Page 22

TWENTY-TWO

LANDRY

When I walked out the door of Teddy’s office, I felt utterly at peace. For the first time, I knew what I wanted. More importantly, I knew who I wanted.

And miracle of miracles, he wanted me back.

A Chaska Inira quote echoed in my mind: “A heart at peace is the truest sign you have chosen well. Trust in your path, walk it with confidence, and let the universe meet you with open arms.”

I grinned as I reached the wide entryway leading to the street, wondering what Kenji would say if I told him I’d been thinking of Chaska unironically… and giddy to get back to Hawling House to find out. With any luck, he’d still be in bed.

“Lord Hawling?” A uniformed attendant hurried after me. “The prime minister had a message for you?—”

I held up a hand, not slowing down. “I just finished speaking with him. Any convincing arguments he forgot to make can wait until I see him at the museum benefit in a few weeks.”

I nodded at the security agent by the door, and he pulled it open, letting in a shaft of unexpectedly bright London winter sunshine. I smiled at him and stepped through?—

And the world erupted.

A wall of camera flashes and shouted questions hit me before my foot touched the pavement outside the gate.

“Lord Hawling! Is the speculation about your marriage true?”

“Care to comment on the rumors?”

Reporters pressed around me, microphones outstretched. Tourists stopped mid-step, pulling out their phones in the hopes of capturing something newsworthy.

I had no idea what they were talking about. Had someone caught Kenji and Jamie smiling at each other the night before? The idea would have sent me into a green rage yesterday but almost made me laugh now.

“No comment,” I said, scanning the street for Simon with the car.

“Do you have proof of your marriage?”

“Where exactly were you married, and on what day?”

“Does your husband know Lindsey Graves? Is her accusation true?”

I hesitated. Lindsey Graves . That name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

Then, a reporter shoved a phone in my face… and everything clicked.

“H e specifically told me he and Landry weren’t romantically involved at all, ” the woman on the screen insisted. “That he was just a personal assistant who helps with Landry’s public relations. In fact, he said he’d do anything for his employer, including crisis management! I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole marriage thing was a stunt to distract from the fact that Landry rescued his freaking PA while the rest of us suffered!”

Fuck.

I remembered Kenji’s concern about leaving people behind in San Cordova, and Lindsey Graves, the influencer we’d uncovered when we were trying to find him, had been one of the names on the list.

Had Kenji seen this video? Was he freaking out?

I realized I hadn’t turned my phone back on after leaving Teddy’s office, and as soon as I did, dozens of missed texts flooded in from Nan, Cora, and even Lydia.

The one from Kenji answered my earlier question.

Kenji

I’m so sorry. I’ll fix this. Come home as soon as you can.

My heart rate kicked up. What did he mean, fix this ? Fix it how? And why did I get the uncomfortable feeling he wouldn’t be waiting at Hawling House when I got there?

I fired off a reply.

Kenji, my beloved… what’s going on?

“Is your relationship a scam?” a reporter demanded, shoving a tiny microphone at me.

“Absolutely not,” I said firmly.

She didn’t look convinced. “We have reports that your supposed husband has already left the country. He was seen leaving Hawling House and boarding a private plane. Can you tell us where he’s going and why?”

I scowled. No, I couldn’t tell them because he hadn’t freaking told me.

Except…

Oh.

Come home , Kenji had said.

Not to Hawling House. Not to the city.

But to the place I knew had stolen his heart from the moment I first saw the painting of the Three Daughters on his apartment wall.

I blew out a breath. I trusted Kenji more than I’d ever trusted another living soul.

If he said he’d fix it, then he would.

And if my husband wanted me home… that’s where I’d go.

“Was it all a hoax, or are the two of you truly together?” another reporter shouted.

I took a deep breath, the cool winter air energizing me from within.

If I knew Kenji—and I fucking did—he’d want me to be charming and noncommittal.

Unfortunately for him, I had no intention of avoiding commitment.

