35. Cian
Chapter 35
Cian
A strid drops her dress. She stares at Declan. She looks at the rest of us, then back up at him. Then she starts laughing. “Um. No,” she says. “But gee, thanks for asking.” She picks up her skirt again and turns, but she hesitates when she sees the rest of us just standing there, staring.
Not laughing. Not moving. Not speaking.
She frowns.
Her sister, Linnea, steps forward. “Declan, this seems like an overreaction.”
“No,” he says simply. “It doesn’t. It’s the only option.”
“But you can’t just spring this on Astrid like this,” Linnea protests. Jonah moves in behind her, quietly supportive.
“Astrid is incredibly bright,” Declan says. “I’m sure this isn’t a shock to her. She understands the situation and that she and I are the only O’Grady and Olsen left that can make this match.”
“Actually, I haven’t thought about you at all,” Astrid tells him.
He doesn’t even look at her because now I step forward. “You can’t force her, Declan.”
“I don’t need to. She’ll do the right thing.”
I look at Astrid. She’s looking at Declan. But she doesn’t look shocked or worried.
She looks…almost amused?
Declan is a formidable person. The only person in this room who even comes close is my grandfather and that’s when he’s in good health. Declan is very used to getting his way. Bossing other people around. Being the most powerful man in the room.
He would have made a great king.
He’s also about ten years Astrid’s senior and when he scowls, he seems even older. He takes a step closer to her. “Tell them all that you understand this,” he says to her. “Alfred and Diarmuid want the families united. You and I are the only ones left. There’s no other option. So we will marry.”
She actually laughs at that. “Well, the entire agreement between Diarmuid and Alfred never made sense at all and surely you know that. You can’t really think I’m going to agree to marry you just because everyone else got out of it? Because I just happen to still be single when you waltzed in and decided you were going to ‘solve the problem’?” she asks, her fingers making air quotes.
“I think you’re going to marry me because it is what your grandfather wanted. No one else in this goddamn family will do things the way they’re supposed to.” Declan casts a glare around the room, collectively for all of us, before focusing on her again. “None of this is going according to plan. So I’m going to take care of it myself. I will pay you whatever you want. I will give you whatever you want. You can have absolutely anything. As long as you walk down that aisle and say I do.”
“So that’s all you need? My name on a marriage license?” she asks.
“Yes. And a baby.”
No one in the room is moving a muscle. But I know, at least for me, this has moved from being scared Declan might try to kill me if I did, to I’m not going anywhere and missing a second of this.
Astrid narrows her eyes. “For how long?”
“I expect our child to live a nice long life.”
She blows out a frustrated breath. “I mean the marriage. Till death do us part?”
“Whatever you want. As long as we are legally married when the baby is born, so there are no… complications or questions.”
She seems to be considering that.
This is so interesting.
“Well, there are a couple of things you might need to know first,” Astrid tells him.
But Declan, it seems, is done talking it over. “Astrid, I don’t care if you hate me, if you’re a lesbian, if you’re dying. I am rich enough, powerful enough, and stubborn enough to make any of those problems not matter in the least. All you need to do is walk down that fucking aisle.”
Oh wow, a fucking in front of not just one grandmother, but two.
He’s definitely not used to hanging out in the palace.
I glance over my shoulder. My grandmother seems to not have heard a thing. She’s leaning in, talking to my grandfather. I’m hoping that’s keeping him from hearing anything as well.
Astrid plants her hands on her hips. “You really think that you will always get your way, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Then he says, “if it makes this easier, your grandfather would have been thrilled with our union.”
Astrid shakes her head. “How do you know that?”
“He told me.”
Her mouth drops open. She looks at Linnea. Then Torin. Then back to Declan. “He told you that he wanted you and me to get married?”
“No. He told me that he wanted our families united, no matter what . I took that to mean no matter what . He thought it would be Torin and Linnea, of course.” He shoots an exasperated glance in my brother and Linnea’s direction. “He would have been fine with it being you and Cian.”
She looks at me and I shrug. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say here.
“But I was his favorite,” Declan goes on, sliding his hands into his pockets. “And he worried about you the most. So having me taking care of you would have pleased him, I’m certain.”
Astrid’s eyes get even wider.
No one else makes a single sound.
“He… worried… about me …the most ?” Astrid finally splutters.
