“Wow,” I say, smoothly tearing away and running my eyes over the ballroom.
“You like it?”
“Everything looks fantastic. The place looks amazing.”
“I can give you the name of the company we’ve hired.”
I shoot a questioning look at her.
“What?” I mutter. “Who told you?”
“Adele. Was it a secret?”
“Yeah... Sort of.”
“Well. It was short-lived. Everybody knows.”
“Shit.”
The blood drains from my face.
“Why are you so nervous about it?”
“I’m not,” I murmur, although I am.
“I like Jaden,” she says sincerely. “And the word is, he’s made a lot of money.”
“Yeah... he has,” I say. “What did they say?”
“As long as he has money, mom doesn’t care, and dad? You know him. He plays along. Evelyne doesn’t matter. She commented, though, something about him being a ladies’ man. Nobody paid attention to her. She’s too snotty anyway. Nobody meets her expectations. Anyway. Is he coming?”
“Yeah, yeah... He should be here any minute.”
“Good. I can’t wait to get this started.”
“What?” I ask, distracted.
“The party, silly.”
She twirls away, and I get stuck, my feet glued to the floor.
Moments later, I pull out of my daze and saunter back, cruising along the largest corridor of the house.
It was Isabel’s idea to have the wedding reception in my parents’ home, and despite the trouble that usually comes with organizing such an event in someone’s home, they gave her the green light.
Staff fills the rooms––extra servers were hired especially for the occasion. I walk away from the crowd, heading to the study room.
The noise fades away as I push the door open and step inside. Thick logs burn in the fireplace.
I look around.
The place is the same, and up to this day, this is still my favorite room in the house.
I watch the fire, my mind sifting through childhood memories, when the door opens and closes behind me.
Startled, I spin around, and my eyes crash into his.
“What are you doing here?” I say.