She crosses her arms and stares me down. “Lie to yourself all you want, Rave, but you’re not fooling me.”
I avert my gaze, unable to keep up my pretence when she’s looking at me that way. She’s the only one who knows what happened when we were younger, and though I deny it, she’s the only one who knows that I’m still as in love with Ares Windsor as I was then.
“Rave, don’t you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d confessed your feelings to him after that night—”
I hold my hand up and shake my head. “It wouldn’t have mattered. It’s always been Hannah he loved. From the moment she walked into his life, she’s been all he could see. If I’d told him how I felt about him, it’d just have made things awkward between us. I’d have lost his friendship.”
She looks into my eyes, her gaze filled with the same heartache I’m feeling. “Are you really going to stand back and watch Ares marry your sister?”
I turn to face the window and inhale shakily. “What choice do I have? They’ve been together for five years, Sierra. If there was ever a time to make a move, I missed it. They’re happy together, and I wish them well. If either of them finds out about my feelings, it’d cost me my friendship with Ares, and it’d destroy the strained relationship I have with my sister. And what for? He’s never seen me as more than a friend, at best. He never will.”
Sierra shakes her head. “I don’t know about that, you know? I don’t think Ares is as happy as he convinces himself he is, and I sincerely doubt he sees you as just a friend, Rave. He might not be able to admit it to himself, but there’s always been something between you two. It was there before Hannah was ever even in the picture, and she was never able to fully erase it. She may have tried, but she’s never been able to take your place in his life.”
I look down at my hands, unsure what to say. I hate it when she gives me hope that I have no business having. He’s about to become my brother-in-law, and I need to keep the boundaries between us firmly intact if I want to survive their wedding.
“Raven, I’m convinced that the only reason they’re still together is because they know they have no other choice. Just like me, Ares knows he has to marry someone of our Grandma’s choosing… but the one she initially chose for him wasn’t Hannah. It wasyou.”
My heart aches at the reminder. I still remember the day my parents told me they wanted to retire and decided to merge their independent movie production company, Dreamessence, with Windsor Media. The Windsors and the Du Ponts had been business rivals right until that point, but the proposed merger changed everything — and not just for my parents.
They wanted to keep their beloved company in the family, and since the Windsors are well-known for arranging marriages for their heirs, they were handed the perfect solution. A marriage between the Windsors and the Du Ponts would keep the company in the family, and it’d keep both families in control of the business.
At the time, the one they considered for this arrangement wasn’t Hannah. It was me. Due to my friendship with Sierra, they thought I’d be the best fit. I was only twenty when the deal was made, but I’d been happy, and Ares didn’t seem opposed to it either.
That all changed when I took Hannah with me to Sierra’s twenty-first birthday party. I remember that night vividly. I saw him first, but she’s the one he never looked away from.
ChapterTwo
Raven
* * *
My heart skips a beat when I see Ares leaning against his car as he waits for me in front of my office building.
I pause for a moment and take him in. His dark hair, that sharp jaw, those green eyes that are identical to Sierra’s. It isn’t fair that he continues to get more handsome the older we get. Each time I see him, he feels a little more out of reach. Ares looks up and straightens when he notices me standing by the entrance, a smile transforming his face.
“Hi!” I tell him as he holds the door open for me. Ares grins at me, and I smile back at him. There’s a good chance I’ll regret giving into him later, but until then, I’m going to enjoy every second of it.
“Where are we going?” I ask when he gets in beside me, his hands wrapping around the steering wheel.
Ares leans back against the headrest and tilts his face toward me. “Raven,” he says, sounding petulant. I can’t help the way my heart races when he says my name like that, and I involuntarily turn toward him, facing him. “Why don’t I ever see you anymore?”
Ares genuinely looks distraught, as though he really has missed me, and that fire I keep trying to douse reignites once more.
“I’ve just been busy.” My voice is weak, soft, as though I can’t make myself lie to him with authority. “I’m working really insane hours. I’ve got so many modeling contracts, and I’m trying to grow my fashion brand at the same time. Honestly, some days I barely have time to eat or sleep.”
He nods and drags his gaze away, a hint of concern in his expression as he starts the car. “Don’t overwork yourself, Rave. Remember to take care of yourself, okay? You can’t always be working. You need to have a social life too. When was the last time you saw your parents?”
I force a smile onto my face and cross my arms. The older I get, the less I see my parents. Their entire world revolves around Hannah, and I hate going where I’m not welcome. I shouldn’t feel excluded in my own home, but I do. “Sierra was actually just in my office,” I tell him. “I do have friends, you know.”
He glances at me the way he does sometimes, as though he can see straight through my lies and deception, but he nods nonetheless.
“What are you thinking of buying this year?” I ask him, my tone light and friendly.
He glances back at me with a smile on his face. “What do you think of some jewelry, maybe?”
I nod. “A new statement piece, perhaps?”
Ares looks at me with such a blank expression that I burst out laughing, and that just makes him smile in return. “I haven’t heard you laugh in so long, Raven. I missed it.”