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CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

GARY

Every ounce of my being practically vibrated with hope and longing. It wasn’t guaranteed that he was asking because he wanted to be with me. It could just be a general question.

“I, uh… Yes. I think I would.”

His brow furrowed, like he didn’t believe me. “Really? You don’t want flowers and chocolates and stupid love poems?”

I bit back a laugh and shook my head. “No. I think that’d just make me feel guilty.

I can’t really afford to reciprocate. Besides, it’d feel forced.

Being in a relationship like this? Where we’re friends and lovers without all the pressure?

I’d be happy with that.” And because I could tell he was uncomfortable talking about this, I added in, “I definitely want chocolate though. Put it on the grocery list or something. We could get the kind you melt and lick off each other.”

The smile that spread across his face was wicked. Ohhhh… I was kidding, but if that actually ended up happening, I was not going to tell him no.

We were getting distracted, and as much as I wanted to continue the dirty talk and see where it led, I didn’t want to ignore what had happened earlier.

“Why do you ask?”

The look he gave me said he wasn’t happy I was redirecting the conversation, but I bit my lip to keep from commenting and waited.

“I don’t like when people say I can’t keep you. I didn’t want to trap you in half a relationship, but I don’t like the thought of letting you walk away when your family is gone. You’re mine. I want it to stay that way.”

No amount of biting my lip was going to stop the smile from breaking out over my face. Maybe after dealing with my family for so long, I was finally getting rewarded with everything I wanted. Friends, freedom, and Easton. It couldn’t get any better than that, right?

Easton rolled his eyes, but he was smiling when he said, “Fucking stop, Gary. You look like I just asked you to marry me.”

“Technically, you already did that,” I pointed out with a teasing grin. “And I’m allowed to be happy. I don’t want to end this after the wedding, either.”

I was not going to tell him how I felt about him.

He was breaching a subject he wasn’t comfortable with.

That was enough for now. Maybe eventually he’d feel the same, and I could broach the subject of being in love with him, but right now, I wasn’t going to take more than I was offered.

Easton wanted a relationship with me. He wanted this to be real.

I wasn’t lying before. If this was how far our relationship would go?

I’d be happy with that. Because with him, I felt safe, wanted, and happy.

That was more than I ever got with my family.

“So should I call you my boyfriend-fiancé? Or my fiancé-boyfriend?” I said on a laugh, throwing my arms around his neck.

“That’s not a thing.” He nipped my lip and laid his head back on my chest. “Use whatever label you want, you know I don’t care about that. All I care about is that people know you’re mine.”

Possessive caveman for the win.

I expected more awkwardness the following morning, but Easton must’ve worked something out with his family, because the atmosphere was relaxed and happy.

It was Christmas Eve, and Mrs. Warner had a lot of plans, but they were mostly canceled thanks to the weather, so it was a calmer day.

Easton did hover a lot. He didn’t seem to want to leave me alone around his dad.

I remembered his request the night before, but I didn’t think I could pull off straight up telling that man no to his face, so I got anxious any time Easton wasn’t right next to me.

Evie and Sierra sat next to me on the couch when Easton got up to use the restroom. Sierra looked a lot more casual now in a soft-looking sweater and jeans. She even smiled when she sat next to me, sipping her coffee like it was the life nectar we all knew it to be.

“So. Do you have any plans yet for the wedding?” Evie asked. She was excited about it. Mrs. Warner seemed eager to talk about it too and made a beeline for us when she overheard the question.

“Uh, no. Not really. I honestly never thought about getting married before Easton asked. I don’t even know what goes into it.”

“Ugh. Way more than you think,” Sierra groaned. “I thought I was going to pull my hair out before the big day finally came around. And I was busy with work, too. Are you going to wait until you finish getting your degree or–”

Crap. I never discussed that with Easton. I didn't think he wanted to drag it out that long, since the actual goal was to get rid of my sister, but I wasn’t sure. He might want to drag it out just to piss her off.

