Page 443 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“You’re being ridiculous!” I have no idea what I’m saying or if I sound like a broken record or not. All I know ishe’s not movingand I’m freaking out. “You’re not getting up. Why isn’t he getting up?” I ask, glaring at his brothers. “Why aren’t you stopping this?” Their shoulders all shake with silent laughter. “Are you shitting me right now?! Is this some sort of joke?!”
“It’s no joke, Amelie, sis, please marry me.”
“No!” I snap, finally realising that I had my answer to make this stop all along. Everyone stops laughing and Kalen’s hopeful gaze is dashed out faster than a birthday candle. He looks wounded. Absolutely gutted.
Heartbroken.
I feel like shit. “Kalen, I love you. But I love them too, and I could never choose between you. I know you’re not asking me to give them up to be with you, not really, but wearing a ring would make me a little more yours than theirs, and it isn’t fair.”
“What’s going on here?” Monty calls out from the back door, breaking the tension. I breathe a sigh of relief even as Kalen wails, “Dad! I’m proposing to Amelie and she won’t have me! How do I make her say yes?”
“You don’t, son. When a woman says no, she means no, onanysubject. Get up. I’ve raised you better than trying to make a woman do anything she doesn’t want to.”
“Excuse me,” I murmur, making a mad dash for Monty. His arrival saved my life, and I’ll be forever grateful for the distraction, but Idoneed to speak to him too. “Monty, a word?”
“Of course.”
I follow him into the kitchen, and just like Dirk did, he closes the door to give us some privacy. Maybe it’s a generational thing. The others all seemed content to talk to me by the pool, but this is definitely better.
“Are you okay?” Monty asks me, almost apologetically. “Kalen can be very full-on when he sets his mind to something.”
“I know. It’s one of the things I love about him. But shouldn’t I be asking how you are? I’m sorry if it feels too party-like, I wasn’t planning on having anyone over but?—”
“Kalen,” Monty finishes for me. “It’s quite alright. As accidentally inconsiderate as he can be, he’s a very caring boy and he ran his plans by me first, both to check I would be okay with them, and to see if I thought it would be a good idea. I encouraged him to set up today. I wanted something good to come from something unsavoury. Happy memories to replace bitter ones. A new beginning to mark a bittersweet end.”
“Thank you. That’s really kind. I’m sorry I couldn’t go to the funeral with you. You shouldn’t have been there alone.”
“Laura had actually made friends here, so it was only proper that I attend to keep up appearances. Believe me when I say there’s many places I’d rather have been. There was no love lost there in the end.”
I nod, unsure what else to say. I figured something wasn’t right in their relationship when they didn’t actually get married, and Monty had previously confessed to me he had ulterior motives for bringing Laura into his life – namely, to protect me – when I questioned him on it. I think he suspected her to be shady and kept her around to monitor her, but I don’t know for certain. It doesn’t seem important enough now to ask.
“I’m going to go and get changed,” Monty tells me, gesturing to his suit. “And then maybe I can join you?”
“Of course. Um, Maggie is here. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.”
“Okay. See you in a bit then.”
Reluctantly, I head back out to the garden, painfully aware of what’s waiting for me. A marriage proposal. Are you kidding me? They’re all standing exactly where I left them, like they’ve been stuck on pause awaiting my return.
“Amelie—” Kalen begins but I hold up my hand to stop him. Amazingly, it works and he falls silent.
“Look Amelie,” Sawyer begins tentatively. When I don’t stop or shush him, he carries on. “We’ve been talking, and we don’t think Kalen’s idea is so crazy…”
“Are you insane? You think I should I get married? At eighteen?!” My voice raises an octave with each panicked question.
“No, not at all. But we would like you to wear a ring. One from all of us.”
“How would that work? I can’t marry four people.”
“It wouldn’t be an engagement ring.”
“So you don’t want to marry me?” I frown, confused.
“More than anything, one day. When the time is right. But for now, we’d really love it if you would wear a ring, from all of us, that shows the strength of our commitment to you.”
“I don’t need a ring to know that,” I insist.
