her sneakers scuffing the pavement as she kicks at a stray pebble.
It’s been a while since we had time like this—just us.
No club business.
No security details lurking in the background.
No Hunter, Lars, Vaughn, or Christian watching over us like we’re helpless.
Just two women, a baby, and a perfect day.
“So,” Lena says, tilting her head toward me, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. “Are we ever going to talk about the fact that you’re getting married to my brother in, like, two months?”
I let out a breathy laugh. “Try six weeks.”
Her eyes widen. “Jesus. That soon?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re just…what? Casually walking in the park like you don’t have a million things to plan?”
I glance at her, brows raised. “Did you just meet me? Have I ever been the ‘bridezilla’ type?”
Lena scoffs. “You haven’t had time to be. You’ve been too busy running a nightclub, having a baby, painting a masterpiece, and surviving a kidnapping.”
“Yeah, well,” I sigh, adjusting my grip on the stroller handle, “those things tend to keep a girl distracted.”
“So what’s the plan?” she presses, her voice lighter now. “Are we talking about a big fancy wedding or something small and intimate?”
“I think we’re past the point of a big wedding.”
“Well, how can I help? I’ve been begging you for an assignment for weeks.”
“I want something elegant but simple,” I tell her. “I don’t need a giant ballroom with two hundred guests because first of all — I don’t know two hundred people. But I do want it to feel…special. Like a night neither of us will forget.”
Lena nods, clearly approving. “Where are you thinking?”
“The Middleton estate.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Wait, you mean the massive mansion in the Hollywood Hills that almost broke you and Hunter up?”
“The very one,” I smirk.
“You want to live there now?”
“I didn’t say I wanted to live there, but he bought the damn place already. And now it’s just sitting there doing nothing, which is a sin because it has the most beautiful courtyard. I think it’d be perfect for the ceremony.”
“You visited it?”
“No, I looked it up online on one of those real estate listing sites. There were a lot of pictures. I have to give it to him. It’s gorgeous.”
Lena twirls a loose thread on her hoodie. “That actually sounds amazing. And very…you and Hunter. Classy, but not over-the-top.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you told Hunter about your idea?”
“Not yet.”
We walk a little further, the sounds of birds chirping and palm leaves rustling filling the space between us.
“So what else?” she asks. “Colors? Dress? Do you have a theme?”
“God, you sound like a wedding planner,” I tease.
She grins. “Hey, I take my role as Maid of Honor very seriously.”
I glance at her warmly.
It still floors me sometimes—how far we’ve come.
How a girl who was once just a quiet presence in the background of my life has become family.
Lena is the closest thing I have to a sister.
And maybe that’s why what she says next hits me harder than I expected.
“So,” she starts, a little hesitantly. “How are you feeling about… you know, not having any family from your side at the wedding?”
The question sinks into my chest like a stone.
I don’t answer right away.
Instead, I focus on the sound of the stroller wheels rolling over the pavement. I should have expected the question, but hearing it out loud makes it feel more real.
More…final.
When I marry Hunter, the only real family that will be there for me is Deuce. My father, stepmother, and sister won’t be there, and I don’t want them to be, but it also would be nice to have someone on my side of the pews.
She offers a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I just—I mean, I know you and Hunter have his whole family presence covered, but… does it ever bother you?”
I exhale slowly, adjusting Deuce’s blanket even though it doesn’t need adjusting.
“It’s not like I ever imagined my parents walking me down the aisle,” I admit. “And my sister? Yeah, that’s a hard no.”
My chest tightens.
Lena is quiet for a moment. Then she gently nudges me with her elbow. “You know, you don’t have to go through this alone, right?”
I meet her gaze.
And I see it—the genuine care, the unwavering loyalty.
I let out a breathy laugh. “What, are you offering to be my long-lost sister now?”
She smirks. “Hey, Billy basically dumped me on your doorstep, and you’ve been nothing short of a mentor to me.”
I roll my eyes, but my heart feels a little lighter.
“A mentor? That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
Lena stops walking for a moment and turns toward me. “Look, all I’m saying is, family isn’t just about blood. It’s about who shows up for you. And I don’t know if you noticed, Megan, but you’ve got a whole damn army behind you. Hunter. Me. Christian. Vaughn. Even Lars, in his grumpy-ass way.”
I smile because now I understand why she brought it up.
She’s right.
I might not have the family I was born into, but I have the family I chose.
And maybe that’s even better.
Lena goes quiet for a few beats, staring at the paved path ahead of us. Something about her body language shifts. I know her well enough now to recognize when she’s debating whether or not to say something.
I wait.
And then?—
“So,” she finally says, clearing her throat. “About Christian.”
I bite back a grin.
There it is.
“What about him?”
She exhales, rolling her shoulders. “He’s…acting weird.”
I give her a pointed look. “How do you mean?”
I already know exactly what she means. Hunter gave me an earful about it the last three days. While he claims he’s handled things—it seems to be eating him up inside for some reason.
“I mean, the other night, he barely looked at me. And when he did, he was either mumbling crap under his breath or pissed off. Now, he hasn’t been in the club for two nights straight. Vaughn said he’s been working from his old office.”
I tilt my head, feigning innocence. “I don’t know, Lena. Maybe it has something to do with the way you were practically drooling over Oliver.”
Lena gapes at me. “I was not drooling.”
“Oh, babe. You were giggling all over him like a lovesick schoolgirl .”
She groans dramatically, covering her face. “I was just talking to him! He’s funny, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And nice.”
“Okay.”
“And maybe a little…hot.”
I smirk. “And now we’re getting somewhere because Oliver is like Hollywood hot.”
“Whatever he looks like,” Lena sighs. “Christian has no reason to be mad. Who I may or may not be flirting with has nothing to do with him. He’s my brother’s best friend.”
“I think you and I know that there’s something there, whether either of you wants to admit it or not.”
We’re both resigned to silence as we round the corner of the path. Both of us mulling over what’s going on in our lives.
I have six weeks until I’m Mrs. Middleton.
And there’s a storm brewing between Christian and Lena,
But something tells me?
It’s all going to work out as it should.
I’m a little more optimistic these days.