I grinned at the reporter. “You want the truth? Here it is: Kenji Toma is the love of my life. He will own my heart until the day the Earth stops rotating and our remains crumble into cosmic dust. And because he is the kindest, most generous, and most forgiving human on the planet, he loves me just as much. That’s not a hoax. It’s the most real and constant thing in the universe.”

I graced them with the most lordly eyebrow raise I’d ever conjured. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go join my husband. Our niece just had her second birthday, and she received a shocking lack of noisy toys to properly celebrate it. Kenji and I intend to rectify that.”

The press erupted, firing off more questions, but for the first time since stepping out publicly as Everett Davencourt, I actually enjoyed the chaos.

No false identity to accidentally reveal. No modeling career to derail.

And, as of thirty minutes ago, no political campaign to fuck up.

There was just me, telling the world that Kenji was mine no matter what the paperwork said…

Before finding him and strangling him—lovingly, of course—for flying off half-cocked instead of waiting for me.

Simon pulled up, and I managed to make a smooth exit from the fray. “To Hawling House and then the airport,” I said as he pulled away from the curb. “I need to be in the air as soon as possible.”

As soon as possible turned out to be several hours, but only because the only commercial airline that still had a flight out today was the one I was contractually obligated to avoid.

Thankfully, Jamie Winthrop came through for me with his family’s plane.

“It’s not as nice as yours,” he’d teased, “but it’ll get you there by dinnertime.”

As soon as the plane took off and the white noise of the engine was a steady thrum in my ears, exhaustion caught up with me. I slept for most of the ten-hour flight.

When I landed at the small Majestic airstrip, snow covered the ground, but the sky was dark and clear, with bright white pinpricks scattered from one horizon to the other.

I thanked the flight crew profusely, shouldered my backpack, and grabbed the handle of my large rolling suitcase to carry it down the stairs.

Unfortunately, the Winthrop plane hadn’t had working Wi-Fi, but it had been a blessing in disguise. My shoulders had dropped once I was out of easy reach of the paparazzi and their endless bullshit headlines.

By the time I spotted Foster Blake’s sheriff’s SUV waiting by the tarmac, the urge to strangle my beloved had settled from a raging flame to a warm flicker.

“Let’s go,” Foster grumbled, reaching for my suitcase. “Everyone’s waiting.”

“Waiting? Who’s everyone? How’d you know to pick me up?”

He snorted. “How do you think, Landry?” He tossed my suitcase in the back of the SUV and slammed the hatch. “Get in.”

Once we were inside the still-warm vehicle, I shuddered in relief. There was London winter cold, and then there was Wyoming winter cold, and they weren’t even in the same segment of the thermometer.

“Do you know what Kenji’s planning?” I demanded.

“Yep,” Foster said.

I huffed. “He hasn’t replied to my text in twelve hours. And I know my phone is working because I got texts from Nan and Cora as soon as I landed.”

“He’s busy,” Foster said.

When nothing more was forthcoming, I prompted, “Doing what exactly?”

After several more minutes of silence, I turned to the usually chatty sheriff. “Okay, what’s going on? Why are you in a pissy mood? You’re usually chipper and cheerful.”

And flirty , but I didn’t say that since I didn’t want to imply I’d be into it. Foster was handsome as fuck but was about as toppy as they came, and more to the point, he wasn’t Kenji Toma.

Foster cut his eyes to mine. “Have you ever had to sit through a wedding right after you’d gotten your heart stomped on?”

I blinked. “Uh, no? Why?” I glanced over at his stormy expression with a combination of panic and amusement.

Is he looking for relationship advice? From… me?

Foster didn’t reply.

“I’d ask who’s getting married, but I didn’t think you’d been dating anyone,” I went on. “So I assume this is a… metaphor of some kind?”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Not dating. I just… I met a guy.” He gritted his teeth and kept his eyes on the road. “Why are all the best men straight? And what kind of shitty-fucking fuckery is it for me to finally find someone who lit my fucking fire, only to find out he was fucking engaged ? To a woman !”

I was having trouble following his disjointed complaints. “And you have to go to his wedding?”

