14. Chapter 14 - Minnie
When I was twelve, I dreamed of marrying Danny. I drew pink hearts on my tablet and wrote the name Minerva Stravinsky in pretty cursive. My mother saw it and nearly had an apoplexy—her word, not mine.
I also saved photos of white, poofy dresses. I pictured myself wearing them as I walked down the aisle, giddy with excitement. Instead, I’m in another short bodycon dress in fuchsia pink, and I feel like I might barf all over my matching heels.
When I reach the town hall, I spot Damien on the front steps. I figured he’d be in his leather jacket and jeans, but he’s wearing a tux straight out of my childhood daydreams, and I have to remind myself that it is all a farce.
A farce I desperately need. I can’t let Zachariah know that Natty and I have been squatting at the bakery. I have no choice but to marry Damien and get that house. And maybe, I can save the fuzzies. Because on the way here, I thought of a plan. And for it to work, I need the rock star’s help.
He straightens when he sees me, and his shoulders relax.
I guess even famous rock stars worry they might get stood up at the altar.
Not that he looks like the man everyone’s used to seeing on stage.
Not with his usually tousled hair slicked back, and without the signature eyeliner or bad boy clothes.
When I reach him, he smiles. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“You too,” I say awkwardly. My voice shakes… a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. So much so that Damien actually notices something is off.
“Are you okay?” He sounds concerned, which sends heat flooding to my cheeks.
Is the boy I once knew still somewhere in there, deep down? Does he still care about me a little tiny bit?
“Remember, this is mutually beneficial,” he says, destroying that little fantasy before it has time to take flight.
“I already bought you a house. Six rooms, as promised.” He riffles through his coat pocket and takes out a single key.
I reach for it, but he pulls it just out of my grasp.
“Soon as the marriage contract is signed, it’s yours. ”
Dick. This is all a transaction for him… just like it should be for me. I need that money and that house. And I need to remember that the childhood best friend I wanted to spend forever with is gone.
I straighten my spine and try my best to sound Formula M bored. “Fine.” I force out a yawn. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Did you take care of the two witnesses?”
“Zoe and Violet will be here.” I cornered them on the way out of Jewels Cafe, swore them to secrecy, and told them when to show up, what to wear, and what to bring.
They don’t even know that I’m getting married.
Damien gives me that heart-stopping grin that’s plastered all over Screech and leads me up the town hall steps. I wobble in my heels, and he takes my hand in his. Even though I know it means nothing to him—to either of us—I still find strength in his touch.
We check through security—just like Natty and I do each time we visit Zachariah—and Damien leads me toward a set of double doors.
Inside is a plain boardroom with a table that seats ten.
A paper and a bunch of identical blue pens wait off to one side.
Is this it? We sign some paperwork and I become Mrs. Starr?
I feel the sudden urge to run. Without Formula M stopping me, I end up taking half a step back, then half a step forward, and then just stand there like a deer caught in headlights.
“What are you doing?” Damien asks.
“Dancing.” Fuck. Why did I just say that? Who dances before signing paperwork?
“You’re acting…” Damien purses his lips as he mulls it over. I expect him to say strange, but finally, he says, “like the old you.”
Which is basically the same thing, since he dropped the old me like a stinky old pair of socks.
The urge to run intensifies and my breathing speeds up, but before I can start to hyperventilate, Damien takes my hands in his.
“Like I said, I already bought the house. It’s in the prenup.
You get to keep it and the million we agreed upon.
Plus, an extra four grand for every month we stay married. ”
“An extra four grand a month?” I repeat.
Damien sighs. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take Eliara to set her eyes on some other rockstar. Could be next week, could be next year.”
Next year? Can I really accept monthly payments for that long, on top of everything else?
I’m already getting too much. The million is way more than I need to pay for Amber’s cruise, clothes and toys for Natty, and a new Formula M.
I could leave him a college fund, too, and have enough to spend on myself.
Maybe even buy some clothes like the ones Amber, Violet and Zoe wear.
Sweaters. Hats. Gloves. An actual coat. In colors that aren’t Maude Montgomery Pink.
Damien scowls at me. “Look, I’ll up it to five grand a month, but that’s my best offer.”
I can’t accept that much money. I can’t. I—“Okay.” The word leaves my mouth so softly it’s barely audible, but I know I’m doing the right thing. This is how negotiations work. “There’s one more thing… I need you to make a video for Screech.”
Damien’s scowl deepens. “You’re just itching for your fifteen minutes of fame, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll post the wedding announcement. And yes, you can be in it. Anything else?”
“No. No wedding announcement. We keep this between us.”
Damien stares at me in surprise.
“You don’t want me to announce it to all my fans?”
“No. Please don’t.” My heart pounds in my ears and I think about running out of the room and never coming back. But I can’t. Not when my entire future—and Amber’s, Zoe’s and Violet’s—rests on this moment.
“Fine,” Damien says. “What video?”
“To save the fuzzies.” Possibly shirtless, if Sapphire’s doing the directing. “They’re a new species created for vampires. Basically, pets they can feed on. If you speak out against it, people will listen.”
Damien’s frown evaporates, and he nods. “Yeah. Fine.”
“Really?” Relief washes over me. “Can you do it today?”
He snorts. “Hell no.”
“It’s animal cruelty, Damien! They’re being tortured. Getting bit hurts. And if we don’t act now, they’ll get sold and tortured. We need to do something before it’s too late.”
“Look, I get it. And I’ll help as soon as I can. But I need to hash it out with my team so I can get my life back. And we’re already on shit terms.”
“Because you quit the band?”
Damien balls his hands into fists. “I didn’t quit the fucking band.
I left before those fuckers found out about the shit with Eliara and insisted on trying to help.
They’d just end up pissing off the fae king, and the last thing I need is for them to get trapped in a gilded fucking cage when this is my fucking problem. ”
“So you were protecting them?” I ask softly.
“Fuck no. I was keeping them from fucking everything up.”
I see right through his facade and feel a wave of guilt. Damien only left to protect his band, and he has no other choice but to marry me. I should just offer to help him for free, no strings attached, instead of making a gazillion demands.
But what happens when he moves on to bigger, better things? What happens when he leaves me behind for the second time? I need to do what I can to give myself a future that doesn’t include Danny.
I was never good enough for him. It’s not his fault he realized it, too.
My heart squeezes in my chest as Damien takes my hand in his and pulls me toward the table. His grip is strong and sure and his massive palm engulfs mine. I really am about to marry Damien Starr.