Chapter 50
fifty
MARISSA
The Sunday family meal is ready. The house straightened. And no one’s fighting. Not yet.
I snap my fingers in Xavier’s face. “You’d better act right. This is his future wife.”
His glower is palpable, making my blood rush harder. At least he hasn’t gone cold. That’s when he’s scariest. At least for other people. Not for me.
“Beautiful? She’s welcome here, but that doesn’t mean I have to…trust her.”
Ever since Aiden announced that his appointed was Ashlyn Donovan, Xavier’s been acting weird about the choice. I know he was happy with the first pick. But he won’t exactly tell me why he thinks this girl is wrong for our son. Which makes me worry.
Because Xavier’s an excellent judge of character.
“You don’t need to. Aiden does. And he approves. So be polite.”
“I’ll be polite,” he mutters and pulls me into his chest. “But you know what would make me extra polite?”
I sigh, already bracing.
“My dick in your mouth.”
“Oh? Would it?” I ask sweetly as I drag my hand down his abs to where he’s already hardening. I grip—not gently. “Or I could squeeze hard enough to make you behave for our family.”
He chokes, but his eyes flare with heat. Of course, he likes it. “Either way.” His lips brush mine. “But I’ll behave, as long as you promise one of the two after dinner.”
“Maybe.” I slip out of his arms and down the hall, letting that non-committal answer sit in his chest like a live wire.
As I reach the front door, it swings wide open. Ryan and Pippi stroll in, bringing with them a gust of late January snow.
“We’re here! Did you miss me?” Ryan grabs me in a tight hug, then kisses my cheek as I reach for Pippi.
“I did, and glad you could make it after Friday’s game. You’re not too bruised up?” I ask, and Pippi slots herself under my arm.
“He is,” Pippi says, scolding him with her eyes. “But he’s pretending he’s indestructible.”
Just as they wander into the living room, Aiden and Ashlyn enter behind them. Both look as if they’re holding in a secret.
Mustering up a bright smile, I reach out to hug Ashlyn, who looks as if I may attack her. She stands perfectly still as I wrap my arms around her. “Welcome to family dinner!” I say, but she’s frozen still.
“Uh, thanks for having me.”
Aiden pulls her back into his chest and kisses me swiftly on the opposite cheek as Ryan. “Hey, Mom…” His eyes narrow above my head. “Dad.”
“Hello,” Xavier answers, voice smooth as ice. “And hello, Ashlyn.”
“Hi.”
The silence stretches until I link my arm through hers and lead her into the living room. “Your cousin’s already here with Ryan. You know Henry, my youngest son, and this is Alice, our youngest daughter.”
The smell of roast and garlic bread softens the tension. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” I tell her, trying to warm her up.
Olivia and Valen enter like smoke—shy smiles, fingers intertwined. My heart swells seeing them happy. I just wish Xavier and Aiden could find that same rhythm. They’re too alike. One of them has to bend, and it’s never going to be my husband.
Sitting down, I pour some wine for Olivia and me, then offer some to Ashlyn. She stares at me, wide-eyed.
“I’m too young for that.” But she says it like a test.
“Oh, all right. But if you change your mind—”
Aiden reaches over, grabs the bottle, and pours her a glass anyway, eyes locked on his father.
“So, Ashlyn,” Xavier starts, casual but sharp. Like he hasn’t done all the research on her already. “What are you studying?”
“Architecture. I just changed this semester.”
“Huh.”
“So I appreciate the Eames pieces,” she says quickly. “And the lines in here—really well done.”
Xavier leans back and sips his beer. “It’s Marissa’s concept, but yes. I like it, too.”
“It’s a little like our house,” she adds.
“Yeah, it is. Similar design.”
Aiden smiles, that cocky Cardell smile. One that says he has a winning hand he’s about to lay down. “Ashlyn designed it, Dad.”
Xavier startles. “She designed your house? The earthen modern mansion?”
“A long time ago,” Aiden replies, pulling her closer to him on the bench seat. He presses a kiss to her temple, and she gives a soft grin to her mashed potatoes.
“Impressive. We’ll have to discuss our favorite architects sometime.”
Ashlyn lights up. “Yeah. Definitely.”
She shoves in another bite, opposite of Olivia, who’s taking neat little nibbles. Valen’s only watching my daughter. Ryan and Pippi are in a heated conversation with Henry about some Greek house problem. But Ashlyn seems very aware of everything. Just like Aiden.
“This food is amazing,” she says graciously between chews. “So good… Was it a, um, chef?” She glances around the kitchen.
“No. That’s all me,” Xavier answers, flicking me a sidelong look that asks, Could I like her?
I give him the tiniest nod. You’re doing fine.
Dinner hums along. The kids trade stories, jokes fly, and no one raises their voice. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted—a moment where every Cardell, for once, feels whole.
Across the table, Aiden watches his father laugh. And Xavier gives him a wink. One of solidarity.