“No! Jesus.” He turned to me with a furrowed brow. “I’m going to your wedding, you idiot.”

My hand rubbed down over my mouth and chin as I tried rearranging the conversation to make it make sense. It didn’t work.

“ I’m getting married?” My heart kicked into a furious rhythm. “Are you sure?”

Foster snorted. “Sure as the sunrise,” he said as he turned down the driveway to Dev and Tully’s ranch house. “Fastest wedding planning in Majestic history. But don’t you worry. I bet Kenji magicked you a good one.”

I stared at him for a long moment, jaw gaping, then turned my stare out the windshield.

I’d known Kenji would have a plan—a plan any war general would envy, complete with troop movements of his assistants, billionaires deployed like operatives, and multiple redundancies. I’d even assumed part of the plan involved fabricating some kind of marital proof.

It hadn’t occurred to me that he’d plan us an actual fucking wedding without giving me advance notice.

Or, say, verifying that I’d be in attendance.

I hid my grin by turning toward the northern sky. “Yeah. He would have, wouldn’t he?”

As soon as we pulled up beside the house, the front door burst open. Kenji came rushing down the steps to my side of the vehicle.

I jumped out and reached for him immediately. “Baby?—”

He held up his hand, stepping back, though his eyes danced. “Don’t you start with the babies right now, mister. We’re on a schedule. Anna Kincaid is going to be here with her television crew in thirty minutes, and if we’re not married by then, none of this will work.”

“Married?” I was grinning madly. Couldn’t stop myself. “Is this a proposal? Aren’t you supposed to get on a knee?”

“Judge Whiteplume is willing to backdate the paperwork, but he insists on it not being a complete lie, so…” Kenji glanced behind us to make sure Foster couldn’t overhear, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “…wife me now, Lord Landry, and I’ll get on my knees later.” He winked.

Since there was nothing I wanted more, I couldn’t pretend to disagree, even in jest. I grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him into me for a single hard kiss.

“Okay,” I said softly. Happiness filled me like cotton candy on steroids.

Kenji’s face softened for half a second before he rolled his eyes and pulled away. “Dammit, stop looking at me with that expression, or we’ll never get it done in time. Now, go change your clothes into something that works for both a wedding and a global network interview.”

He turned to hurry back into the house. My eyes went straight to his tight little ass.

I’d thought there was nothing hotter than watching Kenji Toma run the world, but I’d been wrong.

Watching him “magic” us a wedding was ten times hotter.

Foster caught up to me, still grumbling. “Stop being so in love. It’s disgusting.”

“Don’t think I won’t want the details about your Mr. Almost Right,” I warned as he passed me carrying my suitcase with one burly arm.

“It’s Dr . Almost Right,” he muttered. “And I promise you, we’ll never discuss him again.”

As I entered the familiar house, Zane, Silas, Dev, and Bash all rushed me back to my bedroom and shoved clothes at me. I recognized the outfit as the one I’d worn for Christmas dinner and then left here. Since this house was kind of a second home for me, it was easier to leave an extra set of everything here on the off chance I could zip to Wyoming between jobs.

I wondered what it would be like now that I was more in control of my own schedule.

I guessed the answer depended on what Kenji wanted.

“Are you drunk?” Bash murmured as he leaned in to adjust a strand of my hair that had gotten displaced when I yanked the sweater over my head. I could smell traces of coffee on his breath. “Because I don’t think I’ve seen anyone this happy to be force-married in my life.”

I grinned at him, unsure if my cheeks would ever relax again. “Have you seen anyone force-married?”

Bash smirked and opened his mouth?—

“Don’t say it,” Silas warned. “I was drunk, and you know it. I still maintain Vegas puts some kind of get-married drug in their drinks. Why else would so many people do it? It’s weird.”

Zane had full-on heart-eyes. “I think it’s amazing. You and Kenji, both so clearly in love. Finally .”

I tugged my cuffs, smoothing my sweater. “Do I look marriageable?”

“You’ll do.” Dev pushed off the wall and brushed invisible lint from my shoulders. “I’m so fucking happy for you.” His voice was thick with emotion. “You deserve each other. And I don’t mean that the way it sounds.”

