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Despite my demons, I found happiness with two men who worship me, protect me, and love me more than anyone ever has before. I’d say that makes me a very lucky woman, and I plan to hold on to them with every breath.

It’s the day of Marcus and Chloe’s wedding, and I have to be honest, I have mixed feelings about today. Given how we were raised, I always knew the day would come that I’d have to watch my sister marry, but I think we both always assumed she’d be with someone out of commitment rather than love.

To know she’s marrying for love means the world to me, but the guy she’s marrying is also my best friend—which is where the mixed feelings come in.

I’ve watched them together for well over a year now, and it’s impossible not to see how much they love each other, and how good they are together. But what if it doesn’t last?

As much as I want to believe this is their forever, I can’t help but worry about what would happen if they ever were to split up. My loyalty would always be to my sister, but Marcus is more than just my friend, he’s my business partner too.

To go against him would be to break the peace treaty our families have in place. Not to mention, Miles works for Marcus, and I have no doubt he’d side with him under any circumstances.

So I’m going to have to put my faith in them making this work, as my world might not survive if their relationship implodes.

“Are you ready?” my sister shouts from the room next door, pulling me out of my negative thoughts.

“I was ready nearly twenty minutes ago, Chloe. You’re the one who is late,” I tell her, letting her hear the amusement in my voice.

“Marcus knew I’d be late,” she mutters from the doorway. “I’m ready now.”

I look over, my breath catching in my throat as soon as I see her. She’s no longer my little sister. The woman standing in front of me, dressed in a beautiful ivory wedding dress, is all grown up, and I couldn’t be prouder.

I don’t know shit about wedding dresses, but I have enough good sense to listen to the women in my life when they talk about them. So I know it’s an A-line gown, with a bit of a train and a sweetheart neckline—whatever the hell that means.

The dress is covered in lace, with just the right amount of sparkles to make it stand out without looking too blingy or tacky. The top part seems to mould to her body, pulling her in and showing off her slim waist, before the material flows out just beyond her hips.

Thankfully, the dress isn’t too puffy, as with Chloe’s short height, I was worried she’d look like those old-fashioned toilet roll covers that our grandma used to have. But there’s nothing ugly about this dress, or my sister.

The longer I stare at her, the more I realise it’s not the dress that’s making her look so beautiful, it’s the bright smile on her face. She’s never looked happier, and seeing her right now settles every nerve I had moments ago. She clearly doesn’t have any hesitations or regrets, and so neither do I.

“You look… I don’t even know if beautiful is a good enough word to cover it, but that’s what I’m going with,” I tell her, stumbling over the best words to use.

Chloe walks towards me and reaches out to grab my hand, her eyes filling with unshed tears. “Thank you for doing this for me,” she says, squeezing my hand.

When Chloe told me she was breaking with tradition, I was more than happy to support her. She’s marrying for love, and she wants to do it her way, so of course I agreed to stand up for her when our parents would inevitably push back.

What I didn’t expect was for her to ask me to walk her down the aisle and give her away, snubbing our father and tradition completely. The responsibility was overwhelming, but I knew why she wanted it to be me instead of our dad.

If he had his way, she’d have been forced into a loveless marriage with Scott the twat, and Dad would have happily dragged her down the aisle to get what he wanted.

This marriage isn’t about Chloe being given away, it’s about her choosing to be with Marcus, so she didn’t want Dad to give her away. She wants me to stand by her side as she chooses her own man, supporting her in her decisions. How the hell could I say no to that?

Granted, I had quite a few arguments with Dad over this. He was worried it would make him look weak in front of the people who still see him as a leader. I quickly reminded him he’s not the leader, I am, and I’m granting Chloe’s request, with or without his support.

Still, he didn’t relent, and Maximus had to intervene in the end. He threatened Dad, making it clear he wouldn’t ruin his only son’s wedding day, and that he’d make sure Chloe got whatever she wanted. The threat was enough for Caleb Santoro to finally push aside his pride and attend the wedding as just a spectator.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” I tell her, as I place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “No, come on, let’s get you to the church before your husband-to-be has a heart attack.”

Chloe lets out a laugh. “I told you, he expects me to be a little late.”

Indie huffs as she sticks her head around the doorframe, putting her phone back in the small clutch bag she’s holding. “Miles has texted me ten times in the last twenty minutes. Apparently, Marcus is stressed, even though he knew you’d be late.”

Chloe rolls her eyes as Indie disappears back into the next room before I can get a good look at her. “Even after all this time, he still thinks I might not show up.”

“That’s because he knows you’re too good for him,” I say, which earns me a glare, but I wave it away. “It’s a good thing. We all know you and Indie are too good for us, but it means we will spend forever trying to be worthy of you.”

Chloe’s face softens, and I breathe a sigh of relief that she might not kill me. The photographer steps in at just the right time, asking to borrow the bride for some final photos before we leave, which Chloe is more than happy to do.

Indie then walks into the room, giving me my first look at her, and she takes my breath away. She’s always been beautiful, but this is something else.