Page 36 of My Horrible Arranged Marriage (Bancroft Billionaire Brothers #20)

ISAAC

I flipped through page after page of real estate listings.

It was a little early to start house shopping, but she had put the idea in my head and now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I didn’t know the first thing about owning a home.

I would have to get a gardener and pool boy and have a repairman on speed dial.

At least that’s what I had picked up after spending time with my brothers and Dad.

There always seemed to be something to be done around the house.

It was a big responsibility. I knew how much Mina loved the Duvall estate.

We could certainly afford something like that, but it seemed a bit much. Did we really need a ballroom?

The song I was supposed to be listening to ended. “Shit,” I muttered.

I had been distracted. Mina sent me a list of songs to listen to. Songs we were supposed to be picking for our first dance.

I switched back to the screen and clicked the link for the next song I was supposed to be listening to.

The soft melody of a piano filled the room, followed by a soulful voice that immediately caught my attention.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the music wash over me.

It was a love song, but not the cheesy, over-the-top kind.

It was raw and honest, with lyrics that spoke of finding someone who made you feel like you’d finally come home.

I had never heard it before. But it was good.

Was it okay to pick a song that I didn’t know?

Wasn’t our song supposed to be one that evoked memories of us?

Before I could stop myself, I found my fingers clicking the mouse and I was staring at crown molding and quartz countertops.

I could see me and Mina stumbling through the parenting thing.

We could buy furniture, and if we both took some cooking lessons, maybe we could even figure out how to feed ourselves.

Mina’s name lit up my phone. She probably knew I was slacking off on my duties to find a song. I answered with a smile. “Hey, sexy,” I said.

“I’m going to explode.”

I straightened. “What happened?”

“My dad—he wants the guest list to be three hundred and fifty people. Three-fifty, Isaac. Do you know how many people that is? My vision board is on the floor. He literally moved it aside to put down his ideas. Like physically pushed it out of the way.” Her voice cracked.

“He wants ice sculptures. Plural. He’s talking about a drone show.

I told you I don’t want an ice sculpture!

It’s September! It’s going to melt! I’m sure he’s a day away from telling me we have to have a champagne tower! ”

I was already grabbing my keys. “I’m on my way.”

This was when it was a good thing I drove a Porsche. I could afford a speeding ticket. My woman needed me.

I pulled up to the gate at the Duvall estate.

It only took a second for the gate to open.

I spotted Mina immediately. She was pacing out front in a hoodie and cutoff shorts.

She had her hair in a messy bun, but even from across the drive, I could see the red blotches on her cheeks.

Her long legs had me thinking about sex.

I couldn’t help it. I imagined them wrapped around me.

I parked like an asshole halfway up the circle drive and quickly made my way to her. “Mina.”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care what I want. It’s supposed to be our wedding, but apparently it’s just another fucking investor event for Hectar Duvall.”

I pulled her into my arms before she could say anything else, wrapping her tight against my chest.

She let out a strangled sound and just stood there, stiff for a moment, before collapsing into me. “He said we should put out branded party favors. Like coasters with the Duvall logo. At my wedding, Isaac.”

I didn’t say anything. I just held her. She was under a lot of stress. I got it. She was serious about this wedding being something that reflected us. Not who we were supposed to be because of our families.

Eventually, she pulled back, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. “I wanted something small. Intimate. I don’t even know three hundred and fifty people. Do you know three hundred people?”

I shook my head. “I barely know thirty-five, if you don’t count my family.”

She laughed weakly. “God, I just—I want this to feel like us. Not a commercial.”

“Then that’s what we’ll make it.”

She crossed her arms tightly and looked down at her feet. “I know it’s not as simple as that.”

“Maybe not.” I reached up and cupped her cheek. “But it is our wedding. He can suggest things, but he doesn’t get to dictate them. Especially not if it’s going to steamroll everything you want. We’re paying for the wedding.”

She cringed. “My dad is insisting on paying.”

“Then I will politely decline his offer,” I said.

“This is our wedding. I don’t need his money to buy you the wedding of your dreams. We can do this the way we want.

And I agree, no ice sculptures. My cousin had one of those and it was a fucking disaster.

One of the elderly guests slipped in the puddle that had apparently been ignored.

She broke a hip and it was a whole thing. No ice sculptures.”

“I’m so glad we agree on that,” she sighed.

“Baby, it’s our day. You’re queen for the day. Hell, I’m going to make sure you feel like a queen always.”

Mina sighed, eyes closing briefly. “He just always does this. Takes over. My whole life, every big event was never about me . It was about the guests. The optics. The speeches. The coverage. And now this. This. My wedding. And somehow I’m supposed to smile and be grateful.”

I guided her over to a bench under the trees. Birds were flitting about. The heat had started to swell into the late afternoon. I let her sit first, then settled beside her, close enough that our knees touched.

“You know what sucks?” I said quietly. “I get it.”

She looked at me. “Yeah?”

