She closes her eyes briefly, steadying herself.
But before she can say anything, my brother and his friends are stumbling into the room. I drop my hand and turn to them. I should smile or something. I think I read once that families are happy to see each other. But whoever wrote that book never had a family like mine.
Andrew already reeks of alcohol. He always does these days. I used to joke that it wasn’t a holiday until Dad had bought Andrew out of a DUI and made his latest arrest go away. Back then, I thought that shit was funny. Now, it’s disgusting.
“Oh, good. You met her,” Andrew slurs. He sways on his feet.
I glance at Cadence, and her entire expression has gone blank. She turns to the mirror and pretends to fuss with her dress and hair, ignoring her husband-to-be. I’m guessing this isn’t the magical first look that most couples have on their wedding day. Figures Andrew would be marrying as part of a business merger. I should have seen that coming.
I reach for his tie and quickly undo the sloppy knot. Cadence is sweet. She doesn’t fit in here among them. There’s no calculating gleam in her eye, no streak of cruelty that she’s waiting to unleash.
“She’s a fuckin’ hippo,” he complains as if she’s not in the room.
He makes a wheezing sound when I tighten the tie harder than necessary around his throat. He’ll never appreciate those big tits or those ample hips. He’ll never watch with awe and wonder as she climbs into his lap. He’ll never look at her and see his queen.
I glance toward Cadence, but there’s not even a hint of surprise on her face. Fuckin’ jack ass. This isn’t the first time he’s talked about her like this and certainly not the first time he’s done it in front of her. No, the only thing in her expression is steely determination. She must need him badly if she’s willing to put up with my brother.
“Put her fat ass on a diet,” one of the groomsmen suggests. He’s dealing cards to the other groomsmen.
I glare in the direction of the five guys I used to hang out with when I was together with my brother. Were they always like this? How did I never notice?
“Everyone knows that whales don’t diet,” another groomsmen quips and all of them break into cruel laughter that has my blood boiling.
I finish his tie and drop my hands, squeezing them into fists. She wants him. She’s chosen him. She knows what she’s getting.
“Hey, Cadence,” my brother leers. I hate the sound of her name on his lips. I hate the way he’s looking at her and the things he must think about her. His lips twist in a smile that’s anything but kind. “Can whales even orgasm?”
That’s how my older brother ends up on the floor with a bloody nose, crying like the little bitch he is. It takes two of his asshole friends to pull me off of him because I might barely be able to speak but I’m still in fighting shape. Hell, I’m in better shape now than I ever was.
Somewhere in my brain, Cadence’s gasp registers. But I don’t even look at her. I’m too damn intent on putting my brother in his place.
“What the hell is your problem?” Andrew demands as he scrambles to his feet, holding his nose. “Is your brain still scrambled, you dumb mute?”
Maybe the barb would have stung once upon a time, but I have a bigger mission in life now. It’s to protect and love my girl. Yeah, Cadence is mine and as soon as the realization blooms in my chest, I know it’s the truth. Summoning all of my focus, I manage to growl a single word at him, “Mine.”
He makes a sound that might be a chuckle. It’s hard to tell around all the blood that’s leaking onto his tuxedo and the way he’s cradling his nose. “Wait. You want lardo?”
I nod at him. Growing up, he’d never give me what I wanted. We were always in fierce competition and even though he was older than me, I was still the favored son. He might not want to give me her, but it doesn’t matter. Because I will keep fighting him until he surrenders her.
“Oh, this is too good. The whale and the idiot.” His voice has taken on a nasally quality and he has to stop to shove tissue up his nostrils.
Under his eyes are already turning purple. He’ll have the best surgeon in town reset the damn thing within an hour. The only thing I truly hurt was his pride. “Tell you what, little bro. You can have her. But you handle mom and dad.”
My parents may not admit it but they’ll both be relieved to marry Cadence off to me. They’ll still get what they want while being able to use Andrew in another of their schemes. They’ll probably marry him off to a rich heiress that he can make miserable for a few years before she gets the good sense to divorce him.