“Yes,” Declan says.
“And you were his favorite?” she asks.
“Yes.”
Wow. I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m way more fun than Declan, and Torin and Fiona are both friendlier. But, in Declan’s defense, he spent a lot more time with Alfred than any of us did.
“And you would be taking care of me?”
“Of course.”
“Declan O’Grady, I would rather?—”
Astrid’s sentence is cut off by Miles putting his hand over her mouth and dragging her over to the side, away from Declan.
I follow.
“You’re making this so much worse,” Miles tells her.
“ I am not making this anything ,” she tells him. “He’s ridiculous! I’m not going to just marry him!”
“But…” Miles casts me a look that says help . “He’s right.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Astrid tells him.
“I’m not,” Miles says. “Your grandfather wanted this. That matters to Declan. A lot.”
She narrows her eyes. “You’re telling me that— ” She jabs her finger in Declan’s direction. “Is Declan being soft and caring and nostalgic and…what? Loyal to my grandfather?”
Miles sighs. “Yes.”
She snaps her mouth shut. She frowns. She studies Miles face. “How do you know that?”
“I talk to Iris a lot,” he says without missing a beat.
“Did you know that my grandfather worried about me?”
Miles looks very unhappy about this conversation, but he nods. “Yes.”
She steps closer to him, needing to tip her head back to keep her eyes on his.
“He also knew that you were going to do great things, Astrid,” Miles says. “Your grandfather was incredibly proud of you. He saw…magic in you. That’s what he said. He was so pissed when you got hurt. He wanted you to have every opportunity.”
Astrid’s frown seems to go from angry to confused. She swallows hard and blinks rapidly. “He’d want me to have a baby with Declan? That kind of opportunity?”
I watch Miles’s face. He looks pained. “I didn’t know about the baby. But I do think Alfred would feel very good about you being with Declan. Yes.”
“ Is Declan his favorite?”
Miles nods. “Yes.”
She looks thoughtful.
“Astrid,” I finally say. “We can figure something else out.”
She looks at me. “What?”
“I won’t make you marry him. We’ll…get you out of here. Figure something else out.” I look at Miles. “Miles could marry you.”
He looks very uncomfortable at that. “Declan won’t let that happen.”
Astrid looks at him in disbelief. “He doesn’t get to decide what I do.”
Miles nods. “Okay. Fine. I’ll get you out of here. If that’s what you really want.”
She looks at him for several seconds. Then looks at me. Then looks past me.
I glance over my shoulder to find Declan literally glowering at Astrid. When I look back at her, I’m certain she’s watching Declan as well.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to save me,” she finally says.
“You’re going to marry Declan?” I ask.
“I think…I’m going to teach him a lesson,” she says.
“Astrid—” Miles starts.
“No, I’m fine.” She smiles up at Miles. “Trust me, Declan O’Grady will want to annul this marriage sooner rather than later.”
Miles rolls his eyes. “You’re going to single-handedly teach Declan that he doesn’t always know best?”
Her smile gets even bigger. “I’m going to marry an O’Grady and make Diarmuid and Alfred happy.”
Miles lets out a breath.
“ And I’m going to teach Declan that he isn’t as smart as he thinks he is.”
“Astrid,” Miles groans.
“Doesn’t that seem like a great way to make the world a better place?” she asks, suddenly a little perky as she picks up the bottom of her long dress again.
“I think it seems like a great way for me to end up with daily migraines,” Miles says.
Astrid reaches up and pats his cheek. “Good. You deserve that for not giving me even a hint this might happen.” Then she brushes past him and heads for Declan.
She stops in front of him.
He lifts a brow.
“I’ll do it,” Astrid says simply.
Declan just gives her a nod and turns toward the king.
Linnea steps forward. “Astrid?—”
Astrid looks at her sister. “I’m okay.”
Alex is right there too. He’s scowling. “Astrid, seriously.”
“I’m good, I promise,” she says. She looks up at Declan. “Oh, but I want the hockey team.”
My brother owns the Portland Greys. The team Alex plays for.
Declan doesn’t even blink. “Fine.”
“And my own room.”
The muscle in his jaw jumps, but he says, “You’ll have your own wing.”
She gives him a sweet, completely fake smile. “I don’t think you have any idea what you’re getting into here, Mr. O’Grady.”