Everyone chuckled, stepping in to slap me on the back and fidget with my appearance.

I’d dreamed of a moment like this. Being surrounded by the men who loved me most in the world—with the sole exceptions of my father and Kenji. No longer having to hide who I was or who I loved. Getting ready to celebrate something real. Something joyful. Something forever.

My eyes burned. “I’m so sorry for not telling you guys. About London, about the earldom. About…” I stopped to take a shaky breath. “I was so afraid of losing you. This . What we have.”

Bash’s hand landed on my shoulder, firm and steady, like the big brother he’d always been to me. “I want to say it doesn’t matter that you’re a motherfucking viscount —” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “—but it does. It matters because it’s a part of you. And I— we —love you.”

“But if you think this means we’re calling you my lord ,” Dev said gruffly, “then… you’re absolutely right. I plan to be obnoxious about it.”

My laughter came out slightly soggy. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“If my brother is a viscount,” Silas mused, “what does that make me?”

“Still a pain in the ass,” Zane said cheerfully, then yelped when Silas pretended to lunge for him.

“This Brotherhood has been the greatest gift of my life. Until now,” I added. “Thank you. For standing by me.”

Dev smirked. “Where else would we be…?”

“Don’t do it,” Silas and Bash warned in unison.

“… my lord ?”

Laughter exploded around us, unrestrained and giddy.

“Landry Davis… Davencourt… Whatever The Fuck, get your ass out here,” Foster boomed through the door. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

My chest filled with something vast and unshakable.

I wiped my eyes, took a steadying breath, and grinned.

Time to marry my husband.

As we all filed out, Foster muttered something about me being better off just becoming a Toma. I could only imagine the look on my father’s face if I even tried it.

Come to think of it, maybe he’d accept it better than Nan would.

Halfway down the hall to the family room, someone reached out and yanked me into a bedroom, slamming the door behind us.

Kenji was dressed in a crisp white button-down shirt and gray trousers with the slightest hint of a mustard and navy tweed plaid in it. His dark hair was pulled into a purposefully messy bun, and his collar was open just enough to reveal the dip between his collarbones.

He looked like someone who would upstage me on any runway.

“You okay, baby?” I shot him a smile that had to look smug as fuck. “I heard someone’s forcing us to get married today.”

His expression was serious. “I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous.”

My smile faded. “Hey. We don’t have to do anything you don’t?—”

Kenji stopped me with a kiss. “Nervous I won’t get this right.” He brought my hand to his lips, then met my eyes. “But marrying you? I have never been more sure of anything.”

He huffed out a laugh. “I may have been the last to know I’d been in a serious relationship for the last three years, but I see it so clearly now. Midnight snacks in my office. Lunch-break runs in the park. Bickering over takeout menus. Deep conversations about everything . Friday night sex that lasted until dawn on Saturday, and Saturday sex that turned into watching Sunday football on the sofa.”

He swallowed, pressing my hand to the center of his chest. “I tried so hard to keep you from getting in here, Landry. So fucking hard. I was terrified I’d let myself fall and would never get back up.” His lips curved slightly. “Turns out I fell a long time ago.”

He stepped back, then sank to his knees. “I know it’s cheesy, but I need you to know I am down on my knees begging because I love you more than I ever thought possible. I am yours for life, in whatever kind of life you want that to be. Everett Landry Davencourt, Viscount Hawling… will you marry me?”

I yanked him up and crashed my mouth into his, pulling him in so tight he had to hop up and wrap his legs around my waist.

“I love you,” he murmured against my lips. “Love you so much, Landry.”

The words poured over me, sinking into every parched, longing crack in my soul like cool rain after a drought.

“Of course I’ll marry you. You’re my fucking husband.” I pressed my forehead to his. “But next time, baby, can you wait for me before flying off without saying a word?”