“My family’s different. Loud. Chaotic. But the pressure is the same.

They have this vision of who I should be.

And when I don’t fit it, it’s easier for them to write me off than actually see me.

I’m the jokester. I’m the guy that’s never going to take anything serious.

And I lean into that idea. It’s easier than trying to prove there’s more to me than what they think. ”

She nodded slowly. “It’s exhausting,” she said.

“Totally.”

“And now we’re letting them crash the one thing that should be about us .”

“Not anymore,” I said. “We take the wheel back. Let Hectar keep his damn drone show for one of his corporate galas. We don’t have to have a huge event. How many do you want? Guests that is?”

A slow smile spread across her lips. “You think I can get away with cutting his guest list in half?”

“Easily. He’ll complain. But what’s he gonna do, cancel the wedding? It’s our wedding. Period.”

She snorted. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“If he cancels the wedding, whatever. We hop on the jet and go back to Vegas.”

She wrinkled her nose. “But I want a wedding.”

“Okay. Well, I’m not sure if you’re aware but my family is large and a lot of them have estates that rival this one. My dad and Kathy would love to host the wedding.”

She looked around. “Yeah. Maybe. But first I think I want to try and keep it here. My mom and I always talked about a backyard wedding.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure this is a backyard. This is better than several of the venues that I’ve been to in the last couple of years.”

She smiled. “I know, which is why I want it.”

“Then we’ll make it happen,” I said. “I’ll talk to your dad.”

She snorted. “Easier said than done.”

“I’ll make it happen,” I assured her. I leaned back and stretched my arm behind her on the bench. “Did you get that dress appointment you wanted?”

She groaned. “Yes. Tori and I are going the day after tomorrow. But do you know how hard it is to book a boutique fitting with only a few weeks of lead time? I have to buy a dress off the rack and then have it customized. I have a seamstress who promised she’ll handle the job for me.

Most sample sizes are in a six. But they’re often ripped or stained. ”

“Well, we’ll find you a dress. And we’ll cut the guest list. And no coasters with the Duvall crest, I promise you.”

She chuckled, then let her head fall against my shoulder. “You’re good at this.”

“At what?”

“Talking me down.”

I kissed the top of her head. “I’ll always talk you down. Or up. Or sideways. Whatever you need.”

She tilted her face up to mine and smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you and don’t forget you promised risqué,” I teased.

There was a flash of something in her eyes. I felt like I said the wrong thing. “Or not,” I replied. “You can wear this hoodie and I’d still marry you.”

She laughed. “Oh, I’m wearing a dress and it’s going to be scandalous but beautiful.”

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get out of here for a bit.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere your father can’t find us.”

I led her to my car and headed out of the gate.

I wasn’t sure where I was going but I knew she needed a break.

We ended up on the back roads north of the estate, driving aimlessly with the windows down.

She rolled the sleeves of her hoodie up and dangled her arm out the passenger side.

I watched the wind tug her hair loose from the bun and was reminded all over again why I’d fallen so hard for her.

Fifteen minutes in, I pulled off at a gravel turnoff I used to come to as a teenager when I needed to clear my head.

It overlooked a narrow valley lined with trees and scattered rooftops in the distance.

The roofs were rich people’s second homes.

Secluded. Private. Great views. I was going to do some looking at properties and see if anything was on the market.

Mina climbed out and stood by the guardrail. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” I said, coming up behind her. “Pretty good for a panic escape spot.”

She turned to me slowly, her expression softer now. “Thank you. For coming. For driving. For not telling me to suck it up.”

“You never have to suck it up with me.”

I cupped her face and kissed her. She sank into me, arms wrapping around my waist. The kiss turned longer, deeper.

She shifted until her back was against the guardrail and I was pressing into her.

Her fingers curled into the back of my shirt.

I missed her body. I had quickly become addicted to her taste and smell. I loved being inside her.

“What’s the doctor say about recovery?” I murmured against her lips.

“Soon. Unless you want to wait for a wedding night.”

It was a physical blow but I quickly schooled my features. “You want to wait?” I asked with my voice not hiding my fear.

She giggled. “Nah. No point.”

I kissed her again, harder this time, my hands sliding down to her hips to pull her closer.

She let out a soft moan, her fingers tangling in my hair as she kissed me back.

I knew that I needed her. Needed this. Needed to feel her skin against mine, to remind myself that she was here, she was mine, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

Her tongue brushed against mine. I groaned into her mouth. My hands moved up her back, pulling her even closer until there was no space left between us. She arched into me, her body pressing against mine in a way that made my head spin.

I broke the kiss just long enough to trail my lips down her neck, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin there. She gasped, her fingers tightening in my hair as she tilted her head to give me better access. I could feel the pulse in her neck racing under my lips, and it only made me want her more.

“Isaac,” she whispered, her voice breathless and shaky.

And then there was the sound of a blaring horn.

I groaned and rested my forehead against hers. “Dammit. I want you so bad.”

“Soon,” she said.