“I’m a risk taker by nature, Ms. Olsen.”
She just stares at him for a long moment. Then she looks at her grandmother.
I look over too.
The older woman is watching, without saying a word. But I can see the hope in her expression even from here.
And when Astrid says, “Okay,” to Declan, her grandmother exhales in relief and smiles.
No one’s smile is as big as Diarmuid’s though.
Astrid and Declan walk toward the king, stopping in front of his chair.
“Astrid,” he says, his voice weak and wobbly. “My beautiful girl. Thank you.”
I watch Astrid’s shoulders lose some of their rigidity and she nods. “I’m ready.”
“My beloved family and friends—” Diarmuid starts.
“Wait!” a voice calls from the back of the room.
A feminine voice.
We all turn and my heart stops.
“Oh my God! Please stop! I’m so sorry, but you can’t…”
Scarlett is rushing across the room and down the aisle.
She’s wearing jeans and a flannel shirt over a gray T-shirt. Her dark hair is falling out of a ponytail. And she’s got her black boots on.
She’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.
I meet her halfway up the aisle and catch her in my arms. “What are you doing here?”
She grips my arms, panting, trying to catch her breath. “Oh God, Cian.” She breathes in and out. “Please don’t get married. Not to someone else anyway.”
She looks past me.
“Oh God !” Her eyes come back to mine, filled with panic. “Did you already? Did you do it? Am I too late?”
I pull her in and crush her to my chest.
She’s here. Here. She flew here, she came after me.
To stop my wedding.
I cup the back of her head and just hold her as I start laughing.
Ruby and Mariah burst into the room just then.
“Scarlett!” Ruby sees her in my arms and rushes forward. “Shit, she got away from us,” she tells me. She looks around, her gaze hanging on Henry for a second, before continuing around the room. “Oh, no, are we too late?”
Mariah has stopped at the back of the room. She seems frozen in place. But her eyes are huge and she’s taking in every detail.
“No, you’re not too late. It’s not happening.” I pull back and look down at Scarlett. “You’re the only one I want.”
“But,” she says, peeking past me again. “It’s Astrid Olsen. ”
I growl. “Witch…”
“I mean right there ,” she says. “At the end of the aisle. In a really pretty dress. Looking very much like a bride .”
I turn with her in my arms. “Yes, it is. And she’s about to marry my brother.”
Astrid lifts a hand. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Scarlett says timidly.
Astrid looks up at Declan. “We’d better get going before I find whatever part of my mind I’ve lost to agree to this.”
“Declan, do you take Astrid to be your wife?” Diarmuid asks.
“Oh my God, that’s the king,” Scarlett whispers against my chest.
I kiss the top of her head. “Yes,” I whisper back. “I’ll introduce you after the wedding.”
“I do,” Declan says.
“Astrid, do you take Declan to be your husband?”
“I guess I do,” she mutters.
“I declare you wed. Go forth with my blessing.” Diarmuid waves his hand.
“That’s it?” Scarlett asks, tipping her head back to look up at me.
“Not usually. But he’s the king so he can do it however he wants to. This is all formality. The license is what makes it official anyway.”
She nods, then looks back at Astrid and Declan. “They’re not going to kiss?”
Astrid has already gone over to where her mother, grandmother, sister, and brother are gathered. Declan is talking to Iris and Torin.
“I don’t think so.”
“So that’s…”
“Not at all what our wedding will be like,” I tell her.
She looks up at me quickly. “Our wedding?”
“Yes. Our wedding. I love you, Scarlett. And I intend to marry you. When it’s time,” I add. I cup her face and stroke my thumb over her jaw. “I promise I’m not going to rush you. There’s no pressure now. We have all the time we need. I won’t let anyone else pressure you either. In anything. You can be whoever you want to be, and you can show that to the world however you want to.”
She swallows. “I love you, Cian. So much. And I’m done hiding. I’m done being quiet about anything I love and believe in. I want the world to know me, to know who I am and what I believe in and what, and who, I love.”
“Well, that works out really well,” I tell her, my heart feeling like it’s going to explode. “Because now that you’ve shown up in Cara at the palace, there’s about a ninety-five percent chance that you’re going to be a main topic of conversation on a pretty popular podcast.”