I can’t stop trembling as I stare up at one of Zane’s newest hotels. “This is a bad idea,” I tell Sierra, who doesn’t seem so sure about her plans anymore either.
Raven wraps her arm around me, her body just as tense as mine. “It’s going to be okay,” she says, but she doesn’t sound very convincing at all.
“I promise my grandmother is really nice,” Sierra tries to reassure me as we walk in and follow the signs for the Windsor soup kitchen, an initiative that Anne Windsor started years ago.
“She’s nice to you,” I mutter, discouraged.
“No, it’s true,” Raven jumps in. “She’s really nice, but she just needs a chance to get to know you in a bit more of an informal way. This’ll be perfect.”
I nod, unable to suppress my nerves. The plan is to simply accompany Raven and Sierra whenever they volunteer for one of Anne Windsor’s charities until she slowly warms up to me. Other than saying hi, I’m not actually planning to say much to her at all. It’s our hope that seeing me a few times will allow her to let go of some of the prejudices she might have because of my surname. That way, she might be receptive to it when Zane and I eventually tell her about us.
“Here you go,” Raven says, handing me a hairnet, apron, and gloves.
Sierra helps me put on the apron before gently rubbing my arm. “It’s going to be okay. If nothing else, we’ll have a fulfilling afternoon, okay?”
I take a deep breath and nod at her, grateful for her support. I wasn’t sure what to make of her when we first spoke, but over the last couple of weeks, I’ve grown fond of her. Just like Zane, she cares deeply about everyone around her, and I’m lucky enough to now have that same caring attitude directed at me too.
“Sierra! Raven!”
I flinch at the sound of Anne Windsor’s imposing voice, and Raven’s hand slips into mine as she pulls me along. “Grandma Anne,” she shouts.
Grandma. Is it odd to be a little jealous of Raven? I know she’s due to marry Ares in a couple of years, but they’re not formally engaged yet. Sierra explained that the way her family treats Raven has a lot more to do with the two of them being best friends, but I can’t help but long for this too — this level of acceptance and inclusion. I wish I didn’t have to fight for it so hard. Just the thought that being with me might feel like a battle to Zane hurts.
I watch as the three women embrace, and for a moment, Anne Windsor looks like any doting grandmother, albeit an obviously rich and classy one in her pantsuit. “Who is this? You actually made a friend?” she asks her granddaughter, one brow raised. “Or did you pay her to make it look like you have more friends than just Raven?”
I bite back my laughter, which is made increasingly difficult by the obvious outrage on Sierra’s face. Raven, on the other hand, doesn’t hold back at all. She erupts in a fit of giggles and leans into Grandma. “Grams,” she says, “what makes you think she isn’t paying me?”
Sierra reaches for me and entwines our fingers. “Celeste,” she says, pouting. “I’m being bullied.”
I grin, opening my arms for her, and she hugs me tightly, resting her head on my shoulder. “Just so you know, this hug costs extra,” I whisper-shout, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Everyone but Sierra bursts out laughing, and she pulls away, her lips parted in shock. “Wow,” she murmurs, her eyes twinkling in amusement. “The betrayal.”
“Celeste, is it? You look familiar. Your name sounds familiar too.”
I look up at my boyfriend’s grandmother, my heart racing as I nod politely. “It’s good to meet you,” I tell her as I awkwardly offer her my hand. We technically have met before, but I was a child then, and I doubt she remembers it. Every time we’ve been in the same room since, she’s gone out of her way to avoid Grandpa and me. She’s always cordial and never fails to invite everyone in the industry, but she’s always made it clear that it’s nothing but a professional courtesy when it comes to my family.
She smiles at me warmly, and I exhale shakily as she takes my hand. “Celeste,” she repeats, her expression hardening as she pulls her hand back. “Celeste Harrison, is it not?”
I blink in surprise and nod, unable to lie to her. I’d hoped it’d take her longer to realize what my surname is — long enough for me to make a good impression.
