Page 42 of Lavish

I shifted awkwardly. Laurene looked after her sisters. She was second oldest, but like Erik, she was super protective, so I needed to tread lightly.

“Lu…” I started. “You don’t understand?—”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything to Erik or our parents.”

She reached forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Listen, I get it,” she said, her tone softening as she leaned in a little. “I’ve been there, Miles. With Reese, I—” She paused, as if the words were hard to say. “We were together before everything happened. Before my engagement to his brother. Before everything went to hell.”

What she said made my throat close up.

“It wasn’t easy coming back home, Miles. And it sure as hell wasn’t easy when my family decided to set me up in an arranged marriage with the one person I tried to forget. I know it’s hard for you because you stayed. I couldn’t have done that.”

I watched as a myriad of emotions crossed her face, and she placed her hand on her swollen belly.

“I thought I was over it. Over him,” Laurene continued softly. “Our marriage was supposed to be a duty. I thought I could just show up, smile, survive. But the feeling that…you’ve been ripped apart by your own choices and the what-ifs keep you up at night? You can’t ignore that. And when I was standing across from the man who knew me better than anyone else—who stillsawme—I couldn’t just let all my feelings die.”

For a second, it felt like she forgot I was even there.

“Serena is different. We’ve always loved her, but it was clear she never moved through the world the same way as us. She doesn’t do mess. Chaos overwhelms her. Feelings overwhelm her. She likes structure. Predictability. Control. It’s how she protects herself.”

I nodded.

“It takes someone brave, open-minded, patient, and extremely compassionate to be with her,” Laurene said. “And I think that person has always been you.”

I whistled low, scratching my neck. “Damn, Lu. Brave, open-minded, patient, compassionate? You got me sounding like a therapy dog or some shit.”

She rolled her eyes. “If you’re standing here, trying to act like you don’t feel any of that with Serena, maybe you should ask yourself if you’re lying to her, or just to yourself.”

I sighed. “My situation is not the same as yours.”

“I know it’s not the same, but there’s this…tension, right? Between you two? The kind that doesn’t go away just because you’re forced to stand next to each other or you pretend to hateone another. It doesn’thaveto be about what our families expect from you. It’s about what you both choose to face—and what you’re willing to fight for together.”

My heart was pounding in my chest.

“I think you both could be happy together. If you want to be.”

That word hit harder than it should’ve.

Happy.

I didn’t know what to say.

Because deep down, I remembered her smile too.

“Thanks,” I said, my voice rough. “I’ll…think about it.”

Laurene smiled, patting me on my shoulder she brushed by. “We’ll be in there soon.”

The veil in Laurene’s hand was still a reminder of everything I had to lose—and everything I didn’t know how to fix.

I walked toward the mayor’s office and stepped inside with no hesitation.

Standing by the window, looking out, was Erik.

Of fucking course.

“Erik,” I said.