I adjust my black suit jacket and run my fingers through my hair. Throwing the door open, I step out of the boutique’s changing room and throw my arms wide so my brothers can inspect me.
“Where’s the bow tie?” Finn asks, slouched in the corner of the pristine white sofa.
“I’m not a bow tie kind of guy.”
Zane rolls his eyes.
Finn scolds me, “Cadence chose this suit for you. You should wear it the right way.”
“I hate tuxedos.”
“It’s a suit, not a tuxedo. And without the bow tie, you look like you’re a drunk eloping in Vegas, not New York,” Zane says.
I glance through the windows, admiring the New York skyline. “It’s almost the same thing.”
I preferred Vegas actually. There, we could have gotten married on the same day. Here in New York, we had to wait twenty-four hours after receiving the license.
It worked out though. My brothers were able to fly over and bring Vi with them. The moment Cadence saw her sister, they collided in a tangle of arms, hair and tears.
I really don’t understand women.
“This isn’t my only shot. I plan on getting married again,” I growl.
“You’re already thinking of divorce?” Finn raises both eyebrows.
“Divorce isn’t in my vocabulary.” I adjust my cuffs. “Cadey is never getting rid of me. I meant I’m giving her the big, million-dollar wedding she deserves later on, when I’m sure dad won’t try to ruin it.”
Zane snorts. “It’s strange that he’s not barging in right now.”
“He probably thinks Dutch wouldn’t go through with a wedding after seeing the pictures.”
“What pictures?” I ask, fixing my collar.
“Right after you left for the airport, we got a package. Inside were pictures of Cadence and Hunter together,” Finn says dryly.
“Dad and mom were spying on her. It’s insane.” Zane blows out a breath.
“We don’t have normal parents,” Finn agrees.
“Maybe that’s why we’re not normal,” Zane muses. He walks up to me and holds the bow tie up.
I grit my teeth and dutifully tie it around my neck.
There’s a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Vi slips through, wearing a frilly pink dress. I told her to choose whatever she wanted from the store and she spent the next three hours agonizing over all her favorites. In the end, I told her to choose one and I’d buy her the rest.
“Wow.” Vi’s eyes light up. “Dutch, you look really handsome.”
“It’s the bow, right?” Zane says proudly.
“I can’t believe my sister’s getting married to the lead guitarist of The Kings.” Her voice sounds dazzled.
“Is Cadence ready?” Finn asks, checking his watch. “We told the wedding planner we’d meet at three o’clock and it’s two forty now.”
Vi scratches her nails into the door knob and chews on her bottom lip.
“Is Cadey okay?” I ask, my eyes fastening on her nervous expression.
“Not really.”
I’m in front of her in a snap. “What happened?”
So many things could go wrong.
Dad might have kidnapped her.
Hunter might have rushed over to declare his love.
Sol might be trying to steal her away.
Breeze might have found out and flew over here to dissuade her from marrying me.
“What is it?” I demand.
“Cadey’s blowing chunks,” Vi whispers.
My eyes meet my brother’s.
“She said it was just nerves, but I don’t know. My sister doesn’t throw up much. And she never gets sick…”
I rush out of the room.
Vi, Finn, and Zane are right behind me.
“This way,” the manager gestures with white-gloved hands.
I storm into the bathroom and notice there are other women who are inside.
“I need the room,” I bark.
The women watch me like I’m insane.
“His fiancée’s in here,” Zane says, flashing a smile and charming the ladies into doing his bidding.
Finn gestures to the door, helping to escort them. “This way.”
The room empties in three seconds flat.
“Cadey, I brought Dutch,” Vi says, tapping lightly on the closed bathroom stall.
“Why?” Cadey’s voice sounds weak. “I’m fine.”
I glance under the slit of the stall door and see tulle creeping out like an explosion of white, lace, and fabric.
“Throwing up in your wedding dress is your definition of ‘fine’?” I growl, worried out of my mind.
“I drank too much before I left London.”
“Hangovers usually don’t last for two days,” Finn says thoughtfully.
I hear a retching sound and my heart shatters.
Scrambling up, I grab the handle of the door. “I’m coming in, Cadey.”
“No,” she moans. “It’s bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress.”
“I don’t give a damn.” I ram my shoulder into the door when it won’t open.
“Dutch.” Vi slides in front of me before I can kick the door. She gives me a stubborn look.
