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EMORY

“ I think I might have liked to live in medieval France,” Sienna says dreamily. “The outfits were so good.”

“The food was terrible,” Katie points out.

“No toothbrushes,” I add. It’s Saturday night, and when Sienna and Katie knocked on the door and demanded that I hang out with them, I felt a pang of longing in my chest, swiftly followed by a burst of happiness.

I might be shit at letting people in, but the fragile friendship I have with these women is precious to me.

Sienna gives me a horrified look. “Please keep that to yourself. I’m trying to enjoy the movie.”

We snort laugh and watch Drew Barrymore stride through the woods in the greatest love story ever shown on screen.

“I love that line,” Katie sighs. She hugs a pillow to her chest. “A bird might love a fish, my lord, but where would they live?”

Sienna frowns. We’re in her house on the property, with the remnants of a catered spread in front of us, along with two open bottles of rosé that Sienna claimed she needed to “taste test.”

“You don’t think that’s depressing?” She hits pause on the movie.

“No, I think it’s beautiful.”

“You like angst,” I say, grinning at Katie.

She smiles back from where she’s sitting close to the door.

I’ve noticed she does that automatically—positions herself between us and the street or puts her body between danger and the rest of the room.

She sits like a ballerina—spine straight, legs crossed, instead of crunched up like Sienna and me.

“Maybe a little,” she says quietly. “I like yearning. The idea of someone loving you and not being able to have you. Doesn’t that make your stomach drop in the best way?”

“Ugh.” Sienna pours herself another glass of wine. “Give me a man who knows what he wants and goes for it.”

“Is that the plan for the inheritance?” I ask.

She makes a face and slumps back on the couch. “That stupid marriage requirement. I might never marry. None of us will. At least not if Aiden has his way.”

“What does that mean?”

She rolls her eyes. “It means that my dear brother thinks he can protect all of us. He’s always done this.”

“He told me about the food he used to make for you.”

“He did?” She sits up straighter on the couch. “He never talks about the time after Mom left.”

Katie is shaking her head. “Never,” she agrees.

“He’s the best brother in the whole world,” Sienna says.

“And it’s obvious he’s decided that if he marries, we don’t have to.

I mean, no offense. You’re great. But when Aiden went from avoiding the marriage to eloping with you, I knew something was up.

Whit and I agree that Aiden is sacrificing himself. ”

Warmth rises in my chest. Warmth and longing for the relationship these siblings have.

I’m about to respond when my phone lights up with texts from Leo.

Leo

You’re going to need to come get him

Emory

What happened?

Leo

They got him drunk and fleeced him, as expected

Emory

Fuck

Leo

Paps are here too

“Everything okay?”

I let out a low groan and toss my phone onto the couch. “I knew it,” I mutter.

Katie sits up straighter. “What happened?” Her chocolate eyes are worried.

“My brothers got Aiden drunk and took his money playing blackjack.”

Sienna sucks in a breath. “He doesn’t drink.”

I drag my palms down my face. “We need to go get him. The paparazzi are there.”

“Shit,” Sienna mutters. “He’ll be mortified if they get photos. Let me get my keys.”

“You’ve been drinking,” Katie points out. “I’ll go.”

“You don’t need to come,” I protest. “Stay. Watch the movie.”

“No way.” Katie’s already standing and pulling on her jacket. “This is my job. You might need some defensive driving if the paparazzi get aggressive. I’ll get the car.”

“Where is he?” Sienna asks.

“The Starboard Slide,” I say, a pit opening in my stomach as I think about Harrison’s favorite bar. “Sienna, will you come?”

She cocks her head, looking surprised. “Sure, of course.”

“So what’s your deal with this bar?” Sienna asks as we drive through town. We’re in the back, because Katie claimed the threat level was “yellow” today due to a political fundraiser at one of the Houses.

“What do you mean?”

She gives me a pointed look. “Your voice got all weird when you said the name.”

I sigh. “You know I dated Harrison Parker, right?”

She makes a face. “Yes. I saw the video of you with the tablecloth.” She grins. “Badass.”

I stare at her in shock. “You never said.”

“I was waiting for you to bring it up,” she exclaims. “I didn’t want to make things weird.”

“What video?” Katie asks.

Sienna grins and sinks deeper into the seat. “It’s amazing. Harrison was such a little prick growing up, and Emory dumps a glass of whiskey on him and then lights a table on fire.”

“Not intentionally,” I protest.

“I’m going to choose to believe it was intentional,” Sienna says, still grinning.

Her amusement smooths some of the jagged edges inside me, but not all the way. “That night sucked,” I say quietly. “The Starboard Slide is Harrison’s favorite bar. I just—I don’t want to run into him. Or his friends.”