“Did you worry I was leaving you?” His eyes searched mine. “I saw the headlines. Right now, I might be in Mallorca with Jamie Winthrop?—”

I snorted. “Cora might have something to say about that. No, Kenji,” I said more seriously. “I didn’t doubt for one second that you were off fixing things for me?—”

“For us ,” he corrected. “Because fixing things for the people I love is what I do.” He shrugged. “And we were kind of in a time crunch, you know?”

This man. This impossible man. My impossible man.

“How’d you even know I’d come?” I wondered.

Kenji slid down until he was back on his own feet. “Because I needed you. And being there when the people you love need you is what you do.” He brushed a lock of hair off my forehead. “You’re very dependable that way… even if it took me way too long to figure it out.”

“I do love you,” I whispered. “More than life.”

“I know,” Kenji said simply. “Now, c’mon. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

He tried tugging me toward the door, but I resisted. “You should know, I told Teddy I don’t want to be an MP. I withdrew my name from consideration.”

“Wait, really?” Kenji looked more concerned than surprised. “What about your family’s legacy? I was serious when I said I wanted to help you accomplish your dreams?—”

“I know.” I pulled him close and cupped his beautiful, dear face. “And that’s what gave me the strength I needed to realize that you are my dream, and I want my legacy to be this . You and me. Us. The life we choose, the family we choose, everything we build together. You’ve already helped me accomplish so much, Kenj. Now it’s my turn to support you .”

As he stepped up on his toes to kiss me, I felt our love like a promise.

This, here, was our stated vow.

The actual ceremony was quick and cheerful. Each of the guys had volunteered to step forward and say something. Dev went first.

“ A strong marriage is not two halves becoming whole, but two wholes growing together. ” He nodded solemnly and stepped back.

I tried not to think that it sounded cliché as hell. And uncomfortably familiar.

Silas stepped forward and cleared his throat. “ Marriage is not about finding the right person… but becoming the right partner. ”

I narrowed my eyes.

Bash gave Silas a serious nod of approval before taking his place. “ Like a river and the shore, true partners shape each other with time and grace. ”

Foster muttered, “Mostly through years of gentle erosion.”

Were they joking? Had these come from the back of a soda can?

Zane stepped forward. “ Love is the seed … but commitment is the garden. ”

Ryan reached out and yanked Zane back as everyone tried not to howl with laughter.

Kenji snorted but tried to maintain his composure as the men who were supposed to love me most in the world spewed Chaska Inira bullshit all over my wedding.

Kush Whiteplume, the judge most likely to throw back a beer or three with us on a Saturday night in town, rolled his eyes at Foster before looking back at Kenji and me.

“It’s a blessing to solemnize a relationship in which I’ve been able to witness the, uh… seed flinging for a couple of years. May you live long and prosper with a sense of humor and a heap of patience. By the power vested in me by the great state of Wyoming, I now pronounce you… two wholes. Growing together. Or whatever the hell Devon said. Now… go on and kiss. You two earned it.”

Everyone burst out laughing as I grabbed my husband and kissed him soundly.

Warm puffs of air escaped his nose as he laughed, and I wondered just how many times I’d get to experience such a thing.

“I love you, Kenji.”

“I love you, too.”

A champagne cork popped, followed by a whoop. Way’s sister, Sheridan, and her husband brought out trays of appetizers and champagne glasses while Foster’s mother, Jo, danced around with Lellie in her arms. “With this Ring” by the Platters crooned over the Bluetooth speakers.

Balloons and streamers in birthday colors hung from the ceiling and walls, ostensibly for Lellie’s birthday but in reality for our wedding celebration. They had Kenji’s fastidious nature written all over them, and they were definitely too fresh to have been left over from her birthday party.

Kenji grinned up at me, his arms still wrapped around my waist. “You don’t seem bothered by all this. Just used to me telling you what to do?”

“Maybe,” I mused. “Or maybe I’ll do anything to be in your presence, including getting ambushed into marriage before giving a sit-down interview with one of the most intimidating media personalities alive today.” I narrowed my eyes. “Speaking of, how did you get Anna Kincaid to Majestic, Wyoming, on such short notice, anyway?”

