It’s weird, seeing her in my bed like this.
It shouldn’t be, especially since she lives here now, and by this time tomorrow, she’ll be my wife. But still, there’s something unexpected that rattles inside of me when I poke my head into my bedroom to find her tucked under the covers, fast asleep. Or, let’s be honest, passed the fuck out.
Eilish looks up from where she’s perched on the side of the bed, a sheepish, maybe slightly scared expression on her face.
“Sorry—”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” I mutter quietly. “You’re not her keeper. Neve is an adult.”
She nods uncomfortably. “Well, I may have had something to do with tonight…”
She did. But I know damn well she’s not the one who fueled and fanned the fire to keep it going.
I’ll be dealing with that specific person in a minute.
“We haven’t really gotten much of a chance to talk, have we?”
Eilish smiles wryly, shaking her head. “I…I guess not.”
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, you know.”
She raises her eyes to me, a curious expression on her face.
“I’m not scared of you.”
It’s not a challenge. It’s not bravado. It’s actually weirdly honest.
“I am scared of what’s going to happen to my sister, though.”
“I’m not going to hurt her, Eilish.”
“I know.” She smiles at me. “You’re dangerous, but not that kind of dangerous.”
“And what kind of dangerous is that?”
“The kind women have to watch out for. But, I know that’s not you. I can see it in your eyes.”
She turns to look at Neve, sound asleep in my bed. She pulls the covers up a bit more over her sister’s shoulder.
“I’m more worried that she’ll lose who she is, being with you.”
My brow furrows. “How do you mean?”
“Neve’s strong. I mean, really, really strong. When we were little—” Eilish stops, frowns, looks away. “Anyway, she’s just strong. And I think it’s thrown her for a loop that she suddenly has to play this wife role now to heal the feud between our families. Marrying you isn’t something she’d have chosen for herself.”
I lift my brows. Nice to learn that my blushing bride’s little sister pulls fucking zero punches.
Eilish glances at me quickly.
“Sorry, that came out wrong.”
I just smile and shake my head. “It’s fine. My skin is thicker than that.”
“No, I mean, I don’t think marriage at all is something she’d have chosen for herself. Ever. To anyone.”
Same.
I mean, I’ve thought about it before. I’ve wondered if there was someone out there for me—someone I’d actually want to spend my life with. But the closest I got imagining that ephemeral person was essentially me in female form.
Which probably speaks to an underlying narcissism I’m not ready to dive into quite yet, thank you very much.
But that’s who I’ve imagined. Someone calm and level-headed. Someone who considers the risks and the rewards before jumping into something with both feet. Someone strong and goal oriented. Someone sophisticated.
I’ve never once imagined someone like Neve Kildare. But now, here we are.
“Look, Ares, tonight wasn’t her, just so you know.”
“I didn’t think it was.”
“I mean, I don’t want you to think she’s like, a big partier or a drunk or anything.”
I smile tiredly. “Eilish, I understand the concept of blowing off steam.”
Fuck knows I’ve done it myself more often that I should.
She frowns. “Do you want me to try and move her to the couch or something?”
“What?”
“I mean…” she blushes. “Sorry, it feels weird to let her sleep in a bed with you without her being awake to even know it’s happening…”
“I hope she knows what a good sister she has.”
Eilish’s face reddens as she smiles.
“But that won’t be necessary. I’m not staying here tonight. My grandmother wants me to sleep at the Drakos family home the night before the wedding.” I shrug. “Not with my bride-to-be. She’s old-fashioned that way.”
Eilish nods. “Do you mind if I stay here with her, then? We…that was kind of our plan tonight anyway, before…”
“I’d prefer it, actually.”
She smiles at me.
“I know Neve isn’t probably what you’d have picked for yourself, either. But she’s actually pretty great.”
“I’ll try and keep an open mind.”
I leave Eilish alone with her sleeping sister, closing the door to my room before I turn and stride back to the main living room with a scowl on my face. Calliope looks up from where she’s balled up on the couch nursing a soda water, a bottle of aspirin already open on the coffee table in front of her.
“Look, Ares—”
“She’s not your fucking sorority sister best buddy, Callie!” I snap before she can say another word. “She’s going to be your—”
“My what?” my sister spits back. “My queen?” She rolls her eyes. “No, Ares. She’s going to be my sister-in-law.”
“Please don’t tell me I need to explain the subtle underlying points of this marriage to you.”
“Oh, fuck off. I know it’s not real, dick. But at the same time, it actually is real. You’re really marrying Neve tomorrow, Ares. Which makes her my actual sister-in-law. And I know neither of you planned this, or would have even picked each other out of a thousand other options if you’d been given the choice. But I’m not going to apologize for trying to make the best of things and find common ground here. I won’t apologize for liking her.”
“Then you can fucking marry her,” I grumble.
“Gladly!” she snaps. “Would it get me out of marrying Luca fucking Carveli?”
I wince, frowning as the tidal wave of anger starts to ebb out of me. Callie and I glare at each before I slowly exhale and look away.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“Tonight was way out of control, though, and I know you know that. There’s a lot of people out there in the city who are not exactly thrilled that our family and the Kildares are merging.”
“We had that sexy bodyguard of theirs with us.”
I roll my eyes.
“A, don’t fucking tell me that. B, he’s one man. I don’t care if he’s Army Rangers or whatever. He’s still one fucking guy. And C, it’s made even worse by the three of you being shit-faced.”
Callie smirks at me.
“Is it the being drunk part, or the part where Neve might’ve been out there grinding on some hot guy at the club?”
I hate the roaring surge of jealousy that explodes through my system the second she says it. It takes everything I have to keep my face utterly neutral.
“This is all pretend, Callie,” I growl, more as a reminder to myself than to her.
“She wasn’t, for what’s it worth. Grinding, I mean.”
“I don’t care.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
I roll my eyes.
“She’s pretty fun, you know.”
“Noted. Come on, we’re leaving.”
She frowns.
“Actually, I think I’m going to stay here tonight.”
“What?”
“Yeah, Neve invited me to, earlier.”
“When she was blackout drunk.”
“Har-har. Can you please just let me enjoy having a sister for once?”
I smile wryly at her. “You’re staying?”
“I’m staying.”
“Should I lock the liquor cabinet?”
Callie flips me off with both hands.
“Go get some sleep, dickhead,” she groans, slumping back on the couch. “Don’t forget, you’re getting hitched tomorrow.”
As if I could fucking possibly forget.