Her eyes flash with anger, and she crosses her arms. “What are your intentions in approaching my granddaughter?”
I take a step back and shake my head, my heart sinking. “I… I… I don’t —”
Sierra wraps her arm around my shoulder, and Raven moves to my other side in a show of solidarity. “Please stop it, Grandma,” Sierra says, her voice pained. “She’s my friend. Whatever feud you have with her grandfather doesn’t have to extend to our generation. Celeste is lovely, and if you’d just take a moment to get to know her, you’d see that.”
“I’d like you to leave. I don’t want to see you on Windsor property without a formal invite ever again. Stay away from my granddaughter. I don’t care how nice you might be, Celeste. I don’t want a Harrison anywhere near me and mine. I won’t risk you deceiving and hurting my loved ones like your grandfather did.”
I begin to tremble, unsure how to respond. “I’m not like him,” I tell her, my tone desperate. “I just —”
“— get out,” she cuts me off as she wipes her hand on her apron, as though my touch infected her. “You can either leave voluntarily, or I can have you removed.”
I take a step back, trying my hardest to blink away my tears. How could things have gone this wrong? “Come on,” Sierra says, her voice breaking. “Let me… let me walk you out.”
She’s trembling as hard as I am while we make our way through the hotel. “I’m so sorry,” she says, choking back a sob.
I turn toward her and grab her shoulders gently, trying my hardest to smile at her. “It’s not your fault, Sierra. We knew this would be hard.”
She sniffs, a single tear running down her face. “I just… I didn’t… I thought…”
“I know,” I murmur, trying my hardest to suppress my own tears. It hurt, to be rejected so instantly, to never have even been given a chance. I always knew being with Zane would end up becoming an uphill battle, but I’d been deluding myself into thinking it would be bearable.
“What’s going on?”
I look up to find Zane rushing up to us, his eyes wide with worry.
“You got here quickly,” Sierra says, sounding relieved.
He glances between the two of us, a hint of confusion dancing in his eyes. “You sent me a panicked text telling me to come get Celeste, so of course I rushed over. What happened?”
He wraps an arm around each of us, and I bite down on my lip in an attempt to contain the pain. His hand wraps into my hair when I turn and lean into him, my nose pressed against his throat.
“It’s my fault,” Sierra says as she explains what happened. Hearing her recount the way her grandmother essentially banned me from every Windsor property rubs salt into my wounds, and I draw a shaky breath. It seems silly to cry over something like this, but I so desperately wanted to do something that’d make Zane happy. Lately, we’ve both started to worry about our future, and I wanted to prove to both him and myself that those worries are unwarranted. He’s trying so hard with my grandfather, and I want to do the same for him too.
Zane sighs and wraps both arms around me, enveloping me in a tight hug right in the middle of his hotel lobby where anyone could see, but he doesn’t seem to care. “Go back to Grandma,” he tells Sierra. “Raven is probably having a hard time sweet-talking her and easing her anger. Do what you can there, alright?”
I hear her walk away, and Zane sighs. “My sweet Celestial,” he murmurs, holding me tightly. “You don’t have to do this for me. I don’t ever want you to do anything that causes you pain. You don’t need anyone’s approval.”
I lean back to look into his eyes, unsure how to explain. “I want to, because I want a future with you, Zane.”
He cups my face, his gaze mirroring my own feelings. “Celeste Harrison, I love you with all my heart, and I always will — against all odds, regardless of what anyone might say or think. Do you understand?”
A tear runs down my cheek, and I nod. “I love you too, Zane. So much. I don’t want our relationship to cost you anything — I don’t want you to sacrifice anything for me.”
He wipes my tears away with his thumb, his breathing ragged. “We’re going to figure this out, okay? It may take a little bit of time, but it’s going to be okay. Eventually, we’ll just wear our grandparents down.”
He lifts my hand and turns my palm toward him, his eyes on mine as he kisses the inside of my wrist. “I love you, and someday, I’m going to make you my wife. That’s a vow, Celeste.”