Small and delicate, but brave…
Like her sister.
I remain frozen in place, but I’m breathing hard and ready to crash through the doors if I hear Cadey in pain. Finn and Zane will hold Vi back for me.
“Cadey?” Vi says, whirling around and putting her ear to the door.
“I’m okay.” Cadey’s voice is shaking. “I’m… okay.”
“Did you eat something bad?”
“I didn’t eat much this morning,” she admits.
“And you didn’t get much rest last night either,” I mumble, feeling a twinge of guilt. Since it was Cadey’s eighteenth birthday, I made sure we… celebrated in our own way.
Vi gives me a curious look.
I clear my expression, knowing instinctively that Cadey wouldn’t want her little sister suspecting what we do in the bedroom.
Zane stands beside me and whispers in my ear, “It might be nerves.”
“Or…” Finn joins me too. His almond-shaped eyes bore into mine. “It might be—”
“A baby?” Vi says excitedly.
I smirk and cross my arms over my chest, pleased even if I don’t think that’s the case. Cadey told me about her mom giving her pills last week. And I doubt we’d be pregnant this fast, even if we did spend all last night making sure a baby was in our future.
The toilet flushes.
“Dutch, turn around,” Cadey orders.
I hear the steel in her voice and decide not to stress her out by arguing.
Turning, I face the mirror.
“Go outside.”
“Just let me make sure you’re okay,” I plead.
“I’m fine,” Cadey says again.
I remain where I am.
“Leave or I’m not getting married to you today.”
My shoulders tighten. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
I grit my teeth.
Zane glances at Finn. “I thought they’d stop fighting now that they’re finally getting married.”
“Marriage doesn’t change people, Zane. It only joins what’s already there. That’s why you shouldn’t jump into it without making sure your partner’s ready.” He glances at the bathroom stall. “Are you sure you want to go through with it? He’s not going to get any better than this.”
“Screw off, Finn. I’m leaving. I’m leaving.” I stomp out.
I hear Vi and my brothers laughing at me.
Freaking backstabbers.
Since I’m all the way in the corridor, I only faintly hear the bathroom stall swing open.
“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not pregnant,” Cadey says loud enough for me to hear from outside. “I think it might just be the stomach flu.”
“Do you want to postpone the wedding?” I ask, holding my breath.
“No,” Cadey says. “Let’s do this.”
I smirk.
That’s my girl.
Finn, Zane and I pay for our wedding attires and get into the car waiting outside. The boys put a blindfold on me so Cadey can get into the same car.
There’s no freaking way I’m letting her out of my sight until we’re declared man and wife. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I don’t know what dad’s going to do when he finds out I made up with Cadey at the airport.
For the foreseeable future, I’m sticking to my woman like glue.
We stop in front of a penthouse and climb out.
A familiar voice greets us in the lobby.
“Wow. I’ve done some wild things, but nothing as wild as getting married at eighteen.”
I smirk at the sound of Bex Dane’s voice.
Another reason why we chose New York—dad doesn’t mess with Bex Dane. I think a part of him is intimidated by Bex’s rising fame, which is why he hates him so much.
“Everything’s ready?” Zane asks.
“Penthouse is that way.”
I’m still blindfolded, but I assume Bex just pointed up.
“Someone pinch me. I think Bex Dane just looked me in the eyes,” Vi squeals.
“Hi, pretty lady.”
“She’s thirteen,” Cadey says immediately.
I snort.
Bex laughs too.
“I’m dead. I’m deceased,” Vi hisses like a hot air balloon soaring through the sky.
My brothers separate from me to take Cadey upstairs. I stay back with Bex and finally take my blindfold off.
He slaps me on the back. “You turned down my press tour manager so many times that when you finally reached out first, he fainted.”
“Sorry to barge in like this.”
“It’s fine. Not often that you make genuine connections in this industry. I’d say if you find the right one, you hold on tight.”
There’s a dark glimmer in his eyes. Almost like regret.
If I cared enough, I’d probably ask.
But I don’t.
I just want to get married to Cadey as soon as possible.
“Hey, Dutch,” Bex says, “since I kindly lent you boys my penthouse, how about you return the favor by opening for me next year on my world tour? You’ll be out of high school by then.”
I smirk. “I’ll think about that after I make the best decision of my life.”
Bex chuckles. “Better than a no.”
I head to the elevators.
It’s time to make Cadence Cooper a Mrs.