“We haven’t discussed dates. Easton wanted to make sure it was sometime that worked best for all of you. Especially his dad. He said Mr. Warner was really busy, and it was better to work around his schedule.”

Mrs. Warner looked surprised to hear that, sitting back in her seat a little. “Wow. I didn’t think he’d care. Whenever I thought about him getting married, I assumed it’d be a courthouse wedding whenever it suited him. He likes his privacy, and I thought he’d want that moment to himself.”

“Gary deserves a big party,” Easton said blandly as he came back into the room.

He gave Sierra an irritated look for stealing his spot, but didn’t comment.

Instead, he stood behind the couch with his hands bracketing my shoulders on the back.

It felt protective without being overbearing, and when I tipped my head back to smile at him, he dropped a chaste kiss on my lips before turning to his stepmom.

“I don’t want to wait forever. How soon can we do it? ”

Mrs. Warner floundered a little, like she didn’t expect Easton to ask her input, but she pulled herself together pretty fast and straightened her spine.

“Well, if you want something nice like your siblings had, it’ll take at least a year. Venues will have waiting lists, and getting anything sooner than six months is nearly impossible.”

Easton made a face. I could tell by that look that he didn’t want to wait that long. Biting my lip, I considered our options before my eyes landed on the tree in the middle of the room.

“What if we did it here? Is that an option?”

Evie’s eyes lit up. “Oh! That could work! Right?” She looked at Mrs. Warner, whose eyes were suspiciously wet.

“Yes. We can do it here. That’s a wonderful idea, Gary. If we do it outdoors, it’ll be big enough for all our guests, I’m sure.”

I looked up at Easton to get his opinion, but all I got back was a shrug. I should’ve figured that’d be his answer. Now the hard part.

“Um… My sister wants to…help.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth.

I didn’t want Brienna anywhere near my wedding, but that was the whole point of this thing.

Easton may have agreed to a relationship, but he didn’t want a wedding.

This was a ruse to remind Brienna that I was protected.

I still think it would’ve been easier if he just intimidated her in the first place, but I found it better just to go along with Easton’s crazy ideas.

They always lead to something fun. Like after I got high for the second time, he took me to a 3D movie and laughed his ass off when I panicked, thinking things were actually flying at my face.

Once I convinced myself it wasn’t real, I had a blast, and I loved listening to him laugh, despite the glares we got from the other movie goers.

“Well, that’s sweet. We’ll be sure to include her,” Evie said with a smile. Why couldn’t my sister be like her? She was so nice.

“Easton? Can I speak to you and your fiancé for a moment?” Mr. Warner asked, with an expression that said it wasn’t a suggestion but a very polite demand.

I excused myself from the conversation about the wedding, nervously taking Easton’s hand and clinging to it when he led me out of the sitting room and down the hall to an office where Mr. Warner was waiting behind a desk.

He gestured to the seats across from him, watching us both with narrowed eyes.

Easton didn’t even hesitate to drag my chair, which had been a few feet away from his, to his side, so we were as close as we could get without me being in his lap.

I appreciated it, but I worried about what his dad would say.

I squeezed Easton’s hand, desperately trying to keep myself from shaking.

“First, I’d like to apologize to you, Gary.

You came here to share exciting news, and I was rude to you.

I’m sorry.” It was the second time someone had ever apologized to me, and I still didn’t know how to handle it.

He waited for me to nod in acknowledgement before continuing.

“If it had been anyone else, I would have argued against a quick engagement. But as my children have reminded me, Easton does things his own way and always has. If I want to remain a part of my son’s life, I need to let him live life on his terms. Within reason.

I pushed him to go to college and expand his mind a little.

He’s very smart, as I’m sure you well know, and I didn’t want him wasting that potential smoking weed with his friends. ”

He shot Easton a look that said he wasn’t happy with that particular lifestyle choice.