Maybe this will work.
The house always smells like wood polish, bourbon, and whatever Dad’s cooking in the oven. Or Mom’s latest attempted baking disaster.
Home. Or what used to be, before we built our own.
After the meal, Ashlyn sits between Olivia and Pippi, cheeks pink from the wine she swore she wouldn’t drink. She’s glowing, laughing at something Henry said, the girls trading low whispers.
Dad’s actually relaxed for once. He’s telling Ryan about the time he raced a dean’s Bentley across the quad to prove he could—and still got invited to the fundraiser after. My little sister’s laughing so hard she nearly drops her phone. The one she’s not supposed to have at the table.
But she gets away with everything.
If you looked at us now, you’d think we were normal.
Mom winks at me from the kitchen island as she scrapes the last of the roast into a storage container. “Dessert’s sort of ready. A little crispy,” she says, eyeing the cobbler she set on the stove.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I like her. She’s got…verve,” she says low, eyes on my beloved.
“I think she and Dad will get along. Maybe they don’t because—”
“She’s as much of a force as you. Which means, she’s a lot like him, too.” She pushes a serving spoon into my stomach. “But that’s exactly the kind of woman you needed. Not someone soft or delicate. No.”
A little glint of tears lines her lower lashes as she presses her palm against my cheek. “My boy needed a spark to his flame. Someone who can make him feel and see things the way no one else can. And I love her for that.”
My throat gets tight. She’s right. I would’ve crushed someone else. The only woman strong enough for me is sitting over on the bench, snorting loudly at Ryan’s stupid impressions.
The rest of our evening goes off without a hitch. Ashlyn is guarded, not fully herself, but that’s okay. I never am either. Not unless I’m alone with her.
Another reason I fucking love her.
Dad pulls me into his office before we leave, signaling me to come alone. With a heavy sigh, he shuts the door. “President Damon’s making orders on her own now. No approval from the board. Either she’s instituting them…or they’re coming from the elders.”
“But those old guys are only figureheads—worshippers at the Cathedral.”
He nods, running a hand through the grays at his temple. “That’s what we thought. But something’s shifted. Either she made them change, or she’s acting in their name. Either way, the POT’s back in control of appointments, and the Board of Trustees is shut out of all decisions.”
His hands close over my shoulders. “Our best move? Get you on the committees. Your brothers on others.”
I scoff. “Dad, that’ll take years.”
“It’s already taken years to rot. It’ll take years to rebuild. But now we’ve got the Von Dovishes, the Josephs, the Turners…”
I glance up and grin. “The Donovans.”
“Yeah, and the Freidenbergs. We’ll build a new system together, flood their ranks with our own, and then we change everything from the inside.”
“Subvert the system,” we say together.
When we aim for the door, saying our goodbyes to everyone, it hits me. Hard. Things are changing. I knew it would be tough, but the future is shaky. The only thing I’m sure of?
The woman standing in front of me with a golden smile.
Dad saunters over and tosses his arm around me, then her. “Thanks for coming. Ashlyn? I look forward to seeing your drawings soon.”
Ashlyn’s face crinkles into a warm smile. “Sure, Mr. Cardell. Thanks for having me.”
He looks out at the Porsche sitting in the front drive. “New car?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I tug Ashlyn into my side. “Ashlyn bought it for me.”
He gives her a nod of approval, then sends us off with a little wave.
When we get in the car, Ashlyn’s ready to turn the heater on full blast. I don’t even need to ask before she’s rubbing her hands together, then grabs mine, saying, “It was a lot better than I thought.”
I huff warm breath onto her hands, then hold them between my gloves as we pull out of the drive.
She’s quiet on the way back to campus, lost somewhere beyond the glass. Finally, she turns toward the windshield and mumbles, “I want that.”
“Want what?”
“A family like yours. You all love each other and get along. There’s no competition or anyone left out. Everyone’s important and feels like they matter. No one’s weird or outcast. You’re a unit.”
My heart aches, and it takes me a minute to collect myself. I clear my throat and squeeze her hand. “You’re in it. You’re about to be a Cardell.”
“Ashlyn Donovan Cardell.”
“No,” I interrupt with a stern reply. “Ashlyn Iyla Cardell.”
Her eyes grow wide, and she straightens in her seat. “We have the same initials! Like what’s on your— Aiden! Did you get that tattoo because of…me?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, of course.”
“I mean, not just my signature for Asshole-In-Charge, but—”
“Yes, baby girl. It’s you. I was going to pick you up. We were going to the courthouse as soon as we could get emancipation papers. Remember?”
“Wow. I missed so much.”
I tug her across the console until she’s in my lap—small, warm, fitting perfectly against me. She surrounds me. Her strawberry scent and golden summer hair.
Pressing a kiss against her freckled cheek, I peek around to the road ahead and say, “But now we have forever.”