Chapter 23

My heart feels heavy as we walk into Zane and Celeste’s rose garden, where we’re holding a small reception. Faye begins to play the piano as we walk in, and I try my best to force a smile.

“Those papers you just signed?” Xavier says, reaching for my hand and holding on tightly. “They included a non-disclosure agreement.”

“I’m aware,” I tell him, trying to pull my hand out of his. “My lawyers drew that up.”

He just smiles cryptically and keeps hold of my hand. “I thought you said you wanted to put on a good act for your grandmother?”

I instantly cease my attempts to break free from him and sigh, throwing him a veiled glare that he pretends not to notice. Xavier chuckles and leans in, his lips brushing over my ear. “How will you make it through the photos and the cake cutting, let alone our first dance? You’re a terrible actress, Mrs. Kingston.”

My heart skips a beat at the way he addresses me. “What?” Xavier whispers, before sneakily pressing a kiss just below my ear. “Do you like the sound of that, Mrs. Kingston?”

I place my hand against his chest, noting the way his heart is racing just as fast as mine is as I rise to my tiptoes and brush my lips against his ear. “Not at all. If I look even remotely excited, it’s because I was planning how to kill you in your sleep. Do you have a preferred way to go? Poison, perhaps?”

He laughs and grabs the back of my neck, his gaze heated. “I do, actually,” he says, pulling my body flush against his, a mere inch between our lips. “I’d love to suffocate between your thighs.”

I gasp, and my reaction only makes him laugh harder, his forehead pressed against mine. “Fuck,” he murmurs. “I’m going to enjoy finding ways to make you all flustered. I didn’t think you could get more beautiful than the way you look when you glare at me, your gorgeous eyes sparkling and your cheeks all flushed… but this? Yeah, this’ll become my new favorite pastime.”

“You’re crazy,” I tell him, pulling away a little.

“Oh baby, you don’t know the half of it.” I raise a brow, and he straightens a little, pulling away. “That craziness? I get it from my mom, who is walking toward us right now.”

Nerves suddenly rush through me, and I find myself squeezing Xavier’s hand. He smiles at me endearingly and lets go of my hand, opting to wrap his arm around me instead. “Mom,” he says, his tone carrying a hint of warning. “Dad.”

“Sierra,” Xavier’s mom says, instantly enveloping me in a tight hug. “It’s so good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you throughout the years.”

She pulls back, and I stare at her wide-eyed. “All lies, I’m sure,” I tell her, smiling nervously.

“So you’re telling me you didn’t slash all of Xavier’s tires recently?” Xavier’s dad asks.

I shake my head and throw them my most innocent look. “His tires? How would one even go about slashing those?”

His mother bursts out laughing and grabs my hand, her expression filled with approval when she notices the bracelet I’m wearing. “I have a feeling you’re going to fit into our family just fine,” she says, and my heart warms instantly. I’d never admit it to Xavier, but one thing I always wanted out of my marriage was loving in-laws that treated me like their own daughter. I always wanted to know what it’d be like to have a mom, and the way Gabriela is smiling at me makes me wonder if maybe I’ll have that with her, even if it’s only for a few years.

Our family members form a little line behind Xavier’s parents, and I grin as each of my brothers hug me tightly, before turning to Xavier and shaking his hand with entirely too much force. Before long, it’s his brothers that are congratulating us, and they each take delight in hugging me just a little too long, clearly in an attempt to get on Xavier’s nerves.

“Stop being a dick, Hunter,” a soft female voice says, and I raise a brow when I spot Valeria behind him. Hunter lets go of me, and I stare at her in disbelief as she steps forward. It’s one thing for Xavier to invite her. It’s something else for her to actually show up on his wedding day. The mere sight of her, here, in my brother’s observatory, fills me with a new kind of rage.

“Welcome to the family, Sierra,” she says, smiling nervously. I raise a brow in confusion, and she pushes her hair behind her ear with a trembling hand. “I’ve always wanted a sister, and I’m honestly so excited to have a sister-in-law. My mother and I are always outnumbered at dinner, but I have a feeling we may just be able to shift the tides with you on our side.”

I stare at her in pure disbelief. “You’re Xavier’s sister?” I glance at my husband then, unable to comprehend what she’s saying. “But you don’t have a sister.”

He reaches for my hand and squeezes tightly, his expression unreadable. “I do,” he says, his voice soft. “You just didn’t know about her. Very few people do.”

“I tried to tell you that time in the bathroom, but I didn’t handle it well, and I’m really sorry,” Valeria says. “I’d love to make it up to you, if you’ll give me a chance. Xavier told me you love cookies, and I love baking…”

“It’s a date,” I tell her, feeling incredibly awkward. She must think I’m some kind of mean girl, and I can’t believe the way I acted, the way I just completely misunderstood.

Valeria grins happily, seemingly not holding my past behavior against me, and Xavier raises our joined hands to his lips. “Care to dance with me, Mrs. Kingston?” he asks.

I nod, grateful for the reprieve. “Look at me,” he says as our song begins to play, his voice soft, pleading. I lift my face as we take our positions for the tango. “It isn’t my story to tell, but there’s a reason why we keep Valeria so well-protected and out of the media. No one knows she’s my sister, not just you.”

I’m quiet as we follow our usual steps, my mind whirling. I accused him of being married to her. No wonder he told me the mere insinuation was sickening. I just wasn’t listening. My leg hooks around Xavier’s thigh, our eyes locking. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, my voice quiet. “I’d never tell anyone. You know that, right?”

He merely smiles at me without a hint of blame. “You don’t have a thing to be sorry about — except maybe my poor tires.”

I grin at him. “Says the man that stole my design plans. They were worth a lot more than your stupid tires.”

He laughs as he twirls me around and dips me, his gaze heated. “About as much as your jewelry, I suppose.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. My jewelry is priceless. Your tires were replaceable.”

His eyes twinkle, something I can’t quite read in them. “I suppose it’s time I return your jewelry, hmm?”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t return it until you got what you wanted?”

He pulls me against him, both of us straightening. “I did. I got exactly what I wanted, Sierra. You.”