Easton didn’t do it all the time, not like Smiley, so I didn't see it as a problem.

He never drove while under the influence, either.

We walked home after he indulged. He made smart choices.

There was nothing wrong with relaxing a little.

I was not going to argue with Mr. Warner about that.

“Regarding the wedding, I have some stipulations.”

Easton straightened, already glaring, but Mr. Warner raised a finger to stop him.

“Let me finish first. You and your siblings were quite clear about my place in all of this. I won’t get in your way.

But you are still my son, and when my children get married, there are certain expectations.

I know you don’t enjoy taking money from me, but I’ll be inviting some prestigious partners, and they expect a certain level of extravagance. ”

My stomach clenched uneasily. Easton already said he wanted to go big. Why did it feel like when Mr. Warner said it, the extravagance would be a million times worse? I didn’t want a wedding like that. I didn’t belong around fancy people.

“I don’t need your money,” Easton argued. “I can afford extravagance just fine.”

“I’m sure you can, though you still haven’t told me how you earn that money. But how many guests were you planning to invite? Because my intended additions will net you at least one hundred. Weddings are expensive, Easton. Weddings in my circles are even more so.”

“Who said anything about inviting your business partners?” Easton growled. He really didn’t like the idea of taking his dad’s money. I put my hand on his arm, rubbing gently. It only settled him a little, but he looked less like he was going to get up and walk out.

“We, uh… We were discussing having the wedding here with Mrs. Warner… Wouldn’t that help with the cost?”

I wanted to help Easton, but I was uncomfortable arguing with his dad.

If this was my real wedding, I’d probably be happy going to the courthouse.

Weddings were unnecessarily expensive. I’d rather spend that money on a house.

Or the honeymoon. Average weddings were tens of thousands of dollars.

Do you know how many libraries you could see on that kind of budget?

Mr. Warner’s face softened a little. “It will help, yes, and there’s certainly room here for that many guests, but it won’t cover everything. And I don’t want either of you putting yourself out to accommodate my guests.”

Easton still looked ready to refuse, but Mr. Warner must’ve been prepared for that, because he put his hand up in a staying motion before speaking again.

“I have a compromise. You and your fiancé can sit down and do the math. Put together the guest list of people you want there, the amount it will cost to cover their attendance and food, that kind of thing. I will pay for everything but that amount. That way, you are paying for your own wedding, and I am offsetting the cost of inviting my own guests. Does that sound fair?”

It sounded fair to me. I wasn’t close with my extended family, they lived out of state, but my parents would probably want to invite them if the wedding was fancy.

And Easton could include his family and friends on his list. I’d be working forever to pay Easton back for my half of it, but I’d bring that up later.

He would probably argue about it and here wasn’t the place to have that conversation.

When I looked at Easton, he looked disgruntled, but less like he was going to bite his dad’s head off. “Fine. But in exchange, you drop the bullshit about the prenup.”

“Easton,” Mr. Warner hissed. “I’m just looking out for you. Not that I think Gary would use you, but–”

“Gary wouldn’t ever do that. He spent his whole life being used by his family. He won’t do that to someone else.”

I flinched automatically. I didn't think that’d be brought up. And it made Mr. Warner stiffen and frown. I ducked my head, avoiding eye contact with the intimidating man. Would he double down about not letting this happen because I didn’t come from a good family?

Mr. Warner was quiet for a moment before offering another compromise. “How about this? The prenup will only cover your inheritance. Everything else, you can share how you want. That way, it is not just your assets that will be protected, but also mine.”

I didn’t have a problem with that. I didn’t want any of Easton’s money. I almost wanted to admit this wasn’t real, so he didn’t have to worry, but…it felt real. Easton’s steady presence beside me never wavered. He made it feel like we were actually fighting for the wedding we wanted.

This man was dangerous for my heart. One more sweet gesture, and I’d never recover if he left me. He was tying me to him so thoroughly, I didn’t know if I could ever let go.