“What happened?” Sienna asks. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me.”

I blow out a breath. “You know the quote you were talking about from the movie? I’m basically that quote.”

Sienna winces.

“Yeah.” I press my head to the cool glass. “It never would have worked, but Harrison didn’t have the balls to end it. He was just waiting until something better came along. Everyone knew.”

Sienna sucks in a breath. “Shit,” she whispers.

I give her a half smile, wishing like hell I could make light of this and fearing I may never be able to. Someone stronger would have been able to move on.

Someone smarter would have recognized what was happening and left. I vowed never to be that blind and silly again, and Leo might claim I’m letting the past rule the present, but it’s safer this way.

“I thought they were my friends,” I tell her. “I think that was the worst part. They all knew what he was doing and no one told me. Not even the other women.”

“I would have told you,” she says loyally.

“Me too,” Katie adds, her voice vicious. “But Aiden would never do that.”

“I’d gut him first,” Sienna says gleefully.

“I’m definitely not getting you that gun,” Katie mutters.

We laugh, but our laughter dies when we see the crowd outside the Starboard Slide. There’s a line to get in that spills out into the street. Women in wedges sway drunkenly on the arms of men in linen pants. I recognize a few influencers, and then I spot the paparazzi. A horde of them.

Katie curses under her breath. Her face hardens. Her posture changes. She tells her phone to call someone named Gio.

A man’s voice answers. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Gio, coming in hot at the Starboard Slide. Need to get in through the back entrance.”

“On it,” he answers, then hangs up.

He calls back while we’re pulling up to the lot. “No can do, Princess Katie.”

She rolls her eyes, but keeps her voice even when she says, “Why not? We’ve done it before.”

“Construction work. You’ll need to go in through the front. I’ve got guys there. They’ll let you in.”

Katie gives him my description as she steers through the hordes of people.

The paparazzi are lounging against their cars, behind a rope clearly installed for this purpose.

Of course Benny and Andreas took him to where it would cause the most trouble.

Trouble is their favorite thing and I’m so going to yell at them.

Cameras go up as we pull up. Katie puts us in park and points to the entrance.

“Up there. Gio’s men will let you in.”

“We need to get him out with the least amount of fanfare,” Sienna says quietly.

“Anything in the press will make things worse for him. He’ll be mortified.

Grandfather will blame him for embarrassing the family.

He’ll blame himself.” She rummages in her bag and comes up with a lipstick. “You first. I’ll follow.”

I think back to what Aiden said about disappointing people. He’s so controlled. He never drinks. He doesn’t go out. He just works and does his duty to his family.

The paparazzi clearly recognize the car, because there’s pushing and shoving to get to the front of the ropes. My stomach tumbles. Every bad photo of me ever taken was splashed over the tabloids when I dated Harrison. They speculated about everything from my weight to a wedding date.

I don’t want to go in there. I’ve avoided this bar for two years. But for Aiden, who feeds my dog and gives me his shirt and makes me food and sets himself on fire to keep others warm, I’ll do it.

I’m going to fucking kill my brothers.

The paparazzi are initially confused, but then I hear someone say the name “Prince,” and the shouting starts.

I duck my head, wishing I’d changed out of my yoga pants and crop top.

There are grumbles from the line that I barely hear over the requests that I turn and pose for the cameras.

I nearly stumble on the wooden steps as flash bulbs go off.

“What’s it like being married to a Prince?”

“What’s it like now that you’re rich?”

“Have you ever mended things with Harrison Parker?”

From the line, I hear gossip about me. Comments about my outfit, my ass, my hair, the videos from that night with Harrison. And then I hear Sienna’s sultry voice and more shouting. “Eyes over here,” she calls. “I’m here and I’m ready to party. Who’s with me?”

There’s a cheer from the line as I hurry past the security guards, who usher me inside and slam the door shut behind me.

I blink into the dim bar. I’d describe the theme here as classy nautical.

String lights and striped cushions and buckets of champagne next to platters of shellfish.

The shellfish is top tier and the champagne is middling.

The bar is packed with people posing for selfies, tipping back magnums of champagne into open mouths, or dancing on tables.

There’s a man doing a line off another guy’s stomach and a girl spitting something into another girl’s mouth.

I turn for the back rooms that are reserved for private parties. I remember this place like the back of my hand. Harrison loved the corner table by the open windows to the water. I avoid looking at it and duck my head so no one recognizes me.

I stride down the hallway, passing bathrooms and doors marked “Private,” until I round the corner and see my husband leaning against a wall, Leo hovering over him.

“He’s hammered,” Leo says when he sees me.

Aiden grins at me. There’s blood on his lip. “Hello, wife.”

Oh no.