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Yes.
I had thought that.
And I felt pretty good about it.
More than that.
I felt excellent.
Probably better than any other man at the wedding. Including Cameron. He had seemed rather absent-minded and a bit grumpy. Hanny apparently didn't ignite much passion in him, and the thought of a future with her seemed to make him rather disgruntled.
I grinned.
So I would outdo my brother in this respect as well.
I looked at myself in the mirror one more time, grinned again, satisfied with my unusual outfit, and made my way downstairs. As I crossed the salon, my grandmother came towards me.
"Carter! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Grandma Ruth looked at me reproachfully.
"I had an urgent call to make. Work doesn't rest even today, at least not for me," I apologized.
"And why do you have to do that in sportswear?" my grandmother wanted to know. "That's not exactly appropriate for a wedding party."
I laughed and hugged my grandmother. She was always concerned about the family's well-being and had always made sure that we all looked good, were neatly combed, and wore clean clothes. That hadn't changed. "Of course, I don't have to do it in sportswear. My suit got wet earlier when I had to get a child out of the pool."
"Get a child out of the pool?" my grandmother repeated questioningly.
"A little boy fell into the water while playing. He couldn't swim," I explained.
"You really are a good boy, Carter," my grandmother said then and patted my arm. "And you deserve only the best."
I grinned.
Yes, I did.
As much as my grandmother had sometimes annoyed me with her attempts at upbringing, I loved her just as much. I wouldn't want to miss her for anything in the world. And in the end, she had usually been right. Even now. The engagement had turned out to be exactly what I needed.
I had hesitated for a long time to admit it to myself, but that's exactly how it was.
"Is Isabella the best for you?" my grandmother asked now and looked at me sharply.
"Yes! Of course! You've met her. Don't you like her?" My grandmother had seemed to take Isabella to her heart earlier, so I didn't understand why she was now expressing doubts about our relationship.
"I heard that you two aren't really engaged and that all of this is just a game. What on earth are you thinking?" Grandma Ruth lifted her silver cane from the floor and poked it between my ribs. I briefly winced. That would leave a bruise. I wouldn't have thought Grandma Ruth had so much strength. Was she fooling us all and didn't really need the cane at all?
I focused my thoughts on the present.
"Where did you hear that?" I wanted to know.
"Aha! So you admit it's true!" Grandma Ruth looked at me angrily.
"I didn't say that! Of course it's not true! I got engaged because... well, because Isabella is the right woman for me. But I want to know who's spreading such rumors about me!" I looked at my grandmother energetically. That at least elicited a small smile from her.
"I see, you're just like me," she praised me now.
"Who's saying such things?" I wouldn't let it go. Had Cameron betrayed me?
"I won't tell you," my grandmother replied.