“Zane called in a favor with Jude Marian,” he admitted as someone pulled us apart long enough to shove glasses into our hands. “Apparently, she did his original coming out interview, and they stayed in touch.”

“Speech!” Tully cried.

Bash and Silas gave their vocal agreement, and Dev pulled out his phone to take pictures.

I wrapped my arm around Kenji’s waist. “I’d like to say thank you to everyone for pulling this together so quickly. Thank you to Judge Whiteplume for the incredibly expedited paperwork.” I shot him a wink, earning an eye roll and a grudging nod. “Thank you to Foster for being a rock-solid witness at our, ah, December ceremony. And mostly, thank you to my beloved husband, Kenji, for always rescuing me from the many scrapes I get into.” I lifted my glass. “Including this one.”

Kenji’s cheeks darkened as I gazed at him and continued, “Did you know lobsters shed their shells to grow? In the meantime, they’re left vulnerable. Their mate holds them and protects them until it’s over.” Just as his eyes softened, I grinned. “And then they mate for several days.”

Everyone groaned and clinked glasses while Kenji grabbed the front of my sweater and pulled me in for a punishing kiss.

The toasts, laughter, and celebration continued until the television crew finally arrived.

Kenji and I sat down with Anna Kincaid in Dev and Tully’s study. The built-in bookcases filled with legal books and a wide variety of novels made a perfect backdrop—serious enough for a news interview, cozy enough to remind us we were exactly where we belonged.

Her crew worked fast, setting up and rolling cameras before we had time to overthink. The interview passed quickly, and afterward, Anna stayed for dinner, where everyone wove in references to our beautiful December wedding.

The following morning, with all of us in our pajamas and sweats, we took turns reading out the headlines from the internet.

Landry Davencourt and Kenji Toma Face the Nation with Receipts!

The Earl’s Heir Fights Back Against Fake Marriage Claims!

Davencourt Heir Picks Love Over Legacy in Political Shockwave!

Grave Mistake? Lindsey Graves Caught in Royal Wedding Hoax!

A Modern-Day Fairy Tale? Landry & Kenji Prove Their Love

I had to admit, the last one was my favorite.

“Wait,” Zane said a moment later as he continued to scroll on his phone. “Landry, didn’t you model for Vencari?”

“Yeah, why?”

We were curled up on one of the big sofas together, enjoying coffee and leftover wedding cake, and I was busy walking my fingers under the edge of Kenji’s oversized hoodie to find warm skin underneath.

“Here’s a headline about that guy you got in the fistfight with,” Zane said. He cleared his throat and read:

From Designer Suits to Dirty Secrets: Vencari Power Player Accused of Misconduct!

Behind the Velvet Curtain: Vencari Talent Scout Faces Scandal Over ‘Special’ Model Selections!

I shot Kenji a glare. “Seriously?”

He shrugged. “You know what’s better than cold revenge? Really cold revenge. Icy. Freezer-burned, in fact.”

“Please tell me that’s the worst of it,” I begged. “We just got out of one scandal. I don’t want to hop right into another.”

Kenji shrugged but didn’t look up from his tablet. “Depends on which is worse. Losing your professional reputation or your hair? His barber might accidentally swap the shampoo for hair removal cream at his next appointment at four-thirty on Tuesday afternoon. Who’s to say?”

I mock-shuddered. “Remind me never to cross you, husband.”

He looked up and met my eyes. His mouth curved into a delicious, affectionate smile. “Just don’t withhold information from me ever again, and we’ll be fine.”

I threaded my fingers through his messy, beautiful hair. “Then I guess I should probably tell you, now that you’re officially my husband… I’m kind of a secret billionaire.”

Kenji didn’t even blink. Instead, he smirked, reached for his coffee, and murmured, “As Chaska Inira says, ‘Nobody likes a sarcastic asshole.’”

I laughed, pulling him in for a kiss. “That is absolutely not a real quote.”

Kenji kissed me back, smiling against my lips. “It is now.”

And over the course of our long marriage, it would become the Chaska quote used most often in our home.